Niels Arestrup (French pronunciation: [nils aʁestʁyp]; 8 February 1949 – 1 December 2024) was a French-Danish actor, film director and screenwriter.

Arestrup was born in Paris on 8 February 1949, into a family of modest means; his father was Danish and his mother was Breton.

Arestrup won three César Awards for Best Supporting Actor for The Beat That My Heart Skipped and A Prophet, then Quai d'Orsay.

In 2012, after ten years together, Arestrup married the actress, screenwriter and author Isabelle Le Nouvel.

[3] Arestrup died following a long illness in Ville-d'Avray, France, on 1 December 2024 at the age of 75.