he was born in jølster as a son of gunnar bondevik and maine cröger tschudi. the family moved to lom in 1936 and oslo in 1946. on the maternal side he is a nephew of nephew of theologian stephan tschudi and a second cousin of stephan tschudi-madsen. on the paternal side he is a nephew of ottar bondevik and borghild bondevik haga, first cousin of odd and kjell magne bondevik, and through that part of the family a first cousin once removed of johannes and kjell bondevik.