Markku Juhani ”Mato” Valtonen (born 21 February 1955 in

Loimaa Loimaa (; historical sv, Loimijoki) is a town and municipality of Finland. It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Southwest Finland region. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is ...

) is a

Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

actor, musician and entrepreneur. Valtonen has been a member of the Finnish band Sleepy Sleepers since 1975 and the

Leningrad Cowboys The Leningrad Cowboys are a Finnish rock band who perform rock and roll covers of other songs. They have exaggerated pompadour hairstyles and wear long, pointy shoes. They often work with the Russian military band the Alexandrov Ensemble. Be ...

since 1989.Junkkari, Marko
Valtonen denies Wapit bankruptcy
, ''

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 ...

'', April 27, 2001. Accessed October 2, 2008. He was the

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

of WAPit telecommunications company from its inception in 1998 until it declared bankruptcy in 2001. As an actor, Valtonen is best known for starring in

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 ...

's films starting with 1985's '' Calamari Union''. In fact, all of Valtonen's film roles have been in films directed, written, and produced either by Kaurismäki or his older brother

Mika Mika is a given name, a nickname and a surname. Notable people and fictional characters with the name include: People known just as Mika * Mika (singer) (born 1983), Lebanese-born British singer-songwriter Michael Penniman, Jr. * Mika (footbal ...

. In addition to acting in them, Valtonen also wrote the storylines for ''

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 ...

'' and ''

Leningrad Cowboys Meet Moses ''Leningrad Cowboys Meet Moses'' is a 1994 film directed by Aki Kaurismäki. It is a sequel to the popular 1989 film ''Leningrad Cowboys Go America'' that introduced the fictional Russian rock band Leningrad Cowboys which, subsequently, became a ...

''.

Partial filmography

* '' Calamari Union'' (1985) * ''

'' (1989) * ''

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) * ''

Take Care of Your Scarf, Tatiana ''Take Care of Your Scarf, Tatiana'' (), also translated as ''Take Care of Your Scarf, Tatjana'', is a 1994 Finnish/German film directed, produced and co-written by Aki Kaurismäki. The film tells the story of two shy and unaccomplished middle- ...

'' (1994) * ''

'' (1994) * '' Drifting Clouds'' (1996) * ''

L.A. Without a Map ''L.A. Without a Map'' (also known as ''Los Angeles Without a Map'' and ''I Love L.A''.) is a 1998 romantic comedy-drama film directed by Mika Kaurismäki, from a screenplay he co-wrote with Richard Rayner, based on Rayner's 1988 semi-autobiog ...

'' (1998)

References

External links

* Finnish male actors People from Loimaa Living people 1955 births {{Finland-actor-stub