Vesa-Matti Loiri

Born in Helsinki in 1945, Vesa-Matti "Vesku" Loiri earned widespread recognition across Finland through his careers as a comedian, actor, and musician who received an Emma nomination. He first appeared on the big screen in a major capacity with the 1969 comedy Pohjan Tähteet, which he wrote together with Ere Kokkonen. Among the parts that defined his acting work were Uuno Turhapuro ("Numbskull Emptybrook"), a figure originated by Spede Pasanen, along with the voice of the Genie for the Finnish dub of Disney's Aladdin. As a singer/songwriter and flutist, Loiri attracted notice for performances in the manner of Jacques Brel when setting poetry by Hermann Hesse and Eino Leino. Representing Finland at the 1980 Eurovision contest as a skilled iskelmä performer, he delivered the song "Huilumies." The 2006 release Ivalo topped the Finnish album chart and earned multiple Emma Award nominations, after which further albums also reached number one. In 2016 Loiri issued the Top Five Finnish hit Pyhät tekstit and later acted in the 2020 romantic comedy A Spice for Life, prior to his death in 2022.