Top 15 Famous Norwegian Actors

Norway has a pretty big movie and TV production, and there are plenty of famous Norwegian actors and actresses that can be seen on the screen. However, there aren’t all that many Norwegian actors and actresses that have starred in triple A movies in Hollywood, but there are a few.

We will be looking closer at the most famous actors and actresses from Norway in this article. You might not recognize all that many of them if you are from the US, but a few should probably spark your memory.

This list will include Norwegian actors that are internationally known, a few that are mostly known here in Norway, and some actors have who received international awards for their acting. In other words, a good mix. So, let’s get to it and take a look at the most famous Norwegian actors and actresses.

1) Kristofer Hivju

It’s difficult to argue for anyone other than Kristofer Hivju at the top of the list when it comes to the most famous Norwegian actors. He has played in plenty of different Norwegian productions, but became known to the world after his role as Tormund Giantsbane in Game of Thrones.

He has later appeared in The Witcher and played the lead role(s) in BBC’s Twin. However, Game of Thrones is the series that people will likely recognize him from.

One of the cool things about Hivju is that he became very popular after his appearance in Game of Thrones, and it seems likely that he has a long acting career in front of him, and I would not be surprised if we see him in many other international movies or TV series.

Kristofer Hivju
Kristofer Hivju. Photo by Patrik Nygren / CC BY-SA 2.0.

2) Aksel Hennie

Aksel Hennie used to be the biggest actor star in Norway, and has dipped his feet in Hollywood movies as well after getting a role in The Martian, Hercules and The Cloverfield Paradox.

He starred in some very popular movies such as Max Manus where he had the lead role, and is without a doubt one of the most famous actors in Norway. He is a household name in Norway, but has yet to really make it big in Hollywood. He seems to be keen on playing in Hollywood, so I don’t think we’ve seen the last of him in big movies yet.

Also read: Max Manus and other historical movies from Norway.

Aksel Hennie
Aksel Hennie. Photo by ZanesDadHawk / CC BY-SA 4.0.

3) Thorbjørn Harr

Thorbjørn Harr is a pretty famous Norwegian actor who has had a long and varied career. He is most known for his roles as a viking, playing Jarl Bjørn in Netflix’s Norsemen and Jarl Borg in Vikings.

In addition that that, he has been the star of plenty of Norwegian movies, and has held several roles in different Norwegian TV series. And no, not all of them are viking roles where he plays a jarl.

4) Nicolai Cleve Broch

Nicolai Cleve Broch is another Norwegian actor who has received some international level of fame. He has starred as the lead in many different Norwegian movies, but most foreigners probably know him from playing one of the lead roles in Beforeigners.

Nicolai Cleve Broch
Nicolai Cleve Broch. Photo by Stiklestad Nasjonale Kultursenter / CC BY-SA 3.0.

5) Pål Sverre Hagen

Pål Sverre Hagen is a rising star in Norway, and he seems to star in pretty much all the big Norwegian TV and film productions these days. He is known to many from playing Thor Heyerdahl in the film Kon-Tiki, but has yet to make it big internationally. He has had a small role in HBO’s Beforeigners.

Also read: Going to the cinema in Norway.

Despite that, he is rapidly becoming a household name in Norway, and seem to be one of the most famous Norwegian actors.

Pål Sverre Valheim Hagen
Pål Sverre Valheim Hagen. Photo by This photo was taken by © 2011 Jarle Vines, some rights reserved. / CC BY-SA 3.0.

6) Jakob Oftebro

Jakob Oftebro is a Norwegian actor who is famous in all of Scandinavia after having had roles in both Norwegian, Swedish and Danish TV and films. He is a rising star that is becoming very popular in Norway, and seem like an actor that will eventually try to take the step into international movies and TV series.

One of Jakob’s strengths is that he speaks both Norwegian, Swedish and Danish fluently, making him a good choice for casting in all of Scandinavia.

You might recognize Jakob Oftebro from movies like Kon-Tiki where he played one of the leading roles, or from Max Manus where he had a smaller role.

