News

Game of Throne’s “The Mountain” is Cyprus Comic Con’s Special Guest Headliner for 2017!

Cyprus Comic Con has the great pleasure and honour of announcing the Icelandic professional strongman and actor Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, also known as “The Mountain”, as its Special Guest Headliner for CCC17!

Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson (Hafthor Julius Bjornsson), whose last name translates to ‘Bear’s son’, or just “Thor” as his fans fondly call him, was born on November 25, 1988 in Reykjavík, Iceland. With an impressive height of 206 cm (6 ft 9 in) and weighing 200 kg (400 lb), it is no wonder Game of Thrones producers chose Hafþór to play the notoriously fearsome warrior Gregor Clegane – a man known as “The Mountain” due to his enormous build. Prior to his acting and strongman career, Hafþór was a professional basketball player and his towering height made him a hit on the court.

In-Booth Signing & Panel Information

Booth Times*

• Saturday: 09:00 – 20:00
• Sunday: 09:00 – 20:00

*Hafþór will be at his booth for the entire duration of the event, except for his Q&A panel whose exact times will be announced at a later date)

Booth Prices

• Signed Photo Autograph: 20€
• Selfie/Photo Opportunity (guest’s own camera): TBA€

Acting Career

Hafþór was cast as Ser Gregor “The Mountain” Clegane for the fourth season of the massively popular HBO series, Game of Thrones in August 2013. The show was looking to replace Ian Whyte who played Gregor Clegane in season 2 and Hafþór possessed just the right height and bulk required to play such a formidable character. He became the first actor to portray Clegane in more than one season, appearing in seasons 4-7.

Hafþór will be reprising his role as Clegane in the 7th season of Game of Thrones, to air on July 16, 2017.

Although he didn’t have any prior acting experience and his audition only included a few lines, the producers were more interested in seeing Hafþór’s movement and handling of a sword. Despite his enormous and muscular build, he proved to be fast and flexible and this impressed sword-fighting specialist CC Smith and Hafþór was offered the job a few days later.

Hafþór’s fans can anticipate to watch his second acting performance in the role of “Mongkut” in the upcoming 2017 martial arts film Kickboxer: Retaliation, the sequel to the 2016 film, Kickboxer: Vengeance.

As Gregor “The Mountain” Clegane in Game of Thrones

Basketball Career

Playing career: 2004–2008, Position: Center

Hafþór’s sports career began in 2004, not in the world of power-lifting or strength training, but in basketball. At 206 cm (6 ft 9 in) and 110 kg (240 lb) he started his senior team career with Division I club Breiðablik. In 2005 he joined FSu Selfoss in the Icelandic Division I.

After playing 10 games, it was discovered that Hafþór was playing with a broken bone in his ankle and required surgery. He missed most of the 2006-2007 season after a screw in his ankle shattered and had to be fixed by another surgery.

Between 2004 and 2006, Hafþór played 32 games for the Icelandic junior national basketball teams.

Hafþór’s basketball career came to an end when he suffered a severe knee injury at the age of 20 which prevented him from playing and he began to consider other sport and training options.

In 2008, Hafþór met Icelandic strongman Magnús Ver Magnússon (four times crowned as the World’s Strongest Man) at his gym “Jakaból”, where Magnús said that Hafþór seemed a good prospect as a strongman.

Strongman Career

Hafþór landed a spot in World’s Strongest Man after earning a wild card invitation to the 2011 contest, where he came 6th overall. His participation in ensuing years continued to impress, as he placed third in 2012, 2013 and 2015, while in 2014 and 2016 he was the runner-up winner and took 2nd place.

Since 2012, he has been a contender in the strength competition Arnold Strongman Classic, where he came 10th on his first attempt, 8th in 2013, 5th in 2014, 7th in 2015, 5th in 2016 and finally 2nd in this year’s event.

Hafþór has had an impressive run in the strength athletics competition Europe’s Strongest Man, where he placed 1st in 2014, 2015 and 2017, and 2nd in 2016.

In 2011, he received 4th place in Poland in the Giants Live qualifying tour for the World’s Strongest Man.

He also excelled at the Strongman Champions League by obtaining 3rd place in 2013 in the SCL Iceman Challenge IV, 1st in Latvia (2013) and 2nd in Germany (2013). while in 2015 he was crowned the winner of the SCL Iceman Challenge.

In the strongman competition Jón Páll Sigmarsson Classic, Hafþór took 2nd place in 2010 and 1st place in 2012.

Hafþór has competed multiple times in Iceland’s Strongest Man (IFSA), where he received 3rd place on his first attempt in 2010, but took 1st place in the years that followed, from 2011 to 2016. Furthermore, he was the first place winner of the Strongest Man in Iceland competition in 2010-2012 and 2016, as well as the first place winner of Iceland’s Strongest Viking in from 2010-2012. In 2009, he competed for the title of Westfjord’s Viking where he obtained 4th place and proceeded to win first place in the years 2010-2012.

