Åke Lindman (1928-2009)

Iconic actor and director of some of Finland's best loved television series

Åke Lindman (1928-2009)

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The Finnish actor and director Åke Lindman died on Monday night at the age of 81, after a long illness.
      Lindman was an icon of post-war Finnish cinema; a strong-jawed figure, often cast as the villain of the piece, but also remembered fondly for his role as Lehto in the immensely popular and influential film version of Väinö Linna's novel Tuntematon Sotilas (The Unknown Soldier, 1955, dir. Edvin Laine).
     
In addition to an acting career that spanned six decades, Lindman was a prolific and popular director for the large and small screen, and worked for many years in the Drama Department of the Finnish Broadcasting Company.
      Two of the television series he directed in the 1970s hold a particularly strong place in Finnish hearts - Elämänmeno (1978, based on a novel by Pirkko Saisio) and Myrskyluodon Maija (1976, based on a series of books by Anni Blomqvist and set in the Åland Islands).
     
Lindman was also involved in many international productions that were shot in Finland, serving for instance as assistant director on The Fourth Protocol and The Kremlin Letter, and as a production consultant on Warren Beatty's Reds.
     
In a completely different branch, Åke Lindman was a footballer from the top drawer, a hard-bitten and often feared full-back who played 26 times for the Finnish national side, including an appearance at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics.
      He played throughout his active career for HIFK in Helsinki, taking two league championship medals in 1947 and 1959, even though he often had to juggle his time between acting appearances on the stage and playing for the team.
      Lindman was married three times, and is survived by his wife Pirkko Mannola, whom he married in 1968.
      In 2008 Åke Lindman was awarded a Jussi statue, the Finnish equivalent of the Oscars, for his lifetime achievements in the cinema.
      He previously won a similar award for best direction in 1988, and for best actor in his stirring role as Lehto in Tuntematon Sotilas in 1956.


Links:
  Åke Lindman (Wikipedia)
  Åke Lindman on the Internet Movie Database

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