Ivalo
Ivalo ( smn, Avveel, se, Avvil, sms, Âʹvvel) is a village in the municipality of Inari, Lapland, Finland, located on the Ivalo River south of Lake Inari in the Arctic Circle. It has a population of 3,998 and a small airport. south of Ival ...
) is a Finnish actor and director. Domestically he is a member of the Ryhmäteatteri group of actors. He was introduced to international audiences by
Aki Kaurismäki
Aki Olavi Kaurismäki (; born 4 April 1957) is a Finnish film director and screenwriter. He is best known for the award-winning '' Drifting Clouds'' (1996), ''The Man Without a Past'' (2002), ''Le Havre'' (2011) and ''The Other Side of Hope'' (20 ...
, and belongs to the list of his "trusted" stable of actors.
Väänänen has acted in more than 60 movies. He has received two
Jussi awards
The Jussi Awards are Finland's premier film industry prizes, awarded annually to recognize the achievements of directors, actors, and writers.
History
The first Jussi Awards ceremony was held on 16 November 1944 at the Restaurant Adlon in Hels ...
, for best male actor in ''
Jon
Jon is a shortened form of the common given name Jonathan, derived from "YHWH has given", and an alternate spelling of John, derived from "YHWH has pardoned".Trench Road
''Trench Road'' ( fi, Juoksuhaudantie) is a 2004 Finnish drama film directed by Veikko Aaltonen. Based on the Nordic Council's Literature Prize-winning novel ''Juoksuhaudantie'' by Kari Hotakainen, the film is about a man who tries to get his wife ...
'' (2004).
His performance as the monster
Gollum
Gollum is a fictional Tolkien's monsters, character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He was introduced in the 1937 Fantasy (genre), fantasy novel ''The Hobbit'', and became important in its sequel, ''The Lord of the Rings''. Gol ...
in
Yle
Yleisradio Oy (Finnish, literally "General Radio Ltd." or "General Broadcast Ltd."; abbr. Yle ; sv, Rundradion Ab, italics=no), translated to English as the Finnish Broadcasting Company, is Finland's national public broadcasting company, founde ...
's 1993 television series ''
Hobitit
''Hobitit'' (''The Hobbits'') is a nine-part Finnish live action fantasy television miniseries directed by Timo Torikka, originally broadcast in 1993 on Yle TV1.
It is based on a six-hour play, ''The Lord of the Rings'', put on by the Suomenlin ...
'' was praised in ''
Helsingin Sanomat
''Helsingin Sanomat'', abbreviated ''HS'' and colloquially known as , is the largest subscription newspaper in Finland and the Nordic countries, owned by Sanoma. Except after certain holidays, it is published daily. Its name derives from that of ...
''.
In 1992–1998 Väänänen was a professor at the
Helsinki Theatre Academy
The Theatre Academy ( fi, Teatterikorkeakoulu, sv, Teaterhögskolan) is one of the three academies of the University of the Arts Helsinki and offers education in theatre and dance. It is Finland's largest education provider in its field and, with ...
.
Selected filmography
;As actor
* ''
Jon
Jon is a shortened form of the common given name Jonathan, derived from "YHWH has given", and an alternate spelling of John, derived from "YHWH has pardoned".The Clan – Tale of the Frogs'' (1984)
* ''
Calamari Union
''Calamari Union'' is a 1985 Finnish surreal comedy film, the second full-length film by the director Aki Kaurismäki. The film's cast includes well-known Finnish actors and rock musicians.
Plot
Fifteen desperate men named Frank band together to ...
'' (1985)
* ''
Rosso
Rosso is the major city of south-western Mauritania and capital of Trarza region. It is situated on the Senegal River at the head of the river zone allowing year-round navigation. The town is 204 km south of the capital Nouakchott. The ...
'' (1985)
* ''
Helsinki Napoli All Night Long
''Helsinki Napoli All Night Long'' (also released as ''Helsinki – Napoli'') is a Gangster film, gangster-comedy film written, directed and produced by Mika Kaurismäki. The film was released in Italy as ''Napoli–Berlino – Un taxi nella notte' ...
'' (1987)
* ''
Leningrad Cowboys Go America
''Leningrad Cowboys Go America'' is a 1989 road movie by Finnish film director Aki Kaurismäki about the adventures of the Leningrad Cowboys, an eccentric band that travels to the United States to become successful, and combines their brand of p ...
'' (1989)
* ''
Amazon
Amazon most often refers to:
* Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology
* Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin
* Amazon River, in South America
* Amazon (company), an American multinational technology c ...
