Pertti Olavi "Spede" Pasanen (10 April 1930 – 7 September 2001) was a Finnish film director and producer, comedian, and inventor. During his career he directed, wrote, produced or acted in about 50

movie A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

s and participated in numerous TV productions, including the comedy ''Spede Show'' and the game-show ''Speden Spelit''. Much of his more commercial work was in collaboration with

Vesa-Matti Loiri Vesa-Matti "Vesku" Loiri (4 January 1945 – 10 August 2022) was a Finnish actor, musician and comedian, best known for his role as Uuno Turhapuro, whom he portrayed in a total of 20 movies between the years 1973 and 2004. According to Yle Ne ...

(whose most popular character created by Pasanen was

Uuno Turhapuro Uuno Turhapuro is a Finnish comedy character created by Spede Pasanen and played by Vesa-Matti Loiri. Originally appeared in ''Spede Show'' during 1971–1973, the character gained popularity through the Uuno Turhapuro films. Dramatis personae ...

; first in TV sketches and then in a long-lasting series of motion pictures) and

Simo Salminen Simo Veli Atte Salminen (8 November 1932 – 2 September 2015) was a Finnish comic-actor best known for his many performances in movies and television shows by Spede Pasanen, usually playing his sidekick in some fashion. Salminen alongside Vesa- ...

. Pasanen's films and TV shows, often made quickly and on a low budget, usually received little critical recognition but were popular among Finnish audiences from the 1960s onwards. He was the owner of his own film production company, Filmituotanto Spede Pasanen Ky.

Childhood and youth

Pertti Olavi Pasanen was born in April 1930 in Kuopio. He was the eldest child of Kusti and Helmi Pasanen (née Rantala). His father was a forestry technician and worked as the district chief of the paper company Ahlström. Other children in the family included Pertti's little sister Virpi and little brother Risto. Pasanen's family lived in the Linnanpelto district. By Kuopio standards, the family was of upper middle class. The nickname "Spede" comes from an earlier nickname "Speedy" which he got from playing

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...

, and was given to him at an early age. The nickname "Speedy" came from the fictional mouse character

Speedy Gonzales Speedy Gonzales is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of cartoons. He is portrayed as "The Fastest Mouse in all Mexico" with his major traits being the ability to run extremely fas ...

, the hero of

Warner Brothers Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

' '' Looney Tunes'' and '' Merrie Melodies''. Spede Pasanen opiskelija-asunnossa

Pasanen's interests at school age included entertainment, sports, various games and inventions. He was the star of the Kuopio Lyceum's evening programs, played ice hockey with passion and performed chemical experiments in his home's basement. However, he did badly at school. In spring 1948 he got a report card with five 4 grades (failing grade in the Finnish school system) and stayed behind in his class after spending most of the spring by building a custom scooter from parts he had found from junk shops. After Pertti Pasanen had ended up in arguments with most of his teachers, his parents sent him to another school. In autumn 1950 Spede Pasanen moved to the

Iisalmi Iisalmi (; sv, Idensalmi) is a town and municipality in the region of Northern Savonia in Finland. It is located north of Kuopio and south of Kajaani. The municipality has a population of (), which makes it the second largest of the five towns ...

lyceum, from where he matriculated in the

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...

spring of 1952. He spent the next year doing his military service and completed it with the rank of Sub-lieutenant in the anti-aircraft branch. In the military he also performed in the entertainment parade of the defence forces, which circulated between barracks entertaining soldiers.Aitio, Tommi: ''Spede: Pertti Pasasen elämä''. Helsinki: Tammi 2002. . In autumn 1953 Pasanen moved to

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the capital, primate, and most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of Uusimaa in southern Finland, and has a population of . The city ...

and started his studies at the Faculty of State Politics at the

University of Helsinki The University of Helsinki ( fi, Helsingin yliopisto, sv, Helsingfors universitet, abbreviated UH) is a public research university located in Helsinki, Finland since 1829, but founded in the city of Turku (in Swedish ''Åbo'') in 1640 as the ...

. Instead of studying, he concentrated on social life at the Nation of Savonia, where he usually acted as host and master of ceremonies at parties. Pasanen's student indoctrinations and initiations of new students gained fame throughout the university. In the university he also met Jukka Virtanen and Matti Kuusla who became important partners for him. Kuusla, working at

Fennada-Filmi Fennada-Filmi was a Finnish film production company which was in operation from 1950 to 1982. It was one of the largest companies in its field in Finland from 1950s to 1970s. Mauno Mäkelä was the head of the company during its entire run. B ...

as a studio assistant got him a background role in the 1954 film '' Laivan kannella''. He appeared in the film as a man at a bar.

