Sigurd Jonny Hansen (born April 28, 1966) is a Norwegian-American captain and co-owner of the fishing vessel F/V Northwestern. Since 2005, Hansen has been featured in each season of the documentary television series Deadliest Catch, serving also as technical advisor for the production and also stars in Deadliest Catch: The Viking Returns.[1]
Sig Hansen | |
|---|---|
 Hansen aboard the F/V Northwestern | |
| Born | Sigurd Jonny Hansen April 28, 1966 Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Captain, FV Northwestern author, voice actor |
| Spouse | June Hansen |
| Children | 3 |
Early life
editSigurd Jonny Hansen was born in Seattle, the eldest of three sons; his brothers are Norman and Edgar. Their father, Sverre Hansen, was descended from a long line of Norwegian-ancestry fishermen. His father and grandfather pioneered opilio crab fishing in Alaska as a way of giving crab boats a chance to earn money year-round rather than in short-term or late-year seasons. He began fishing at age 14, working on his family's boat. After he graduated from high school, he began fishing year-round, spending on average 10 months per year in Alaska and the Bering Sea. Occasionally he also fished mackerel and cod in Norway during the summer. In his early years, he cut school so that he could go fishing.[1]
Career
editHansen started as a deckhand on his father's boat before his teenage years, working his way up the ranks. At age 22, he became a “relief skipper”, relieving other captains on the Northwestern, as well as doing short-haul stints on other boats in the fleet.[2] By age 24, he began running the Northwestern full-time. Over the years, the boat has become a top producer with an excellent safety record; it has never had a single death at sea in the nearly 20 years Hansen has been at its helm, and its serious injury rate is significantly lower than other boats in the Bering Sea fleet as well. In 2005 for King Crab and 2006 for Opilio, the Northwestern won the final derby seasons, taking home the titles for both the highest poundage caught and the highest dollars earned amongst the featured boats in the Deadliest Catch.[2] As of 2011, Hansen serves as the full-time captain during king and opilio crab seasons, as well as the pot cod fishery on the Northwestern. His younger brothers, Edgar[citation needed] and Norman,[3] have both spent years working on deck with Norman being the current boat engineer.
In March 2010, Hansen became a published author with the release of his book (co-written with Mark Sundeen) North By Northwestern: A Seafaring Family on Deadly Alaskan Waters, which reached the bestseller list of the New York Times[4] and the Wall Street Journal.
On April 29, 2010, Hansen was a guest on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. During the show, he expressed his desire to be a contestant on the next season of the hit ABC reality television series Dancing with the Stars.[5] Leno's staff set up a Facebook page to gather support for him to be selected for the show.[6] In September 2010, Hansen announced that he would not return for the seventh season of Deadliest Catch. However, in October 2010, it was announced that Hansen would come back to the show.[7]
He provided the voice of a boat named Crabby (modeled after the Northwestern) in the Disney Pixar film Cars 2.[8] He competed in the 14th season of The Celebrity Apprentice.[9]
In 2014, Hansen was inducted into the Scandinavian-American Hall of Fame, along with Tonight Show bandleader, Doc Severinsen, and singer Bobby Vee.[10]
Personal life
editHansen has two adopted daughters, Nina and Mandy, with his wife, June and lives in Seattle. Hansen has a grandson, Jackson, from Nina,[11] as well as a granddaughter, Sailor Marie, from Mandy.[12][13] He also has a biological daughter, Melissa, from a previous marriage.[14][15] His youngest daughter, Mandy, has joined him on the Northwestern as his relief captain. Like her sisters, Mandy speaks fluent Norwegian, which she learned before speaking English, as Sig Hansen’s Norwegian parents spoke it at home.[2] He is an alumnus of Shorewood High School and a supporter of Seattle-based sports teams, the Seattle Seahawks and the Seattle Mariners.[2] Sig also owns the Norwegian island of Mortholmen where Sig and his brothers crab fished as children.[16]
In March 2016, Hansen suffered a heart attack, which was recorded and shown on Discovery Channel's Deadliest Catch.[17] He returned to fishing the following season.[18]
In early October 2018, right before the king crab season, he suffered a severe allergic reaction to an antibiotic, which caused a second heart attack.[19] He had to be medically cleared before he could return to fish and film the show's 15th season.[20][21]
In July 2019, it was reported that June Hansen was diagnosed with cancer. No specifics or updates were provided.[22]
References
edit- ^ a b "Seattle fishermen find riches and fame on 'Deadliest Catch'", Seattle Times; accessed July 1, 2020.
