Kristofer Hivju

Kristofer Hivju
Kristofer Hivju in 2015
Hivju in 2015
Born (1978-12-07) 7 December 1978
Oslo, Norway
OccupationActor
Years active2001–present
Spouse
(m. 2015)
Children2
Parent(s)Erik Hivju
Lieselotte Holmene
RelativesIsabelle Nanty (cousin)

Kristofer Hivju (Norwegian: [krɪˈstɔ̀fːər ˈhɪ̂vjʉː]; born 7 December 1978) is a Norwegian actor. He is most notable for playing the role of Wildling Tormund Giantsbane in 33 episodes of the HBO fantasy series Game of Thrones (2013-2019).

His credits include Manhunt (2008), The Thing (2011), After Earth (2013), Force Majeure (2014), The Fate of the Furious (2017), Twin, Downhill (2020), The Witcher (2021), The Gentlemen (2024), Twilight of the Gods (voice) (2024), and The Iris Affair (2025).

Early life

Hivju was born in Oslo, Norway.[1] He graduated from the Danish subdivision of the Russian Academy of Theatre Arts (GITIS) in 2004.[2]

Career

He began of his career and starred in the television series, such as Fox Grønland and Seks som oss, in the avalanche drama film Manhunt (2008), and plays at the Grusomhetens Teater and Trøndelag Teater, as well as written scripts for the short films Closework (2005), and Flax (2008).

In several instances, he portrays Viking King Olav II in Norwegian-produced documentary film Olav, and also appeared in From Hate to Hope. He starred in the remake of the science fiction classic The Thing (2011).[3]

From 2013, Hivju played the role of Wildling Tormund Giantsbane in 33 episodes of the HBO fantasy series Game of Thrones (2013-2019).[4] His first appearance was in the first episode of the third season, "Valar Dohaeris".[4] In 2013, he also appeared in M. Night Shyamalan's science fiction film After Earth (2013).[3]

Hivju appearred in the movie Force Majeure (2014),[3] and starred as Connor Rhodes in the film The Fate of the Furious (2017).[3]

In 2019, he played a double role as Erik and Adam in the Norwegian television crime drama series Twin,[3] and followed up starring in the skiing remake film Downhill (2020).[3] In 2021 he starred as Nivellen, alongside Henry Cavill in a single episode of The Witcher (2021).[3]

In 2023, he began appearing in a series of commercials for Scotts brand products as Scott the Scottsman, pushing the product and encouraging homeowners to keep their lawn green.[5] He played Florian de Groot in two episodes of Guy Ritchie's The Gentlemen (2024),[3] and the same year was the voice of Andvari in Twilight of the Gods (2024).[3]

In 2025, he starred as Jensen Lind, alongside Niamh Algar and Tom Hollander in the Sky Atlantic thriller series The Iris Affair (2025).[3]

Personal life

Hivju is the son of Norwegian actors Erik Hivju and Lieselotte Holmene and is the cousin of French actress Isabelle Nanty.[6] He is married to Gry Molvær Hivju. Together they have two daughters, Noor (born in 2007) and Sylja (born in 2008).

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Director(s) Notes
2008 Manhunt Man 2 / Man in Café Patrik Syversen
2011 The Thing Jonas Matthijs van Heijningen, Jr.
2013 After Earth Security Chief M. Night Shyamalan
2014 In Order of Disappearance Stig Erik "Strike" Smith Hans Petter Moland
Force Majeure Mats Ruben Östlund
Operation Arctic Fangstmann Grethe Bøe-Waal
Verden venter Mariken Halle
2015 The Wendy Effect Percy Ole Endresen
2016 The Last King Torstein Skevla Nils Gaup
2017 The Fate of the Furious Connor Rhodes F. Gary Gray
2020 Downhill Michel Nat Faxon
Jim Rash
2021 Three Wishes for Cinderella Hestepasseren Cecilie Mosli
2023 Cocaine Bear Olaf Kristoffer Elizabeth Banks
Last Ride Øyvind Cinqué Lee
2024 Long Distance Dwayne Will Speck
Josh Gordon
Red One Krampus Jake Kasdan
2025 Afterburn General Volkov J.J. Perry

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2001 Fox Grønland Jim Olsen 2 episodes
2006 Melonas TBA
2007 Six Like Us Bar Customer 1 episode
Largest of All Ben 6 episodes
2013 The Games Expert Commentator 1 episode
2013–2019 Game of Thrones Tormund Giantsbane 33 episodes
2014 Lilyhammer Tormod 1 episode
2016–present Beck Steinar Hovland 13 episodes
2017 The Lion Guard Kenge (voice) 1 episode
2019 Twin Adam & Erik 8 episodes
2020 DuckTales Jormungandr (voice) 1 episode
2021 The Witcher Nivellen Episode: "A Grain of Truth"
2024 The Gentlemen Florian de Groot 2 episodes
Twilight of the Gods Andvari (voice) 6 episodes
2025 The Iris Affair Jensen Lind 4 episodes

Shorts and documentaries

Year Title Role Director Notes
2005 Closework Pleieren (Nurse/Hygienist) Kristoffer Metcalfe Short
2007 Kilolirakis N/A N/A
2008 En perfekt dag for golf Gudmund the Paramedic Eric Magnusson English title: A Perfect Day for Golf
Short
Scratch Torpedo Bård Ivar Engelsås English title: Flax
Writing Credit
Short
2011 Min Siste Bull Victim Onur Genc Short
Din Tur Eik Vegard Dahle English title: Your Turn
Short
Olav Olaf II of Norway N/A Documentary
2013 Haikeren Torgeir Anders Teig Short
2014 Its OK The Hipster Kristoffer Metcalfe
TBA TWIN The Twin
TBA Olav Himself N/A Documentary TV series

References

  1. ^ Steen, Thea (17 July 2012). "- Denne rollen vil åpne mange dører for meg" ['This role will open many doors for me']. Dagbladet (in Norwegian). Retrieved 25 January 2026.
  2. ^ "GITIS international website | Overview". Artlebedev. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Kristofer Hivju Credits". tvguide.com. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
  4. ^ a b "Season three casting announced!". winteriscoming.net. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013.
  5. ^ Kemp, Audrey (24 March 2023). "US Ad of the Day: Game of Thrones' Kristofer Hivju is Scotts Miracle-Gro's new mascot". The Drum. Retrieved 25 January 2026.
  6. ^ "Isabelle Nanty : « Ma fille n'a jamais vu mes films »" [Isabelle Nanty : "My daughter's never watched my films"]. purfamille.com (in French). 15 October 2014. Archived from the original on 6 September 2015.