Elina Salo

Acting

Elina Salo

Born — Died

1936-03-09 — 2025-11-04

Place of birth

Sipoo, Finland

Known for

Acting

Credits

51 titles

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Elina Salo (born March 9, 1936 in Sipoo, Finland; died November 4, 2025) was a Finnish film, theatre and television actress who has also done work in radio as a voice actor in children’s programming. In her career that began in 1956, Salo appeared in over 50 films and television shows but she is best known for her work in Aki Kaurismäki’s films. She has been awarded three Jussi Awards for her work. In 2010, she was awarded the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Commandeur). Description above from the Wikipedia article Elina Salo, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Known for

The Man Without a Past poster
7.4

Arriving in Helsinki, a nameless man is beaten within an inch of his life by thugs, miraculously recovering only to find that he has completely lost his memory. Back on the streets, he attempts to begin again from zero, befriending a moody dog and becoming besotted with a Salvation Army volunteer.

The Man Without a Past

2002

The Match Factory Girl poster
7.4

Iris is a shy and dowdy young woman stuck in a dead-end job at a match factory, who dreams of finding love at the local dancehall. Finding herself pregnant after a one-night stand and abandoned by the father, Iris finally decides the time has come to get even and she begins to plot her revenge.

The Match Factory Girl

1990

Le Havre poster
7.0

In the French harbor city of Le Havre, an elderly shoeshiner with an ailing wife crosses paths with a young African refugee pursued by the police for deportation.

Le Havre

2011

The Snow Queen poster
6.8

A Finnish live action adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale, The Snow Queen. The tale centers on the struggle between good and evil as experienced by a little boy and girl, Kai and Kerttu.

The Snow Queen

1986

Mumintrollet poster
7.5

Moomintroll was a Swedish television series about the Moomins 1969 directed by Vivica Bandler and Ulla Berglund. The series, which is in 13 parts, is written by Tove and Lars Jansson, and produced by Swedish Radio. The premier was December 5, 1969 on TV2. The series became known for Moomins took off their heads a bit into the series. In 2008 the series was up as the play "The King of Moomin Valley" at the Swedish Theatre in Helsinki.

Mumintrollet

1969

Drifting Clouds poster
7.6

The ever-poker-faced Ilona loses her job as a restaurant hostess, as her tram driver husband, Lauri, also finds himself out of work. Together they must hit the streets of Helsinki, facing up to hardship and humiliation in their quest for survival, guided through the gloom by a ray of hope.

Drifting Clouds

1996

Film credits

1990s · 6 titles

1980s · 10 titles

The Snow Queen poster
6.8

A Finnish live action adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale, The Snow Queen. The tale centers on the struggle between good and evil as experienced by a little boy and girl, Kai and Kerttu.

The Snow Queen

1986

Hamlet Goes Business poster
6.7

When Hamlet discovers his father’s deceased body, he finds himself pulled into a power struggle as his scheming uncle attempts to secure a monopoly on the Scandinavian rubber duck industry. Will Hamlet avenge his father? Will he become the king of rubber ducks? Does any of it really matter?

Hamlet Goes Business

1987

Petos poster
5.2

The very first American-style Post Office robbery in Finland. In the midst of the 60's a gangster quartet led by Hilarius Ruokonen splits up and go into hiding after the heist.

Petos

1988

The Little Angel poster
NR

It's holiday season and Christmas decorations come alive again. As her first Christmas Eve approaches, the Little Angel is eager to find her own place in the world. But to her surprise, all the Christmas positions seem to be filled.

The Little Angel

1989

Eight Mirrors poster
1.0

Mean girls bully Anna-Maija after she is seen kissing a boy. Her parents notice that the girl's affairs are not in order, but they did not know the reason for their melancholy. Mother buys eight mirrors, one for each member of the family.

Eight Mirrors

1982

The Farewell poster
2.4

Set between 1930s and 50s, The Farewell the story of Valerie, who lives in a household totally repressed by her stern father. When Valerie has a brief affair with another woman, her father is extremely angry and tries to end the affair with physical force. However Valerie’s determination, independence and lesbian feelings cannot be crushed.

The Farewell

1982

Nonstop poster
10.0

A revolver changes hands seven times, each time serving a different purpose shot in a film style which tests the traditional story-telling form of film.

Nonstop

1987

Pedon merkki poster
4.5

Set during the Second World War in the Finnish war zone.

Pedon merkki

1981

Tove and the Sea poster
7.0

Artist and author Tove Jansson talks about her thoughts and life at home on Tähtitorninmäki in Helsinki and in her cottage in the outer archipelago.

