Magnús Scheving

Magnús Örn Eyjólfsson Scheving (born 10 November 1964) is an Icelandic writer, actor, producer, entrepreneur, and athlete. He is the creator and co-star of the children's television show LazyTown, in which he starred as Sportacus.

Early life

Magnús Scheving was born on 10 November 1964. He grew up in the small town of Borgarnes in Iceland. At 5 years old he had his first job as a telephone exchange messenger boy for Borgarnes. In his 20s, he made a bet with a friend, Fjölnir Þorgeirsson, that each could master a sport of the other's choosing he knew nothing about in three years. Magnús chose snooker for Fjölnir and Fjölnir chose aerobics for Magnús. Just as Magnús became a champion in aerobics, Fjölnir became Icelandic champion in snooker.

Career

In 1992, Magnús became the Icelandic Men's Individual Champion in aerobic gymnastics. In 1993, he became the Scandinavian champion, and was the European champion twice in 1994 and 1995. He was voted Athlete of the Year in Iceland in 1994. He is the CEO, creator, and co-founder of LazyTown Entertainment. This company produces books, videos, games, and sporting goods to help promote fitness and a healthy lifestyle to children. He is also creator of the show LazyTown (Latibær in Iceland), where he plays Sportacus (known as Íþróttaálfurinn in Icelandic).