Marie Askehave was born in the small town of Nibe in Jutland, northern Denmark. Her father Ole Askehave is an engineer. Her mother Else Gunge is a speech therapist. She studied acting at the Danish National School of Theatre in Copenhagen, graduating in 2003. While she is best known for her movie and TV work, particularly her role as Rie Skovgaard in the first season of The Killing (2007), she continues to appear in stage productions. In July 2006 she married fellow Danish actor David Owe in her home town of Nibe. Marie is also a singer. She featured in her husband's 2006 album 'Tomorrow', and released her first solo album, 'Detour', in 2007.