Clark Olofsson
Writing
Biography
Clark Oderth Olofsson (1 February 1947 – 24 June 2025) was a Swedish criminal. He was sentenced for attempted murder, assault, robbery, and drug trafficking, spending more than half his life in prison. Olofsson was often referred to as Sweden’s first “celebrity gangster”. Born in Trollhättan into a home marred by alcoholism, his childhood was tumultuous. His father left when Clark was 11, and his mother’s subsequent mental illness led to him and his two younger sisters being placed in foster care. At age 15, determined to escape, he forged his mother’s signature, enrolled in a sailors’ school, and spent his youth sailing between Japan and South America on the ship *Ballade*. Upon returning home, the family reunited in Gothenburg, where his criminal life soon began. In the 1960s, Olofsson was convicted of burglary and assault, and gained infamy for his involvement in the killing of a police officer during a robbery. He became infamous for a series of prison escapes, culminating in his arrival during the infamous Norrmalmstorg bank siege in August 1973. Brought in by fellow criminal Jan‑Erik Olsson to help negotiate with authorities, his role in the six‑day standoff sparked the concept of “Stockholm syndrome”. Throughout the 1970s and ’80s, Olofsson continued to escape from prison, commit various crimes, and return to custody. He married Marijke Demuynck while incarcerated at Kumla Prison and studied journalism during his sentence. After his release in 1983, he moved to Belgium with his wife, but was convicted of drug smuggling in 1999. His life continued to involve crime, imprisonment, and deportation in the following decades. Olofsson died at Arvika Hospital in Sweden on 24 June 2025, at the age of 78, following a prolonged illness. His complex life—filled with dramatic escapes, legal battles, and media fascination—has been portrayed in films, documentaries, and notably in the 2022 Netflix series *Clark*, starring Bill Skarsgård.
Known For
This is the incredible story behind Sweden's most notorious gangster, Clark Olofsson, whose infamous crimes gave rise to the term "Stockholm Syndrome".
Clark
At the end of August 1973, a robber takes hostages at the Kreditbanken at Norrmalmstorg. A week or so later, on September 15, King Gustaf VI Adolf dies in Helsingborg's hospital and Sweden gets a new king: Carl XVI Gustaf. In Chile, the military takes power and the popularly elected president Salvador Allende is overthrown. That and much more in this column about the year 1973.
Året var 1973
The notorious Swedish criminal Clark Olofsson's activities from his first serious conviction in 1966 and ten years on of bank robberies and fraud.
Clark
"The Norrmalmstorgs drama from the inside" - For more than 30 years, the bank-robber Janne Olsson refused to talk about the noted bank-robbery at Norrmalmstorg, Stockholm, in 1973. This is the first interview with Olsson.
Norrmalmstorgsdramat inifrån
Clark Olofsson has been called Sweden's most famous bank robber. He has been in prison for most of his adult life, escaped 17 times and gave rise to the concept of Stockholm Syndrome. Olofsson has been a free man since 2018 and in the interview with Malou von Sivers he looks back on his criminal career. There will also be a conversation about women, children and whether he feels any remorse towards his victims.
Malou möter Clark Olofsson
Notorious bank-robber Clark Olofsson - whose actions coined the term Stockholm syndrome - is released from prison at age 71 after a long stay. He's been in prison or on the run half his life, since his teenage years. But now he'd like to leave that life behind him and live a quite life. This documentary follows him during his first year out.