Robert Gustafsson

Robert Gustafsson, born smack in the middle of winter—December 20th, 1964—out in Katrineholm, Sweden, is basically a legend in the Swedish comedy and acting scene. You wanna talk range? The guy’s done everything from slapstick to the kind of dry humor that’ll make you do a double take. Most Swedes know him from “Hundraåringen som klev ut genom fönstret och försvann”—that’s the one where he plays a centenarian who bails on his nursing home, gets tangled up in some wild crime caper, and just keeps rolling with the punches. It’s wild, honestly, and his performance is a riot—he somehow manages to be both totally absurd and weirdly believable as a 100-year-old troublemaker. And then there’s “Fyra nyanser av brunt,” this dark comedy that’s got layers on layers, with Gustafsson showing off his knack for digging into all kinds of bizarre characters. The guy’s not scared of getting a little weird, which, let’s face it, is pretty essential if you want to stand out in Swedish film. Oh, and don’t forget “Morran och Tobias”—that one’s just full-on cringe comedy, and if you’re not squirming in your seat, you’re probably not watching it right. Off-screen, he’s been married to Lotta since ’88 (yeah, that’s a million years in showbiz), and they’ve got two kids. Honestly, he kind of seems like the guy who’d make dad jokes at the breakfast table, then go off and play the most unhinged character on TV. That’s the magic of Gustafsson—always keeping you guessing, never boring for a second.