Radio career

During the late 1950s and early 1960s Spede was a noted presence as a radio comedian. He applied to work at

Yleisradio 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 ...

twice in 1956 and again in 1959 as an entertainment provider (ajanvietetoimittaja) and was hired on his second try. Spede's most popular program was ''Ruljanssiriihi'' which combined sketch-comedy and musical performances. The program eventually developed into the program ''Hupiklubi''. Spede and actor Leo Jokela also created the break-out character G. Pula-Aho (voiced by Jokela), a smart-talking, Helsinki slang using parrot who would insult Spede on Ruljanssiriihi. Spede's other programs included ''Tervahöyry Hyrskynmyrskyn suvisilla laineilla'', ''Hyvää iltaa – tulkaa mukaan'' and ''Kesäterässä''.

Film career

Spede Pasanen ja Jaakko Pakkasvirta vuonna 1964

After playing several supporting roles throughout the 1950s Spede made his first starring appearance in 1964's

X-Paroni ''X-Paroni'' (X-Baron) is a 1964 Finnish comedy and the debut of Spede Pasanen as a leading male role and debut as a co-writer and director of a full-length film. Plot summary The plot concerns a wealthy baron (Pasanen), who is so interested in f ...

which he wrote and co-directed with his on-screen co-star

Jaakko Pakkasvirta Jaakko Juhani Pakkasvirta (28 November 1934 – 23 March 2018) was a Finnish film director and screenwriter.Milli Pilleri which also introduced moviegoers to

who became a fixture of Spede's acting troupe, often playing the side-kick to Spede's own characters. It was also the first movie Spede co-directed with Jukka Virtanen and

Ere Kokkonen Erkki Olavi "Ere" Kokkonen (7 July 1938 – 16 October 2008), born in Savonlinna, was a Finnish film director and screenwriter. He worked closely with Spede Pasanen all the way from the 1960s until Spede's death, as a director, writer and also ...

who would alternate directing Spede's future motion pictures, while Spede focused more on writing and producing. 1967's period-comedy

Noin Seitsemän Veljestä , image = Noinseitsemänveljestä.jpg , image_size = , caption = Poster , director = Jukka Virtanen , producer = Spede Pasanen , writer = , narrator = Martti Silvennoinen (uncredited) Ilkka Li ...

was a parody of

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is dep ...

which Spede had worked on since the 1950s and introduced

as an adult actor (having made his on-screen debut years earlier as a child actor in Pojat). The success of these movies led to Spede producing and releasing three movies in 1969, Näköradiomiehen ihmeelliset siekailut, Leikkikalugangsteri as well as his first colour feature Pohjan Tähteet. Näköradiomies performed well despite being a more serious movie but it and Pohjan Tähteet underperformed in comparison to the more typically comical Leikkikalugangsteri. Despite Pohjantähteet winning a shared

Jussi Award 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 Kari Sohlberg in the category of best cinematography (with Spede's own Leikkikalugangsteri and

Jörn Donner Jörn Johan Donner (5 February 1933 – 30 January 2020) was a Finnish writer, film director, actor, producer, politician and founder of Finnish Film Archive. Biography Born into the Donner family of German descent, Jörn Donner was the son of ...

's Sixtynine 69), Pasanen did not produce another colour feature until the late 1970s. Spede continued to experience success with

Speedy Gonzales – noin 7 veljeksen poika ''Speedy Gonzales – noin 7 veljeksen poika'' ( en, Speedy Gonzales - The son of about seven brothers) (1970) is a Finnish western comedy directed by Ere Kokkonen, and written by Kokkonen with Spede Pasanen and Vesa-Matti Loiri. The title refers ...

and the tragic comedy Jussi Pussi both released in 1970. Speedy Gonzales performed well, despite Vesa-Matti Loiri being absent due to a leg injury just prior to shooting (he instead received a writing credit). Spede had to finance most of his films during this period due to his poor relations with the Finnish Film Foundation. In 1971, Spede released three motion-pictures, Kahdeksas Veljes (his debut as a solo director) and Hirttämättömät (the sequel to Speedy Gonzales) both starring himself as well as Saatanan Radikaalit, which was co-directed by its four starring actors Paavo Piironen, Heikki Nousiainen, Timo Nissi and Heikki Huopainen. Spede only produced this movie which was intended to give its four stars a chance to complete a motion-picture on their own. All three movies under-performed though which led to Spede taking a two-year hiatus from film-making during which he focused exclusively on his TV work. Regardless, Spede won the 1971 Producers' Jussi Award for all three movies. In 1973, Spede released the first

movie based on the popular skit-character by the same name. To save costs, Spede filmed and edited the movie entirely on video and had it transferred to film for theatrical distribution. Uuno became a hit and a further four Uuno films were finished during the 1970s. Spede resumed filming small budget comedies with 1974's Viu-Hah-Hah-Taja, directed by

and mostly starring Spede's TV actors. Spede only appeared in a cameo and went uncredited as the film's writer. In 1979, he released

