# Ville Haapasalo

Ville Juhana Haapasalo (born 28 February 1972) is a Finnish stage and film actor who has worked in Finland and Russia. His acting career started in 1995, after he finished his studies in St. Petersburg. In 2003, he was honored with the State Prize of the Russian Federation for his role of Veikko in the film The Cuckoo directed by Aleksandr Rogozhkin.

## Education

Haapasalo was educated in St. Petersburg at the Academy of Performing Arts of the Saint Petersburg State Theatre Arts Academy. He knew no Russian when he began studying. He studied there from 1991 to 1995. It was a difficult period in the 1990s Russia; he was mugged nine times in 1992, tried to commit suicide three times, and because of his financial problems he worked as a driver for the mafia.

## Career

Haapasalo's career got a huge lift immediately after his graduation for his appearance in 1995 in a Russian comedy Peculiarities of the National Hunt. But this sudden fame turned out to be stressful for him and he temporarily returned to Finland to work as a truck driver. In 2002, he won the Best Actor award at the 24th Moscow International Film Festival, for his role in the Russian-made film The Cuckoo.
Although his fame comes mostly from film, he also writes for the screen, acts in theaters, and does TV cinema. He also appeared in Finland's Ministry of Transport and Communications' 1998 campaign National Features of Driving instructing Russians on Finnish road rules. He is more widely recognized in Russia than in his country of origin Finland. Recently, he has hosted and starred in a number of travel shows on Finnish and Russian TV.
He appeared in the first season of ice show contest Ice Age.

## Personal life

Haapasalo was born in Hollola, Finland. He speaks four languages fluently: Finnish, Russian, Swedish, and English. His hobbies include playing trombone, ice-hockey, skiing, and skating.
In 2016, Haapasalo opened a Georgian restaurant called Purpur in Helsinki.

### Family

Ville Haapasalo married Saara Hedlund in 1995 and they currently reside in Helsinki, Finland. Haapasalo and Hedlund have two children. Haapasalo also has a son (born 2009) with director Tina Barkalaja.

### Writer

* Luonto ja terveys (2006) (TV)
* Perjantai (2003) (TV)

