FILM DIRECTORS from Iceland

Top 3

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Icelander Film Directors of all time. This list of famous Icelander Film Directors is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.

1. Baltasar Kormákur (b. 1966)

With an HPI of 57.32, Baltasar Kormákur is the most famous Icelander Film Director.  His biography has been translated into 35 different languages on wikipedia.

Baltasar Kormákur Baltasarsson is an Icelandic actor, theatre and film director, and film producer. He is best known for directing the films 101 Reykjavík, The Sea, A Little Trip to Heaven, Contraband, 2 Guns, Everest, Touch, and the TV series Katla.

2. Friðrik Þór Friðriksson (b. 1954)

With an HPI of 55.98, Friðrik Þór Friðriksson is the 2nd most famous Icelander Film Director.  His biography has been translated into 23 different languages.

Friðrik Þór Friðriksson (born 12 May 1954; pronounced [ˈfrɪðrɪk ˈθouːr ˈfrɪðrɪxsɔn]), sometimes credited as Fridrik Thor Fridriksson, is an Icelandic film director and producer.

3. Hrafn Gunnlaugsson (b. 1948)

With an HPI of 54.18, Hrafn Gunnlaugsson is the 3rd most famous Icelander Film Director.  His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Hrafn Gunnlaugsson (born 17 June 1948) is an Icelandic film director. He is the brother of mathematician Þorvaldur Gunnlaugsson and the lawyer Snædís Gunnlaugsdóttir and the actress Tinna Gunnlaugsdóttir. He is mostly known for his series of Viking films, sometimes called "Cod Westerns". He was married to Edda Kristjánsdóttir and they have four children: Kristján born 1968 who is a poet and playwright, Tinna who is an actress, Sól who is an art designer and Örk who is an artist and was born in 1993. He won the award for Best Director at the 20th Guldbagge Awards for When the Raven Flies.