Urho Armas Somersalmi (formerly Urho Sundell; 23 September 1888,

Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...

– 12 April 1962) was a Finnish actor.

Career

Somersalmi worked in the

Finnish National Theatre The Finnish National Theatre (), established in 1872, is a theatre located in central Helsinki on the northern side of the Helsinki Central Railway Station Square. The Finnish National Theatre is the oldest Finnish speaking professional thea ...

from 1908 to 1958. He was often cast in the roles of masculine heroes or first-time lovers. His physical appearance was very suitable for such roles, and in the beginning of his career, he was often criticized for superficiality. Somersalmi was awarded the

Pro Finlandia Pro is an abbreviation meaning "professional". Pro, PRO or variants thereof might also refer to: People * Miguel Pro (1891–1927), Mexican priest * Pro Hart (1928–2006), Australian painter * Mlungisi Mdluli (born 1980), South African reti ...

medal in 1948. Somersalmi was involved in the Finnish film industry from the beginning. In 1913, he had his first small film role in a Teuvo Puro film ''Sylvi'', the first Finnish drama film. His final appearance was in the Finnish-Soviet co-production film ''

Sampo In Finnish mythology, the ''Sampo'' () is a magical device or object described in many different ways, constructed by the blacksmith and inventor Ilmarinen and which brings riches and good fortune to its holder, akin to the horn of plenty (corn ...

'' (1959) in which he played the role of

Väinämöinen () is a deity, demigod, hero and the central character in Finnish folklore and the main character in the national epic ''Kalevala'' by Elias Lönnrot. Väinämöinen was described as an old and wise man, and he possessed a potent, magical sing ...

Personal life

Somersalmi married actress Aili Somersalmi in 1912. In April 1962, he killed her with an axe he had received as a gift from Finnish Actors' Union and stabbed her in the chest, after which he hanged himself.

Filmography

References

External links

* 1888 births 1962 deaths Male actors from Helsinki Actors from Uusimaa Province (Grand Duchy of Finland) Finnish male film actors Finnish male silent film actors 20th-century Finnish male actors Murder–suicides in Finland Suicides by hanging in Finland 1962 suicides Uxoricides {{Finland-actor-stub