Arcel was born and raised in Copenhagen. His mother Libby Tata Arcel is a psychologist from the town of Mytilene on the Greek island of Lesbos,[1] while his father, Arne Arcel, is an architect from Denmark.[2] His parents divorced when he was seven. His elder sister is actress Nastja Arcel. He attended Bernadotte School in Hellerup and secondary school at Øster Borgerdyd Gymnasium.[3] He then enrolled at the National Film School of Denmark from where he graduated as film director in 2001.[4] His graduation project, the short film Woyzeck's Last Symphony, won the Grand Prix at Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival.[5]
After experiencing an international breakthrough with A Royal Affair, he moved to Hollywood to pursue a career in filmmaking there. He directed the film adaptation of Stephen King's The Dark Tower. The film began principal photography in early 2016, and it was released on 4 August 2017.