Steinunn Ólína Þorsteinsdóttir was born on July 2, 1969, in Reykjavík, Iceland, to actress Bríet Héðinsdóttir and writer and translator Þorsteinn Þorsteinsson. She began her career in the performing arts at a young age, starring in a stage role at 15 and moving to London to study drama at the Drama Centre London at 17.
After graduating in 1990, Steinunn returned to Iceland and continued her career in the theatre and television, making her debut at the National Theatre of Iceland in 1991. She went on to star in numerous productions, including Peer Gynt, My Fair Lady, and Fiddler on the Roof, and received several awards for her performances.
Steinunn's breakthrough role came in 2015 when she starred as detective Gabriela in the Netflix original series Case, earning her the FIPA D'OR award for best actress and the Icelandic Edda Film and Television award for actress of the year. She has since appeared in several other television series, including Trapped, Fangar, and Stella Blomquist.
In addition to her acting work, Steinunn has also produced, written, and hosted her own live talk show, Over My Dead Body with Steinunn Ólína, and has contributed to other television shows as a comedian and writer. She has also appeared in numerous films, including Vargur and Beowulf and Grendel.
Steinunn has been married to actor Stefan Karl Stefansson since 2002 and has four children with him. She is also the editor-in-chief of the online newspaper WWW.kvennabladid.is, which was founded by her great-grandmother in 1895.
