Tommy Wirkola Biography: Movies, Awards, Height, Ethnicity, Age, Net Worth, Girlfriend, Parents

Tommy Wirkola is a Norwegian filmmaker celebrated for blending horror, action, and satire into high-energy features that appeal to both genre fans and mainstream audiences.

He first garnered international acclaim with the cult horror comedy Dead Snow (2009), in which he co-wrote and directed a troupe of Nazi zombies in the snowy mountains of Norway.

His breakout English-language hit, Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013), brought him to Hollywood’s attention and cemented his reputation for inventive genre mash-ups.

Profile

• Full name: Tommy Wirkola
• Date of birth: 6 December 1979
• Age: 46 years old
• Gender: Male
• Place of birth: Alta, Troms og Finnmark, Norway
• State of origin: Troms og Finnmark
• Nationality: Norwegian
• Profession: Film director, screenwriter, producer, editor, actor
• Height: 5 ft 8 in (173 cm)
• Weight: 150 lb (68 kg)
• Eye color: Blue
• Hair color: Brown
• Parents: Roar Wirkola, Jenny Wirkola
• Siblings: N/A
• Spouse: N/A
• Children: N/A
• Relationship status: Not publicly disclosed
• Religion: N/A
• Ethnicity: Sami-Finnish
• Net worth: $1–5 million

Early Life and Education

Tommy Wirkola is now 46 years old and was born on 6 December 1979 in Alta, Norway. Raised in the far north of the country, he comes from a family background that blends the indigenous Sami culture with Finnish roots, a heritage he occasionally references in interviews.

After completing secondary school in Norway, Wirkola moved to Australia to study filmmaking at Bond University, where he honed his skills in directing and screenwriting before returning to Europe to launch his career.

Personal Life

Wirkola keeps his private life largely out of the spotlight. There are no public records of marriages, partnerships, or children with verified names. He appears to focus most of his energy on his filmmaking projects, sharing occasional personal and behind-the-scenes moments on social media.

Career

Wirkola broke into the industry with Kill Buljo (2007), a parody of Tarantino-style revenge films co-written with actor Stig Frode Henriksen. He followed two years later with Dead Snow (2009), a horror comedy that became a cult favorite and won the Toronto Dark Film Festival Audience Award.

In 2013, he directed his first major studio production, Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, starring Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton. The success of that film led to Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead (2014) and the dystopian thriller What Happened to Monday (2017), featuring Noomi Rapace in seven roles.

His recent work includes Violent Night (2022), which reinvents the Christmas-action trope, and the upcoming shark thriller Beneath the Storm, scheduled for release in August 2025.

Awards

• Sundance Film Festival selection (Dead Snow, 2009)
• Toronto After Dark Film Festival Audience Award (Dead Snow, 2009)
• Scream Awards nomination for Best Horror Film (Dead Snow, 2009)
• Horror Film Festival Best Film (Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead, 2014)
• International Fantastic Film Festival Best Director (Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead, 2014)
• Alamo Drafthouse Fantastic Fest Best Screenplay (Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead, 2014)
• Locarno International Film Festival Piazza Grande Award nomination (What Happened to Monday, 2017)
• People’s Choice Award nomination for Best Horror Film (Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, 2013)
• ACTRA Awards nomination for Most Outstanding Stunt Performance (Violent Night, 2022)
• International Film Music Critics Awards nomination for Best Original Score (Violent Night, 2022)
• Reel Music Film Festival nomination for Best Original Score (Violent Night, 2022)

Net worth

Tommy Wirkola’s net worth is estimated at $1–5 million, largely earned through directing high-budget genre films and co-writing his projects.

Social Media

• Instagram: @tommywirkola
• X: N/A

Filmography

• Remake (2006)
• Kill Buljo (2007)
• Dead Snow (2009)
• Kurt Josef Wagle and the Legend of the Fjord Witch (2010)
• Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013)
• Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead (2014)
• What Happened to Monday (2017)
• The Trip (2021)
• Violent Night (2022)
• Spermageddon (2024)
• Shiver (2026)