Thorvaldur Kristjansson has a BFA degree in drama from the Juilliard School in New York, which was funded by scholarships and through the personal assistance of Academy Award winner and former Juilliard alumnus, Robin Williams. Since graduating, he has been very active in his work life and was nominated as Best Leading Actor at The Icelandic Film and TV Academy Awards (Eddan) for his first feature film, Black's Game [+see also:
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film profile], and then won the prize in 2020 as Best Supporting Actor in a TV series for The Minister. Films such as I Remember You and Life in a Fishbowl [+see also:
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trailer
film profile] were blockbuster hits in Iceland and a number of his films have screened in major international festivals. Kristjansson has also done voice-over work for animated films, including one of the leading roles in the short Yes-People, which was nominated for an Academy Award at the 2021 Oscars. Kristjansson has a notable on-stage career, having performed in Iceland's most renowned theatres, including The Icelandic National Theatre and Reykjavik City Theatre. He was nominated as Best Actor in a Leading Role at the Icelandic National Theatre Awards (Gríman) for his work in the play Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. His latest film, the critically acclaimed A Letter from Helga [+see also:
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interview: Thorvaldur Kristjánsson
film profile], was released in 2022 and went straight to the top of the Icelandic box office list during its first weekend.

Now selected for EFP's 2023 Shooting Stars, he talks to us.