Jón Gnarr
Encyclopedia
Jón Gnarr Kristinsson (ˈjouːn ˈknar̥ː; born 2 January 1967) is an Iceland
ic actor, comedian
, politician
and the mayor
of Reykjavík
, since 15 June 2010. He goes by Jón Gnarr, being an Icelander does not have a family name. He was originally named Jón Gunnar Kristinsson but legally changed his middle name in 2005, to the way his mother pronounced it when he was a boy. He is married to Jóhanna Jóhannsdóttir (Joga).
s, he didn't complete the university entrance exam, Stúdentspróf
. As a young man, he held jobs with car maker Volvo and drove a taxi in Reykjavík.
to form the radio
duo Tvíhöfði
. In 1997, he joined TV station Stöð 2
where he wrote and starred in several seasons of the Icelandic comedy show Fóstbræður
. His best known movies are "The Icelandic Dream" (Íslenski draumurinn - 2000) and "A Man like Me" (Maður eins og ég - 2002). His stand-up comedy show Ég var einu sinni nörd
(English: I used to be a nerd ) is autobiographical. In 2004 he wrote, starred and produced a 20 min. long short film, The man on the back. Jón worked as a creative writer and actor at the Icelandic advertising agency EnnEmm, producing several popular TV ads. He played Georg Bjarnfreðarson in the television-series Næturvaktin
(English: Night Shift ), Dagvaktin
(The Day Shift) and Fangavaktin
(The Prison Shift). He was also a co-writer in the series, which introduced a number of new actors. In 2009, he starred in the feature film Bjarnfreðarson
, which endeared him even further to the Icelandic mass audience.
Jón Gnarr is a member of Félag íslenskra leikara (Icelandic Actors Guild) and Félag leikskálda og handritshöfunda (Playwrights and Screenwriters Guild).
formerly with the Sugarcubes. The Best Party, which is a satirical political party that parodies Icelandic politics and aims to make the life of the citizens more fun, managed to win the 2010 municipal elections in Reykjavík, with the party gaining 6 out of 15 seats on the City Council (34.7 percent of the vote). His political program includes "free towels in all swimming pools, a polar bear for the Reykjavík zoo, all kinds of things for weaklings, Disneyland in the Vatnsmýri area, a drug-free parliament by 2020, sustainable transparency, tollbooths on the border with Seltjarnarnes
, to do away with all debt, free access to Hljómskálagarðurinn (orchestral rotunda park)."
Upon being voted, Jón Gnarr announced that he would not enter a coalition government with anyone that had not watched fabled HBO series The Wire
.
After Jón Gnarr became mayor of Reykjavík, it was irreverently proposed that the city be nicknamed Gnarrenburg
, the title of an earlier radio show featuring Jón Gnarr. As Mayor, Jón Gnarr has been a source of amusement and shock by appearing at the 2010 Gay Pride
parade as a drag queen
, posting a video holiday greeting wearing a Darth Vader
mask and a Santa Claus
cap. and suggesting a merger with neighboring municipality Kópavogur
. Jón Gnarr protested the Chinese government's
treatment of human rights activist Liu Xiaobo
, before the announcement of Xiaobo's award for the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize
.
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
ic actor, comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
, politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
and the mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Reykjavík
Reykjavík
Reykjavík is the capital and largest city in Iceland.Its latitude at 64°08' N makes it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay...
, since 15 June 2010. He goes by Jón Gnarr, being an Icelander does not have a family name. He was originally named Jón Gunnar Kristinsson but legally changed his middle name in 2005, to the way his mother pronounced it when he was a boy. He is married to Jóhanna Jóhannsdóttir (Joga).
Early years
Jón Gnarr was known by the name Jónsi Punk as a teenager and punk rocker playing bass in a punk band called Nefrennsli ("Runny Nose"). While attending a number of high schoolMenntaskóli
A Menntaskóli is an Icelandic equivalent to a gymnasium , although it works differently from other countries.In Iceland grade school goes from 1st to 10th grade, which are the only mandatory school years in Iceland...
s, he didn't complete the university entrance exam, Stúdentspróf
Stúdentspróf
The Stúdentspróf is the university entrance examination in Iceland, which takes place towards the end of the last term in gymnasium. Studies leading to the Stúdentspróf generally take three to four years to complete, but in some cases a diploma containing fewer years of study can be regarded as a...
. As a young man, he held jobs with car maker Volvo and drove a taxi in Reykjavík.
Performance career
In 1994, Jón Gnarr teamed up with Sigurjón KjartanssonSigurjón Kjartansson
Sigurjón Kjartansson is an Icelandic comedian, writer and producer. He is best known for his role in the radio duo Tvíhöfði with Jón Gnarr and for his part in the popular Icelandic television sketch comedy Fóstbræður...
to form the radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
duo Tvíhöfði
Tvíhöfði
Tvíhöfði is an Icelandic comedy duo of Jón Gnarr and Sigurjón Kjartansson. They had a morning radio show on Aðalstöðin, X-ið & Radíó X for several years in the 1990s and early-2000s. They were also members of the Icelandic sketch comedy programme Fóstbræður in the late-1990s....
. In 1997, he joined TV station Stöð 2
Stöð 2
Stöð 2 is an Icelandic television channel, owned and operated by 365. Founded in 1986, It was the first privately owned television station in Iceland following the lifting of the state monopoly on television broadcasting...
where he wrote and starred in several seasons of the Icelandic comedy show Fóstbræður
Fóstbræður
Fóstbræður was a comedy sketch show which premiered on the Icelandic Stöð 2 in October 1997.-Writing:The show was written by the stars themselves, Sigurjón Kjartansson, Jón Gnarr, Helga Braga Jónsdóttir, Þorsteinn Guðmundsson , Benedikt Erlingsson , Gunnar Jónsson and Hilmir Snær Guðnason...
