Gísli Örn Garðarsson

Gísli Örn Garðarsson (born 15 December 1973 in Reykjavík, Iceland) is a multifaceted Icelandic artist whose career spans acting, directing, scriptwriting and producing. Raised in Oslo after his family moved from Iceland, he was the son of teacher Garðar Gíslason and publisher‑linked mother Kolbrún Högnadóttir. After completing secondary education at Hamrahlið College, he pursued Sociology at the University of Iceland and West European Studies at the University of Oslo before finding his true calling at the Iceland Academy of the Arts, where he trained in drama. Before stepping onto the stage, Gísli Örn excelled as a gymnast, competing for Icelandic, Norwegian and Danish national teams and training with the elite Ármann club. His athletic background endowed him with a physicality that later became a hallmark of his theatrical productions, and he once considered a coaching career before turning fully to the performing arts. In 2001 he co‑founded the innovative theatre and film collective Vesturport, which quickly became a driving force in contemporary Icelandic culture, and he made his film debut the same year with a leading role in Dramarama.