Finns of Hollywood
by FinClair | created - 10 Jun 2014 | updated - 20 Jul 2020 | PublicThey might not be superstars (yet), but nevertheless they all have succeeded to do some good work in Hollywood. Proud of them. =)
1. Renny Harlin
Producer | Driven
Born in 15 March 1959 as Renny Lauri Mauritz Harjola, he is the most successful Finnish film director in the history of Hollywood.
Harlin started his career in film business in the beginning of 1980s when he was directing commercials and company films for companies like Shell. Later he worked as a ...
Most famous finn in Hollywood without a doubt. While Harlin's career met severe downfall in 2000's he still made some really good action flicks in 90's such as Die Hard 2, Cliffhanger, Deep Blue Sea and Long Kiss Goodnight. His movies has grossed over a billion in total making him one of the most successful film makers from that perspective.
However, his star has been rising again recently and is now working in China with high budget films.
2. Samuli Edelmann
Actor | Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol
Samuli Edelmann was born on July 21, 1968 in Pori, Finland. He is an actor and writer, known for Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011), Private Eye Vares (2004) and Riisuttu mies (2006). He is married to Laura Tuomarila. They have two children.
3. Maila Nurmi
Actress | Vampira
The original glamour ghoul herself, "Vampira", of late night 1950s television, was actually born Maila Syrjäniemi (later changed to the easier surname Nurmi) on December 11, 1922 in Gloucester, Massachusetts (not Finland as she often claimed). Her uncle was the multiple Olympic medal runner Paavo ...
Infamous 'Vampira' herself.
4. Pihla Viitala
Actress | Latin Lover
Pihla Viitala was born on September 30, 1982 in Helsinki, Finland. She is an actress and director, known for Latin Lover (2015), Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013) and Star Boys (2017). She was previously married to Kerkko Koskinen.
5. Yanti Somer
Actress | Avanti!
Yanti Somer was born on February 29, 1948 in Helsinki, Finland. She is an actress, known for Avanti! (1972), War of the Planets (1977) and Le temps de mourir (1970).
6. Jouko Ahola
Actor | Kingdom of Heaven
Jouko Ahola was born on December 1, 1970 in Hämeenlinna, Finland. He is an actor, known for Kingdom of Heaven (2005), Vikings (2013) and Mal día para pescar (2009).
7. Joonas Suotamo
Actor | Solo: A Star Wars Story
Joonas Suotamo was born on October 3, 1986 in Espoo, Finland. He is an actor, known for Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018), Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker (2019) and Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017).
Chewbacca
8. Albert Salmi
Actor | The Brothers Karamazov
Albert Salmi was born on March 11, 1927, in Brooklyn, New York, to Finnish parents. After serving in the Army during WWII, he used the GI Bill to study at the Dramatic Workshop of the American Theater Wing and the prestigious Actors Studio. He became a stage actor, very soon landing on Broadway, ...
9. Antti J. Jokinen
Director | Pahan kukat
ANTTI J. JOKINEN Director/Writer/Producer
Antti J. Jokinen is an award winning director and writer.
In 2011 Jokinen wrote and directed a feature film THE RESIDENT, based on his own screenplay and starring two-time Oscar Winner Hilary Swank and Jeffrey Dean Morgan.
In 2012 Jokinen wrote and directed a ...
10. Vera Jordanova
Actress | Hostel: Part II
Vera Jordanova was born on August 28, 1975 in Helsinki, Finland. She is an actress, known for Hostel: Part II (2007), Harjunpää and the Persecutors (1993) and Isänmaan toivot (1998). She has been married to Federico Ruiz since 2016. They have one child.
11. Juha Wuolijoki
Producer | Vinski ja näkymättömyyspulveri
Juha Wuolijoki was born in Helsinki, Finland. Juha is a director and producer, known for Vinski and the Invisibility Powder (2021), Christmas Story (2007) and Gourmet Club (2004).
Haven't done anything specific in Hollywood since his debut 'Zarra's Law' which wasn't successful enough for gaining more space in industry.
12. Jalmari Helander
Director | Rare Exports
Jalmari Helander was born on July 21, 1976 in Helsinki, Finland. He is a director and writer, known for Rare Exports (2010), Sisu (2022) and Big Game (2014).
Might have even greater potential in Hollywood film industry but instead has chosen to follow his own path and makes his movies by using independent resources without Hollywood money but with Hollywood actors.
13. Samuli Vauramo
Actor | The American
Samuli Vauramo was born on October 22, 1981 in Vantaa, Finland. He is an actor, known for The American (2010), Bunraku (2010) and War of the Dead (2011).
14. Peter Franzén
Actor | Harjunpää & pahan pappi
Peter Franzén is one of Finland's most accomplished actors and has had a successful career both nationally and internationally. He was born in Northern Finland, Kemi, close to the Arctic Circle in Lapland. Peter has been true to his craft as an actor for almost 30 years and he has worked in over 50...
The leading actor of Finnish cinema. Has done fistful of supporting roles in Hollywood, but is currently working with his biggest role as Harald Finehair in Vikings -series.