Hafþór was also the first place winner in the 2010 OK Budar Strongman Championships.

On 31 January 2015, Hafþór beat a 1,000-year-old record set by Orm Storolfsson at the World’s Strongest Viking competition in Norway, where he carried a 10 m long (33 ft), 650 kg (1,430 lb) log for five steps!

Personal Records

• Squat – 380 kg (795 lbs) raw
• Bench press – 230 kg (528 lbs) raw
• Tire deadlift – 450 kg (994 lbs) raw with wrist straps
• Deadlift – 450 kg (990 lbs) 4.625 cronans raw with straps
• Log Press – 206.5 kg (455 lbs)
• Log carry – [5 steps] 650 kg (1433 lbs)
• Keg throw – 7.15 m (world record)

Training lifts

• Deadlift 450 kg (990 lbs) raw with wrist straps
• Log Press 206.5 kg (455 lbs)
• Squat 300 kg (660 lbs) for 10 reps, raw without knee wraps
• Bench Press 220 kg (485 lbs) for 8 reps, raw

Icelandic Mountain Vodka

Since 2016, Hafþór has been the spokesperson and co-owner of Icelandic Mountain Vodka, a “super premium vodka mixed with natural Icelandic spring water”.

Cyprus Comic Con has the pleasure of announcing Gerald Home, actor of TWO roles in ‘Star Wars: Return of the Jedi’, as one of our Special Guests for this year’s event!

Gerald Home was born on October 18, 1950, in Belfast of North Ireland. At the age of 16, he emigrated to Australia with his family where he made his first steps towards acting while still in university. He spent 3 years as an actor and teacher in Australia before moving to London, UK to study at the Drama Studio, from where he graduated in 1977.

On the Big Screen

Gerald has had an wide and varied career on the big screen and is most notably known for his two roles in the third installment of the original trilogy of the Star Wars franchise, titled ‘Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi’ (1983), where he played Tessek-Squid Head (Jabba the Hutt’s accountant!) and the Mon Calamari Officer serving Admiral Ackbar!

He is still very active within the Star Wars community and has appeared at many conventions and events, meeting Star Wars fans around the globe. He is an Honorary Member of numerous fan groups and has had a strong online presence in Star Wars forums, as shown by his long-running popular online thread called ‘ROTJ History: Gerald Home’s Creature Info’, which has in-depth, inside information and backstage photos from ‘Return of the Jedi’, not seen anywhere else online!

Gerald was also a puppeteer on cult musical horror comedy ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ (1986), operating Audrey II, the flesh eating plant! More recently film works include ‘London Boulevard’ (2010), directed by William Monahan, Hideo Nakata’s ‘Chatroom’ (2010) and ‘Where I Belong’(2014), directed by Fritz Urschitz.

TV Appearances

His many TV appearances include ‘Casualty’, ‘Jenny’s War’, ‘Scarlet and Back’, ‘Keeping Mum’, ‘Harry’s Mad’, ‘Shane’, ‘Time Gentlemen Please’, ‘Situation Critical’, ‘Paul Dreams of Bette’ and the ‘Boot Street Band’. Gerald also worked as a puppeteer on ‘Spitting Image’.

Mr. Muscle

Gerald was the original “Mr. Muscle” in the long-running series of Mr. Muscle TV commercials (a brand of hard-surface cleaners) in the early 90’s, which were shown all around Europe and as far away as South Africa, Australia and New Zealand! His portrayal of the character brought a lot of laughter and was loved by many generations.

He has also made TV commercials for Holland, Germany, Ireland and Belgium.

Theatre

In London West End, he appeared in Royal Shakespeare Company’s ‘The Blue Angel’ at the Gielgud Theatre, ‘The Arabian Nights’ at the Arts Theatre and for a year in the farce ‘No Sex Please – We’re British’ at the Novello Theatre. Furthermore, he appeared in ‘A Christmas Carol in Oxford’, ‘The Wizard of Oz’ and ‘The Winter’s Tale’ in Exeter, ‘The Gingerbread Man’ and a season of new plays in Milford Haven and national tours of ‘Dreams of Anne Frank’, ‘Salad Days’ and ‘Bell, Book & Candle’.

In Wimbledon, London, where he lives, he has appeared in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ and ‘Alice in Wonderland’ at the Wimbledon Theatre as well as in 10 plays at the Polka Theatre. His favourite roles at Polka include Dr. Livesey in ‘Treasure Island’ and Professor Moriarty in a new Sherlock Holmes play written by Philip Pullman.