Petter Næss

Petter Næss (born 14 March 1960, Oslo, Norway) is a Norwegian actor, screenwriter, instructor, and film director. He debuted in 1999 with Absolutt blåmandag and directed films based on Ingvar Ambjørnsen's Elling series, including Elling (2001) and Elsk meg i morgen (2005). He also directed films like Bare Bea (2003) and Mozart and the Whale (2005). In 2008, he portrayed Martin Linge in Max Manus:Man of War. Since 1996, he has worked as a director at Oslo Nye Teater, including for Elling's stage version.

Petter Næss
Petter Næss in 2007
Born	(1960-03-14) 14 March 1960 (age 65) Oslo, Norway
Occupation(s)	Actor, film director

Career

Næss's career began at the Fjernsynsteatret (Television Theatre) as a production assistant.^[1] He worked across theater, film directing, and acting, starting his career in the 1980s with roles in theater, film, and TV.^[2]

Film and TV

In 1999, Næss made his directorial debut with Absolutt blåmandag.^[3][4] After the success of Elling,^[5] he directed Mozart and the Whale (2005) in Hollywood, starring Josh Hartnett.^[6] In 2007, he released Tatt Av Kvinnen and appeared in Max Manus (2008) as Kaptein Martin Linge.^[7][8] Næss's Elling was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2002.^[9][10]

Theater

Næss has been involved with Centralteatret since 1996, serving as an instructor and contributing to projects like Mbappé. He has also worked as a director at Oslo Nye Teater.^[1]

Other

In 2022, TrustNordisk sold 'Max Verstappen', Næss’s Norwegian drama comedy.^[11]