Acting

Esa Saario

Born November 22, 1931 · Nummi, Finland

Died September 26, 2025 · aged 93

Esa Saario was a Finnish actor and singer. Saario was an actor at the Finnish National Theater from 1958 until his retirement in 1997. Saario's film roles included the social democratic politician Janne Kivivuori in the films Under the North Star, and Akseli and Elina, based on the novels by Väinö Linna. Saario also voiced numerous animated films and series. His most famous voice roles included …

Known For

Farewell, Mr. President

Farewell, Mr. President · 1987

Farewell, Mr. President

MovieActionCrime

Asko Mertanen is a waiter who is very interested in shooting. He gets fed up how the things are run in Finland, so he thinks that the best way to change them is to shoot the Finnish president.

Niskavuori

Niskavuori · 1984

Ilona, a young teacher, arrives in a village in Tavastia. She and Aarne, the wealthy owner of the Niskavuori farm, who is frustrated with his marriage, fall in love. The relationship becomes a public secret. Aarne's wife Martta, who owns half of Niskavuori, wants to hold on to her husband until the last. For Loviisa, the matriarch of Niskavuori, the most important thing is the reputation and honor of the family.

Trust

MovieDramaHistory

In December 1917, a Finnish delegation arrives in St. Petersburg to meet Vladimir Lenin to seek recognition of Finland's independence.

Akseli and Elina

Akseli and Elina · 1970

Akseli and Elina

A former Red Rebellion leader returns home after being imprisoned for his participation in the Finnish Civil War, but soon finds out that wartime mindsets still linger in the heads of people.

Oho, sanoi Eemeli

Oho, sanoi Eemeli · 1960

Oho, sanoi Eemeli

Eemeli, a lazy farm boy, is sent out into the world by his parents due to poor potato harvest forecasts. On his way to the logging camp, he meets Tommi, a man from Helsinki who sells razors and is headed to the same destination. At the logging camp, the loggers and Eemeli perform several musical numbers and flee from Isabella, the cook, who is hungry for men.

Santa Claus and the Magic Drum

Santa Claus and the Magic Drum · 1996

Santa Claus and the Magic Drum

MovieAnimationFamily

A few days before Christmas Eve the last sack of letters arrives to Santa. At the bottom is a letter that is a bit older than the others, it's a drawing. While the curious Santa tries to figure out what the drawing looks like, strange things begin to happen.

Tytön huivi

Tytön huivi · 1951

Young Affu sets off to travel around the summer countryside, hoping to find himself a bride. He carries with him an engagement scarf given to him by his mother, which he promises to the farmer's daughter Milda, until he meets the mysterious gypsy girl Marketa.

Here, Beneath the North Star

Here, Beneath the North Star · 1968

Here, Beneath the North Star

MovieHistoryDrama

Täällä Pohjantähden alla is based on the book with the same title. It is a story of the little village. The movie starts in the 1890's and it ends to the Finnish civil war in 1918. Story concentrates around a tenant farmer family, although it gives us a good look at the society at whole. While the class struggle depends, people of the village are driven to bloody civil war.

Filmography

Sort

Farewell, Mr. President

Farewell, Mr. President · 1987

Farewell, Mr. President

MovieActionCrime

Asko Mertanen is a waiter who is very interested in shooting. He gets fed up how the things are run in Finland, so he thinks that the best way to change them is to shoot the Finnish president.

Detective Lieutenant Kairamo

Niskavuori

Niskavuori · 1984

Ilona, a young teacher, arrives in a village in Tavastia. She and Aarne, the wealthy owner of the Niskavuori farm, who is frustrated with his marriage, fall in love. The relationship becomes a public secret. Aarne's wife Martta, who owns half of Niskavuori, wants to hold on to her husband until the last. For Loviisa, the matriarch of Niskavuori, the most important thing is the reputation and honor of the family.

Kaarlo Niskavuori

Trust

MovieDramaHistory

In December 1917, a Finnish delegation arrives in St. Petersburg to meet Vladimir Lenin to seek recognition of Finland's independence.

Kullervo Manner

Akseli and Elina

Akseli and Elina · 1970

Akseli and Elina

A former Red Rebellion leader returns home after being imprisoned for his participation in the Finnish Civil War, but soon finds out that wartime mindsets still linger in the heads of people.

Janne Kivivuori

Oho, sanoi Eemeli

Oho, sanoi Eemeli · 1960

Oho, sanoi Eemeli

Eemeli, a lazy farm boy, is sent out into the world by his parents due to poor potato harvest forecasts. On his way to the logging camp, he meets Tommi, a man from Helsinki who sells razors and is headed to the same destination. At the logging camp, the loggers and Eemeli perform several musical numbers and flee from Isabella, the cook, who is hungry for men.

(uncredited)

Santa Claus and the Magic Drum

Santa Claus and the Magic Drum · 1996

Santa Claus and the Magic Drum

MovieAnimationFamily

A few days before Christmas Eve the last sack of letters arrives to Santa. At the bottom is a letter that is a bit older than the others, it's a drawing. While the curious Santa tries to figure out what the drawing looks like, strange things begin to happen.