## Filmography

| Year | Title of Film / TV Series | Title in English | Title in Other Languages | Role |
| 2019– | Muumilaakso | Moominvalley | Finnish | Moominpappa |
| 2018 | Hölmö nuori sydän | Stupid Young Heart | Finnish | Janne |
| 2018 | Haapasalon Suomi (Documentary) | Haapasalo's Finland | Finnish | Himself |
| 2017 | Altai 30 päivässä (Documentary) | Altai in 30 Days | Finnish | Himself |
| 2016 | Rölli ja kaikkien aikojen salaisuus | Rolli, and the secret of all time | Finnish | Seppä |
| 2016 | Tappajan näköinen mies | The man who looks like a killer | Finnish | Aleksei Kornostajev |
| 2016 | Volga 30 päivässä (Documentary) | Volga in 30 Days | Finnish | Himself |
| 2015 | Kaukasia 30 päivässä (Documentary) | Caucasia in 30 Days | Finnish | Himself |
| 2014 | Jäämeri 30 päivässä (Documentary) | Arctic Ocean in 30 Days | Finnish | Himself |
| 2014 | Папа напрокат (мини-сериал) | Dad for hire (Mini-series) | Russian | Philip |
| 2014 | Любовь в большом городе 3 Ljubov v bolšom gorode 3 | Love in the Big City 3 | Russian Кохання у великому місті 3 (Ukrainian) Каханне ў вялікім горадзе 3 (Belarusian) | Olli (Sauna) |
| 2013 | Suomensukuiset 30 päivässä (Documentary) | Russian Tribes in 30 Days | Finnish | Himself |
| 2013 | Три мушкетера | The Three Musketeers | Russian | Farmer |
| 2013 | Rölli ja kultainen avain | Rolli, and the secret of all time | Finnish Ролли и золотой ключик (Russian) | |
| 2012 | Golfa straume zem ledus kalna | Gulf Stream Under the Iceberg | Latvian Гольфстрим под айсбергом (Russian) | Theophilius |
| 2012 | Silkkitie 30 päivässä (Documentary) | 30 Days on the Silk Road | Finnish | Himself |
| 2012 | Самоубийцы Samoubiytsy | Suicides | Russian | Finn |
| 2011 | Беременный Beremennyy | The Pregnant | Russian | Rezhisser |
| 2011 | Alamaailma-trilogia | Underworld Trilogy | Finnish | Artur Deminoff |
| 2011 | Sapuskaa - harashoo! (TV Series) | | | Himself |
| 2011 | Tunarit (Short) | The Duffers | Finnish | |
| 2010 | Любовь в большом городе 2 Ljubov v bolšom gorode 2 | Love in the Big City 2 | Russian Кохання у великому місті 2 (Ukrainian) | Olli (Sauna) |
| 2010 | Venäjän halki 30 päivässä (Documentary) | Across Russia in 30 Days | | Himself |
| 2009 | Царь | Tsar | Russian | Andrey Staden |
| 2009 | Любовь в большом городе Ljubov v bolšom gorode | Love in the Big City | Russian Кохання у великому місті (Ukrainian) | Olli (Sauna) |
| 2009 | Весельчаки Veselchaki | Jolly Fellows | Russian Joyeux compères (French) | Roza |
| 2008 | Luola (short film) | Cave | Finnish | Ilari's father |
| 2008 | Lemmenleikit | Make love to (TV Series) | Finnish | Samuli Harjanne |
| 2007 | Ирония Судьбы: Продолжение Ironiya sud’by. Prodolzheniye | The Irony of Fate 2 | Russian Kohtalon ironiaa – jatkoa (Finnish) Số phận trớ trêu. Phần tiếp theo (Vietnamese) | Drunken Finn |
| 2007 | Чужие тайны (сериал) Chuzhie tayny | Other people's secrets (TV series) | Russian | Jeff |
| 2007 | Дочь генерала – Татьяна (мини-сериал) Doch generala | Daughter of General - Tatiana (Mini-series) | Russian | |
| 2006 | Suden Arvoitus | Mystery of the Wolf | Finnish Vargens Hemlighet (Swedish) | Paulus Morgam |
| 2006 | Priroda i zdorovie "Luonto ja terveys" (TV) | Nature and Health (TV) | Finnish Природа и здоровье (Russian) | Kostya |
| 2005 | Domoi - Kotiinpaluu | Domoi - Homecoming | Finnish Домой (Russian) | The Warrior |
| 2005 | КГБ в смокинге (сериал) KGB v smokinge | The KGB in a Tuxedo (TV series) | Russian | Eugene |
| 2005 | Гибель империи (сериал) Gibel Imperii | The Fall of the Empire (TV mini-series) | Russian | Tarvilainen |
| 2005 | Tahdon Asia (TV-episode #1.6) | Matters of the Will (TV series) | Finnish | (voice) |
| 2005 | Yövuoro | Night Shift (TV series) | Finnish | Turvapäällikkö Jari Viirilä |
| 2004 | Королева бензоколонки 2 (ТВ) Koroleva benzokolonki 2 | Queen of the petrol station 2 (TV) | Russian Королева бензоколонки 2 (Ukrainian) | Ruslan |
| 2004 | Диверсант (мини-сериал) Diversant | The Saboteur (TV Miniseries) | Russian | Wilhelm |
| 2003 | Vieraalla maalla | in a strange land | Finnish | Tuomas Linna/Omar Ghaala |
| 2003 | Кукушкино гнездо (ТВ) Kukushkino gnezdo | Cuckoo's Nest (TV) | Russian Käen pesä/Käk - tähden synty (Finnish) | |
| 2003 | Letters from Karelia | Letters From Karelia | Canadian | Aate Pitkänen |
| 2003 | Perjantai | Wednesday (TV) | Finnish | |
| 2003 | Pietarin Myytti | Saint Petersburg myth (Mini-series) | Finnish | Various |
| 2002 | Кукушка Kukushka | The Cuckoo | Russian Käki (Finnish) | Veikko |
| 2002 | Minä en ole kone (short film) | I'm not a machine | Finnish | |
| 2002 | One Christmas morning (short film) | One Christmas Morning | Sweden Одно рождественское утро (Russian) | |
| 2001 | Maamiehen Päiväkirja (short) | Maamiehen diary | Finnish | Maamies |
| 2000 - 2005 | Убойная сила (сериал) Uboynaya Sila (TV series) | Destructive force (TV series) | Russian | episode Kredit Doveriya |
| 2000 | Pakkaus (short) | The packaging | Finnish Packningen (Swedish) | Jaakko |
| 1999 | Lapin kullan kimallus | Lapin kullan kimallus | The glitter of Lappish gold (Finnish) | Frans Björklund |
| 1998 | Samaa Sukua, eri Maata (TV) | The same family, different country (TV series) | Finnish | Jari Jokinen |
| 1998 | Особенности национальной рыбалки | Peculiarities of the National Fishing | Особенности национальной рыбалки (Russian) Kalastuksen kansallisia erikoisuuksia (Finnish) | Raivo |
| 1998 | Elämän suola (TV-Episode: "Yksi lensi yli käenpesän") | Salt of life (TV series) | Finnish | Timppa |
| 1996 | Операция С новым годом (ТВ) | Operation Happy New Year (TV) | Russian | second Killer |
| 1995 | Особенности национальной охоты | Peculiarities of the National Hunt | Особенности национальной охоты (Russian) Metsästyksen kansallisia erikoisuuksia (Finnish) | Raivo |