Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson
| Hafþór Björnsson | |
|---|---|
|
Björnsson at the 2017 Arnold Classic | |
| Born |
November 26, 1988 Reykjavík, Iceland |
| Nationality |
 Icelandic |
| Other names | "Thor", "The Mountain" |
| Occupation | Actor, strongman competitor, basketball player |
| Years active | 2010–present (Strongman) |
| Height | 206 cm (6 ft 9 in) [1] |
| Weight | 189 kg (417 lb) [1] |
| Website | Official website |
Hafþór Júlíus "Thor" Björnsson (Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈhafθour ˈjuːliʏs ˈpjœsːɔn]; also Hafthor Julius Bjornsson, born November 26, 1988) is an Icelandic professional strongman, actor, and former professional basketball player. He is best known for his role as Ser Gregor "The Mountain" Clegane in the HBO series Game of Thrones.
Career
Basketball career
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Listed height | 206 cm (6 ft 9 in) |
| Listed weight | 110 kg (243 lb) |
| Career information | |
| Playing career | 2004–2008 |
| Position | Center |
| Career history | |
| 2004–2005 | Breiðablik |
| 2005–2006 | FSu |
| 2006–2007 | KR |
| 2007–2008 | FSu |
Hafþór began his sports career as a basketball player. At 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in)[2] he started his senior team career with Division I club Breiðablik in 2004. In 2005 he joined FSu Selfoss in the Icelandic Division I. After 10 games it was discovered that he had been playing with a broken bone in his ankle and would require surgery. After recovering from surgery, Hafþór moved to Úrvalsdeild powerhouse KR in 2006.[3] He missed most of the 2006-2007 season after a screw in his ankle shattered and had to be fixed by another surgery.[4]
For the 2007–2008 season, he moved back to play for FSu Selfoss. For the season he averaged 6.7 points on 63.8% shooting,[5] helping the team achieve promotion to the Úrvalsdeild.[6] The troublesome ankle forced him to retire from basketball after the season at the age of 20.[7][8]
Between 2004 and 2006 Hafþór played 32 games for the Icelandic junior national basketball teams.[9] In 2006 he played 8 games with Iceland's U-18 national team in Division A of the U18 European Championship.[10]
Strongman career
Hafþór met Icelandic strongman Magnús Ver Magnússon at his gym "Jakaból" in 2008, and Magnús said that Hafþór seemed a good prospect as a strongman.[11] Hafþór won several strongman contests in Iceland in 2010 including Strongest Man in Iceland, Iceland's Strongest Viking, Westfjords Viking,[12] and five of six events at the OK Badur Strongman Championships.[13]
Hafþór finished in second place at the inaugural Jón Páll Sigmarsson Classic in November 2010, behind Brian Shaw.[14] He won the 2011 Strongest Man in Iceland contest on June 4, 2011,[15] and the 2011 Iceland's Strongest Man contest on June 18, 2011.[16]
Hafþór came fourth in the Giants Live Poland 2011 event on August 6, 2011.
On 31 January 2015, Hafþór beat a 1,000-year-old record set by Orm Storolfsson at the World's Strongest Viking competition in Norway, where he carried a 10-metre-long (33 ft), 650-kilogram (1,430 lb) log for five steps.[17]
World's Strongest Man
Hafþór took part in World's Strongest Man after earning a wild card invitation to the 2011 contest.[18] He came sixth overall.
Taking part again in ensuing years, he placed third in 2012, 2013 and 2015. He finished runner-up in 2014 event[19] to Žydrūnas Savickas and again in the 2016 event to Brian Shaw.[20]
Icelandic Mountain Vodka
Since 2016, Hafþór has been the spokesperson and co-owner of Icelandic Mountain Vodka.[21]
Acting
Hafþór was cast as Gregor "The Mountain" Clegane for the fourth season of the HBO series Game of Thrones in August 2013.[22] This was his first main acting role, and he is the third person to depict the character after Conan Stevens played the role in season 1 and Ian Whyte in season 2. He became the first actor to portray Clegane in more than one season with his appearances in season 4, season 5, season 6 and season 7.[23] Hafþór was cast for the role of Mongkut in the 2017 film Kickboxer: Retaliation.