Jabob is the son to Nils Ole Oftebro, another Norwegian actor that is pretty famous in Norway.

Jakob Oftebro
Jakob Oftebro. Photo by Paul Katzenberger / CC BY-SA 4.0.

7) Ingrid Bolsø Berdal

Ingrid Bolsø Berdal is a Norwegian actress that has played supporting roles in several Hollywood movies and TV productions like Westworld, Chernobyl Diaries, Hercules and Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters.

If you think her face is familiar, you most likely know her from Westworld where she had a pretty big role in season 2 (and a minor role in season 1).

This puts her pretty far up on the list of the most famous Norwegian actors and actresses, but she has yet to have a leading role in any of these.

Ingrid Bolsø Berdal
Ingrid Bolsø Berdal on the right. Photo by Gage Skidmore / C BY-SA 2.0.

8) Alisha Bø

Alisha Bø (known as Alisha Boe) used to be a completely unknown name in Norway until she got the role as Jessica Davis in 13 Reasons Why on Netflix. This immediately made her pretty famous, but she has yet to land any major role.

However, she is born in 1997, so she has a potentially long acting career in front of her.

Alisha Bø
Alisha Bø. Photo by MTV International / CC BY-SA 3.0.

9) Agnes Kittelsen

Agnes Kittelsen is one of the most famous Norwegian actresses, and has held several leading roles in Norwegian TV series and movies. She had yet to make a big international debut, but has appeared in Beforeigners on HBO.

Agnes Kittelsen
Agnes Kittelsen. Photo by Tord Litleskare | tordlitleskarephoto.com / Nordiske Mediedager / CC BY-SA 2.0.

10) Liv Ullmann

Liv Ullmann is by many considered to be one of the most well-known and famous Norwegian actresses, and she has won a Golden Globe award for Best Actress in 1972 by playing the lead role in The Emigrants. She has played in lots of films and TV series, and even played on Broadway for a time period.

Liv Ullmann
Liv Ullmann in 1966. Photo by Rigmor Dahl Delphin / CC BY-SA 4.0.

11) Tobias Santelmann

Tobias Santelmann is another upcoming Norwegian actor who has made a big name for himself in the last few years. He played the leading role in a few Norwegian movies and TV series, but has only made a brief international debut in Beforeigners and Kon-Tiki.

12) Renate Reinsve

Renate Reinsve used to be pretty unknown in Norway until she starred her first lead role in 2021. This wasn’t just any role, but the leading role of The Worst Person in the World.

She was awarded with the award Best Actress at Cannes Film Festival in 2021, and was nominated for several other awards for the same role. The film was also nominated for several awards, including an Oscar, and this brought a lot of eyes on her.

As you can guess, these awards has made her instantly famous and a very interesting actress to follow further.

Renate Reinsve
Renate Reinsve. Photo by Raph_PH / CC BY 2.0.

13) Rune Temte

Rune Temte is a kind of interesting actor, because he is not very well-known or famous in Norway, but he has played some pretty big roles in Hollywood productions. These include playing Bron-Char in Captain Marvel and Ubba in The Last Kingdom.

14) Henrik Mestad

Henrik Mestad is an actor who has spent a lot of his time in the theater, but he is pretty well-known to Norwegians. He also garnered a lot of international fame after playing one of the lead roles in the TV-Series Occupied. This show didn’t really become popular in Norway, but it became a hit in many different countries in the world.

Mestad has also had a role in the Netflix series Norsemen and Lillyhammer.

15) Sven Nordin

Sven Nordin has been a favorite for Norwegians for plenty of years, most known for his roles in the Elling trilogy as well as for playing in the Norwegian sitcom Mot i Brøstet.

Nordin plays the lead role of the Nordic noir crime TV series Wisting, but he’s still not very well-known outside of Norway. Apparently Sven Nordin was one of the final candidates to play Batman, but was beaten by Ben Affleck during the final casting. His career would probably be very different if he had gotten that part.

Sven Nordin
Sven Nordin. Photo by Sondre Nodland / CC BY-SA 4.0.

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