The Most Famous

ACTORS from Norway

This page contains a list of the greatest Norwegian Actors. The pantheon dataset contains 13,578 Actors, 26 of which were born in Norway. This makes Norway the birth place of the 31st most number of Actors behind Netherlands, and Belgium.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Norwegian Actors of all time. This list of famous Norwegian 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 Norwegian Actors.

1. Sonja Wigert (1913 - 1980)

With an HPI of 52.02, Sonja Wigert is the most famous Norwegian Actor. Her biography has been translated into 16 different languages on wikipedia.

Sonja Wigert (11 November 1913 – 12 April 1980) was a Norwegian-Swedish actress. She appeared in 34 films between 1934 and 1960. She was a spy for Swedish intelligence during World War II. Ingrid Bolsø Berdal portrayed her in the film The Spy.

2. Harriet Bosse (1878 - 1961)

With an HPI of 49.47, Harriet Bosse is the 2nd most famous Norwegian Actor. Her biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Harriet Sofie Bosse (19 February 1878 – 2 November 1961) was a Swedish–Norwegian actress. A celebrity in her day, Bosse is now most commonly remembered as the third wife of the playwright August Strindberg. Bosse began her career in a minor company run by her forceful older sister Alma Fahlstrøm in Kristiania (now Oslo, the capital of Norway). Having secured an engagement at the Royal Dramatic Theatre, the main drama venue of Sweden's capital Stockholm, Bosse caught the attention of Strindberg with her intelligent acting and exotic "oriental" appearance. After a whirlwind courtship, which unfolds in detail in Strindberg's letters and diary, Strindberg and Bosse were married in 1901, when he was 52 and she 23. Strindberg wrote a number of major roles for Bosse during their short and stormy relationship, especially in 1900–01, a period of great creativity and productivity for him. Like his previous two marriages, the relationship failed as a result of Strindberg's jealousy, which some biographers have characterized as paranoid. The spectrum of Strindberg's feelings about Bosse, ranging from worship to rage, is reflected in the roles he wrote for her to play, or as portraits of her. Despite her real-life role as muse to Strindberg, she remained an independent artist. Bosse married Swedish actor Anders Gunnar Wingård in 1908, and Swedish screen actor, director, and matinee idol Edvin Adolphson in 1927. All three of her marriages ended in divorce after a few years, leaving her with a daughter by Strindberg and a son by Wingård. On retiring after a high-profile acting career based in Stockholm, she returned to her roots in Oslo.

3. Kristofer Hivju (b. 1978)

With an HPI of 47.99, Kristofer Hivju is the 3rd most famous Norwegian Actor. His biography has been translated into 31 different languages.

Kristofer Hivju (Norwegian: [krɪˈstɔ̀fːər ˈhɪ̂vjʉː]; born 7 December 1978) is a Norwegian actor. He is best known for playing the roles of Tormund Giantsbane in the HBO fantasy series Game of Thrones and Connor Rhodes in The Fate of the Furious.

4. Anita Thallaug (1938 - 2023)

With an HPI of 47.88, Anita Thallaug is the 4th most famous Norwegian Actor. Her biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Anita Thallaug (14 February 1938 – 20 March 2023) was a Norwegian actress and singer.

5. Aksel Hennie (b. 1975)

With an HPI of 45.89, Aksel Hennie is the 5th most famous Norwegian Actor. His biography has been translated into 28 different languages.

Aksel Hennie (born 29 October 1975) is a Norwegian actor, director, and screenwriter. He is best known for his roles in the films Headhunters (2011), Hercules (2014), and The Martian (2015).

6. Wenche Foss (1917 - 2011)

With an HPI of 45.67, Wenche Foss is the 6th most famous Norwegian Actor. Her biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Eva Wenche Steenfeldt Stang (5 December 1917 – 28 March 2011), better known as Wenche Foss (Norwegian: [ˈvɛ̂ŋkə ˈfɔsː]), was a leading Norwegian actress of stage, screen and television.

7. Greta Nissen (1906 - 1988)

With an HPI of 44.85, Greta Nissen is the 7th most famous Norwegian Actor. Her biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Greta Nissen (born Grethe Rüzt-Nissen; 30 January 1906 – 15 May 1988) was a Norwegian-American film and stage actress.

8. Ane Dahl Torp (b. 1975)

With an HPI of 43.70, Ane Dahl Torp is the 8th most famous Norwegian Actor. Her biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Ane Dahl Torp (born 1 August 1975) is a Norwegian actress.

9. Nicolai Cleve Broch (b. 1975)

With an HPI of 43.17, Nicolai Cleve Broch is the 9th most famous Norwegian Actor. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Nicolai Cleve Broch (born 14 November 1975) is a Norwegian theatre and film actor. He rose to national fame playing one of the leading roles in the 2002 drama series Lekestue, which aired on NRK in 2002. He is also known for playing the protagonist in Buddy, a romantic comedy from 2003. Other major film credits include Uno, Uro and Den siste revejakta. More recently, Cleve Broch was nominated for an Amanda Award for his portrayal of World War II resistance fighter Gregers Gram in Max Manus. Often appearing alongside Aksel Hennie, the two have been referred to as "Norway's Ben Affleck and Matt Damon".

10. Natassia Malthe (b. 1974)

With an HPI of 43.13, Natassia Malthe is the 10th most famous Norwegian Actor. Her biography has been translated into 25 different languages.

Natassia Linn Malthe (; born 19 January 1974) is a Norwegian actress.

People

Pantheon has 32 people classified as Norwegian actors born between 1878 and 1999. Of these 32, 26 (81.25%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Norwegian actors include Kristofer Hivju, Aksel Hennie, and Ane Dahl Torp. The most famous deceased Norwegian actors include Sonja Wigert, Harriet Bosse, and Anita Thallaug. As of April 2024, 6 new Norwegian actors have been added to Pantheon including Sonja Wigert, Marta Kristen, and Petter Næss.