Aug 25, 2016 02:03 PM EDT By Jane Reed, UniversityHerald Reporter

The Swedish actor who played Tarzan in the 2016 film, "The Legend of Tarzan," was given an honorary doctorate degree from Leeds Metropolitan University because of his work in the arts, according to Pop Sugar

He is also known for his role as the vampire Eric Northman in "True Blood." Born in Stockholm, Sweden, he already started acting at a young age. His father, a Swedish actor named Stellan Skarsgard, has a director friend who gave Alexander his first acting gig at the age of seven. His break out role was in 1989. He was thirteen at the time. He landed the lead role in "The Dog That Smiled."

He found that he was not comfortable being in the limelight. He quit acting and laid low for the next seven years. When he was 19 years old, he joined the Swedish Military for a year and a half. His unit focused on anti-terrorism in the Stockholm area. When he completed his service in 1996, he left Sweden and enrolled at Leeds Becket University in England.

He attended the school for six months. He only stayed for a short time but admits he "had a blast." He studied English at the school. Missing the limelight, he started to consider acting again. He enrolled in a theater course at Marymount Manhattan College, New York City. After six months, he realized he wanted to act.

He picked up several acting jobs in the movie and television industry. He landed the role of Meekus in Zoolander. It is interesting to note that he was named the Sexiest Man in Sweden for five times. In his tenure as an actor, he worked with a dialect coach to master the American accent.

Now, he is known as that sultry vampire and king of the jungle.

Watch Alexander Skarsgard's acceptance speech at Leeds University during the ceremony below:

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