. His best known movies are "The Icelandic Dream" (Íslenski draumurinn - 2000) and "A Man like Me" (Maður eins og ég - 2002). His stand-up comedy show Ég var einu sinni nörd
Ég var einu sinni nörd
Ég var einu sinni nörd is a 2000 stand up comedy act of Icelandic comedian Jón Gnarr....
(English: I used to be a nerd ) is autobiographical. In 2004 he wrote, starred and produced a 20 min. long short film, The man on the back. Jón worked as a creative writer and actor at the Icelandic advertising agency EnnEmm, producing several popular TV ads. He played Georg Bjarnfreðarson in the television-series Næturvaktin
Næturvaktin
Næturvaktin is an Icelandic television show. It is the first in a trilogy, its sequels being Dagvaktin and Fangavaktin . The series was first shown in 2007 on Stöð 2, on Sundays from 16 September – 9 December. In the same year, the series won an Edda Award for Best TV Series...
(English: Night Shift ), Dagvaktin
Dagvaktin
Dagvaktin is a sequel to the Icelandic television series Næturvaktin. It is the second of the three series in the trilogy...
(The Day Shift) and Fangavaktin
Fangavaktin
Fangavaktin is the sequel to the Icelandic television series Dagvaktin and the final series in the trilogy...
(The Prison Shift). He was also a co-writer in the series, which introduced a number of new actors. In 2009, he starred in the feature film Bjarnfreðarson
Bjarnfreðarson
Bjarnfreðarson is a 2009 Icelandic comedy film directed by Ragnar Bragason, director of the TV series trilogy consisting of Næturvaktin, Dagvaktin and Fangavaktin, to which it is a sequel. At its première in Iceland, it was met with wide success, even beating Avatar at the box office on its...
, which endeared him even further to the Icelandic mass audience.
Jón Gnarr is a member of Félag íslenskra leikara (Icelandic Actors Guild) and Félag leikskálda og handritshöfunda (Playwrights and Screenwriters Guild).
Politician
In late 2009 Jón Gnarr formed the Best Party, with a number of other people with no background in politics, including Einar Örn BenediktssonEinar Örn Benediktsson
Einar Örn Benediktsson is a popular music singer and trumpet player who has worked with Björk and The Sugarcubes. Since the 2010 elections he is a member of the city council of Reykjavík....
formerly with the Sugarcubes. The Best Party, which is a satirical political party that parodies Icelandic politics and aims to make the life of the citizens more fun, managed to win the 2010 municipal elections in Reykjavík, with the party gaining 6 out of 15 seats on the City Council (34.7 percent of the vote). His political program includes "free towels in all swimming pools, a polar bear for the Reykjavík zoo, all kinds of things for weaklings, Disneyland in the Vatnsmýri area, a drug-free parliament by 2020, sustainable transparency, tollbooths on the border with Seltjarnarnes
Seltjarnarnes
Seltjarnarnes is an Icelandic township located within the Greater Reykjavík area.It took on its current political form shortly after the Second World War and was formally created as a township in 1947. It is the smallest Icelandic township by land ....
, to do away with all debt, free access to Hljómskálagarðurinn (orchestral rotunda park)."
Upon being voted, Jón Gnarr announced that he would not enter a coalition government with anyone that had not watched fabled HBO series The Wire
The WIRE
the WIRE is the student-run College radio station at the University of Oklahoma, broadcasting in a freeform format. The WIRE serves the University of Oklahoma and surrounding communities, and is staffed by student DJs. The WIRE broadcasts at 1710 kHz AM in Norman, Oklahoma...
.
After Jón Gnarr became mayor of Reykjavík, it was irreverently proposed that the city be nicknamed Gnarrenburg
Gnarrenburg
Gnarrenburg is a municipality in the district of Rotenburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approximately 15 km southwest of Bremervörde, and 40 km northeast of Bremen.Gnarrenburg belonged to the Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen...
, the title of an earlier radio show featuring Jón Gnarr. As Mayor, Jón Gnarr has been a source of amusement and shock by appearing at the 2010 Gay Pride
Gay pride
LGBT pride or gay pride is the concept that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people should be proud of their sexual orientation and gender identity...
parade as a drag queen
Drag queen
A drag queen is a man who dresses, and usually acts, like a caricature woman often for the purpose of entertaining. There are many kinds of drag artists and they vary greatly, from professionals who have starred in films to people who just try it once. Drag queens also vary by class and culture and...
, posting a video holiday greeting wearing a Darth Vader
Darth Vader
Darth Vader is a central character in the Star Wars saga, appearing as one of the main antagonists in the original trilogy and as the main protagonist in the prequel trilogy....
mask and a Santa Claus
Santa Claus
Santa Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus...
cap. and suggesting a merger with neighboring municipality Kópavogur
Kópavogur
Kópavogur is a city and Iceland's second largest municipality, with a population of 30,779.It lies immediately south of Reykjavík and is part of the Greater Reykjavík Area. The name literally means seal pup bay...
. Jón Gnarr protested the Chinese government's
Government of the People's Republic of China
All power within the government of the People's Republic of China is divided among three bodies: the People's Republic of China, State Council, and the People's Liberation Army . This article is concerned with the formal structure of the state, its departments and their responsibilities...
treatment of human rights activist Liu Xiaobo
Liu Xiaobo
Liu Xiaobo is a Chinese literary critic, writer, professor, and human rights activist who called for political reforms and the end of communist single-party rule in China...
, before the announcement of Xiaobo's award for the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize
2010 Nobel Peace Prize
The 2010 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to imprisoned Chinese human rights activist "for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China"...
.