Peter Vilhelm Franzén (born 14 August 1971) is a Finnish actor, author, screenwriter, and director. He is best known for his role as King

Harald Finehair Harald Fairhair no, Harald hårfagreModern Icelandic: ( – ) was a Norwegian king. According to traditions current in Norway and Iceland in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, he reigned from 872 to 930 and was the first King of Norw ...

in ''

Vikings Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and ...

'' (2016–2020).

Personal life

Franzén was born in

Keminmaa Keminmaa (until 1979 Kemin maalaiskunta) ( smn, Kiemâeennâm; sms, Ǩeeʹmmjânnam) is a municipality of Finland. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . Geography Neighbou ...

, north Finland. Franzén has described his childhood as difficult due to his violent and alcoholic stepfather. Later, Franzén's relationship to his abusive stepfather was a major focal point in his semi-autobiographical novel, ''Above Dark Waters''. He met his actress wife

Irina Björklund Irina Felicia Björklund (born 7 February 1973) is a Finnish actress and singer. Early life and education Björklund was born in Danderyd, Stockholm County, Sweden before moving to Finland with her family. Björklund also lived in France during h ...

while studying in

Theatre Academy of Finland The Theatre Academy ( fi, Teatterikorkeakoulu, sv, Teaterhögskolan) is one of the three academies of the University of the Arts Helsinki and offers education in theatre and dance. It is Finland's largest education provider in its field and, with ...

. In 1999 the couple moved to Los Angeles, where they lived until 2013, after which they moved to

Roquevaire Roquevaire (; oc, Ròcavaira) is a commune in the Huveaune valley between Aubagne and Auriol in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of Southern France. In 2017, it had a population of 9,003. Its inhabita ...

, France. They have a son, born in September 2007.

Career

As an actor, Franzén has appeared in over 50 films and TV series. For his role in '' Dog Nail Clipper'', Franzén was awarded a

Jussi Award The Jussi Awards are Finland's premier film industry prizes, awarded annually to recognize the achievements of directors, actors, and writers. History The first Jussi Awards ceremony was held on 16 November 1944 at the Restaurant Adlon in Hels ...

for Best Actor as well as earning praise from film critic Jay Weissberg from ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' magazine who called the actor "one of the most talented and versatile thesps in Finland". In his career he has appeared in Finnish, Estonian, German, English, Swedish, and Hungarian speaking roles. In 2015, Franzén was cast as King

from the fourth season of ''

''. Franzén has also been cast in Amazon Prime Video's ''

The Wheel of Time ''The Wheel of Time'' is a series of high fantasy novels by American author Robert Jordan, with Brandon Sanderson as a co-author for the final three novels. Originally planned as a six-book series, ''The Wheel of Time'' spans 14 volumes, in ad ...

'' TV series.

Filmography

Films

Television

Writing

In 2010 Franzén published a partly autobiographical novel Tumman veden päällä (Above Dark Waters). In 2013 Franzén wrote Samoilla silmillä, a sequel to Tumman veden päällä. In 2017 Tammi published Särkyneen pyörän karjatila, third book by Franzén.

Directing

In 2013 Franzén directed the film "''Above Dark Waters''", based on novel he had written in 2010. In 2020, he directed and narrated a viking-themed short movie called "''Age of Vikings: Fated''" which was shot in Old Swedish.

Singing

In 2021 Franzén sang the song Þat Mælti Mín Móðir (My Mother Told Me), that was performed by the Swedish band Hindarfjäll. The song first appeared in the TV-series Vikings where it was sung by Harald Finehair (portrayed by Peter Franzén). Here Franzén reprises his performance, singing the song in the Old Norse language.

Awards and honours

In 2013 Franzén was awarded the Pro Finlandia Medal of the '' Order of the Lion of Finland''.

References

External links

* 1971 births Living people People from Keminmaa Finnish male film actors Finnish male television actors Male actors from Los Angeles Finnish expatriates in France Finnish expatriates in the United States {{Finland-actor-stub