Koeputkiaikuinen ja Simon enkelit ''Koeputkiaikuinen ja Simon enkelit'' (''The Test-tube Adult and Simo's Angels'') is a 1979 Finnish comedy film directed, written and starring Spede Pasanen, along with the typical comic-cast of Simo Salminen, Vesa-Matti Loiri, Tapio Hämäläine ...

, his first colour feature since Pohjantähteet. The movie was a surprise hit and led to a sequel Tup Akka Lakko being released the following year. In the 1980s, the Uuno series peaked in popularity with 1984's Uuno Turhapuro armeijan leivissä breaking the record of the most popular Finnish domestic film. Spede cranked out movies on an annual basis, using his stock actors and frequently utilizing the popular skit characters for movies such as Kliffaa Hei, Pikkupojat,

Fakta Homma ''Fakta homma'' is a Finnish comedy television series. It first aired on Finnish TV in 1986 and last aired in 1998. Cast Main characters * Eija Vilpas – Pirjo Kaasinen (1986–1998) * Riitta Havukainen – Hannele Kaakko (1986–1998) * ...

and Onks Viljoo Näkyny. The last of these skit-comedy films is considered to be 1990s Rampe & Naukkis - Kaikkien aikojen superpari, which was lampooned on the popular characters created by

Pirkka-Pekka Petelius Pirkka-Pekka Petelius (born 31 May 1953) is a Finnish actor, director, producer, screenwriter and politician. He has also released six records as a singer. He is a member of the Green League and was elected to the Finnish parliament in the 2019 ...

and

Aake Kalliala Aarne "Aake" Kalliala (born 5 October 1950, Heinola) is a Finnish actor. He is best known for appearing on comedy-sketch shows such as ''Pulttibois'' (with Pirkka-Pekka Petelius). Partial filmography * ''Hamlet Goes Business'' (''Hamlet liikemaail ...

for the TV show

Pulttibois Pulttibois (Finglish for "Bolt Boys"; also a play on words of ''pultti pois'' - "to have a screw loose") was a popular Finnish sketch comedy television show that premiered on MTV3 in 1989 and which starred a two-man cast of comedic actors - Pir ...

. During the 1990s, Spede focused almost exclusively on producing rather than writing or directing films with TV work taking more and more of his time. By this point his relationship with the Finnish Film Foundation had improved and he received grants for most of his films. The final movie directed by Pasanen was Naisen Logiikka, released in 1999 though production of it began in 1992. The film was hastily completed for release to prevent Pasanen from having to pay back his grant for the movie.

TV career

Starting from 1964, Spede began making live 15-minute sketch programming for

. The show which alternated between the titles Spedevisio, Speden Saluuna as well as Spede Show established many of the tropes and core actors whom Spede would use in his films. Most of the early skit work is now lost due to live broadcasts not being routinely recorded. Spede appeared on TV continuously until 1976 when he started to focus primarily on film work. Pasanen ja Väisänen Uudessa Oopperatalossa 1993

Pasanen ja Väisänen Uudessa Oopperatalossa 1993

Starting from 1981, Spede once again put priority on TV work. First airing surviving black and white skits on the recently established independent Mainos-TV channel, Spede, Simo Salminen and Vesa-Matti Loiri began producing new skits.

Hannele Lauri Ritva Hannele Lauri (born 21 July 1952 in Tampere, Finland) is a Finnish actress known for her roles in multiple comedy series. The artistic focus of her career is in stage acting. She was born Hannele Markkula to parents Arvi Markkula, a colone ...

also joined as a regular cast-member. The new Spede Show continued to air until 1987 when Spede and Loiri had a mock-feud which led to the launch of Vesa-Matti Loiri's own TV sketch show, Vesku Show. Throughout the 1980s, Spede also produced other programs such as the comedy program ''Fakta Homma'' and the competition show ''

Kymppitonni Kymppitonni (colloquialism for "kymmenentuhatta" = "ten-thousand") is a Finnish television and radio game show format, created by Spede Pasanen which has been featured on Finnish networks since 1985. The show was hosted by beauty queen Riitta Väis ...

