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 charac ...

, a theatre and film company based in

Reykjavík Reykjavík ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói bay. Its latitude is 64°08' N, making it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. With a po ...

, 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 ; sma, Oslove) 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 ...

. 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, Háskóli Íslands ) 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' s ...

and West European Studies at the

University of Oslo The University of Oslo ( no, Universitetet i Oslo; la, Universitas Osloensis) is a public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the highest ranked and oldest university in Norway. It is consistently ranked among the top universit ...

before completing training in drama at the

Iceland Academy of the Arts History Iceland University of the Arts ( is, Listaháskóli Íslands ) 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. ValdimarsdottirIcel ...

. 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 Hollywood film '' Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time''. He made his directing début with a circus-themed production of Shakespeare's ''

Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetim ...

'' at the

Reykjavík City Theatre The Reykjavík City Theatre (RCT) ( is, Borgarleikhúsið ) 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 ad ...

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. Kwame Kwei-Armah has been Artistic Director since February 201 ...

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 i ...

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

Kafka Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a German-speaking Bohemian novelist and short-story writer, widely regarded as one of the major figures of 20th-century literature. His work fuses elements of realism and the fantastic. It typ ...

's ''

The Metamorphosis ''Metamorphosis'' (german: Die Verwandlung) is a novella written by Franz Kafka which was first published in 1915. One of Kafka's best-known works, ''Metamorphosis'' tells the story of salesman Gregor Samsa, who wakes one morning to find himsel ...

'' 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 Fr ...

'' 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 Stree ...

. 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 singer, songwriter, poet, lyricist, author, screenwriter, composer and occasional actor. Known for his baritone voice and for fronting the rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Ca ...

Selected theatre work

* 2003: Shakespeare's ''

'',

, subsequently

Young Vic Theatre 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. Kwame Kwei-Armah has been Artistic Director since February 201 ...

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 and the largest of its kind in Europe. The centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and art exhib ...

, London,

Brooklyn Academy of Music The Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) is a performing arts venue in Brooklyn, New York City, known as a center for progressive and avant-garde performance. It presented its first performance in 1861 and began operations in its present location in ...

: 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 and the winner of the 1984 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction. The novel focuses on the life and exploits of Sophie Fevvers, a woman who is ...

'', 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 (german: link=no, Cuvilliés-Theater) 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 ...

, Munich;

Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...

, Washington;

Paramount Center Paramount Theatre is a theatre in Boston on Washington Street, between Avery and West Streets. History The Paramount opened in 1932 as a 1,700-seat, single-screen movie theatre. It was one of the first movie houses in Boston to play talking motio ...

, 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. Hailed as a fearless director, Rice's work includes theatrical adaptations of ''Brief Encounter'', '' The Red Shoes'' and ''Wise Children.'' In 2022, Rice was named in ...

of Mozart's ''

Don Giovanni ''Don Giovanni'' (; K. 527; Vienna (1788) 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 Spanis ...

'', Kneehigh Theatre,

Courtyard Theatre The Courtyard Theatre was a 1,048 seat thrust stage theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England operated by the Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratfo ...

, 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 legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust ( 1480–1540). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a pact with the Devil at a crossroads ...

'': 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 produces around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, St ...

: director * 2013: Shakespeare's '' The Tempest'',

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

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 ...

'' * 2006: ''

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 ...

'': main cast, screenplay, producer * 2006: '' Áramótaskaupið'' (television) * 2007: ''Foreldrar'' (Parents): producer * 2008: ''Mannaveiðar'' (I Hunt Men): main cast * 2008: ''

Country Wedding ''Country Wedding'' ( is, Sveitabrúðkaup) 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 plann ...

'' * 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 ''Spooks and Spirits'' (''Ófeigur gengur aftur'' in its original Icelandic) is a 2013 Icelandic fantasy-comedy film written and directed by Ágúst Guðmundsson. Cast * Þórhallur Sigurðsson as Ofeig * Gísli Örn Garðarsson as Ingi Brjá ...

'': main cast * 2014: ''Grafir & Bein'' (Graves & Bones) * 2016: ''

The Oath The Oath may refer to: Books * ''The Oath'' (Wiesel novel), a 1973 novel by Elie Wiesel * ''The Oath'' (Peretti novel), a 1995 novel by Frank E. Peretti * '' The Oath: The Obama White House and the Supreme Court'', a 2012 book by Jeffrey Toobin ...

'': main cast * 2016: '' Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands'' (television): main cast * 2017: ''Prisoners'' (television) * 2018: ''

One Night One Night or 1 Night may refer to: Film * ''One Night'' (2002 film), a film produced by Winchester Films * ''One Night'' (2005 film), an Iranian film directed by Niki Karimi * ''One Night'' (2007 film), a film featuring Christian Campbell and ...

'' * 2020: ''

Ragnarok (TV series) ''Ragnarok'' is a Norwegian fantasy drama streaming 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 industri ...

'' (Netflix) * 2021-2022: ''

Blackport ''Blackport'' ( is, Verbúðin) is an Icelandic television drama miniseries, written by Gísli Örn Garðarsson, Björn Hlynur Haraldsson and Mikael Torfason and produced by Vesturport in association with RÚV. The first episode of the eight p ...

'' (series)

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 p ...

at the 2007

Berlin Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...

for his role in ''

''. In June 2010 he was awarded 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. N ...

, 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 Nína Dögg Filippusdóttir (born 25 February 1974) is an Icelandic actress and producer. She is known for '' Children'' (2006), '' Trapped'' (2015), '' Undercurrent'' (2010), '' The Valhalla Murders'' (2020) and ''Blackport'' (2021). Early li ...

, 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