Tove and the Sea

1984

Linna poster
5.0

Based on Franz Kafka's famous novel, director Jaakko Pakkasvirta created this interpretation of the woebegone Josef K., who is trapped in an ever-increasing labyrinth of double talk and bureaucratic nonsense in his efforts to reach the castle. As Josef seeks to make an appointment to see the ruler Herr Klamm inside his inaccessible abode, he becomes enmeshed in abuse from lowly villagers and bureaucrats alike. His endless false starts toward the castle's enigmatic interior are partly offset by a few sexual encounters but nothing alleviates his role as a victim of forces beyond his control.

Linna

1986

1970s · 6 titles

Herr Puntila And His Servant Matti poster
8.0

Based on the Bertolt Brecht play, the movie follows the farmer Puntila, who when he's sober is a real pig but whenever he gets drunk becomes very generous. Puntila is trying to get his daughter to get married, but the problem is that his drunk self wants her to marry another man than his sober personality wants.

Herr Puntila And His Servant Matti

1979

Poet and Muse poster
5.6

Semi-fictitious biopic of Finnish poet Eino Leino, made with a large budget to celebrate the 100th anniversary of his birth. The film concentrates on his relationships with first wife Freya Schoultz and later muse, poetess L. Onerva. His friends include equally central figures of the Finnish cultural scene in the early 1900s, such as painters Halonen and Gallén-Kallela, and composer Sibelius.

Poet and Muse

1978

I Have a Tiger poster
9.0

A little boy has a tiger as a pet, but it's a secret. The widemouth of the apartment building is Miss Kotilainen, who is always complaining about everything. Other people in the building have their own secrets too. After a lot of those secrets are uncovered, a party is held that melts the heart of Miss Kotilainen. After that, Kalle the Tiger won't have to be hidden no more.

I Have a Tiger

1979

Kreivi poster
4.5

Pertti Ylermi Lindgren was engaged to 76 women, married none, but took the money of all. Lindgren is the real thing, as far as swindlers go. Peter von Bagh asked him to play himself in a film that would reconstruct some of his greatest moments, i.e. the most flamboyant stunts – and he agreed.

Kreivi

1971

A Stranger Came by Train poster
6.0

An American gangster of Swedish origins returns to his homeland to set up shop as a morality crusader, much in the manner of the later phenomenon of televangelists. While indulging in behind-the-scene shenanigans including rape and murder, the gangster (played by American Clu Gulagher) preaches to large audiences, using mass hypnotism and show-biz razzmatazz to get his message across. The film also features a brief performance by Per Oscarsson, following his highly publicized "retirement" from screen acting.

A Stranger Came by Train

1974

No artwork available
NR

Aa self-indulgent TV theater dramatization of Sigmund Freud's thesis on Leonardo da Vinci.

Gamen

1973

1960s · 18 titles

A Worker's Diary poster
5.8

Juhani, a welder and Ritva, a right-wing backgrounded, future clerk get married. Soon we see that their marriage seems to be all about long business trips, housing problems, concerns about the money and political disagreements.

A Worker's Diary

1967

No artwork available
4.7

Harry Munter, a sensitive, kind, appealing man in his twenties, lives with his parents. He's an inventor, a bit of a mystic, maybe a genius, and a good son and grandson. He's offered work in the U.S. But a friend has cancer and the world is changing in ways that provoke profound sadness. Written by Eileen Berdon

Harry Munter

1969

Inspector Palmu's Error poster
7.0

A closed room mystery begins when an infamous tycoon is found dead in his bath tub. The famous police lieutenant Palmu is summoned to investigate.

Inspector Palmu's Error

1960

Naiset, jotka minulle annoit poster
3.0

A triangular drama set in the world of theater.

Naiset, jotka minulle annoit

1962

Tre långa år poster
NR

A family father gets caught drunk driving.

Tre långa år

1969

Tähtisumua poster
4.5

Pirkko Mannola and Esko Salminen play young pop stars of the same name, who develop a secret romance that is kept hidden from the other musicians in the pop orchestra. Between musical scenes, Pirkko introduces Esko to Ville Salminen, Toivo Kärki, and Reino Helismaa, among others, and gets him a spot in a big pop music show.

Tähtisumua

1961

Yö vai päivä poster
5.8

A French cultural research group arrives in Finland. From Helsinki, the group travels to Saimaa to participate in Midsummer rituals, where the summer night celebrations overwhelm the researchers.

