Vesa-Matti Loiri

Acting career

Loiri's acting career spanned approximately 60 years. He performed in theatre, film, and television, with his career often described as built from highly contrasting elements. While best known for his comedic roles, he also acted in serious dramas. Over 70 film roles are credited to him. Six films starring Loiri are in the top 20 list of the highest-grossing domestic films in Finland. The total number of tickets sold to the screenings of these six films is 3,715,948.

Theatre roles

Loiri was part of the Helsinki City Theatre from 1966 to 1971 and the Turku City Theatre from 1973 to 1977. Between 1971 and 1973, he worked as a freelance actor.

Helsinki City Theatre

Many actors of the previous generation were known for their heavy drinking. Leo Lähteenmäki helped the young Loiri connect with his small role in The Kurdish Prince by giving him alcohol, aiming to induce a mild hangover to help unlock the performance. Later, Loiri passed on this method to Aake Kalliala. One of the earliest mentions of Loiri's theatre roles appeared in Helsingin Sanomat in September 1964, describing his minor part in Under the North Star as a "feverish Singer Boy". In the 1960s, Loiri's early career was marked by leftist influences, partly due to his connections to the political song movement. Notable roles included "God's Chosen Leader" Kosola in Arvo Salo's Lapualaisooppera, Tuomas in Kalle Holmberg's production of Seven Brothers, and Nikolai…

Loiri was born in Helsinki on 4 January 1945 to Taito Vilho Loiri (1911–1995) and Lily Ida Annikki Nylund (1916–2013). His father was a technical draftsman born in Lappee in 1911. His mother was born in Mustasaari in 1916 and grew up in Pori. Lily completed the household department of the Pori Girls' Vocational School. Taito and Lily became engaged in the spring of 1942. The family settled in Töölö, Helsinki, and a year after Vesa-Matti's birth, a younger brother, Veli-Pekka Loiri, was born. The Loiri family had relatives living in Kruununhaka, including Taito's sister Sigrid and her husband Hjalmar Berglund. Their son, Paavo Berglund, would later become a renowned conductor. As a child, Vesa-Matti was called Matti, had heterochromatic eyes, and was said to have learned to sing before he could talk. Vesa-Matti was a sensitive child who could be moved to tears by a teacher's sharp remark in primary school. Music also evoked strong emotions in him; for instance, Johann Sebastian Bach's Air almost made him feel out of his body. He collected records, including stolen discs sold to him by Olavi Virta's son. However, his greatest inspiration came from films, especially director Ingmar Bergman's The Magician, which left a profound impression on him. Vesa-Matti and his brother Veli-Pekka spent their summers at their grandmother's house, Lily's childhood home, located in a residential area near the centre of Pori. This offered a better environment for play than Töölö, where the urban…

Relationships

Loiri was married three times, with two marriages ending in divorce and one in his spouse's death. His first wife was actress Tuula Nyman, to whom he was married from 1967 to 1969. His second wife, Mona Loiri, died in a car accident in 1977. Vesa-Matti and Mona Loiri's son Jan also died in a car accident in 1994 at the age of 20. With his third wife, Riitta Loiri, Vesa-Matti had two children: Jenni (b. 1979) and Joonas (1982–2019). Loiri was engaged to model Katja Peiponen from 1971 to 1972 and later to model Marita Hakala from 1989 to 1993. From 1994 onward, he was in a domestic partnership with Stina Toljander (later Edelmann), who was 23 years his junior. Loiri and Toljander lived together in Pakila, Helsinki. They had two sons, Ukko (b. 1995) and Sampo (b. 1996), before separating in 1999. Loiri also dated Lenita Airisto in the 1970s.

Injury and lifestyle

In 1970, just before filming Speedy Gonzales – Noin 7 veljeksen poika, Loiri was seriously injured while playing football. He reportedly had a near-death experience, including an out-of-body experience. Pertti Melasniemi replaced him in the role of bank robber Clyde in the film. In addition to his injuries, the tragic deaths of his wife and son deepened his interest in spirituality and visions of the afterlife. During the late 1970s, Loiri became a student of clairvoyant Aino Kassinen for several years. Loiri's worldview was often described as deeply spiritual. He was fascinated by…

1963: Honorary Jussi Award for his role in Pojat. 1976: Jussi Award for Best Male Actor in Rakastunut rampa. 1982: Jussi Award for Best Supporting Male Actor in Pedon merkki. 1983: Jussi Award for his wide appearance in the year's films. 1984: Telvis Award for Best Male Performer. 1986: Telvis Award for Best Male Performer. 1987: Telvis Award for Best Male Performer. 1989: Special Venla award. 1996: Awarded the Pro Finlandia Medal by President Martti Ahtisaari. 1998: Betoni-Jussi for lifetime achievement in film. 1999: Special Telvis Award. 2003: Emma Award for Male Soloist of the Year. 2003: Awarded at the International Independent Film Festival in Brussels for his role in Pahat pojat. 2006: Emma Award for Male Soloist of the Year. 2007: Emma Award for Male Soloist of the Year. 2010: Lifetime Achievement Award at the Black Nights Film Festival in Tallinn. 2011: Golden Venla for exceptional contributions to Finnish television. 2011: State Prize for Art in Finland.