The Most Famous
ACTORS from Iceland
Top 10
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Icelander Actors of all time. This list of famous Icelander Actors is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Icelander Actors.
1. Stefán Karl Stefánsson (1975 - 2018)
With an HPI of 52.42, Stefán Karl Stefánsson is the most famous Icelander Actor. His biography has been translated into 74 different languages on wikipedia.
Stefán Karl Stefánsson ( STEF-ən STEF-ən-sən, Icelandic: [ˈstɛːfaun ˈkʰartl̥ ˈstɛːfaunsɔn]; 10 July 1975 – 21 August 2018) was an Icelandic actor and singer. He was best known for portraying Robbie Rotten, the antagonist of the children's television series LazyTown.
2. Gunnar Hansen (1947 - 2015)
With an HPI of 50.94, Gunnar Hansen is the 2nd most famous Icelander Actor. His biography has been translated into 23 different languages.
Gunnar Milton Hansen (March 4, 1947 – November 7, 2015) was an Icelandic-born American actor and author best known for playing the mentally impaired cannibal Leatherface in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974).
3. Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson (b. 1963)
With an HPI of 49.30, Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson is the 3rd most famous Icelander Actor. His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.
Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson (Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈiŋkvar ˈɛcːɛr̥t ˈsɪːɣʏr̥θsɔn]; born 22 November 1963) is an Icelandic actor who has worked extensively in Icelandic cinema, television and stage productions. He became internationally known for his role as police officer Ásgeir in the Icelandic TV series Trapped (2015–18), and in Icelandic director Hlynur Pálmason's films A White White Day (2019) and Godland (2022).
4. Jón Gnarr (b. 1967)
With an HPI of 42.62, Jón Gnarr is the 4th most famous Icelander Actor. His biography has been translated into 24 different languages.
Jón Gnarr (Icelandic: [ˈjouːn ˈknar̥ː]; born Jón Gunnar Kristinsson on 2 January 1967) is an Icelandic actor, comedian, and politician who served as the Mayor of Reykjavík from 2010 to 2014. Jón was a well-known comedian and actor starting in the 1990s, including teaming with Sigurjón Kjartansson as the duo Tvíhöfði on radio and television. In 2009, he formed the Best Party, a political party that began as political satire but quickly turned into a real political player due to its electoral successes, which were perceived to be a reaction to the 2008–2011 Icelandic financial crisis.
5. Anita Briem (b. 1982)
With an HPI of 39.36, Anita Briem is the 5th most famous Icelander Actor. Her biography has been translated into 24 different languages.
Anita Briem (born 29 May 1982) is an Icelandic actress. She is known for her role as Queen Jane Seymour on The Tudors and her role as Hannah Sigurbjörnsdóttir in Journey to the Center of the Earth.
6. Hera Hilmar (b. 1988)
With an HPI of 38.94, Hera Hilmar is the 6th most famous Icelander Actor. Her biography has been translated into 29 different languages.
Hera Hilmarsdóttir (born 27 December 1988), known professionally as Hera Hilmar, is an Icelandic actress. She has been active in the film industry since 1995.
7. Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson (b. 1988)
With an HPI of 38.44, Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson is the 7th most famous Icelander Actor. His biography has been translated into 27 different languages.
Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson (Icelandic: [ˈhafθour ˈjuːlijʏs ˈpjœr̥sɔn] ; transliterated as Hafthor in English; born 26 November 1988) is an Icelandic professional strongman who is widely regarded as one of the greatest strength athletes of all time. He is the first and only person to have won the Arnold Strongman Classic, the Europe's Strongest Man, and the World's Strongest Man competitions in the same calendar year and holds numerous Strongman titles from multiple strength federations, including multiple world records. With 31 international competition wins, he is the third most decorated strongman in history, behind Lithuania's Žydrūnas Savickas and Poland's Mariusz Pudzianowski, and in terms of pure brute strength and with over 100 world records, many strength analysts and Strongman experts regard Hafþór as "the strongest man to have ever lived". Hafþór has also appeared on television as an actor, portraying "The Mountain" Ser Gregor Clegane in the HBO series Game of Thrones for five seasons. He is often simply referred to as "Thor" or "the Mountain", the latter due to his Game of Thrones character and his own massive size. In March 2023, Hafþór was inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame.
8. Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson (b. 1980)
With an HPI of 37.24, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson is the 8th most famous Icelander Actor. His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.
Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson (born 26 February 1980) is an Icelandic actor known for his roles in the TV series Game of Thrones (2016), Vikings: Valhalla (2022) and Succession (2023), and in the films Atomic Blonde (2017) and Alpha (2018).
9. Tómas Lemarquis (b. 1977)
With an HPI of 36.56, Tómas Lemarquis is the 9th most famous Icelander Actor. His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.
Tómas Lemarquis (born 3 August 1977) is an Icelandic–French actor.
10. Heida Reed (b. 1988)
With an HPI of 28.93, Heida Reed is the 10th most famous Icelander Actor. Her biography has been translated into 17 different languages.
Heiða Rún Sigurðardóttir (HAY-da; born 22 May 1988), known professionally as Heida Reed, is an Icelandic actress and model. She is known for playing parts in One Day (2011), Jo (2013), Silent Witness (2014), the BBC drama Poldark (2015–2019) and the CBS drama FBI: International (2021–2024).
People
Pantheon has 10 people classified as Icelander actors born between 1947 and 1988. Of these 10, 8 (80.00%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Icelander actors include Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson, Jón Gnarr, and Anita Briem. The most famous deceased Icelander actors include Stefán Karl Stefánsson, and Gunnar Hansen. As of April 2024, 1 new Icelander actors have been added to Pantheon including Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson.
Living Icelander Actors
Go to all Rankings
Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson
1963 - Present
HPI: 49.30
Jón Gnarr
1967 - Present
HPI: 42.62
Anita Briem
1982 - Present
HPI: 39.36
Hera Hilmar
1988 - Present
HPI: 38.94
Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson
1988 - Present
HPI: 38.44
Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson
1980 - Present
HPI: 37.24
Tómas Lemarquis
1977 - Present
HPI: 36.56
Heida Reed
1988 - Present
HPI: 28.93
