Gísli Örn Garðarsson (born 15 December 1973) is an Icelandic actor and director. 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 charact ...

, a theatre and film company based in

Reykjavík Reykjavík is the Capital city, capital and largest city in Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland on the southern shore of Faxaflói, the Faxaflói Bay. With a latitude of 64°08′ N, the city is List of northernmost items, the worl ...

, and is also sometimes a scriptwriter and producer. Before focusing on acting, he competed internationally as a gymnast.

Early life and education

Gísli Örn was born in Reykjavík but grew up in

Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...

. His father, Garðar Gíslason, is a teacher; his mother, Kolbrún Högnadóttir, worked for the publisher Fróði. Gísli Örn finished school at Hamrahlið College in Hlíðahverfi and studied Sociology at the

University of Iceland The University of Iceland ( ) is a public research university in Reykjavík, Iceland, and the country's oldest and largest institution of higher education. Founded in 1911, it has grown steadily from a small civil servants' school to a modern co ...

and West European Studies at the

University of Oslo The University of Oslo (; ) is a public university, public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation#Europe, oldest university in Norway. Originally named the Royal Frederick Univ ...

before completing training in drama at the

Iceland Academy of the Arts Iceland University of the Arts ( ) is an Icelandic institution of higher art education, located in Reykjavík, which offers the only university-level degrees in the arts in Iceland.Lisa Z. ValdimarsdottirIceland Academy of the Arts, Department of ...

. He had wanted to study drama in Oslo but failed to gain entry. For many years he was a gymnast, competing for the Icelandic, Norwegian, and Danish national teams and belonging to the elite Ármann club together with Guðjón Guðmundsson, who was national champion in his age group for several years; he considered becoming a gymnastics coach but found it unappealing.

Career

Gísli Örn has appeared in many Icelandic films, beginning in 2001 with a major role in ''

Dramarama Dramarama is an American, New Jersey–based alternative rock/power pop band, who later moved to Los Angeles. The band was formed in New Jersey in 1982 and disbanded in 1994. The band formally reunited in 2003 following an appearance on VH1's ' ...

''. That year he also co-founded the drama company

with 13 others. In 2010 he had a supporting role in the Disney film '' Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time''. He made his directing début with a circus-themed production of Shakespeare's ''

Romeo and Juliet ''The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet'', often shortened to ''Romeo and Juliet'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare about the romance between two young Italians from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's ...

'' at the

Reykjavík City Theatre The Reykjavík City Theatre (RCT) ( ) is a theatre in Reykjavík, 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 adjacent to the Kringla ...

in 2003, also playing Romeo. The production's success led to an invitation to transfer it to the

Young Vic The Young Vic Theatre is a performing arts venue located on The Cut, near the South Bank, in the London Borough of Lambeth. The Young Vic was established by Frank Dunlop in 1970. Nadia Fall has been artistic director since 2025, succeeding ...

in London, from where it moved in 2004 to the

Playhouse Theatre The Playhouse Theatre is a West End theatre in the City of Westminster, located in Northumberland Avenue, near Trafalgar Square, central London. The Theatre was built by F. H. Fowler and Hill with a seating capacity of 1,200. It was rebuilt in ...

. He has since directed further stage productions, including an adaptation of

Kafka Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a novelist and writer from Prague who was Jewish, Austrian, and Czech and wrote in German. He is widely regarded as a major figure of 20th-century literature. His work fuses elements of real ...

's ''

The Metamorphosis ''The Metamorphosis'' (), also translated as ''The Transformation'', is a novella by Franz Kafka published in 1915. One of Kafka's best-known works, ''The Metamorphosis'' tells the story of salesman Gregor Samsa, who wakes to find himself inex ...

'' in association with David Farr and the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, which toured in many European countries and the US in addition to the UK and Iceland. Büchner's ''

Woyzeck ''Woyzeck'' () is a stage play written by Georg Büchner. Büchner wrote the play between July and October 1836, yet left it incomplete at his death in February 1837. The play first appeared in 1877 in a heavily edited version by Karl Emil F ...

