Jón Gnarr
| Jón Gnarr | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 20th Mayor of Reykjavík | |
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In office 15 June 2010 – 16 June 2014 |
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| Preceded by | Hanna Birna Kristjánsdóttir |
| Succeeded by | Dagur B. Eggertsson |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
2 January 1967 Reykjavík, Iceland |
| Political party |
Best Party (2009–2014) Bright Future (2012–2015) Independent(2015-present) |
| Spouse(s) | Jóhanna Jóhannsdóttir |
| Children | 5 |
Jón Gnarr (Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈjouːn ˈknarː]; born 2 January 1967) is an Icelandic actor, comedian, and politician who served as the Mayor of Reykjavík from 2010 to 2014.
Born Jón Gunnar Kristinsson, Jón legally changed his middle name in 2005 to the way his mother pronounced it when he was a boy. He prefers to be addressed as Jón Gnarr as he does not wish to carry his father's name. Under national law overseen by the Icelandic Naming Committee, he had not been allowed to legally drop "Kristinsson" from his name as seen on his passport until 2015.
He was a well-known comedian and actor starting in the 1990s, including teaming with Sigurjón Kjartansson as the duo Tvíhöfði on radio and television. In 2009, he formed the Best Party, a political party that began as political satire but quickly turned into a real political player due to its electoral successes, which were perceived to be a reaction to the 2008–11 Icelandic financial crisis.
Jón Gnarr was misdiagnosed with severe intellectual disability as a child and was treated between the ages of five and seven at the children's psychiatry ward at the State Hospital at Dalbraut, Reykjavík. He has dyslexia and had learning difficulties. Jón Gnarr recounts these experiences in his book The Indian, an autobiographical account of his childhood.
Jón was known as Jónsi Punk as a teenager and played bass in a punk band called Nefrennsli ("Runny Nose"). While attending a number of high schools, he didn't complete the university entrance exam, Stúdentspróf. As a young man, he held jobs with car maker Volvo and drove a taxi in Reykjavík. During the 1980s, he and his future wife, Jóhanna Jóhannsdóttir, became acquainted with the members of the Reykjavík-based alternative rock band the Sugarcubes, including Björk Guðmundsdóttir and Einar Örn Benediktsson. Björk remained a close friend to Jóhanna, dedicating a song to her on her 1997 album Homogenic,
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