Famous Norwegian Men

At 13, chess prodigy Magnus Carlsen became the youngest grandmaster. His rating of 2,872 was the highest ever in history. He also recorded the longest unbeaten run in chess. Named one of Cosmopolitan’s “sexiest men of 2013,”he  has also modeled for G-Star Raw, owns a chess-app company, and loves football.

Norwegian painter Edvard Munch is remembered for his iconic works The Scream and The Frieze of Life - A Poem about Life, Love, and Death. His paintings exhibited themes that reflected his own psychological states. He was a significant member of the Symbolism movement but was banned by the Nazi.

Roald Amundsen was a Norwegian explorer. Specialized in exploring the polar regions, Amundsen was an important figure of the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration, an era in the exploration of Antarctica. He disappeared in 1928 when he was involved in a rescue mission in the Arctic. Owing to his significant achievements in polar exploration, several places are named after him.

Henrik Ibsen was a Norwegian theatre director and playwright. One of the most influential and popular playwrights of his generation, Ibsen is credited with co-founding modernism in theatre, for which he is often called the father of realism. After William Shakespeare, Henrik Ibsen is the world's most often performed dramatist. His works have influenced other playwrights like George Bernard Shaw.

Former Norwegian football player, Ole Gunnar Solskjær was one of the most successful players of Manchester United and scored 126 goals for it. He famously scored the winning goal against Bayern Munich in the 1999 Champions League final to secure a treble for the Manchester United. Post retirement, he began his coaching career and is currently the manager of Manchester United.

Rollo of Normandy, also known as Rolf, is part of Scandinavian lore. A Viking, he was known for his exploits as a pirate on the seas of France, England, and other lands. When he attacked France with his Danish army, he was given Neustria, or Normandy, as part of a truce.

Harald V of Norway ascended the throne after the demise of his father, King Olav V. A sports enthusiast, he represented Norway in sailing at three Olympic Games. He also became a patron of World Sailing. The King is an admiral, the Supreme Commander of the Norwegian Armed Forces and a four-star general.

Harald Sigurdsson, or Harald, was the king of Norway from 1046 to 1066. He also made an aim for the Danish throne and the English throne. He was a mercenary and a military leader before taking over as the king. His death marked the end of the Viking Age.

Olav V of Norway served as the king of Norway from 1957 to 1991. Olav became heir apparent to the throne in 1905 when his father was crowned king of Norway. His leadership skills during World War II earned him the position of Norwegian Chief of Defence in 1944. Nicknamed The People's King, Olav was popular for his down-to-earth style.

Morten Harket is a Norwegian vocalist and musician. He is most popular as the lead singer of the synthpop/rock band A-ha. The band has released ten studio albums to date. Before joining the band, he used to sing for the blues outfit Souldier Blue. He has often been praised for his incredibly strong falsetto.  

Jens Stoltenberg is a Norwegian politician who served as the Prime Minister of Norway between 2000 and 2013 in two separate terms. An influential politician, Stoltenberg also served as the Minister of Industry and Energy from 1993 to 1996 and Minister of Finance from 1996 to 1997. Jens Stoltenberg is the current Secretary General of NATO.

Fridtjof Nansen was a Norwegian polymath who won the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize in 1922 for his post-war efforts after the First World War. A well-known explorer, humanitarian, and diplomat, Nansen achieved international fame for his attempt to reach the geographical North Pole during his Fram expedition. His techniques and innovations influenced a generation of succeeding Antarctic and Arctic expeditions.

Born to a golf enthusiast father, Norwegian golfer Viktor Hovland was trained in the sport since age 11. He later scripted history by becoming the first from his country to win the U.S. Amateur, to compete in the Masters, and to win on the PGA European Tour.

Apart from being the first Norwegian tennis player to score an ATP title win, Casper Ruud also became the highest ranked player from his country ever. The son of legendary Norwegian tennis player Christian Ruud, Casper has begun his training in the game at age 4.

Martinus Gunnarsen is a Norwegian singer and one-half of the famous pop duo, Marcus & Martinus. Along with his twin brother Marcus, Martinus has released three successful studio albums to date. All their albums peaked at number one on VG-lista, a Norwegian record chart. In 2018, the brothers won the MAD Video Music Award under the Best International Act category.

Jo Nesbø is a Norwegian writer, economist, musician, and former reporter and footballer. By 2021, Nesbø was declared the most successful Norwegian author ever when his translated works sold over 50 million copies; Nesbø's work has been translated into more than 50 languages. He is also associated with the band Di Derre where he is the main vocalist and songwriter.

Marcus Gunnarsen is one half of the Norwegian pop-duo M&M, the other half being his twin brother, Martinus. They participated in and won the eleventh season of Melodi Grand Prix Junior in 2012. Their debut studio album Hei peaked at number 1 on the Norwegian Albums Chart. The twins have also appeared in a few TV shows and films. 

Alexander Rybak is a Belarusian-Norwegian singer-composer, violinist, and pianist. The son of two talented musicians, he began to play musical instruments when he was just five. He studied at the Barratt Due Institute of Music before beginning his career. Besides being a musician, he is also an actor and has appeared in many TV shows and films. 

