Gísli Rúnar Jónsson

Gísli Rúnar Jónsson (20 March 1953 – 28 July 2020) was an Icelandic comedian, actor, voice actor, talkshow host, screenwriter, producer and director.

This is an Icelandic name. The last name is patronymic, not a family name; this person is referred to by the given name Gísli.

Early years

Gísli was born in Reykjavík, Iceland in 1953 to parents Guðrún Valgerður Gísladóttir, a housewife and Jón Konráð Björnsson, a local business man.[1] Gísli has three siblings.[2]

Career

Gísli is mostly known for his involvement with Icelandic comedies and sitcoms in the 1980s. He wrote and directed the sitcoms Heilsubælið í Gerfahverfi and Fastir liðir eins og Venjulega, which become hugely successful in Iceland and have been played on reruns every few years for the last 30 years.[2]

In 1996 Gísli hosted his own talk show called Gott Kvöld með Gísla Rúnari (English: Good Evening with Gísli Rúnar) on Stöð 2.[1]

In addition to starring in numerous plays Gísli is also a vivid screenwriter and translator of foreign plays into Icelandic. To name a few of his translations are Little Shop of Horrors,[3] Grease and Mary Poppins.[4]

In 2001 Gísli wrote the biography of singer Björgvin Halldórsson.[5] In 2011 he published the book Ég drepst þar sem mér sýnist (English: I'll die wherever I feel like), a book filled with funny stories from his early days as a comedian.[6]

Personal life

Gísli was married to actress Edda Björgvinsdóttir. They met in Drama school in the 1970s and got divorced in 2000. They remain close friends.[7] They have two sons, who like their parents both took to acting, Björgvin Franz Gíslason and Róbert Ólíver Gíslason.[8] He has two other children from other relationships.[9]

His son Róbert was diagnosed with Tourette syndrome as a child. Both Gísli himself and his older son Björgvin are thought to have the disease although never diagnosed by a professional.[10]

Gísli was an alcoholic and stopped drinking in 1987.[9]

References
  1. Sæberg, Árni (1996-12-22). "Man of many faces". Morgunblaðið. Retrieved 2016-11-14 – via www.mbl.is.
  2. Profile: Gísli Rúnar Jónsson, Stöð 2, broadcast 6. April 2010.
  3. Akureyri, Verkmenntaskólinn á. "Frumsýning á Litlu hryllingsbúðinni á föstudagskvöldið | Verkmenntaskólinn á Akureyri". Verkmenntaskólinn á Akureyri. Retrieved 2016-11-14.
  4. "Mary Poppins leikskrá". issuu. Retrieved 2016-11-14.
  5. "Land og saga - BÓ . Eftir Gísli Rúnar Jónsson". www.landogsaga.is. Retrieved 2016-11-14.
  6. Gísli Rúnar Jónsson (2011-01-01). Ég drepst þar sem mér sýnist (in Icelandic). Akureyri: Tindur. ISBN 9789979653615.
  7. "Edda Björgvins opnar sig: ,, Ég hef stundum meitt fólk með gríni". Pressan.is. Retrieved 2016-11-14.
  8. "Róbert Óliver grennti sig, hætti að drekka og flutti til Hollywood: ,,Ég er ofboðslega þakklátur fyrir lífið mitt í dag". Pressan.is. Retrieved 2016-11-14.
  9. "I love Tourette's, ADHD and OCD". Icelandic ADHD society. http://www.adhd.is/static/files/greinasafn/frettabref/2010_2.pdf.
  10. "I don't think I've ever met a person with Tourette's who isn't fun". Icelandic Tourette's Society 20 year anniversary. 1.
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