Akerman was born Malin Maria Ã…kerman in Stockholm, Sweden. Her family moved to Canada when she was two years old.

At the age of 17 she won the Ford Supermodel of Canada search. After a career in modeling, she turned to acting and now resides in California, U.S.A.. She has had roles in several films, including The Utopian Society (2003) with Sam Doumit and Austin Nichols and Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004). She has made several TV guest appearances and in 2005 she got the role as Juna in the HBO series The Comeback. She has also appeared on The Showbiz Show with David Spade as a correspondent and in the third season of HBO series Entourage in the role of "Tori." Also, she is the lead singer of a rock band named "Ozono," who later changed their name to "The Petalstones".