Gísli Örn Garðarsson Explained

Gísli Örn Garðarsson
Birth Date:1973 12, df=yes
Birth Place:Reykjavík, Iceland
Occupation:Actor and director
Spouse:Nína Dögg Filippusdóttir
Children:2
Alma Mater:Iceland Academy of the Arts

Gísli Örn Garðarsson (born 15 December 1973) is an Icelandic actor and director. He is one of the founders of Vesturport, a theatre and film company based in Reykjavík, 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. 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 and West European Studies at the University of Oslo before completing training in drama at the Iceland Academy of the Arts.[1] He had wanted to study drama in Oslo but failed to gain entry.[2] [3] 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;[4] he considered becoming a gymnastics coach but found it unappealing.[1]

Career

Gísli Örn has appeared in many Icelandic films, beginning in 2001 with a major role in Dramarama. That year he also co-founded the drama company Vesturport with 13 others.[1] 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 at the Reykjavík City Theatre in 2003, also playing Romeo. The production's success led to an invitation to transfer it to the Young Vic in London, from where it moved in 2004 to the Playhouse Theatre.[5] He has since directed further stage productions, including an adaptation of Kafka's The Metamorphosis 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 at the BAM Next Wave Festival in 2008, directed by Gísli Örn, was Vesturport's first appearance in the US;[6] with the American Repertory Theater production of The Heart of Robin Hood, also written by Farr, he became the first Icelander to direct on Broadway.[7] 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.[5] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] Beginning with Woyzeck, the productions have often included music specially composed by Nick Cave.[2]

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 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

Selected filmography

Honours

In addition to awards won by Vesturport, Gísli Örn received a Shooting Stars Award at the 2007 Berlin Film Festival for his role in Children.[2] [25] In June 2010 he was awarded the Order of the Falcon, Knight's Cross, for services to Icelandic culture.[26] [27]

Personal life

Gísli Örn has a younger sister, Rakel.[1] He has two children with his partner, Nína Dögg Filippusdóttir, who is also a member of Vesturport.[28]

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Jóhanna Ingvarsdóttir . 'Þráin eftir frelsinu er rík' . . 13 October 2001 . Icelandic .
  2. News: Merete Skogrand . Gisli ble oppringt av Nick Cave klokka åtte om morgenen . . 31 December 2011 . Norwegian .
  3. News: Gíslis saga . . 23 July 2015 . Norwegian . subscription required .
  4. News: Guðjón Guðmundsson íslandsmeistari í fimleikum í aðalviðtali: 'Umfram allt falleg íþrótt' . Æskan . 1 April 1989 . 10 . Icelandic .
  5. News: Marc Lee . The action man of the theatre . . 10 October 2005 .
  6. News: Iceland Abroad: Vesturport's Woyzeck . Iceland.is . 2008 .
  7. News: K. Kelly Nestruck . The Heart of Robin Hood: An old tale revamped – jungle gym included . . 12 January 2015 . 9 January 2015 .
  8. News: Vincent Dowd . Circus arts take to the stage . . 3 February 2006 .
  9. News: Patti Hartigan . Natural world looms large in ART's 'The Heart of Robin Hood' . . 7 December 2013 .
  10. News: Helen Shaw . Vaulting ambition: An Icelandic gymnast-turned-director puts Woyzeck through its paces . . New York . 9 October 2008 .
  11. News: Tone B. Værvågen . Farlig og fysisk . . 28 December 2011 . Norwegian .
  12. News: Michael Billington . Romeo and Juliet, Young Vic, London . . 2 October 2003 .
  13. News: Jon Pareles . Jon Pareles . Shaking Up 'Woyzeck' With Earthy Rock and Flying Trapeze . . 13 October 2008 .
  14. News: Theatre and Dance: Nights at the Circus . BBC . Leeds . 15 March 2006 .
  15. News: Nelson Pressley . At Kennedy Center, 'Metamorphosis' turns Kafka's tale on its side . . 21 February 2013 .
  16. News: Joel Brown . Climbing the walls with Kafka's 'Metamorphosis' . Boston Globe . 21 February 2013 .
  17. News: Charles Spencer . At passion's wintry heart . Daily Telegraph . 22 December 2008 .
  18. News: John Stoehr . He may be from Iceland, but this Don Juan is hot . . 2009 .
  19. News: Magnað sjónarspil: Ný leikgerð á Faust frumsýnd á Stóra sviði Borgarleikhússins . . 12 January 2010 . Icelandic .
  20. News: Isabel Winklbauer . Die Insel der Gerächten . Die Nachtkritik . 20 October 2013 . German .
  21. Web site: The A.R.T.'s Production of "The Heart of Robin Hood" to Open on Broadway on March 29, 2015 . . 2 December 2014 . press release .
  22. Web site: Frost - Þjóðleikhúsið . 2024-05-22 . en-US.
  23. News: Ásdís Ásgeirsdóttir. Helvíti gott ferðalag . Morgunblaðið . 2 September 2016 . Icelandic . Gísli Örn had a contract for five seasons of this British series, but renegotiated it to appear only in the first season in order to have more time with his family. In the event the series was not renewed after Season 1.
  24. Web site: Gísli Örn Garðarsson . . 9 January 2017 .
  25. News: Sigurbjörg Þrastardóttir . Sjá, stjörnurnar kvikna . Morgunblaðið . 14 February 2007 . Icelandic .
  26. Web site: Gísli Örn Garðarsson awarded The Order of the Falcon, the Knights Cross . Vesturport . 15 October 2010 .
  27. Web site: Fálkaorðan: Orðuhafaskrá . . 8 January 2017 . Icelandic . 26 August 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190826052816/https://www.forseti.is/falkaordan/orduhafaskra/ . dead .
  28. News: Gísli Örn og Nína Dögg eignuðust son . . 3 December 2011 . Icelandic . 7 January 2017 . 10 March 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160310190905/http://www.dv.is/folk/2011/12/3/gisli-orn-og-nina-dogg-eignudust-son/ . dead .

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