'' (1990)
* ''
Night on Earth
''Night on Earth'' is a 1991 art comedy-drama film written and directed by Jim Jarmusch. It is a collection of five vignettes, taking place during the same night, concerning the temporary bond formed between taxi driver and passenger in five ...
'' (1991)
* ''
La Vie de Bohème
''Scenes of Bohemian Life'' (original French title: ''Scènes de la vie de bohème'') is a work by Henri Murger, published in 1851. Although it is commonly called a novel, it does not follow standard novel form. Rather, it is a collection of lo ...
'' (1992)
* ''
The Last Border
''The Last Border'' ( fi, The Last Border – viimeisellä rajalla) is a 1993 Finnish post-apocalyptic film directed, written, and produced by Mika Kaurismäki, starring Jolyon Baker, Jürgen Prochnow, Fanny Bastien and Kari Väänänen. The film ...
'' (1993)
* ''
Hobitit
''Hobitit'' (''The Hobbits'') is a nine-part Finnish live action fantasy television miniseries directed by Timo Torikka, originally broadcast in 1993 on Yle TV1.
It is based on a six-hour play, ''The Lord of the Rings'', put on by the Suomenlin ...
'' (1993)
* ''
Ripa Hits the Skids
''Ripa Hits the Skids'' ( fi, Ripa ruostuu) is a 1993 Finnish comedy film directed by Christian Lindblad. It was entered into the 18th Moscow International Film Festival. The film was selected as the Finnish entry for the Best Foreign Language ...
Trains'n'Roses
''Trains'n'Roses'' (german: Zugvögel ... Einmal nach Inari) is a 1998 German-Finnish romantic comedy film directed by Peter Lichtefeld.
Plot
Hannes, a truck driver from Germany, is a train timetable enthusiast who dreams of winning the first ...
'' (1998)
* ''
The Tough Ones
''The Tough Ones'' () is a 1999 Finnish film directed by Aleksi Mäkelä. It was Finland's official Best Foreign Language Film submission at the 72nd Academy Awards, but did not manage to receive a nomination.*
Plot
The film starts when Jussi ...
'' (1999)
* ''
Ambush
An ambush is a long-established military tactics, military tactic in which a combatant uses an advantage of concealment or the element of surprise to attack unsuspecting enemy combatants from concealed positions, such as among dense underbru ...
'' (1999)
* ''
Sincerely Yours in Cold Blood
''Sincerely Yours in Cold Blood'' ( fi, Kylmäverisesti sinun) is a Finnish crime drama television series that aired on Nelonen from February 29, 2000 to November 29, 2005. All of its 30 episodes are based on true crime cases.
Cast
* Ville Vir ...
'' (10 episodes, 2000–2005)
* ''
Bad Luck Love
''Bad Luck Love'' is a 2000 Finnish crime drama film directed by Olli Saarela.
In 2001, the film won a total of four Jussi Awards: Best Direction, Best Male Supporting Actor (Tommi Eronen), Best Female Supporting Actor (Tarja-Tuulikki Tarsala) an ...
'' (2000)
* ''
Trench Road
''Trench Road'' ( fi, Juoksuhaudantie) is a 2004 Finnish drama film directed by Veikko Aaltonen. Based on the Nordic Council's Literature Prize-winning novel ''Juoksuhaudantie'' by Kari Hotakainen, the film is about a man who tries to get his wife ...
Joulutarina
''Christmas Story'' ( fi, Joulutarina) is a 2007 Finnish Christmas drama film directed by Juha Wuolijoki. It is the story of how an orphan called Nikolas became Santa Claus.
Plot
Many years ago, in Lapland, a boy named Nikolas is orphaned when ...
'' (2007)
* ''
The House of Branching Love
''The House of Branching Love'' ( fi, Haarautuvan rakkauden talo) is a 2009 Finnish comedy-drama film directed by Mika Kaurismäki. It is based on the novel ''Haarautuvan rakkauden talo'' by Petri Karra. The film is about a married couple going t ...
'' (''Haarautuvan rakkauden talo'', 2009)
* ''
A Spice for Life
''A Spice for Life'', also released as ''Master Cheng'', (original Finnish title: ''Mestari Cheng'') is a 2019 Finnish romantic drama comedy film directed by Mika Kaurismäki. The film stars Anna-Maija Tuokko, Chu Pak Hong, Kari Väänänen, Luc ...
'' (''Mestari Cheng'', 2019)
;As director
* ''
The Quiet Village
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...