David Rysdahl (born April 2, 1987) is an American actor and screenwriter. He is best known for his lead role in the fifth season of the television series Fargo, his supporting role in the television series Alien: Earth, and for his starring roles in the fantasy drama film Nine Days (2020) and the thriller film No Exit (2022). He also appeared in Oppenheimer (2023).
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Early life
Rysdahl was born to Gigi and Dr. Scott Rysdahl. He has two brothers and a sister. He grew up in New Ulm, Minnesota, where he attended Cathedral High School. After briefly working in public health in Guatemala, he became more interested in acting as a career.
Career
Rysdahl was cast in a stage production of Hamlet at the Great River Shakespeare Festival in Winona, Minnesota.
After moving to New York, Rysdahl starred in short films. In 2018, he starred in Cathy Yan’s comedy-drama Dead Pigs. In 2020, he appeared in the fantasy drama film Nine Days, and in 2022, he starred in the thriller No Exit. His other credits include the Netflix docuseries The Family, episode 4, season 6 of Netflix's Black Mirror, season 5 of the FX series Fargo, and the indie feature The Land of Owls. He played American chemist Donald Hornig in Christopher Nolan's 2023 biopic Oppenheimer. In 2025, Rysdahl played a supporting role as Arthur Sylvia in the FX series Alien: Earth, reuniting him with Fargo creator Noah Hawley.
Personal life
As of February 2022, Rysdahl lives in Harlem.
Rysdahl met actress Zazie Beetz at an acting workshop, and they began dating around 2014. They started a production company called Sleepy Poppy. The couple married in 2023.
