Mato Valtonen
Mato Valtonen | |
|---|---|
 Mato Valtonen in 2011. | |
| Born | 21 February 1955 |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1985–present |
Markku Juhani ”Mato” Valtonen (born 21 February 1955 in Loimaa) is a Finnish actor, musician and entrepreneur. Valtonen has been a member of the Finnish band Sleepy Sleepers since 1975 and the Leningrad Cowboys since 1989.[1]
He was the CEO of WAPit telecommunications company from its inception in 1998[1] until it declared bankruptcy in 2001.[2]
As an actor, Valtonen is best known for starring in Aki Kaurismäki's films starting with 1985's Calamari Union. In fact, all of Valtonen's film roles have been in films directed, written, and produced either by Kaurismäki or his older brother Mika. In addition to acting in them, Valtonen also wrote the storylines for Leningrad Cowboys Go America and Leningrad Cowboys Meet Moses.
In 2000 the Finnish Markku Union chose Valtonen as "Markku of the Year", the fourth person to hold the title.[3]
Valtonen's nickname "Mato" means "worm" in Finnish. Valtonen got the nickname at age 14 when he was at a cold summer cabin and crawled around on the floor wrapped in a sleeping bag, resembling a worm.[4]
Partial filmography
[edit]- Calamari Union (1985)
- Leningrad Cowboys Go America (1989)
- The Last Border (1993)
- Take Care of Your Scarf, Tatiana (1994)
- Leningrad Cowboys Meet Moses (1994)
- Drifting Clouds (1996)
- L.A. Without a Map (1998)
References
[edit]- ^ a b Junkkari, Marko. Valtonen denies Wapit bankruptcy Archived 2011-06-04 at the Wayback Machine, Helsingin Sanomat, April 27, 2001. Accessed October 2, 2008.
- ^ "Wapit files for bankruptcy". Helsingin Sanomat. 6 June 2001. Archived from the original on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 2008-10-02.
- ^ Vuoden Markut, Markkuliitto.fi 2015. Accessed on 17 June 2023.
- ^ Martelius, Katja: Missä hän on nyt | Mato Valtonen kertoo, mistä hän sai nimensä ja kuinka hän lopetti kylmän sodan, Helsingin Sanomat 3 December 2022. Accessed on 14 December 2022.
External links
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