Pål Bang-Hansen was born in Oslo, Norway, and from a young age, he was deeply involved in the Norwegian film industry, just as it was a part of him. At 12, he played the iconic role of 'Sofus' in "Gategutter", a classic Norwegian film directed by Arne Skouen, who would go on to become one of Norway's most renowned filmmakers, earning an Academy Award nomination for "Niliv" in 1957.
Bang-Hansen's passion for filmmaking was ignited, and he went on to attend the Centro Sperimentale Film School in Rome, Italy, where he became fluent in Italian. From 1961 to 1967, he worked as a film critic for Arbeiderbladet, the same newspaper as his father, and assisted on several Arne Skouen productions.
In 1966, Bang-Hansen made his feature film directorial debut with "Skrift i sne", and went on to direct some of Norway's most beloved films, including the thriller "Douglas" (1970),the comedy "Norske byggeklosser" (1971),which remains one of Norway's most popular comedies, the drama "Kanarifuglen" (co-starring Julie Ege),the thriller "Bortreist på ubestemt tid", and the political drama "Kronprinsen", which earned actor Bjørn Sundquist the Norwegian Critics Award.
Despite his success as a director, Bang-Hansen is best known for his work as a film critic and reporter. Since 1967, he has been employed by the Norwegian National Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) and introduced the public to "Filmmagasinet", the first Norwegian TV show dedicated to the movies. He has also been recognized for his reports from the Cannes Film Festival, where he has interviewed legends such as Alfred Hitchcock, Anthony Mann, Henry Fonda, Akira Kurosawa, Charles Chaplin, and many more.
As a result of his long-running "Filmmagasinet" on TV, Bang-Hansen is widely regarded as Norway's one and only "Mr Film".
