Ómar Þorfinnur Ragnarsson (born 16 September 1940) is an Icelandic environment activist and former entertainer, news reporter and

rally Rally or rallye may refer to: Gatherings * Demonstration (political), a political rally, a political demonstration of support or protest, march, or parade * Pep rally, an event held at a United States school or college sporting event Spor ...

driver. Born in

Reykjavík Reykjavík ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói bay. Its latitude is 64°08' N, making it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. With a pop ...

, Ómar began acting on stage at the age of 12 and started his career as a stand-up comedian when he was 18. He has written a considerable number of songs and lyrics, performed by him or other Icelandic pop artists. Ómar studied law and has been a professional aviator and pilot since 1967. He worked as a TV reporter for RUV Channel 1 from 1969–1988, for TV Channel 2 from 1988–1995, and again for RUV from 1995. Later he started his own film production, mainly on nature and environmental issues in Iceland, Norway and the USA. He has also written 10 books in Iceland. Ómar Ragnarsson turned activist for Icelandic nature and in September 2006, he led
protest walk
against the controversial

Kárahnjúkar Hydropower Plant Kárahnjúkar Hydropower Plant ( is, Kárahnjúkavirkjun ), officially called Fljótsdalur Power Station ( is, Fljótsdalsstöð ) is a hydroelectric power plant in Fljótsdalshérað municipality in eastern Iceland, designed to produce annually ...

. This led to the foundation of the environmentalist party Iceland's Movement – Living Land which took part in the 2007 parliamentary elections, chaired by Ómar Ragnarsson.

Recognition

Ómar was picked as ''man of the year'' in 2006 by

Stöð 2 Stöð 2 (literally Station 2) is an Icelandic subscription television channel, owned and operated by Sýn. Founded in 1986, it was the first privately owned television station in Iceland following the lifting of the state monopoly on televis ...

(Channel two) in

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its ...

and by

Rás 2 Rás 2 (''Channel 2'') is an Icelandic radio station belonging to the National Icelandic Broadcasting Service, RÚV. Launched on 1 December 1983, it is currently the highest-rated radio station in Iceland, with a schedule composed chiefly of ne ...

(Radio two, government-run radio station) in 2003 and 2006, for his fight for Icelandic nature. He also received 4 Edda-Awards from 2003 to 2006. On his 70th birthday, the Icelandic Governmen
declared September 16
as "Icelandic Nature Day", in honour of Ómar Ragnarsson.

Sports

Ómar played football for Ármann in 1970. He competed in rally-driving from 1975 to 1985, together with his brother Jón Ragnarsson, where he won 18 titles, including 4-times champions of Iceland, in 1980-1982 and 1984.

Popular Culture

In 2001, he was featured in the song ''Hí á þig'' with XXX Rottweilerhundar. In 2015, popular Icelandic rapper Emmsjé Gauti released a single titled "Ómar Ragnarsson". It is track #3 on his 2016 album, Vagg & Velta. The artist has said of the song, "The song is named after Ómar Ragnarsson because he’s always in a good mood like me."

Personal life

With his wife Helga Jóhannsdóttir, Ómar is the father of seven, including media personalities Lára Ómarsdóttir and

Þorfinnur Ómarsson Þorfinnur Ómarsson (born 25 October 1965) is an Icelandic media personality and film and TV producer. Thorfinnur has worked in the Icelandic media and entertainment industry since the late 1980s. He was the managing director of the Icelandi ...

References

External links

*
News article (Icelandic)
Living people 1940 births Omar Ragnarsson Omar Ragnarsson Knights of the Order of the Falcon Icelandic male footballers {{Iceland-politician-stub