Born in Gothenburg (1890) by Norwegian parents, tailor Mikal Larsen Bruun & wife Helga Sofie Eeg. The Family moved back to Norway, where two siblings were born. Young Einar worked as a tailor for some years, before trying his luck in the film industry, both as an actor and as a director.

He worked in Denmark, Sweden, Germany and England, the films were mostly dramas, but also crime and comedy, with well-known names in the lead roles. Between 1925 and 1935 he traveled around, both in Europe and to America. Back in Norway he worked for several years as a tailor.

Long forgotten for his film work, Bruun died in Oslo in 1967, at the age of 76, just a month after his third wife.