He directed the Pusher trilogy (1996–2005), the crime drama Bronson (2008), and the adventure film Valhalla Rising (2009).

[3] Refn was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, and raised partly in New York City, United States.

[8] He attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts but was expelled for allegedly throwing a chair into a wall.

Refn then directed Bleeder (1999), which featured much of the same cast from the Pusher Trilogy, including actors such as Kim Bodnia and Mads Mikkelsen.

[citation needed] In 2003, Refn directed and wrote his first English-language film, Fear X, which starred John Turturro and was shot in Canada.

The film was remade as a British version in 2012, Pusher, directed by Luis Prieto and executive produced by Refn.

[10] In 2008, Refn returned to the European art house film circuit after his unsuccessful Hollywood venture Fear X.

In 2009, Refn teamed up again with frequent collaborator Mads Mikkelsen to write and direct Valhalla Rising, a surrealistic period piece about the Viking era.

[26] In September 2011, Refn said his next film would be I Walk with the Dead, with Carey Mulligan, co-star of Drive, slated to play the lead.

[30] The film starred Elle Fanning, Karl Glusman, Keanu Reeves, Christina Hendricks, Abbey Lee, Jena Malone and Bella Heathcote.

[32] He directed an extended Gucci commercial featuring Blake Lively and himself in a brief cameo,[33] which premiered at the 2012 Venice Film Festival.

[36] In 2009, Refn expressed high interest in developing a film biopic of notorious English occultist Aleister Crowley, with Bronson star Tom Hardy in the lead role.

Refn admitted to not knowing anything about the life of the magician and referred to Crowley as a "Satan-worshipping cult personality".

[37] That year, he became attached to direct a modern retelling of Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde with Keanu Reeves playing the titular roles.

[39] In 2010, Refn planned to direct Paul Schrader's script The Dying of the Light with Harrison Ford as the lead.

In September 2011 during promotion for Drive, he claimed that Ford did not want his character to die, causing the film production to fall apart.

[41][42] Schrader directed the film, which starred Nicolas Cage and Anton Yelchin in the Ford and Tatum roles.

In 2012, Refn became involved in the direction of a remake of the 1980s crime show The Equalizer starring Denzel Washington, but the deal with Sony fell through for unknown reasons.

In July 2016, Refn revealed that he had turned down the offer to direct the James Bond movie Spectre.

[45][46] Variety reported that producer Lene Borglum described the purported plot as following: "[A] former European spy [accepts] a mission from a Japanese businessman to take down the head of a Yakuza boss in Japan".

"[49] Refn spoke more about shooting in chronological order in September 2011, in reference to Drive: It's always difficult with production.

"[9] Refn has cited viewing The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) as inspiration for his filmmaking career: I grew up in a cinema family.

[49] Other favorites include Tokyo Drifter (1966), Kwaidan (1964), My Life as a Dog (1985), Man on Fire (2004), Pretty Woman (1990), Scorpio Rising (1963), Vampyr (1932), Videodrome (1983), Suspiria (1977), Cloverfield (2008), Flesh for Frankenstein (1973), Planet of the Vampires (1965), Liquid Sky (1982), The Shining (1980), Night of the Living Dead (1968), To Die For (1995), Sixteen Candles (1984), The Night of the Hunter (1955), Alien (1979) and Beauty and the Beast (1946).

Some of the films Refn helped restore include Ron Ormond's The Burning Hell (1974), Curtis Harrington's Night Tide (1961) and Ray Dennis Steckler's Wild Guitar (1962).

[61] At the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, Refn said that he was repulsed by the controversial remarks by Lars von Trier about Adolf Hitler, calling them unacceptable.