Kristofer Hivju

Born in Oslo back in December ’78, Kristofer Hivju pretty much had acting in his blood from day one. His folks, Lieselotte Holmene and Erik Hivju, were big in the Norwegian theater scene. Erik, especially, was one of those actors who could pop up anywhere and steal a scene, and the two of them actually showed up together in a short film called Flax. Fun fact: Kristofer didn’t just act—he helped write that one, too, teaming up with director Bård Ivar Engelsås. The guy wasn’t about to just coast on his family name, you know? He made the jump across the pond with his American film debut in 2011, taking on a role in Matthijs van Heijningen Jr.'s prequel to John Carpenter’s cult classic The Thing. That movie might not have been the biggest hit ever, but it definitely put him on Hollywood’s radar. A couple of years later, he popped up in After Earth—you know, the M. Night Shyamalan sci-fi flick with Will and Jaden Smith. Not exactly a movie that set the world on fire, but hey, work’s work. Of course, if you know Kristofer Hivju at all, it’s probably because of his wild turn as Tormund Giantsbane on Game of Thrones. The guy with the insane red beard, always ready to swing an axe or make some hilariously inappropriate comment—yeah, that’s Kristofer. He basically became a fan favorite overnight, and honestly, he stole every scene he was in. That combo of rough-and-tumble energy and deadpan humor? Unbeatable.