{{Short description|Icelandic actress and beauty queen}} {{Icelandic name|Unnur Birna}} {{Infobox pageant titleholder | name = Unnur Birna Vilhjálmsdóttir | image = Unnur Birna Vilhjalmsdottir (2006).jpg | caption = | birth_name = <!-- if different --> | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1984|5|25|df=y}} | birth_place = [[Reykjavík]], Iceland | height = {{height|m=1.74}} | hair_color = Brown | eye_color = Green | spouse = {{marriage| Pétur Rúnar Heimisson|2009}} | occupation = [[Actress]], [[beauty queen]] | title = [[Miss Iceland|Miss Iceland 2005]]<br>[[Miss World 2005]] | nationalcompetition = *[[Miss Iceland|Miss Iceland 2005]] <br> (Winner) *[[Miss World 2005]] <br> (Winner) |children=3|years_active=1994-present}} '''Unnur Birna Vilhjálmsdóttir''' (born 25 May 1984) is an Icelandic actress and beauty queen who won [[Miss Iceland|Miss Iceland 2005]] and the [[Miss World 2005]] pageant.

==Career== ===Beauty Queen=== She was crowned [[Miss World 2005]] on 10 December 2005 in the [[Crown of Beauty Theatre]], located in the Chinese beach city of [[Sanya]], by the reigning beauty queen, 2004's [[Miss Peru]] [[Maju Mantilla]].

Mexico ([[Dafne Molina]] Lona) and [[Puerto Rico]] ([[Ingrid Marie Rivera]]) were the first and second runners up. Other contestants who made it into the final six were Miss Italy (Sofia Bruscoli), Miss Korea ([[Oh Eun-young (model)|Oh Eun-young]]), and [[Miss Tanzania]] ([[Nancy Abraham Sumari]]).

===Education and Miss World=== In 2005, she studied [[anthropology]] at the [[University of Iceland]] and planned to proceed with studies to become a lawyer. During the summer of 2005, Unnur Birna did temporary work as a police officer at [[Keflavík International Airport]]. She was the chairperson of the college social club and teaches dance. She enjoys acting, singing, all types of dancing, snow-boarding, hiking, camping, horsemanship, and has a special talent for choreography and playing the piano.

Her mother, [[Unnur Steinsson]], won the Miss Iceland pageant in 1983 and was a finalist at the [[Miss World 1983]] pageant. Unnur's mother was 3–4 months pregnant during the pageant. This was against the pageant rules and warrants disqualification. However, this was not found out until after the pageant was over. Unnur is the third Miss World from Iceland; the former two were [[Linda Pétursdóttir]] in 1988 and [[Hólmfríður Karlsdóttir]] in 1985.

Unnur Birna's reign as Miss World was the shortest ever, which only lasted nine months since the 2006 edition was scheduled in September. During her reign, she traveled to the [[United Kingdom]], the [[United States]], [[Iceland]], [[Poland]], [[Sweden]], [[China]], [[Brazil]], and many more countries.

She crowned her successor, [[Taťána Kuchařová]] of Czech Republic, on 30 September 2006.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://piotrsobon.i365.pl/ol/161.jpg |title=Archived copy |access-date=2007-02-24 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070703004249/http://piotrsobon.i365.pl/ol/161.jpg |archive-date=2007-07-03 }}</ref>

===Acting=== Unnur has starred in the movie ''The Higher Force'' as Anna – the girl on the dance floor. In 2009, she portrayed a character named Tóta in a movie named ''Jóhannes''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8X8V7t8Wk0 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/z8X8V7t8Wk0 |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|title=Johannes – Trailer |last=tomas tomasson |date=12 January 2011 |access-date=11 April 2017 |via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

===Commercial model=== In 2011, Unnur featured in an advert promoting [[Blue Lagoon (geothermal spa)|The Blue Lagoon]], a [[geothermal spa]] and tourist attraction in Iceland.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXvgDydGjy0 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/NXvgDydGjy0 |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|title=Blue Lagoon Geothermal Spa in Iceland |last=BlueLagoonIS |date=19 January 2011 |access-date=11 April 2017 |via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

===Master of ceremonies=== Unnur hosted the "'''Miss Reykjavik 2010'''" pageant.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjyZpfSknhk |title=Ungfrú Reykjavík 2010 (Miss Reykjavik 2010) Crowning moment| website=[[YouTube]]|date=March 2010 | access-date= 12 May 2025}}</ref>

==Personal life== On 4 August 2009, Unnur married her long-term partner Pétur Rúnar Heimisson

==Filmography== {| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 100%;" ! Year !! Film !! Role !! Other notes |- | 2008 || ''Stóra planið'' || Anna || |- | 2009 || ''Jóhannes'' || Tóta || Supporting role |}

==References== {{Reflist}}

{{s-start}} {{s-ach}} {{s-bef|before={{flagicon|PER}} [[María Julia Mantilla]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Miss World 2005|Miss World]] | years=[[Miss World 2005#Continental Queens|2005]]}} {{s-aft|after={{flagicon|Czech Republic}} [[Taťána Kuchařová]]}} {{s-bef|before=Hugrún Harðardóttir}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Miss Iceland]] | years=2005}} {{s-aft|after=[[Sif Aradóttir]]}} {{s-end}}

{{Miss World titleholders}} {{Miss World 2005 delegates}} {{Big Four Pageants titleholders |Year = 2005 |Miss Universe={{flagicon|Canada}} [[Natalie Glebova]] |Miss World={{flagicon|Iceland}} '''Unnur Vilhjálmsdóttir''' |Miss International={{flagicon|Philippines}} [[Precious Lara Quigaman|Lara Quigaman]] |Miss Earth={{flagicon|Venezuela}} [[Alexandra Braun]] }} {{Miss Iceland winners in the Grand Slam pageants}} {{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vilhjalmsdottir, Unnur Birna}} [[Category:1984 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Miss World winners]] [[Category:Miss World 2005 delegates]] [[Category:People from Reykjavík|Unnur Birna Vilhjálmsdóttir]] [[Category:Icelandic beauty pageant winners|Unnur Birna Vilhjálmsdóttir]]