Urho Armas Somersalmi (formerly Urho Sundell; 23 September 1888,

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

– 12 April 1962) was a Finnish actor.

Career

Somersalmi worked in the

Finnish National Theatre The Finnish National Theatre ( fi, Suomen Kansallisteatteri), established in 1872, is a theatre located in central Helsinki on the northern side of the Helsinki Central Railway Station Square. The Finnish National Theatre is the oldest Finnish ...

from 1908 to 1958. He was often cast in the roles of masculine heroes or first-time lovers. His physical appearance was very suitable for such roles, and in the beginning of his career, he was often criticized for superficiality. Somersalmi was awarded the

Pro Finlandia The Order of the Lion of Finland ( fi, Suomen Leijonan ritarikunta; sv, Finlands Lejons orden) is one of three official orders in Finland, along with the Order of the Cross of Liberty and the Order of the White Rose of Finland. The President o ...

medal in 1948. Somersalmi was involved in the Finnish film industry from the beginning. In 1913, he had his first small film role in a Teuvo Puro film ''Sylvi'', the first Finnish drama film. His final appearance was in the Finnish-Soviet co-production film ''

Sampo In Finnish mythology, the ''Sampo'' () is a magical device or object described in many different ways that was constructed by the blacksmith Ilmarinen and that brought riches and good fortune to its holder, akin to the horn of plenty (cornucopi ...

'' (1959) in which he played the role of

Väinämöinen Väinämöinen () is a demigod, hero and the central character in Finnish folklore and the main character in the national epic ''Kalevala'' by Elias Lönnrot. Väinämöinen was described as an old and wise man, and he possessed a potent, mag ...

Personal life

Somersalmi married actress Aili Somersalmi in 1912. In April 1962, he killed her with an axe he had received as a gift from Finnish Actors' Union and stabbed her in the chest, after which he hanged himself.

Selected filmography

*''Sylvi'' (1913) * ''

Johan Johan * Johan (given name) * Johan (film), ''Johan'' (film), a 1921 Swedish film directed by Mauritz Stiller * Johan (band), a Dutch pop-group ** Johan (album), ''Johan'' (album), a 1996 album by the group * Johan Peninsula, Ellesmere Island, Nunav ...

'' (1921) *''Tukkijoella'' (1928) * '' Charlotte Löwensköld'' (1930) *''Pohjalaisia'' (1936) *''Jääkärin morsian'' (1938) *''Vaivaisukon morsian'' (1944) *''Pimeänpirtin hävitys'' (1947) *''Risti ja liekki'' (1957) *''

'' (1959)

References

External links

* 1888 births 1962 deaths Male actors from Helsinki People from Uusimaa Province (Grand Duchy of Finland) Finnish male film actors Finnish male silent film actors 20th-century Finnish male actors Murder–suicides in Finland Suicides by hanging in Finland 1962 suicides {{Finland-actor-stub