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Ólafur Darri Ólafsson facts for kids

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Ólafur Darri Ólafsson
Ólafur Darri Ólafsson close-up, smiling at the camera
Ólafur in 2019
Born (1973-03-03) 3 March 1973 (age 52)
Citizenship
  • Iceland
  • United States
Occupation
  • Actor
  • producer
  • screenwriter
Years active 1998–present
Known for Children
Fangavaktin
Trapped
The Minister
Partner(s) Lovísa Ósk Gunnarsdóttir
Children 2

Ólafur Darri Ólafsson (born on March 3, 1973) is a talented actor, producer, and screenwriter. He has both Icelandic and American citizenship. You might know him from his roles in popular shows like Trapped or movies such as The Deep. He has also appeared in international films like The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.

Early Life

Ólafur was born in Connecticut, United States. His parents were from Iceland. His father was studying medicine there. When Ólafur was about four years old, his family moved back to Iceland.

Career Highlights

Ólafur finished his acting studies at the Icelandic Drama School in 1998. After that, he started working in many plays. He performed at the National Theatre of Iceland and Reykjavík City Theatre. He also worked with smaller, independent theater groups. Ólafur is one of the people who helped start the Vesturport Theatre in Reykjavík.

He is very well known around the world for his role as Andri. Andri is a police chief in a small town in Iceland called Seyðisfjörður. This role was in the TV series Trapped. The creator of the series, Baltasar Kormákur, chose Ólafur because he was not like a typical main actor. A TV critic in the UK said his acting was "as remarkable as the landscape." Ólafur has shared that he based the character of Andri on his own father.

In 2016, Ólafur appeared in a music video. He lip-synced in the video for the song Winter Sound. This song was by the Icelandic band Of Monsters and Men.

In 2019, Ólafur was cast in a TV show called NOS4A2. This show is based on a book by Joe Hill. Ólafur played the character Bing Partridge.

He also does voice acting for animated movies. He has lent his voice to characters in films like Ice Age, Lilo & Stitch, Brother Bear, and Kung Fu Panda.

Personal Life

Ólafur is in a relationship with Lovísa Ósk Gunnarsdóttir. She is an Icelandic dancer. They have two daughters together. Their daughters were born in 2010 and 2014.

Because Ólafur was born in the United States, he has two citizenships. He is a citizen of both America and Iceland.

Selected Filmography

Here are some of the movies and TV shows Ólafur Darri Ólafsson has been in.

Film Roles

List of film appearances, with year, title, and role shown
Year Title Role Notes
2000 Fíaskó Gulli
101 Reykjavík Marri
2002 True Love (Once Removed) Waitress Short
2005 Beowulf & Grendel Unferth
2006 Thicker than Water Börkur
Children Marinó
2007 Parents Marinó
2008 White Night Wedding Sjonni
Country Wedding Egill
Reykjavík-Rotterdam Elvar
2010 Undercurrent Sævar
2011 Stormland Böddi – Böðvar Steingrímsson
2012 Contraband Olaf
The Deep Gulli
2013 The Secret Life of Walter Mitty Helicopter pilot
2014 A Walk Among the Tombstones Jonas Loogan
2015 The Last Witch Hunter Belial
2016 Zoolander 2 Hasidic man
The BFG the Maidmasher
The White King Pickaxe
2018 The Spy Who Dumped Me Finnish backpacker
The Meg The Wall
Let Me Fall Viðskiptavinur
The Vanishing Boor
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald Skender
2019 How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World Ragnar the Rock Voice role
Murder Mystery Sergei
End of Sentence Officer Stone
2020 Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga Neils Brongus
2023 Operation Napoleon Einar

Television Roles

List of television appearances, with year, title, and role shown
Year Title Role Notes
2006 The Eagle Computer thief 1 episode
2009 1066 The Battle for Middle Earth Gyrd 1 episode
Fangavaktin Loðfíllinn 7 episodes
2014 Banshee Jonah Lambrecht 2 episodes
True Detective Dewall 1 episode
Banshee Origins Jonah Lambrecht 1 episode
2015–21 Trapped Andri Ólafsson 21 episodes
2016 The Missing Stefan Andersen 4 episodes
Quarry Credence Mason 4 episodes
2016–17 Lady Dynamite Scott Marvel Cassidy 13 episodes
2017 Emerald City Ojo 7 episodes
2018 Hilda 13 episodes
2019 The Widow Ariel Helgason 8 episodes
New Amsterdam Burl 1 episode
NOS4A2 Bing Partridge 20 episodes
The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance The Archer (voice) 6 episodes
2020 Cursed Rugen the Leper King 1 episode
The Minister Benedikt Ríkharðsson 8 episodes
2021 Vegferð Ólafur Darri 6 episodes
2022 The Amazing Race 34 Himself 1 episode
2022–24 The Tourist Billy Nixon 6 episodes
2023 Boat Story Narrator 6 episodes
2024 Twilight of the Gods Tiwaz 5 episodes
2024 Somebody Somewhere Víglundur 'Iceland' Hjartarson Season 3
2024 La Palma Haukur 3 episodes
2025 Severance Mr. Drummond Season 2
TBA Reykjavik Fusion Jónas Lead role

Video Game Roles

List of video game appearances, with year, title, and role shown
Year Title Role Notes
2017 For Honor Highlander Voice role
2023 The Last Worker Kurt Voice role

Awards and Nominations

Ólafur Darri Ólafsson has won several awards for his acting and screenwriting.

Year Award Category Nominated work Result
2006 Edda Awards Screenplay of the Year (with Gísli Örn Garðarsson, Nína Dögg Filippusdóttir & Ragnar Bragason) Children Won
Actor of the Year Children Nominated
2007 Edda Awards Best Film (with Nanna Kristín Magnúsdóttir, Ingvar Sigurdsson, Víkingur Kristjánsson, Gísli Örn Garðarsson, Nína Dögg Filippusdóttir & Ragnar Bragason) Parents Won
Nordic Council Film Prize N/A Children Nominated
2010 Edda Awards Supporting Actor of the Year The Prison Shift Nominated
2011 Edda Awards Actor of the Year Stormland Won
Screenplay of the Year (with Ottó Geir Borg, Víkingur Kristjánsson, Víkingur Kristjánsson, Ólafur Egilsson, Gísli Örn Garðarsson, Nína Dögg Filippusdóttir, Ingvar Sigurdsson, Nanna Kristín Magnúsdóttir & Árni Ólafur Ásgeirsson) Undercurrent Nominated
2013 Edda Awards Actor of the Year The Deep Won
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival Best Actor Award XL Won
2014 Edda Awards Actor of the Year XL Nominated
2021 Edda Awards Actor of the Year The Minister Won

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Ólafur Darri Ólafsson para niños

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