Ólafur Darri Ólafsson Biography

Icelandic-American actor (born 1973)For other people named Ólafur Ólafsson, see Ólafur Ólafsson (disambiguation).This is an Icelandic name. The last name is patronymic, not a family name; this person is referred to by the given name Ólafur.

Ólafur Darri Ólafsson (born 3 March 1973) is an Icelandic-American actor, producer, and screenwriter. He is known for Fangavaktin, Children, Trapped and The Deep. On the international stage, he is known for his appearances in Lady Dynamite, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, and Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga.

Early life

Ólafur was born to Icelandic parents in Connecticut, United States, where his father studied medicine. His family returned to Iceland when he was around four years old.

Career

Ólafur graduated from the Icelandic Drama School in 1998. Afterward, he became involved in numerous productions with the National Theatre of Iceland and Reykjavík City Theatre, also working with various independent theatre groups. He is one of the founders of Vesturport Theatre in Reykjavík.

Ólafur is best known internationally for his role as Andri, the chief of police in the small town of Seyðisfjörður in the east of Iceland, in the series Trapped. Baltasar Kormákur, who devised the series, has said that the actor was chosen because he was not a typical leading man. In the UK, the Guardian TV critic called his performance "as remarkable as the landscape". Ólafur himself has said that he based the character on his own father.

In June 2016, Ólafur lip synced in the music video for Winter Sound by the Icelandic band Of Monsters and Men.

In 2019, the actor was cast in AMC's series adaptation of Joe Hill's NOS4A2 as Bing Partridge.

He is also an Icelandic dubber and has provided the voices of various characters in animated films, such as Ice Age, Lilo & S*ch, Brother Bear, and Kung Fu Panda, among others.

Personal life

Ólafur is in a relationship with Icelandic dancer Lovísa Ósk Gunnarsdóttir. They have two daughters, born in 2010 and 2014.

Due to being born in the United States, he holds an American citizenship as well as an Icelandic one.

Selected filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to Ólafur Darri Ólafsson.Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ólafur Darri Ólafsson.

• Ólafur Darri Ólafsson at Behind The Voice Actors
• Ólafur Darri Ólafsson at IMDb