Yö vai päivä

1962

Vaaksa vaaraa poster
3.5

A technician working in the telephony company receives a mysterious packet.

Vaaksa vaaraa

1965

Kultainen vasikka poster
7.5

Finnish period comedy set to the times of WW I. Based on a play by Maria Jotuni.

Kultainen vasikka

1961

Minkkiturkki poster
4.0

A story of a mink coat passing from one owner to another binding their fates.

Minkkiturkki

1961

Pockpicket - Recollections of a Helsinki Bourgeois Youth poster
7.0

Recollections of a Helsinki Bourgeois

Pockpicket - Recollections of a Helsinki Bourgeois Youth

1968

Villin Pohjolan salattu laakso poster
4.5

The Vorna brothers search for a hidden valley and its treasures.

Villin Pohjolan salattu laakso

1963

Gas, Inspector Palmu! poster
7.3

A rich widow is found dead in her apartment in Helsinki due to gas poisoning. The incident is initially thought to be an accident, but inspector Palmu notices that the murderer made a mistake, and so Palmu, Kokki and Virta begin the investigation: who had come to the apartment through the balcony door and opened the gas tap while Mrs. Skrof was asleep?

Gas, Inspector Palmu!

1961

Justus järjestää kaiken poster
8.0

Jobless inventor Justus begins to help people to become happy together with a homeless girl named Bella.

Justus järjestää kaiken

1960

Älä nuolase… poster
6.2

Poor service station workers Jaakko and Timo think they have won the lottery jackpot. The men are already making big plans when it turns out that the prize is actually worthless. Posing as American oil millionaires, the men get caught up in a web of deception.

Älä nuolase…

1962

Scandal in the Girls' School poster
7.0

The headmaster of a private girls' school is doing her best to maintain strict discipline in the school. In addition to the loosening morals of the students, the warm relationship between two girls is a causing concern.

Scandal in the Girls' School

1960

Tie pimeään poster
6.4

Klaus Grahn is a young student frustrated with his life. In an attempt to break free from his unfulfilling life he tries to commit the perfect crime and forges a large check. Quickly he runs out of money and the police identifies him as the criminal, and so he boards a train to Tampere where he robs a taxi and shoots the driver. He returns to Helsinki and manages to avoid the police, but his friends and family try to persuade him into giving himself up. Klaus is angered by this, and he flees, plagued by paranoid thoughts until he decides to confront his friends for the last time - this time with a gun.

Tie pimeään

1962

Iloinen Linnanmäki poster
4.0

Two competing hair care companies demonstrate their products on stage at a Helsinki amusement park, using celebrities from television, the hottest new media of the early 1960s.

Iloinen Linnanmäki

1960

1950s · 7 titles

Rintamalotta poster
7.3

Irma has been sent to the front immediately after her marriage to Erik Vuori. Irma and her new "Lotta" companions find themselves in many dangerous situations during the fighting of the Continuation War. Irma is also concerned about Erik's loyalty.

Rintamalotta

1956

Patarouva poster
9.0

Kaius Kannisto a bachelor who has experienced hard on the love front, goes through his relationships with his four former female friends, the four queens of the deck of cards.

Patarouva

1959

Taas tapaamme Suomisen perheen poster
6.5

Olli Suominen has been appointed acting sheriff in the countryside, and the whole family has left for Kesäranta to spend the summer. The peaceful rural life is interrupted when small farmer Pullin's hay barn is destroyed in a fire and Anita and Aarne, the Lokka family who have moved in next door, get to know the Suominen family.

Taas tapaamme Suomisen perheen

1959

Herra sotaministeri poster
7.0

Kalle, a shy and absent-minded civil servant at the comparison agency, unwittingly becomes Minister of War. He receives help in his new role from Maria, the daughter of Finance Minister Karpio. Problems in the performance of his duties lead Kalle to a court martial, and he resigns from his ministerial post to start a new life with his neighbor Leena.

Herra sotaministeri

1957

Sotapojan heilat poster
4.5

A military farce from a rookie with over a hundred female pen pals.

Sotapojan heilat

1958

Kulkurin masurkka poster
3.8

A story about vagabond named Paul and his journeys in the countryside. He is a real charmer and many women will fall in his lap.

Kulkurin masurkka

1958

Tyttö tuli taloon poster
7.5

Hitchhiking girls Eila and Tilly end up at screenwriter Saku's summer house by mistake, thinking it's their cousin's.

Tyttö tuli taloon

1956

Series credits