Harald Zwart

Writer, Director, Producer

Date of Birth:

Jul 01, 1965

Country:

Netherlands

Gender:

Male

Height:

5' 7¾" (1.72 m)

Biography

Harald Zwart was born on July 1, 1965 in Netherlands as Harald Johan Zwart. He is a director and producer, known for The 12th Man (2017), The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (2013) and Agent Cody Banks (2003). He has been married to Veslemøy Ruud Zwart since 1997. They have two children.

Spouse (1)

Veslemøy Ruud Zwart (1997 - present) ( 2 children)

Trade Mark (1)

Fast-paced films

Trivia (14)

Directed various commercials and music videos.
Directed the controversial video for A-Ha's "Velvet", which is on the movie soundtrack.
Always sneaks the flag of his favorite soccer-club, Fredrikstad Fotballklubb (FFK), into all his Hollywood-movies.
Harald Zwart donated props from his movies Hamilton (1998); One Night at McCool's (2001) and Agent Cody Banks (2003) for the cinema in his home-town of Fredrikstad, so that they can have their own little "Planet Hollywood"-type museum. In Fredrikstad, the place is popularly known as "Haraldwood".
Has a cameo as a sailor in the music video for A-Ha's "Forever Not Yours", which he also directed. He is the sailor who hands Magne Furuholmen his guitar.
His music video for the Norwegian singer/songwriter Jan Eggum was the first Norwegian-language video to be shown on MTV.
The first Norwegian to become a member of the Directors Guild of America (DGA).
In 2001, film critic Philip Wuntch of the Dallas Morning News, reviewing One Night at McCool's (2001), praised him and called it "an impressive feature debut" when in fact 1998's Scandinavian action/thriller Hamilton (1998) was Harald Zwart's feature debut.
His father is from the Netherlands. His mother, who died when he was 12, was from Norway. Zwart himself was born in the Netherlands but grew up in Norway and is a Norwegian citizen.
It was his background as a director for commercials he got his first job in Hollywood, and he has continued to direct commercials in-between his feature films. In October 2004 he directed a series of commercials for Sky TV, starring John Travolta (meant for the Italian market).
He is a very good friend of Tom Gulbrandsen.
He attended Kosmorama Filmfestival (Trondheim, Norway) in 2006 with "Lange Flate Ballær".
Daughter Stella Zwart with producer Veslemøy Ruud Zwart.
His favorite film is "Back to the Future" (1985).

Personal Quotes (2)

There are so many rules in Hollywood. I'm not allowed to talk to extras. If I do, then suddenly they can claim higher pay. One time somebody fooled me. He asked: "Shall I stand like this?" I said "OK" and then it was done. The extra got pushed higher up in the system and got three times as much pay.
It's weird not being home in Norway in the summer. I miss 'Reiseradioen' on NRK (legendary Norwegian summer radio show). Almost every day I check the internet to see what the weather is like back home.