2012–2017 Følsgaard got his first taste of acting at the age of 10 when he appeared in an episode of
TV 2's historical drama
Bryggeren (1997). After seeing a casting advertisement in a newspaper, his grandfather took him and his brother to
Nordisk Film's studio in
Valby, where they both auditioned and Følsgaard was cast. He did not act again until high school. He also won the
Bodil Award and
Robert Award for
Best Actor and
Best Supporting Actor, respectively. The film was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at both the
Golden Globe and
Academy Awards. In 2013, Følsgaard was one of the ten recipients of the
Shooting Stars Award presented by
European Film Promotion at the Berlinale. The international jury noted, "Seeing him in
A Royal Affair, one instantly knows that he can play any part. For his first role, he is simply breathtaking, taking care of every detail, showing incredible physical adeptness. We never see him creating emotions, they are just there. Like a miracle." From 2014 to 2017, Følsgaard played Emil Grønnegaard in the drama series
The Legacy. Over its three seasons run, the series enjoyed immense popularity in Denmark and was sold to over 40 countries. For this role, Følsgaard won the Robert Award for
Best Actor in a Supporting Television Role in 2015 and 2018. In 2015, he played the lead role in
Frederikke Aspöck's romantic drama
Rosita, which was well received by critics. That same year, he also appeared in
Kasper Barfoed's biographical sports comedy ''
Summer of '92'' and
Martin Zandvliet's war drama
Land of Mine, which was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards. For his performances in these films, Følsgaard received two nominations for Best Supporting Actor at the Robert Awards. In 2016, he starred in
Lisa Ohlin's film
Walk with Me, which earned him the Best Actor nomination at both the Bodil and Robert awards. He then appeared in the Swedish film
A Serious Game (2016), directed by
Pernilla August. In 2017, he played former professional boxer
Jørgen Hansen in Mikkel Serup's biographical drama
Pound for Pound. Despite some criticism that he was too young for the part, the film received generally positive reviews and he was nominated for a Bodil Award for Best Actor.
2018–present From 2018 to 2020, Følsgaard starred in the
post-apocalyptic Netflix series
The Rain. While the first season was well-received, the following two were criticised for their weak storylines. In 2020, he starred in Malou Reymann's directorial debut,
A Perfectly Normal Family, based on her family's experience with her father's transition to a woman. For this role, he was nominated for Best Actor at the Bodil and Robert awards. Also that year, he played the Danish diplomat
Povl Bang-Jensen in
Christina Rosendahl's biographical drama
The Good Traitor. In 2021, Følsgaard starred in the Netflix crime series
The Chestnut Man, which brought him a nomination for
Best Actor in a Leading Television Role at the Robert Awards. He also appeared in the first ever Danish-Japanese co-production, the drama film
Miss Osaka. In 2022, he joined the cast of the hit Danish series
Borgen, which returned for a fourth season after a nine-year break. The fourth season received critical acclaim, and Følsgaard was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Television Role at the Robert Awards. In 2023, he reunited with his
Borgen co-star,
Sidse Babett Knudsen, in
Bille August's historical comedy
Ehrengard: The Art of Seduction, based on a short story by
Karen Blixen.
Queen Margrethe II designed the costumes for the film. In 2024, he collaborated with August again, playing Gérard de Villefort in the English-language series
The Count of Monte Cristo. Also that year, he appeared in his seventh film directed by a woman, the biographical drama
The Swedish Torpedo. The film premiered at the
Toronto International Film Festival to positive reviews. ==Personal life==