Hafþór played the lead role in the Philadelphia Renaissance Faire during their debut season in 2015. He appeared as "King Thor," the leader of a Viking raiding party intent on capturing the city of Amman.[24]
Personal records
- Squat – 380 kg (795 lbs) raw[25]
- Bench press – 230 kg (528 lbs) raw
- Tire deadlift – 450 kg (994 lbs) raw with wrist straps[25]
- Deadlift – 460 kg (1014 lbs) 4.625 cronans raw with straps[26]
- Log Press – 206.5 kg (455 lbs)
- Log carry – [5 steps] 650 kg (1433 lbs)[27]
- Keg throw – 7.15 m (world record)[28]
Training lifts
- Deadlift 450 kg (990 lbs) raw with wrist straps
- Log Press 206.5 kg (455 lbs)
- Squat 300 kg (660 lbs) for 10 reps, raw without knee wraps
- Bench Press 220 kg (485 lbs) for 8 reps, raw
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Zon 261 (aka "Operation Ragnarok") | Big John – Icelandic Viking Squad | |
| 2017 | Devilish Deeds | Psycho Phil Bell | Currently in pre-production |
| 2017 | Beast | Currently in pre-production | |
| 2017 | Kickboxer: Retaliation | Mongkut | Currently filming |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012–2016 | The World's Strongest Man | Himself – competitor | |
| 2014–present | Game of Thrones | Gregor Clegane | Recurring role |
| 2015 | A League of Their Own | Himself | Series 9, Episode 7 |
| 2016 | Heavy Bubbles | Himself | |
Personal life
Domestic disturbances
In 2016 and 2017, police were called three times to Hafþór's home to investigate reports of domestic disturbance.[29][30] Charges of domestic violence were filed by his former fiancée in June 2017. Hafþór denies the allegations.[31][32]
References
- 1 2 Hafþór Björnsson. theworldsstrongestman.com
- ↑ "Hafthor Bjornsson". www.strongman.org. Strongman. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
- ↑ Hafþór Björnsson genginn til liðs við KR
- ↑ Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson leikur ekki meira á þessari leiktíð
- ↑ FSu 2007-2008 statistics
- ↑ FSu í úrvalsdeildina í körfu karla
- ↑ About Hafþór
- ↑ Hafþór Júlíus: Ofvirki Skagastrákurinn sem breyttist í vöðvafjall
- ↑ Landslið unglinga- og drengja
- ↑ FIBA Europe - Hafthor Bjornsson
- ↑ Magnus Ver Magnusson: Icelandic Strongman Scout. Ironmind.com (May 29, 2010). Retrieved on 2014-03-30.
- ↑ Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson. vodvafikn.net
- ↑ Haffþór Júlíusson Björnsson wins Iceland’s OK Budar Strongman Contest. Ironmind.com (August 10, 2010). Archived on December 10, 2011.
- ↑ Brian Shaw Wins the Inaugural Jon Pall Sigmarsson Classic Strongman Contest. Ironmind.com (November 22, 2010). Retrieved on 2014-03-30.
- ↑ Hafthor Julius Bjornsson Wins the Strongest Man in Iceland. Ironmind.com (June 6, 2011). Retrieved on 2014-03-30.
- ↑ Hafthor Julius Bjornsson Wins Iceland’s Strongest Man. Ironmind.com (June 19, 2011). Retrieved on 2014-03-30.
- ↑ "Hafthor Wins World’s Strongest Viking, Sets Sights on World’s Strongest Man". IronMind. 1 January 2015.
- ↑ Giants Live–Poland: Radzikowski, Jenkins and Baron Make WSM Cut . . . Bjornsson Gets Wild Card. Ironmind.com (August 8, 2011). Retrieved on 2014-03-30.
- ↑ Cindy Boren (May 19, 2014). "‘Game of Thrones’ villain is second-strongest man in the world". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 19, 2014.
- ↑ Iceland Review: Hafþór Júlíus Runner up in World’s Strongest Man Comp
- ↑ "Icelandic Mountain Vodka". www.urban-drinks.co.uk. Urban Drinks. Retrieved 2017-01-27.
- ↑ "Mountain Recast". WinterIsComing.net. August 30, 2013. Retrieved August 30, 2013.
- ↑ "The Mountain in Belfast, and Game of Thrones filming in Split continues despite flooding". Watchers On The Wall. September 13, 2014. Retrieved October 10, 2014.
- ↑ "Mountain Comes to Philly Ren Faire". Philadelphia Magazine. April 8, 2015. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
- 1 2 Jay Hathaway (June 4, 2014). "Watch The Mountain from Game of Thrones Deadlift Almost 1,000 Pounds". Gawker.com. Retrieved June 5, 2014.
- ↑ "Thor and Benny Magnusson, 420 and 445 kg Deadlift". YouTube.com. Retrieved November 11, 2014.
- ↑ "The Mountain from 'Game of Thrones' Breaks 1,000-Year-Old Weightlifting Record". Bleacher Report. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
- ↑ "Hafthor Bjornsson Breaks His Own Keg Toss World Record in Botswana". 15 August 2016. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
- ↑ Sindradóttir, Snærós (2017-06-15). "Hafþór Júlíus kærður til lögreglu af fyrrverandi kærustu". Fréttablaðið. Retrieved 2017-06-25.
- ↑ "Police responds to a domestic disturbance call at the home of strongman "The Mountain"". Iceland Magazine. 2017-06-12. Retrieved 2017-06-25.
- ↑ "Charges filed against strongman "The Mountain" for domestic violence". Iceland Magazine. 2017-06-16. Retrieved 2017-06-25.
- ↑ Ísleifsson, Atli (2017-06-24). "Hafþór Júlíus kveðst ekki hafa beitt neinar konur ofbeldi". Fréttablaðið. Retrieved 2017-06-25.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson. |
- Official website
- Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson on IMDb
- "Hafthor Bjornsson basketball profile". Eurobasket.