'' with host Riitta Väisänen. By the 1990s, Spede was himself tired of sketch-work but produced

's and

and Tsa Tsa Tsaa as well as the sporty competition show

Speden Spelit ''Speden Spelit'' is a television game show presented by Spede Pasanen. It aired first on the Finnish channel Kolmoskanava in 1988 and since 1993 on MTV3. History The name of the show changed three times during its existence. In the beginning (f ...

. Pasanen also produced more drama-programming such as ''Hynttyyt Yhteen'', '' Blondi tuli taloon'' (''The Blonde That Came to the House''), and ''Ihmeiden tekijät'' (as well as its follow-up, ''Parhaat Vuodet''). Many of these shows became stables of MTV3 with many of them airing for several seasons. Spede also approved the production of the dramedy-series ''Kuumia Aaltoja'', which aired in 2003 (two years after his death).

Influences and comedy

Spede Pasanen named

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in Bob Hope filmography, more than 70 short and ...

as one of his biggest comedy influences. Spede Pasanen is considered emblematic of Savonian ironic humor varying between the fullest extremes of understatement and hyperbole. As he himself explained: "A Savonian never tells a thing exactly like it is." Spede's comedy denounced elitism and he explicitly sought to write and perform comedy for the largest possible audience. His early films in particular, featured elements uncommon to Finnish cinema such as fist-fights, car chases, other elaborate stunt-work as well as unconventional special effects. Many of his movies also featured unconventional settings (such as the medieval period or the wild west), though his later films focused almost entirely on poking fun at Finnish stereotypes. His Uuno Turhapuro movies can be considered conventional farces. An unemployed slacker will, with comically incredible luck, a father-in-law who is rich and connected but unlucky (mainly due to Uuno), and with slick charm, end up in roles of minister, general officer, or rich man, usually causing havoc in the father-in-law's businesses.

Other achievements

Pasanen was also an inventor and jack-of-all-trades; he had over 50

patent A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an enabling disclosure of the invention."A ...

s registered to his name, and many of his films include Rube Goldberg-style gadgets. Besides gadgets involved with industrial production, his inventions include: *The Ski jumping sling *A Boat ski (to alleviate *bumps* in aquaplaning boat) *A self-extinguishing, one-size-fits-all

candlestick A candlestick is a device used to hold a candle in place. Candlesticks have a cup or a spike ("pricket") or both to keep the candle in place. Candlesticks are less frequently called "candleholders". Before the proliferation of electricity, candl ...

. For a period of time Pasanen was also obsessed with inventing a perpetual motion device. His crude drawings of it also appeared in his sketches shows and films. Once he became convinced that perpetual motion is theoretically impossible, he openly ridiculed himself in the character of ''Härski Hartikainen'' in one of the Uuno Turhapuro movies.

Personal life

Spede married Pirjo Vainimäki, the leading lady of his first starring picture ''

'', in 1965. Spede's first and only child, Pirre Pasanen, was born later that year. The couple separated in the early 1980s and divorced later. A family private individual, Pasanen did not discuss his personal relationships in public. He had a long relationship with the 1976

Miss Europe Miss Europe is a beauty pageant for European women from all over Europe. It was established in February 1927 by Fanamet, the European distributor of Paramount, as a one-off event where the winner was to star in a film directed by Friedrich ...

, Riitta Väisänen. Pasanen valued loyalty and friendship, and even after separation, kept employing and financially supporting previous companions. During and after relationships, he vouchsafed confidentiality and privacy for all involved in his private life. His good relations with the media might have helped with this. Pasanen's nickname "Spede" came from an earlier nickname "Speedy", referring to his prowess as an

player during his childhood.

Death

On 7 September 2001 Pasanen was playing a round of golf at the Sarfvik golf course in Kirkkonummi, Finland. At the 9th hole he began to feel ill and was taken to the club house, where his condition rapidly deteriorated. Despite resuscitation by a doctor and a rapid response of emergency medical services Pasanen died. His death was attributed to advanced coronary artery disease.Speden dramaattiset viime hetket – ”Pertti pelkäsi lääkäreitä”
Iltasanomat.fi 2016-09-03]

Notable collaborators

* Jukka Virtanen *

* Leo Jokela * Riitta Väisänen *

Pentti Siimes Pentti Kalevi Siimes (10 September 1929 – 27 October 2016) was a Finnish actor. He appeared in more than 80 films and television shows between 1946 and 2008. Siimes starred in the film ''Miriam'', which was entered into the 8th Berlin In ...

