Born in Gothenburg (1890) by Norwegian parents, tailor Mikal Larsen Bruun & wife Helga Sofie Eeg. The Family moved back to Norway, where two siblings were born. Young Einar worked as a tailor for some years, before trying his luck in the film industry, both as an actor and as a director. He worked in Denmark, Sweden, Germany and England, the films were mostly dramas, but also crime and comedy, with