- ^ a b c d Scott, Danny (2005-09-25). "Sig Hansen". Times Online. London, UK. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved 2015-05-20.
- ^ "Norman Hansen – Engineer/Deckhand - Deadliest Catch Cast". Discovery. Retrieved 2021-11-12.
- ^ Schuessler, Jennifer (May 2, 2010). "North By Northwestern: A Seafaring Family on Deadly Alaskan Waters". The New York Times.
- ^ "Oops! | Page Not Found". NBC.
{{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help) - ^ "Log into Facebook". Facebook. Retrieved 2022-01-07.
{{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help) - ^ "'Deadliest Catch' stars Sig Hansen, Johnathan and Andy Hillstrand back on Discovery series". nydailynews.com. Reuters. 2010-10-10. Retrieved 2021-11-12.
- ^ Ford, Anissa (2011-05-13). "Captain Sig's voice starring in "Cars 2" as Crabby the Boat". HULIQ. Retrieved 2022-01-07.
- ^ Butler, Karen (2015-01-27). "Kate Gosselin, Sig Hansen fired on 'Celebrity Apprentice'". Entertainment News/UPI. Retrieved 2020-07-01.
- ^ Associated Press (2014-08-21). "3 new inductees to Scandinavian-American Hall". The Washington Times. Retrieved 2022-01-07.
- ^ Xia, Samantha (2021-05-27). "Who Is 'Deadliest Catch' Star Sig Hansen's Daughter Nina Hansen?". stuffsthatmatter.com. Retrieved 2021-11-13.
- ^ VanHoose, Benjamin (2021-11-12). "Deadliest Catch Star Mandy Hansen Welcomes Baby Daughter Sailor Marie: 'Most Incredible Feeling'". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved 2021-11-13.
- ^ "Meet Mandy Hansen's Baby, Sailor!". Discovery. Retrieved 2021-11-13.
- ^ Kamb, Lewis (17 March 2017). "Estranged daughter sues 'Deadliest Catch' star Sig Hansen, alleging she was molested as a child". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
- ^ Burton, Lynsi (30 July 2018). "Daughter's lawsuit against 'Deadliest Catch' star Sig Hansen proceeds after appeals challenge". SeattlePI.com. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
- ^ Neale, April (2021-03-30). "'Deadliest Catch' Exclusive: Captain Sig Hansen Talks New Season, Johnathan, Keith, And More". TV Shows Ace. Retrieved 2023-10-24.
- ^ "'Deadliest Catch's' Captain Sig Hansen Suffers Heart Attack on Camera". Extra. Retrieved 2017-08-09.
- ^ Glines, Carole (2017-04-12). "'Deadliest Catch' recap: Captain Sig Hansen returns to TV after heart attack and molestation accusations". Fox News. Retrieved 2017-08-09.
- ^ "Exclusive: 'Deadliest Catch' star Sig Hansen opens up about his latest health scare". EW.com.
- ^ Rumer, Anna (2019-04-09). "'Deadliest Catch' Captain Sig Hansen Reveals He Suffered Another Heart Attack". Reality TV. Retrieved 2023-08-21.
- ^ "Tweet". twitter.com. Retrieved 2020-07-01.
- ^ O'Sullivan, Kelly (July 16, 2019). "'Deadliest Catch' Captain Sig Hansen Just Revealed His Wife Has Cancer". Country Living.