* Olavi Ahonen *

Juhani Kumpulainen Juhani "Juhku" Kumpulainen (31 July 1925, in Viipuri – 12 November 1991, in Helsinki) was a Finnish actor and director. He did a total of 85 movie roles between 1950 and 1991. Kumpulainen was also the official YLE's administrative and organiz ...

* Marita Nordberg

Filmography

Writer, director or producer

* ''

'' (directed with

Jaakko Pakkasvirta Jaakko Juhani Pakkasvirta (28 November 1934 – 23 March 2018) was a Finnish film director and screenwriter.Millipilleri ''Millipilleri'' is a 1966 comedy film directed and written by Spede Pasanen, Ere Kokkonen and Jukka Virtanen. The film was Spede's second starring feature after X-Paroni, Pasanen having established himself as a popular comedian in both radio an ...

'' (1966) * '' Pähkähullu Suomi'' (1967), in English ''The nutty Finland'' * ''

Noin seitsemän veljestä , image = Noinseitsemänveljestä.jpg , image_size = , caption = Poster , director = Jukka Virtanen , producer = Spede Pasanen , writer = , narrator = Martti Silvennoinen (uncredited) Ilkka Li ...

'' (1968), in English ''About seven Brothers'' * '' Näköradiomiehen ihmeelliset siekailut'' (1969) * '' Leikkikalugangsteri'' (1969), in English ''The Toy Gangster'' * '' Pohjan tähteet'' (1969) * ''Jussi Pussi'' (1970) * ''

'' (1970) * '' Saatanan radikaalit'' (1971) (Producer only) * ''Kahdeksas veljes'' (1971), in English ''The Eighth Brother'' * '' Hirttämättömät'' (1971) * ''

'' (1973) * '' Viu-hah hah-taja'' (1974) * '' Professori Uuno D.G. Turhapuro'' (1975), in English ''Professor Uuno D.G. Turhapuro'' * '' Lottovoittaja UKK Turhapuro'' (1976) * '' Häpy Endkö? Eli kuinka Uuno Turhapuro sai niin kauniin ja rikkaan vaimon'' (1977) * '' Rautakauppias Uuno Turhapuro, presidentin vävy'' (1978) * ''

'' (1979) * '' Tup-akka-lakko'' (1980) * '' Uuno Turhapuron aviokriisi'' (1981) * ''Pölhölä'' (1981) * '' Uuno Turhapuro menettää muistinsa'' (1982), in English ''Uuno Turhapuro loses his memory'' * ''

Uuno Turhapuron muisti palailee pätkittäin Uuno is a Finnish and Estonian male given name, and may refer to: *Uuno Kailas Uuno Kailas, born Frans Uno Salonen (29 March 1901 – 22 March 1933) was a Finnish poet, writer, and translator. Together with Kaarlo Sarkia, Kailas was the most ...

'' (1983) * ''Lentävät luupäät'' (1984), in English ''The Flying Boneheads'' * '' Uuno Turhapuro armeijan leivissä'' (1984) * '' Uuno Epsanjassa'' (1985), in English ''Uuno in Spain'' * ''Kliffaa hei!'' (1985) * '' Uuno Turhapuro muuttaa maalle'' (1986) * ''Liian iso keikka'' (1986), in English ''A Gig Too Big'' * ''Pikkupojat'' (1986) * '' Uuno Turhapuro – kaksoisagentti'' (1987) * ''Fakta homma!'' (1987) * '' Tupla-Uuno'' (1988), in English ''Double Uuno'' * ''Onks' Viljoo näkyny?'' (1988), in English ''Have Ya Seen Viljo?'' * ''Rampe & Naukkis'' (1990) * '' Uunon huikeat poikamiesvuodet maaseudulla'' (1990) * '' Uuno Turhapuro, herra Helsingin herra'' (1991) * '' Uuno Turhapuro, Suomen tasavallan herra presidentti'' (1992) * ''

Uuno Turhapuron poika Uuno is a Finnish and Estonian male given name, and may refer to: *Uuno Kailas (1901–1933), Finnish poet, author, and translator *Uuno Klami (1900–1961), Finnish composer *Uuno Laakso (1896–1956), Finnish actor *Uuno Montonen (1891–1973), ...

