Gunnar Eyjólfsson (24 February 1926 - 21 November 2016) was an Icelandic actor. Gunnar began his career with the

Reykjavík Theatre Company The Reykjavík Theatre Company (RTC) was founded in 1897 when two existing companies in Reykjavík combined, performing in the then newly built Iðnó (Craftsmens' House). With Indriði Einarsson (1851-1939) as its Director, RTC became the fertile ...

in 1945. In 1961, he joined the

National Theatre of Iceland The National Theatre of Iceland (NTI) ( is, Þjóðleikhúsið, pronounced ) in Reykjavík, is the national theatre of Iceland. The theater, designed by Guðjón Samúelsson, was formally opened on 20 April 1950. Since 2020, the artistic direct ...

; in 1963 he won the Silver Lamp Award for the best theatrical performance of the year for the title role in ''Pétur Gautur''. He was also the first foreign recipient of the

RADA The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA; ) is a drama school in London, England, that provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the Sena ...

Shakespeare Award. He also appeared in many films. He won the 2002 Edda Award for Best Leading Actor for his performance as Thórður in ''

The Sea The Sea may refer to: *The sea, a body of salty water. Arts, entertainment, and me dia Films * ''La Mer'' (film) (''The Sea''), an 1895 French short, black-and-white, silent documentary film directed by Louis Lumière * ''The Sea'' (1933 film) ( ...

''. In 1999, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the

Order of the Falcon The Order of the Falcon ( is, Hin íslenska fálkaorða) is the only order of chivalry in Iceland, founded by King Christian X of Denmark and Iceland on 3 July 1921. The award is awarded for merit for Iceland and humanity and has five degrees. ...

Personal life

Gunnar was born in

Keflavík Keflavík (pronounced , meaning ''Driftwood Bay'') is a town in the Reykjanes region in southwest Iceland. It is included in the municipality of Reykjanesbær whose population as of 2016 is 15,129. In 1995, Keflavik merged with nearby Njar� ...

. He is the father of

Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir (born 4 October 1965) is an Icelandic politician, who has been chairman of the Reform Party since 2017. Þorgerður was deputy chairwoman of the Independence Party from 2005 to 2010. She was the Minister o ...

Selected filmography

References

External links

* 1926 births 2016 deaths Icelandic male film actors Knights of the Order of the Falcon {{Iceland-actor-stub