Viswa Vanapalli
Netflix’s miniseries titled ‘Clark’ follows the story of Sweden’s notorious criminal, Clark Olofsson. Starting in the 1960s, he was someone who received an extensive amount of media coverage over the years and has spent most of his adult life behind bars. Furthermore, a bank robbery involving Clark later gave birth to the term ‘Stockholm Syndrome.’ While Clark is much older now, his story continues to fascinate many. So, if you’re curious about the same, we’ve got you covered.
Who is Clark Olofsson?
Clark Oderth Olofsson was born in February 1947 and had a difficult childhood being born into a home with alcohol issues. He had two sisters, and by the time he was 8-years-old, the kids were in foster care because their mother had fallen sick. A few years later, Clark’s mother got her life back under control and took back her children. But Clark’s life took a turn when he turned 18; it all began with a seemingly harmless adventure.
In 1965, Clark and his friends snuck into the greenhouse of Sweden’s then-Prime Minister, Tage Erlander. Inside, they picked vegetables and fruits. They fled after being spotted by the gardener. Clark became infamous around the Swedish nation the following year when he was part of a bicycle store burglary with Gunnar Norgren. The authorities came upon them during the crime, and Gunnar shot one of the officers, killing him. Both were eventually arrested, and Clark was sentenced to eight years.
In late 1973, Jan-Erik Olsson entered a bank in Stockholm, Sweden, with a plan to make away with some money. He was armed and came with some demands. After taking people hostage, Olsson demanded about $710,000, a getaway car, and his friend, Clark. At the time, Clark was in prison. He was transported to the bank and sent in. The whole ordeal ended six days later, but the hostages believed that their captors didn’t mean them harm, but the police did; this led to the phrase “Stockholm Syndrome” being coined. As for Clark, he was taken back to prison and charged with complicity.
Clark later said he only tried to protect the hostages and had the authorities’ permission to do so. He was also acquitted in relation to that case. But Clark’s criminal ways didn’t change; he was arrested in Belgium in 1984 after smuggling drugs to Sweden. As a result, Clark was sentenced to 10 years in prison. After being released in 1991, he changed his name to Daniel Demyunck.
In 2000, Clark was handed down a 14-year sentence for a drug offense in Denmark. Then, about three years after Clark’s release in Denmark on parole, the authorities arrested him in Sweden again in 2008 for a drug offense. The following year, he was sentenced to another 14 years in prison.
Where is Clark Olofsson Now?
In November 2016, Clark was transferred to a Belgian prison to serve the remainder of his sentence. He regained Swedish citizenship the following year after renouncing his Belgian citizenship. It was reported that Clark was released in July 2018 and traveled to Sweden after his release on parole. On the personal front, after Clark escaped from prison back in 1975, he met a 19-year-old young woman named Marijke. They married the following year and settled in Belgium, eventually having three children.
In an interview in 2000, Clark said regarding the fame and media attention, “I think people need such types. That’s why the media wrote a lot about me from the beginning. It was a game I played with, and I can offer it.” Clark has since separated from Marijke, and at the time of his arrest in 2008, he was engaged to Angelique, who believed her fiancé was innocent. They had plans to move to Tahiti in French Polynesia to a company before Clark’s arrest in Sweden.
In 2018, Clark mentioned that he had no regrets because he traveled around the world and lived like a king. Clark further stated that his six children (with four different women) had great lives. After his release from prison, Clark planned to travel to Malmö, Sweden, to live with a cousin. Recent reports, though, indicate that he now lives in Belgium.
While a documentary regarding his life was released in 2020, ‘Clark’ is a dramatic retelling with Bill Skarsgård playing the titular role. Regarding the character, the actor said, “Clark Olofsson is, for good and bad, one of Sweden’s most colorful and fascinating individuals. I accept this challenge with delight mingled with terror and think that with Jonas and Netflix in the back, we can tell a groundbreaking story with a pace and madness we may not have seen on TV before. Clark’s life and history is so incredible and screwed that it would even make Scorsese blush.”
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