Skard was born in
Kristiansand, Norway. He was a son of educators
Matias Skard (1846–1927) and Gyda Christensen (1868–1916). He was a brother of
Bjarne Skard (1896–1961) who served as Bishop of the
Diocese of Tunsberg, of University of Oslo professor
Eiliv Skard (1898–1978), of senior lecturer Vemund Skard (1909-1992) and of teacher Gunnhild Skard (1912-1999). He was a half-brother of college teacher Målfrid Birkeland (1879-1963), of University of Agriculture professor
Olav Skard (1881–1965) and of horticulturalist
Torfinn Skard (1891–1970). He graduated artium from
Kristiansand Cathedral School in 1921. He attended the
University of Oslo where he earned his
Cand.philol. in literature history in 1931 and took his
dr.philos. degree in 1938 with the thesis
A. O. Vinje og antikken on noted poet and journalist
Aasmund Olavsson Vinje (1818–1870). He was hired at the
University Library of Oslo, and was connected to the
Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters in
Trondheim. During the
Occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany, he moved with his wife and young children to the United States where he worked as a consultant at the
Library of Congress (1941–43) and the
United States Office of War Information (1943–45). After the liberation of Norway at the end of
World War II, he and his family settled at
Lysaker in
Akershus, Norway. He worked as the first professor in American literature at the
University of Oslo from 1946 to 1973. He established the European Association for American Studies in 1954 and was the Chairman of the University International Summerschool 1958-68. A proponent of the
Nynorsk language form, he was the secretary of the publishing house
Det Norske Samlaget from 1930 to 1938, and chairman of the board from 1949 to 1972. Since 1995, Det Norske Samlaget has awarded an annual literary award which is named "Sigmund Skard-stipendet" in his honor. ==Personal life==