In 1996, she made her television début playing the part of Lucinda Gonzales in the series Tre kronor. From 1998 to 1999, Rapace studied at Skara Skolscen. She has been engaged at Theater Plaza 2000–01, Orionteatern 2001, Teater Galeasen 2002, Stockholms stadsteater in 2003 as well as at the Royal Dramatic Theatre. In 2007, she won acclaim for her award-winning portrayal of a troubled teen mother in the Danish film Daisy Diamond, directed by Simon Staho. She won the two top film awards in Denmark (the Bodil and Robert prize) for Best Actress for her role in the film, which was also selected for the main competition at the San Sebastian International Film Festival. The film was criticized for the abuse a baby actor was subjected to during production.
Her mother, Nina Norén (born Kristina Norén; 1954) is a Swedish actress, and her father, Rogelio Durán (1953–2006), was a Spanish Flamenco singer from Badajoz. She has said that her father may have been of part Roma descent, and though she is "not sure if it is true," she has "always been interested in the culture."
Rapace's sister, Særún Norén, is a photographer.
Rapace has said she saw her father only occasionally before his death. At the age of five, she moved from her native Sweden to Flúðir, Iceland with her mother and stepfather. Two years later, she made her film debut in a minor role in In the Shadow of the Raven.
At the age of seven, Rapace was given her first film role, which was a non-speaking part in the film Í skugga hrafnsins by Hrafn Gunnlaugsson. This experience made her decide to be an actress.She left home at age 15 and enrolled in a Stockholm theatre school.
Rapace married Swedish actor Ola Rapace in 2001. The couple have a son. In September 2010, the couple filed for divorce, taking effect during 2011.
