He is a member of the noble Bille family, and is also a great-grandson of Henrik Ibsen and Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson.
He is married to art historian Bente Scavenius and is the father of actress Beate Bille.
Joen Bille has been a theatre actor in Denmark since the early 1970s, and has had roles in a number of TV series.
The book received mixed reviews, particularly highlighting portraits of the author's grandparents Sigurd and Bergliot Ibsen as interesting.
Contrary to Bille's claims, Haave notes that Ibsen had a comfortable childhood, was pampered by his father and was an arrogant child with a strong patrician identity.