'' at the BAM Next Wave Festival in 2008, directed by Gísli Örn, was Vesturport's first appearance in the US; with the

American Repertory Theater The American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) is a professional not-for-profit theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1979 by Robert Brustein, the A.R.T. is known for its commitment to new American plays and music–theater explorations; to ne ...

production of ''The Heart of Robin Hood'', also written by Farr, he became the first Icelander to direct on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

. He has also acted as producer and scriptwriter in some Vesturport projects. Gísli Örn's directorial work draws on his gymnastics experience and is often described as very physical and highly theatrical. Beginning with ''Woyzeck'', the productions have often included music specially composed by

Nick Cave Nicholas Edward Cave (born 22 September 1957) is an Australian musician, writer, and actor who fronts the rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Known for his baritone voice, Cave's music is characterised by emotional intensity, a wide variety ...

. In 2023, a non-replica version of the musical " Frozen" based on the Disney Film of the same name directed by Gísli Örn opened at

Det Norske Teatret Det Norske Teatret ()Moe, Jens. 2011. ''My America: The Culture of Giving''. Bloomington, IN: iUniverse, p. 133. is a theatre in Oslo. The theatre was founded in 1912, after an initiative from Hulda Garborg and Edvard Drabløs. It opened in 19 ...

starting a tour in all Scandinavia, this new version had a nordic vision changing sets and orchestrations to match the culture better. This tour is and will be shown in Norway, Iceland, Sweden, Finland and Denmark.

Selected theatre work

* 2003: Shakespeare's ''

'',

, subsequently Young Vic Theatre and

, London: director, Romeo * 2005: Georg Büchner's ''

'', with music by

Barbican Theatre The Barbican Centre is a performing arts centre in the Barbican Estate of the City of London, England, and the largest of its kind in Europe. The centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings an ...

, London,

Brooklyn Academy of Music The Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) is a multi-arts center in Brooklyn, New York City. It hosts progressive and avant-garde performances, with theater, dance, music, opera, film programming across multiple nearby venues. BAM was chartered in 18 ...

: director. * 2006: adaptation of

Angela Carter Angela Olive Pearce (formerly Carter, Stalker; 7 May 1940 – 16 February 1992), who published under the name Angela Carter, was an English novelist, short story writer, poet, and journalist, known for her feminist, magical realism, and picar ...

's ''

Nights at the Circus ''Nights at the Circus'' is a novel by British writer Angela Carter, first published in 1984 in literature, 1984 and the winner of the 1984 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction. The novel focuses on the life and exploits of Sophie Fevve ...

'', touring production with

Kneehigh Theatre Kneehigh Theatre was an international touring theatre company founded in 1980 by Mike Shepherd and based in Cornwall, England. The company was based in barns on the southern Cornish coast, at Gorran Haven, but the administration was in Truro. ...

: main cast * 2006–2013: adaptation of Kafka's ''

'', Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith; Dublin; National Theatre, Oslo;

Cuvilliés Theatre The Cuvilliés Theatre () or Old Residence Theatre (''Altes Residenztheater'') is the former court theatre of the Residenz in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. History Elector of Bavaria Maximilian III Joseph (reg. 1745–1777) commissioned the co ...

, Munich;

Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, commonly known as the Kennedy Center, is the national cultural center of the United States, located on the eastern bank of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. Opened on September 8, ...

, Washington; Paramount Center, Boston: director, scriptwriter with David Farr, Gregor * 2008–2009: ''Don John'', adaptation by

Emma Rice Emma Juliet Rice (born August 1967) is a British actor, director and writer. Described as a fearless director, Rice's work includes theatrical adaptations of ''Brief Encounter'', '' The Red Shoes'' and ''Wise Children''. In 2022, Rice was named ...

of Mozart's ''

Don Giovanni ''Don Giovanni'' (; K. 527; full title: , literally ''The Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni'') is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Its subject is a centuries-old Spanish legen ...

'', Kneehigh Theatre, Courtyard Theatre, Stratford-on-Avon;

Spoleto Festival USA Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston, South Carolina, is one of America's major performing arts festivals. It was founded in 1977 by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Gian Carlo Menotti, who sought to establish a counterpart to the Festival dei Due ...

: Don John * 2010: Goethe's ''

Faust Faust ( , ) is the protagonist of a classic German folklore, German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust (). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a deal with the Devil at a ...

'': director, scriptwriter * 2011: ''The Heart of Robin Hood'', script by David Farr;

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and opens around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, Stratf ...

: director * 2013: Shakespeare's ''

The Tempest ''The Tempest'' is a Shakespeare's plays, play by William Shakespeare, probably written in 1610–1611, and thought to be one of the last plays that he wrote alone. After the first scene, which takes place on a ship at sea during a tempest, th ...

