Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson
Hafþór Björnsson | |
|---|---|
 At the 2015 Caledonian Club Highland Games | |
| Born | November 26, 1988 |
| Nationality |  Icelandic |
| Other names | "Thor", "The Mountain" |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, strongman competitor, basketball player |
| Years active | 2010–present (Strongman) |
| Website | www.hafthorbjornsson.com |
Hafþór Júlíus "Thor" Björnsson (Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈhafθour ˈjuːliʏs ˈpjœsːɔn]; sometimes spelled as 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 (240 lb) |
| Career information | |
| Playing career | 2006–2008 |
| Position | Center |
| Career history | |
| 2006–2007 | K.R. Basket Reykjavík |
| 2007–2008 | FSu Selfoss basketball |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| D2 Iceland National Basketball Team | |
Hafþór began his sports career as a basketball player. At 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in)[1] and 110 kg (240 lb),[2] he played first in the Iceland-Dominos league's K.R. Basket Reykjavík basketball team as a starting center. Simultaneously, he was picked for the D2 Icelandic National Basketball Team.[3]
For the 2007–2008 season, he moved to play professionally as center for the Icelandic Division 1 basketball team FSu Selfoss.[3]
Hafþór's basketball career ended after he suffered a severe knee injury at age 20.[4]
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.[4] Hafþór won several strongman contests in Iceland in 2010 including Strongest Man in Iceland, Iceland's Strongest Viking, Westfjords Viking,[5] and five of six events at the OK Badur Strongman Championships.[6]
Hafþór finished in second place at the inaugural Jón Páll Sigmarsson Classic in November 2010, behind Brian Shaw.[7] He won the 2011 Strongest Man in Iceland contest on June 4, 2011,[8] and the 2011 Iceland's Strongest Man contest on June 18, 2011.[9]
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.[10]
World's Strongest Man
Hafþór took part in World's Strongest Man after earning a wild card invitation to the 2011 contest.[11] 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[12] to Žydrūnas Savickas and again in the 2016 event to Brian Shaw.[13]
Acting
Hafþór was cast as Gregor "The Mountain" Clegane for the fourth season of the HBO series Game of Thrones in August 2013.[14] 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 5, season 6 and season 7.[15] Hafþór was cast for the role of Mongkut in the 2017 film Kickboxer: Retaliation.
Personal records
- Squat – 380 kg (795 lbs) raw[16]
- Bench press – 230 kg (528 lbs) raw
- Tire deadlift – 450 kg (994 lbs) raw with wrist straps[16]
- Deadlift – 450 kg (990 lbs) 4.625 cronans raw with straps[17]
- Log Press – 200 kg (440 lbs)
- Log carry – [5 steps] 650 kg (1433 lbs)[18]
Training lifts
- Deadlift 450 kg (990 lbs) raw with wrist straps
- Log Press 200 kg (440 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Zon 261 | Big John – Icelandic Viking Squad | |
| 2017 | Devilish Deeds | Psycho Phil Bell | 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 |
References
- ^ "Hafthor Bjornsson". www.strongman.org. Strongman. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
- ^ Skipper, Clay (January 26, 2016). "The Mountain from Game of Thrones Explains How He Got So Damn Big". GQ. Retrieved November 18, 2016.
- ^ a b Eurobasket: Hafþór Björnsson page
- ^ a b 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. January 1, 2015.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ 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.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Iceland Review: Hafþór Júlíus Runner up in World’s Strongest Man Comp
- ^ "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.
- ^ a b 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.