Famous People Born In Oslo

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 actor-model Natassia Malthe is known for playing strong female characters, such as assassins. She played a bounty hunter in Knights of Bloodsteel. Featured on Maxim Hot 100, Malthe is half-Malaysian through her mother. She was one of countless women who had accused Harvey Weinstein of sexual misconduct.

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.

Grete Waitz was a Norwegian marathon runner who became the first female runner to complete a marathon in less than two and a half hours in 1979. A former world record holder, Waitz won a record nine New York City Marathons between 1978 and 1988. Grete Waitz is also remembered for winning the silver medal at the 1984 Olympic Games.  

Leading former golfer Suzann Pettersen, also known as Tutta, was 6 when she participated in her first tournament. Initially also interested in skiing, Pettersen later focused on golf. Her illustrious career saw her win 22 titles, 15 of them on the LPGA Tour and 6 on the LET.

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.

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.

Alexandra Andresen is a Norwegian heiress who made headlines in 2016 when she became the youngest billionaire in the world at the age of 19! She was named the world's youngest billionaire by Forbes for three consecutive years. Alexandra Andresen has also modeled for the equestrian clothing company KingsLand and has won several honors and awards in horse dressage competitions.

Alexander Kristoff is a Norwegian road bicycle racer best known for winning the bronze medal at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. In 2017, he went on to win the silver medal at the World Championships as well as the gold medal at the European Road Cycling Championships. 

Nora Mørk is a Norwegian handball player best known for helping her national team win bronze medals at the 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games. She is also a world champion and a European champion, having won two World Championship gold medals and four European Championship gold medals so far.

Stine Bredal Oftedal is a Norwegian handball player who currently captains the national team. She has helped her team win two Olympic bronze medals as well as three World Championship gold medals. Stine Bredal Oftedal has also helped her team win four European Championship gold medals. In 2019, the International Handball Federation named her World Handball Player of the Year.

Anders Danielsen Lie is a Norwegian actor, medical doctor, and musician. Danielsen Lie has played leading roles in award-winning films like Reprise and Oslo, 31 August. His portrayal of Anders in Oslo, 31 August was honored at the RiverRun International Film Festival in 2012. In 2022, he was named Best Supporting Actor at the National Society of Film Critics Awards.

Known for both his speed and technical expertise, Norwegian ski racer Kjetil Andre Aamodt has won 8 Olympic medals, including 4 golds. He is also a 5-time World Champion, has won a World Cup race in each of the 5 disciplines, and has been named to the International Ski Racing Hall of Fame.

Arne Næss was a Norwegian philosopher best remembered for coining the term deep ecology. A prolific writer on several philosophical issues, Arne Næss also played an important and influential role in the environmental movement of the late 20th century.

Norwegian cross-country skier Johannes Høsflot Klæbo was 21 when he won 3 gold medals at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics and later won 2 more Olympic golds. He became the youngest male Olympic champion in the sport. The sports star had started skiing at age 2 and was also passionate about football.

Linn Ullmann is a Norwegian journalist, author, and literary critic. Apart from writing popular novels, Ullmann also writes columns for leading Norwegian newspapers. Linn Ullmann is the recipient of prestigious awards such as the Gold Pen, Amalie Skram Prize, and Norwegian Readers' Prize.  

Ola Kamara is a Norwegian football player who plays as a striker. Although his father is from Sierra Leone, Kamara chose to represent Norway in international football as his mother is from Norway. Apart from playing for popular clubs like D.C. United, Ola Kamara has also been an important player for the Norway national team since 2013.

Former tennis star from Norway, Christian Ruud had a career-high ranking of 39 in singles and was the highest-ranked Norwegian male tennis player to compete on the ATP Tour, until his son, Casper Ruud, broke his record. He also coached his son to become world number 7 in singles.

Norwegian footballer Joshua King is best known as a forward for Watford. A child prodigy, he began his youth career with Romsås IL at age 6. He has also represented teams such as Manchester United and the Blackburn Rovers. He won the prestigious Gullballen award in 2017.

Trygve Lie had been the first UN secretary-general. He had also been the Norwegian foreign minister when the government was in exile in London after the German invasion of 1940. He had grown up amid poverty, after his father abandoned the family. He grew up to gain a law degree.

Johan Galtung is a Norwegian sociologist best known as the founder of a social science field called peace and conflict studies. He is also credited with founding the Peace Research Institute Oslo where he served as the director from 1959 to 1970. Renowned for his contribution to political science, economics, and history, Galtung won the Right Livelihood Award in 1987.

A pioneering figure in women’s tennis, Norwegian tennis legend Molla Mallory was the first female from her country to participate in the Olympics. She was also an 8-time singles champion at the U.S. National Championships, the only woman with that feat, and won an Olympic bronze, too.

Norwegian author Jostein Gaarder, who specializes in children’s books, is perhaps best known for his work Sophie's World. He is also known for his signature use of meta-fiction in his works. He and his wife later also introduced the Sophie Prize, which was eventually discontinued due to lack of funds.