Tobias Santelmann is a German-born Norwegian actor best known for starring in the historical drama film Kon-Tiki. Interested in acting from a young age, he graduated from the Oslo National Academy of the Arts. Since then, he has been employed at The Norwegian Theatre in Oslo. He is also active in the TV and film industries.

Karl Ove Knausgard is a Norwegian author who achieved international prominence for writing six autobiographical novels named My Struggle. A critically acclaimed writer, Knausgård has won several prestigious awards such as the Norwegian Critics Prize for Literature, Brage Prize, Jerusalem Prize, and Swedish Academy Nordic Prize.

Ari Behn was a Norwegian author, visual artist, and playwright. He achieved international recognition in 2017 when his artwork was widely exhibited all over the world. Although he was married to Princess Märtha Louise, he remained a private citizen and held no title or special status. Behn committed suicide at the age of 47 after struggling with mental health problems.

While some believe Eric Bloodaxe was the son of Norwegian king Harald Fairhair, others believe Danish king Harald Bluetooth was his father. True to his nickname, he was a barbarian Viking tyrant who slaughtered his four brothers for the Norwegian throne. Icelandic sagas mention he married a witch named Gunnhild. 

Born to a pastor, Norwegian mathematician Niels Henrik Abel first showcased his mathematical skills in his cathedral school and later became a pioneer of various mathematical concepts. He died of tuberculosis, amid poverty, before he could learn that he had been appointed to teach at the University of Berlin.

Magne Furuholmen is a Norwegian visual artist and musician known for founding the popular synth-pop band A-ha where he plays the keyboard and guitar. Thanks to the popularity of the band, Furuholmen has achieved international fame. As a songwriter, Furuholmen has delivered hits like Cry Wolf and Manhattan Skyline. He has also held exhibitions across Norway as a visual artist.

Nobel Prize-winning Norwegian author Knut Hamsun, a leading figure of neo-romanticism, is best remembered for his novel Hunger, which narrated the tale of a starving writer. With little education, he had started his career as a shoemaker’s apprentice. He supported the Nazi occupation of Norway and was later imprisoned.

Norwegian actor Tarjei Sandvik Moe is best known for his award-winning portrayal of Isak Valtersen in the series Skam. While his character in the series was praised for its unusually frank depiction of homosexuality, unknown to many, he had skipped a math class to audition for the role.

Norwegian footballer Morten Gamst Pedersen who created headlines for being active in the game even at age 40, has previously been a star for the Blackburn Rovers. The Åsane midfielder is the son of former footballer Ernst Pedersen. He has also scored a hit song as part of the boyband The Players.

Norwegian rally and rallycross driver Petter Solberg was a teenager when he won the Norwegian Tamiya Cup and later won 10 FIA World Rallycross Championships and 13 World Rally Championships. He is married to Pernilla Walfridsson, who is herself a leading former rally driver and the daughter of rally driver Per-Inge "Pi" Walfridsson.

Karsten Warholm is a Norwegian athlete who won the gold medal in the men's 400 meters hurdles event at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan. Apart from winning the gold medal, he also broke his own world record by finishing the race in 45.94 seconds. In 2021, Karsten Warholm won the prestigious World Male Athlete of the Year award.

Ole Einar Bjørndalen is a Norwegian former biathlete and coach. Nicknamed the King of Biathlon, Bjørndalen has 13 Winter Olympic Games medals under his belt and is second only to Marit Bjørgen, who has 15 medals, in the list of multiple medalists. Having won 45 medals, Ole Einar Bjørndalen is also the most successful biathlete at the Biathlon World Championships.

Fenriz is a Norwegian musician, online radio host, and part-time music journalist. He is best known as one half of the popular extreme metal duo Darkthrone. Although he is known mainly as a drummer and songwriter, Fenriz has also contributed as a guitarist, bassist, and vocalist for not only Darkthrone but also for many other metal bands. 

Paul Waaktaar-Savoy is a Norwegian guitarist, songwriter, and musician. He is best known for his association with the popular synth-pop band A-ha, where he performs as a guitarist apart from being the main songwriter. Paul Waaktaar-Savoy is the recipient of two Spellemannprisen, which is referred to as the Norwegian Grammy Awards.

Norwegian former footballer John Carew has had successful stints with clubs such as Valencia, Aston Villa, and Lyon. He has also scored 24 goals for the Norwegian national team. Post-retirement, he stepped into acting, with roles in movies such as Dead of Winter and series such as Heimebane.

Omar Elabdellaoui is a Norwegian football player best known for his association with the Olympiacos Football Club with which he has won four Super League Greece tournaments. Omar Elabdellaoui has also been an important player for the Norwegian national team since 2013.

Aksel Lund Svindal is a former alpine ski racer. A two-time World Cup champion, Svindal is widely regarded as the best Norwegian alpine skier of all time. During the course of his illustrious career, Aksel Lund Svindal won two Olympic gold medals, one Olympic silver medal, and an Olympic bronze medal. He also won five gold medals at World Championships.