Ólafur Darri Ólafsson (born 13 March 1973) is an Icelandic-American actor, producer, and screenwriter.
He is known for ''
Children
A child ( : children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger ...
'', ''
Trapped'', ''
The Deep'', ''
Lady Dynamite
''Lady Dynamite'' is an American comedy series starring Maria Bamford, and is loosely based on her life. It was created by Pam Brady and Mitch Hurwitz, on Netflix. The twelve-episode first season was released in its entirety on May 20, 2016. The ...
'', and ''
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
"The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" (1939) is a short story by James Thurber. The most famous of Thurber's stories, it first appeared in ''The New Yorker'' on March 18, 1939, and was first collected in his book '' My World and Welcome to It'' ( Ha ...
''.
Early life
Ólafur was born to Icelandic parents in
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
, 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
The National Theatre of Iceland (NTI) ( is, Þjóðleikhúsið, pronounced ) in ReykjavÃk, is the national theatre of Iceland.
The theater, designed by Guðjón Samúelsson, was formally opened on 20 April 1950. Since 2020, the artistic directo ...
and
ReykjavÃk City Theatre
The ReykjavÃk City Theatre (RCT) ( is, Borgarleikhúsið ) is a theatre in ReykjavÃk, Iceland.
History
In 1989, after ninety years of performing in a small wooden building in the city centre, the company inaugurated a new theatre building ad ...
, also working with various independent theatre groups. He is one of the founders of
Vesturport
Vesturport is an Icelandic theatre group, founded on 18 August 2001. The group has performed plays in the United States, Europe and Australia. In 2011, it received the Europe Prize Theatrical Realities for its complete work, innovative charac ...
Theatre in ReykjavÃk.
Ólafur is best known internationally for his role as Andri, the chief of police in the small town of
Seyðisfjörður
Seyðisfjörður () is a town in the Eastern Region of Iceland at the innermost point of the fjord of the same name. The town is located in the municipality of Múlaþing.
A road over Fjarðarheiði mountain pass (elevation ) connects Seyðisfjö ...
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".
Ólafsson himself has said that he based the character on his own father.
In June 2016, Ólafur
lip sync
Lip sync or lip synch (pronounced , the same as the word ''sink'', short for lip synchronization) is a technical term for matching a speaking or singing person's lip movements with sung or spoken vocals.
Audio for lip syncing is generated thr ...
ed in the music video for ''Winter Sound'' by the Icelandic band
Of Monsters and Men.
In 2019, the actor was cast in
AMC
AMC may refer to:
Film and television
* AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain
* AMC Networks, an American entertainment company
** AMC (TV channel)
** AMC+, streaming service
** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company
*** ...
's
series adaptation of
Joe Hill's ''
NOS4A2'' as Bing Partridge.
Personal life
Ólafur is in a relationship with Icelandic dancer LovÃsa Ósk Gunnarsdóttir. They have two daughters, born in 2010 and 2014.
Selected filmography
Film
Television
Video games
Awards and nominations
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Olafsson, Olafur Darri
Living people
1973 births
Male actors from Connecticut
American people of Icelandic descent
Icelandic male film actors
Icelandic male television actors
21st-century Icelandic male actors
20th-century Icelandic male actors
American male film actors
American male television actors
American male voice actors
20th-century American male actors
21st-century American male actors