'',

Residenz Theatre The Residence Theatre (in German: Residenztheater) or New Residence Theatre (Neues Residenztheater) of the Residence in Munich was built from 1950 to 1951 by Karl Hocheder. The renovation of 1981 by Alexander von Branca removed the decoration w ...

, Munich: director * 2013–2015: ''The Heart of Robin Hood'',

: director * 2023-present: ''Frozen,

, Oslo; The National Theater, Iceland; the City Theater, Stockholm; the City Theater, Finland:'' director

Selected filmography

* 2001: ''

'': main cast * 2003: ''Karamellumyndin'': main cast * 2004: '' Niceland (Population. 1.000.002)'' * 2005: ''

Beowulf & Grendel ''Beowulf & Grendel'' is a 2005 Canadian- Icelandic fantasy adventure film directed by Sturla Gunnarsson, loosely based on the Anglo-Saxon epic poem ''Beowulf''. It stars Gerard Butler as Beowulf, Stellan Skarsgård as Hrothgar, Ingvar Eggert Si ...

'' * 2006: ''

Children A child () is a human being between the stages of childbirth, birth and puberty, or between the Development of the human body, developmental period of infancy and puberty. The term may also refer to an unborn human being. In English-speaking ...

'': main cast, screenplay, producer * 2006: ''

Áramótaskaupið ''Áramótaskaupið'' ("The New Year's Lampoon") is an annual Icelandic television comedy special, broadcast on New Year's Eve by the state public service broadcaster RÚV. Initially aired on radio in 1948, and later moving to television in 1966, ...

'' (television) * 2007: ''Foreldrar'' (Parents): producer * 2008: ''Mannaveiðar'' (I Hunt Men): main cast * 2008: ''

Country Wedding ''Country Wedding'' () is an Icelandic film directed by Valdís Óskarsdóttir and released on 28 August 2008. It tells the story of a couple who decide to get married in a countryside church, but things do not go as planned. Cast * Ingvar Egg ...

'' * 2010: ''Kóngavegur'' (King's Road): main cast, co-producer * 2010: '' Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time'' * 2010: '' Jitters'' * 2010: '' Undercurrent'': main cast, screenplay, producer * 2011: ''Borgríki'' (City State) * 2011: ''Korríró'' * 2013: '' Spooks and Spirits'': main cast * 2014: ''Grafir & Bein'' (Graves & Bones) * 2016: '' The Oath'': main cast * 2016: '' Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands'' (television): main cast * 2017: ''Prisoners'' (television) * 2018: '' One Night'' * 2020: ''

Ragnarok (TV series) ''Ragnarok'' is a Norwegian fantasy drama television series reimagining of Norse mythology from Netflix. It takes place in the present-day fictional Norwegian town of Edda in Hordaland, which is plagued by climate change and industrial pollution ...

'' (Netflix) * 2021-2022: '' Blackport'' (series) * 2023: ''

Wild Game Game or quarry is any wild animal hunted for animal products (primarily meat), for recreation (" sporting"), or for trophies. The species of animals hunted as game varies in different parts of the world and by different local jurisdictions, t ...

Honours

In addition to awards won by Vesturport, Gísli Örn received a

Shooting Stars Award The Shooting Stars Awards are presented annually by the pan-European network organization European Film Promotion (EFP) to emerging actors from Europe. "Shooting Stars" is an initiative of the EFP for the international promotion and networking of ...

at the 2007

Berlin Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (), usually called the Berlinale (), is an annual film festival held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festival has been held every February since 1978 and is one of Europ ...

for his role in ''

''. In June 2010 he was awarded the

Order of the Falcon The Order of the Falcon () is the only order of chivalry in Iceland, founded by Christian X of Denmark, 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. Nowaday ...

, Knight's Cross, for services to Icelandic culture.

Personal life

Gísli Örn has a younger sister, Rakel. He has two children with his partner, Nína Dögg Filippusdóttir, who is also a member of Vesturport.

References

External links

Gísli Örn Garðarsson
at

Gisli Örn Gardarsson
at Norwegian National Theatre * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gisli Orn Gardarsson Gardarsson, Gisli Orn Gardarsson, Gisli Orn 21st-century Icelandic male actors Icelandic expatriates in Norway Icelandic film directors Icelandic gymnasts Icelandic male stage actors Icelandic male film actors Icelandic producers Icelandic screenwriters Gardarsson, Gisli Orn Male actors from Reykjavík Gardarsson, Gisli Orn University of Iceland alumni University of Oslo alumni