15. Irina Björklund
Actress | Rauhantekijä
Irina, born 1973, is a Finnish film/TV/stage actress, as well as a recording singer, song writer and musician She spent her childhood in Sweden, France and Finland. She danced at the Finnish National Opera Ballet school during 5 years She studied at the Helsinki Theatre Academy 1993-96
She has spent...
16. Vivi Friedman
Director | Team Suomi
Vivi Friedman was born on May 20, 1967 in Helsinki, Finland. She was a director and writer, known for Team Suomi (1994), The Family Tree (2011) and Certainly Not a Fairytale (2003). She died on January 2, 2012 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA.
May she rest in peace.
17. Taina Elg
Actress | Les Girls
One of her country's most celebrated performers, Finnish actress and dancer Taina Elisabeth Elg was born in 1930 but later her family moved and lived in and around Finland, including Turku. Taina's mother was a Russian immigrant, pianist Helena Doroumova, and her father was pianist Åke Elg (a.k.a. ...
18. Jussi Tegelman
Sound_department | Spider-Man 2
Jussi Tegelman is known for Spider-Man 2 (2004), Priest (2011) and Agent Cody Banks (2003).
19. Jasper Pääkkönen
Actor | BlacKkKlansman
Jasper Pääkkönen is an actor, fly fisherman, environmentalist and an entrepreneur. His most recent work include the role of Felix in Spike Lee's BlacKkKlansman and Halfdan the Black in the hit TV series Vikings. In his home country Finland, according to newspaper Ilta Sanomat, he is "the most ...
20. Tuomas Kantelinen
Composer | Mongol
Tuomas Kantelinen was born on September 22, 1969 in Finland. He is a composer and producer, known for Mongol: The Rise of Genghis Khan (2007), The Italian Key (2011) and The Legend of Hercules (2014). He is married to Rosa Karo.
Well known movie music composer who has done a lot of valuable work in various film industries all over the world.
21. Mikko Alanne
Writer | The Long Road Home
Mikko Alanne is a screenwriter, showrunner, and documentary filmmaker based in Los Angeles. He is best known for creating the National Geographic Channel's acclaimed global event series about the Iraq War, The Long Road Home, based on the best-selling book by Martha Raddatz.
Alanne's most recent ...
22. Laura Birn
Actress | Tyhjiö
Laura Birn was born on April 25, 1981 in Helsinki, Finland. She is an actress and writer, known for Void (2018), A Walk Among the Tombstones (2014) and Purge (2012).
23. Sara Maria Forsberg
Actress | Star Trek Beyond
Sara Maria Forsberg is a Finnish singer/songwriter and actress. She became famous after uploading a video to Youtube which ended up going viral. After uploading a video of herself singing, she was offered a record deal by Capitol Records. To be closer to her work place she relocated to Los Angeles,...
Mostly known as an youtuber but has made voice over on many block buster hits too.
24. Kati Outinen
Actress | Mies vailla menneisyyttä
Kati Outinen was born on August 17, 1961 in Helsinki, Finland. She is an actress and writer, known for The Man Without a Past (2002), Le Havre (2011) and Drifting Clouds (1996).
25. Krista Kosonen
Actress | Blade Runner 2049
Krista Kosonen was born on May 28, 1983 in Espoo, Finland. She is an actress and writer, known for Blade Runner 2049 (2017), The Midwife (2015) and Miami (2017). She has been married to Antti J. Jokinen since May 2018. They have one child.
26. Tapio Liukkonen
Sound_department | The Outpost
Tapio Liukkonen is known for The Outpost (2019), In Fabric (2018) and The Protégé (2021).
Real deal behind the camera. Has made awesome sound effects on both video games and movies.
27. Tony Halme
Actor | Die Hard with a Vengeance
Tony Halme was born on January 6, 1963 in Helsinki, Finland. He was an actor, known for Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995), Shadow Warriors (1995) and American Tigers (1996). He was married to Katja Talus. He died on January 8, 2010 in Helsinki, Finland.
28. Heikki Kossi
Sound_department | The Underground Railroad
Heikki Kossi was born on December 6, 1969. He is a director, known for The Underground Railroad (2021), The Blind Man Who Did Not Want to See Titanic (2021) and The Innocents (2021).
29. Lasse Enersen
Composer | Tuntematon sotilas
Lasse Enersen is a Finnish composer. He studied composing in Sibelius-Academy 2001-2004, then started assisting film composers (Desplat, Korzeniowski, Pereira, etc). Enersen started his film composer career working on numerous international documentary feature films. His first fiction feature film ...
30. Dome Karukoski
Director | Tom of Finland
Dome Karukoski moved to Finland from Cyprus, when he was 5. His mother is a Finnish journalist and his father an American actor.
He is bilingual with Swedish and Finnish.
He was selected to the University of Art and Design of Helsinki in 1999. That year, three students were selected to become students...
Karukoski has been one of the Finland's most famous directors quite a while and it was about time for him to make his Hollywood debut film 'The Starling', which should be released in 2018
31. Elmer Bäck
Actor | Next of Kin
Elmer Bäck was born on October 18, 1981 in Finland. He is an actor and writer, known for Eisenstein in Guanajuato (2015), The Spiral (2012) and Cold Courage (2020).
Elmer Bäck is a brilliant and multilingual actor. He was born in Helsinki, Finland in 1981. He graduated from The Theatre Academy of ...
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