'' (1993), in English ''The Son of Uuno Turhapuro'' * ''Romanovin kivet'' (1993) * ''Pekko ja Poika'' (1994) * ''Uuno Turhapuron veli'' (1994) * '' Johtaja Uuno Turhapuro – pisnismies'' (1998) * ''Naisen logiikka'' (1999), in English ''The Logic of the Women''

Actor

* ''Laivan kannella'' (1954) * ''Sankarialokas'' (1955) * ''

Säkkijärven polkka Säkkijärven polkka (; "the Säkkijärvi polkka"), also called the "Karelian-Finnish polkka," is a well-known folk tune from Finland that is very popular with Finnish accordionists. It was especially popularized by Viljo "Vili" Vesterinen (1907� ...

'' (1955) * ''Villi Pohjola'' (1955) * ''Tyttö tuli taloon'' (1956) * ''Tyttö lähtee kasarmiin'' (1956) * ''Rintamalotta'' (1956) * ''Anu ja Mikko'' (1956) * ''Pekka ja Pätkä ketjukolarissa'' (1957) * ''Vääpelin kauhu'' (1957) * ''Pekka ja Pätkä sammakkomiehinä'' (1957) * ''Asessorin naishuolet'' (1957) * ''Pekka ja Pätkä Suezilla'' (1958) * ''Ei ruumiita makuuhuoneeseen'' (1959) * ''Mullin mallin'' (1961) * ''Taape tähtenä'' (1962) * ''Hopeaa rajan takaa'' (1963) * ''Pohjan tähteet'' (1969) * ''Tup-akka-lakko'' (1980) * ''Koeputkiaikuinen ja Simon enkelit'' (1981) * ''(Hei kliffaa hei!'' (1985) * ''Pikkupojat'' (1986) * ''Naisen logiikka'' (1999) In the Uuno Turhapuro series, Pasanen played the role of Härski-Hartikainen, a car repairman with a cunning and ribald character, who often participated in Uuno's farcical adventures. His sidekick was Sörsselssön – earlier known as Lörssön (played by

Television series

Spede is considered the father of modern Finnish television sketch-humour. Starting his career on

he later jumped camps to the competing

MTV3 MTV3 ( fi, MTV Kolme, sv, MTV Tre) is a Finnish commercial television station. It had the biggest audience share of all Finnish TV channels until Yle TV1 (from Yle) took the lead. The letters MTV stand for Mainos-TV (literally "Advertisemen ...

network. However, his work on both has been extremely popular. Apart from starring in these series he was also the main producer for many of the popular shows on MTV3, such as the game-show ''Kymppitonni'' and the cult-hit show ''Pulttibois''.

Yle

* ''Spede Show'' (1964, 1971–1976, 1982 ja 1984-1987) * ''Speden saluuna'' (1965) * ''Spedevisio'' (1965–1967) * ''50 pientä minuuttia'' (1967–1971) * ''Robin Hood ja hänen iloiset vekkulinsa Sherwoodin pusikoissa'' (1974)

MTV3

* ''Kymppitonni'' (1985–2005) * ''Uuno Turhapuro armeijan leivissä'' (1986) (the film as a TV series) * ''Vesku Show'' (1988–1991) * '' Spede Special'' (1988–1990) * ''

'' (1989–1991) * '' Spedestroikka'' (1990) * ''Junnutonni'' (1991) * '' Speden sallitut leikit'' (1990–1992) * ''Speden tee-se-itse TV'' (1991–1992) * ''Hynttyyt yhteen'' (1991–1995) * ''

Speden spelit ''Speden Spelit'' is a television game show presented by Spede Pasanen. It aired first on the Finnish channel Kolmoskanava in 1988 and since 1993 on MTV3. History The name of the show changed three times during its existence. In the beginning (f ...

'' (1992–2002) * ''Tsa Tsa Tsaa'' (1993–1994) * '' Blondi tuli taloon'' (1994–1995), in English ''The Blonde That Came to the House'' * ''Uuno Turhapuro'' (TV series) (1996) * ''Ihmeidentekijät'' (1996–1998) * ''Parhaat vuodet'' (2000–2002) * ''Kuumia aaltoja'' (2003)

Named after Spede Pasanen

* SPEDE (Spacecraft Potential, Electron and Dust Experiment), an instrument attached to the SMART-1 lunar probe.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pasanen, Spede 1930 births 2001 deaths People from Kuopio Finnish film producers Finnish film directors Finnish writers Finnish male actors Finnish inventors Finnish male comedians 20th-century comedians