Guðmundur Ólafsson

Guðmundur Ólafsson was born born in Ólafsfjörður on December 14, 1951. He graduated as a athletics teacher from the Iceland School of Physical Education at Laugavatn in 1972. He taught at the elementary school in Eskifjörður during the winter of 1972 - 1973 and then at Barnaskóli Akureyrar (Akureyri Children's School) 1973 - 1974. He moved to Copenhagen in 1974 to study Danish at The University of Copenhagen and then did theatre studies at the same school from 1975 - 1977. After that, Guðmundur studied acting at the Icelandic School of Drama and graduated in 1981.

Since then, he has been an actor and worked in theatre, as well as being a writer from 1986. He has taken a few side- steps during this time, among other things done radio programs for Bylgjan radio. He has acted in numerous plays, mainly with the Reykjavík Theatre Company, both in the old Iðnó theatre by the Reykjavík Lake, and at the City Theatre. He has also acted in plays staged at the National Theatre and by Alþýðuleikhúsið (The People's Theatre). Guðmundur has had rolls in movies and tv shows.

The children's book Emil og Skundi was Guðmundur's first published book. It received the Icelandic Children's Literature Prize in 1986. Two other books about the adventures of Emil and his dog Skundi have appeared, as well as a movie based on the books (Skýjahöllin). Guðmundur has sent forward more books for children and teenagers and received the Icelandic Children's Literature Prize for the second time for one of them, Heljarstökk aftur á bak (A Backwards Summersault). Guðmundur has also written plays, scripts for television programs and done adaptions for the stage. He has also worked as a translator and his stories have been published in newspapers, magazines and collections.