Joulupukki (voice)

Tytön huivi

Tytön huivi · 1951

Young Affu sets off to travel around the summer countryside, hoping to find himself a bride. He carries with him an engagement scarf given to him by his mother, which he promises to the farmer's daughter Milda, until he meets the mysterious gypsy girl Marketa.

(uncredited)

Here, Beneath the North Star

Here, Beneath the North Star · 1968

Here, Beneath the North Star

MovieHistoryDrama

Täällä Pohjantähden alla is based on the book with the same title. It is a story of the little village. The movie starts in the 1890's and it ends to the Finnish civil war in 1918. Story concentrates around a tenant farmer family, although it gives us a good look at the society at whole. While the class struggle depends, people of the village are driven to bloody civil war.

Janne Kivivuori

Uuno Turhapuro herra Helsingin herra

Uuno Turhapuro herra Helsingin herra · 1991

Uuno Turhapuro herra Helsingin herra

Uuno is working as campaign manager of a president candidate but accidentally Uuno himself becomes the president of Finland.

An Unknown Friend

An Unknown Friend · 1978

An Unknown Friend

The cold and ruthless Bruno is married to Karen. Together they seek out poor and defenseless people offering them life insurance policies. Bruno and Karen make sure that it pays off. A movie about insurance scams. Inspector Susikoski investigates.

Tietokoneoperaattori

Quest for a Heart

Quest for a Heart · 2007

Quest for a Heart

MovieAnimationFamily

When the most mischievous resident of Rolli Village befriends a beautiful elf girl, the hopelessly mismatched pair embarks on a magical adventure to save the Forest of Elves by traveling to the Land of Winter and recovering the mythical magical heart in this animated tale of wonder for the entire family.

Kylänvanhin / Löylynhenki / kertoja (voice)

Akaton mies

Akaton mies · 1983

Farmer wants a wife. He places an ad in the personal section of the newspaper and also searches for potential wives on a computer at an agricultural exhibition. But is it worth looking for a woman so far away when a beautiful woman has arrived at the village bank—Liisa, who attended business school and the Sibelius Academy!

Metsätalousneuvoja Huhtanen

Sven Tuuva the Hero

Sven Tuuva the Hero · 1958

Sven Tuuva the Hero

For six hundred years Sweden had controlled most of Finland until the war with Russia that ended in 1809, when Finland became a Grand Duchy of the Russian Czar. This period drama is set during that early 19th-century war and focuses on one of its heroes, Sven Tuuva. Sven is a decent yet not too brilliant soldier, and his exploits are partly balanced here by the charms of a compatriot.

Akallinen mies

Akallinen mies · 1986

The farmer now has found a wife.

Arttu Syyskylä

Kankkulan kaivolla

Kankkulan kaivolla · 1960

Kankkulan kaivolla

A radio reporter from Helsinki arrives in the village of Kankkula just before Midsummer to conduct interviews. The old sheriff demands that his nephew Lauri, who serves as the village policeman, continue the generations-old tradition of arresting the old master of Tippavaara, whom the sheriff believes to be brewing moonshine. However, Lauri is in love with the old man's niece Leena, and the couple's plans to get engaged conflict with Lauri's duties.

Esa Saario

Maunu Kurkvaaran Kujanjuoksu

Maunu Kurkvaaran Kujanjuoksu · 1971

Maunu Kurkvaaran Kujanjuoksu

After a young girl is found murdered in Kumpula, Helsinki, the police arrest Ossi Virtanen as a suspect. He had been drinking for days and got into a fight with a local youth gang. The police think that Ossi had gone after the gang for revenge and then killed the girl by mistake. Though Ossi maintains his innocence, and the evidence against him is insufficient, deputy chief Ranta has decieded he is guilty.

Ruskan jälkeen

Ruskan jälkeen · 1979

Ruskan jälkeen

It follows a year in the life of a family in the North-Eastern part of Finland. From the gloomy days of winter to the Mid Summer wedding festivities.

Paavo Tyni

Ihana seikkailu

Ihana seikkailu · 1962

Ihana seikkailu

MovieComedyRomance

Young Helena is reluctantly about to marry Brynolf, the chamberlain, when her cousin and beloved Paul arrives to stop the wedding and takes Helena to her grandmother's house. The grandmother thinks that the wedding has already taken place and that Paul is Brynolf, the chamberlain.

Henrik Södersvans

Meiltähän tämä käy

Meiltähän tämä käy · 1973

Meiltähän tämä käy

Logger Severi Suhonen is transferred from forestry work to indoor work at the company's paper mill. Unable to adapt to city life, Severi clashes with the autocratic manager Wille Wållberg and meets his girlfriend from decades ago, Anna Tuhkanen, whose daughter Leena Tuhkanen is dating the manager's son, Wille Wållberg Junior.

tuomari Ketonen

Totuus on armoton

Totuus on armoton · 1963

Totuus on armoton

MovieDramaCrime

A man sets out to prove his right against a District Court in a small town. The locals are not willing to accept anything but their own truth of the matter.

Itkonen

Viimeiset siemenperunat

Viimeiset siemenperunat · 1993

Viimeiset siemenperunat

Pyörähtälä