Hafthor Bjornsson is a famous strongman, and actor from Iceland. He became the first individual to win the Arnold Strongman Classic, Europe’s Strongest Man, and the World’s Strongest Man in the same year. He is also recognized for portraying The Mountain in Game of Thrones. Currently, Hafthor Bjornsson has a net worth of $2 million.
Background
Bjornsson was born on November 26, 1988, in Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland. He got strong physical genetics from his parents, Bjorn and Ragnheidur, who are both very tall. As a child, Hafthor worked on the family farm outside of Reykjavik.
He put his size to use playing basketball and Hafthor played the center position for his senior team in the Division I Club. He turned pro in 2005 when he joined the FSu Selfoss.
The sportsman sustained a broken bone during a game which required surgery. Injuries became a recurring problem in his basketball career. He got picked in Iceland’s U-18 national team and played in the European Championships. Eventually he retired because of a recurring ankle injury.
Strongman Career
In 2010, he made a striking strongman debut by winning the Strongest Man in Iceland, Westfjords Viking, Iceland’s Strongest Viking, and five events at the OK Badur Strongman Championships. He moved on to bigger stages after this.
After receiving a wild card invitation to the 2011 World’s Strongest Man competition, he finished sixth overall. The Mountain came back the following years but only got runner-up positions from 2012 to 2017.
In 2018 he became the buzz of the strongman industry. After winning Europe’s Strongest Man, he conquered his first World’s Strongest Man title. In the same season, he won the Arnold Strongman Classic.
Acting Career
In August 2013, he was chosen to play Ser Gregor “The Mountain” Clegane in season four of HBO’s Game of Thrones. With his performances in seasons four to eight, he became the first star to play Clegane for more than one season.
Then, in the Philadelphia Renaissance Faire, he played the starring role of King Thor in 2015. In 2017, he was cast as Mongkut in Kickboxer: Retaliation. Around this time, Hafthor Bjornsson revealed that he was suffering from Bell’s palsy, a condition that paralyzes one side of his face.
Boxing Career
Reports stated that the athlete had shed 121 pounds in September 2021 throughout the course of 18 months in preparation for a boxing debut. The strongman defeated both Devon Larratt and his arch-rival Eddie Hall in a boxing fight.
Personal Life
Bjornsson married Canadian Kelsey Henson in 2018. The couple had their first child together in 2020, a boy named Stormur Magni. Hafthor also has a daughter with his ex-girlfriend Thelma Bjork Steimann.
