A star theater and movie actor (and bar owner) in his native Iceland, multi-talented Baltasar Kormákur successfully branched out into writing, directing, and producing with his debut feature, 101 Reykjavík (2000), and became the tiny country's most famous entertainment export since Björk.

The son of a well-known Icelandic artist, the Reykjavík-born Kormákur opted for the performing arts, graduating from The Drama Academy of Iceland. Beginning his acting career on the stage, Kormákur soon made a name for himself in Iceland as a theater director as well, beginning with his successful production of the musical Hair in 1994. Kormákur went on to direct nine more theater productions both at home and abroad, including The Rocky Horror Show and Hamlet, and formed his own Reykjavík theater company, Castle in the Clouds. While conquering the Icelandic stage, Kormákur also made the move to screen acting in the early '90s with a lead role in Veggfódur Erotisk Astarsaga (1993). Along with his dark, rugged good looks, Kormákur's deft performances as the title character's morally dubious seducer in …  » Read more