Måns Mårlind

Born and raised near Stockholm, Sweden, writer and director Mans Marlind has become a Hollywood name for co-directing the 2012 vampire thriller "Underworld: Awakening." Growing up with friend and future directing partner Bjorn Stein, Marlind was a fan of both Swedish films--such as those of legend Ingmar Bergman--and American blockbusters and action movies from a young age. The boys made their first film together as teenagers, leading Marlind to study filmmaking at Stockholm University and, later, at the American Film Institute in Los Angeles. Breaking into the business as a TV writer, Marlind earned his first directing credit on the Swedish television show "Sjätte dagen" in 1999 before going on to helm the popular series "The Befallen," "Spung," and "Snapphanar" as well as the comedy short film "Disco Kung Fu" in 2002. In 2005, Marlind and Stein directed their first feature film together, "Storm," a fantasy thriller written by Marlind, and in 2010 the pair made a stir in Hollywood co-directing the big-budget mystery "Shelter" with Julianne Moore and Jonathan Rhys Meyers. Riding high on the success of that film, Marlind and Stein were tapped to direct the fourth film in the "Underworld" series, "Underworld: Awakening," starring Kate Beckinsale.