Katinka Valu

**Katinka Aleksje Valu** (born 22 March 1967) is a Reshan actress. Valu began her acting career as a teenager in 1986, and received her big break after being cast in the lead role in the teen black comedy *Mylene* (1987), which won her a Reshan Movie Award. She later capitalized on her success after being cast as Malina Sampersand in *Nakkermann* (1989–95). She went on to reprise her role as Malina in the prequel film *Nakkermann: The Expired* (1997) and the spinoff *Marsdakt* (1998), the latter of which she won a Formann Award for.

In the late-1990s and early-2000s, Valu experienced legal troubles that put a damper on her career. However, she returned to the spotlight with a lead role in the dark fantasy film *Vampyr* (2005). She later began starring in the horror television series *Terror on the 15th* (2015–present).

## Life and career

### Early life

Valu was born in Hederhelm to parents Katinku Valu (1936–2016) and Nastasje Halpa (1940–). Her paternal grandparents had immigrated to Resha from the Velkanian Isles during the 1910s, while her mother was born and raised in Narissa and settled in Hederhelm to study at the University of Resha. Katinku worked in advertising, while Nastasje was a preschool teacher. Valu was raised in the Zleper borough in a modest three-bedroom home, and has an older brother.

Valu had many interests as a child, one of which being acting. In school, Valu was fascinated by language learning and by age seven she could speak Reshan, Velkanian, and English fluently. In 1977, she began performing at a local community theatre and was cast as Alice in *Alice in Wonderland* for her first performance. After graduating from elementary school in 1983, she enrolled at a gymnasium where she began studying the English language and aspired to become a translator. However, she dropped out in her third year due to her acting career. She later finished her high school diploma through summer classes in 1988.

### 1986–1995: Early roles, teen idol, and *Nakkermann*

While in high school, Valu was invited by her local theatre to audition for a big budget film who was looking for a talented unknown teenage actress in the leading role. After auditioning, she was cast in the lead role of Tatjana Fisk in the teen black comedy film *Mylene* (1987). The film went on to be a large success, catapulting Valu into stardom and winning her a Reshan Movie Award. Following the success of *Mylene*, Valu was cast in the television series *Nakkermann* (1989–95). At the time of her casting, Valu was the most well-known name of the teenage actors.

In *Nakkermann*, Valu portrayed Malina Sampersand, the fraternal twin sister of Tina Sampersand and a member of Operation ALO, an unofficial group dedicated to solving the murder of Ola Nesk. Valu's performance as Malina became critically acclaimed, and the character has since become an icon of early-90s Reshan television. By the show's third season, Valu had established herself as an A-list celebrity in Resha and was ranked as Resha's most desirable bachelorette by *Rogue Magazine*. The show ended in 1995.

### 1995–2003: Film roles and career decline

After the end of *Nakkermann* in 1995, Valu revealed that she would be appearing in the film's prequel film and that she was also in talks with Axel Dargerbro to star in one of his upcoming films. The prequel, *Nakkermann: The Expired* (1997), became a critical and commercial success. She later starred in *Marsdakt* (1998), written and directed by Dargerbro. It has been debated whether the character she portrays in the film is actually Malina Sampersand, or if it's an unrelated character with the same name.

*Marsdakt* became a massive success throughout all of Pravia and Valu's most successful release of her career. The film won Best Picture at the 1999 Formann Awards and Valu was awarded the Best Leading Actress award as well. Following the success of *Marsdakt*, Valu starred in the films *Dirty Laundry* (1999) and *Hyphenated* (2000), which were both critical and commercial disappointments. After the failures of her two previous releases, Valu became notorious for her hardcore partying and rumored cocaine addiction. After an arrest for shoplifting in 2001, Valu saw her career in decline. She had a supporting role in the horror film *The Borrowed* (2003), which was unable to bolster her career.

### 2003–2015: Career resurgence and hiatus

Valu struggled to find work following her controversies in the late-1990s and early-2000s, and the roles that she did get ended up proving unsuccessful. However, after completing rehabilitation for her drug addiction she was cast in a lead role in the dark fantasy film *Vampyr* (2005). The film was able to relaunch her career and bring Valu back into the public eye. It was a critical and commercial success, and also became known for its widely popular soundtrack. For her role, she won the Reshan Movie Award for Best Leading Actress – Drama at the 2005 Reshan Movie Awards.

After being brought back into the limelight with the success of *Vampyr*, Valu went on to have lead and supporting roles in a number of productions throughout the 2000s. In 2006, she was named "The Most Beautiful Woman in Resha" by entertainment magazine *Eloise*. Valu announced that she'd be going on a hiatus from acting in 2009 due to her pregnancy.

### 2015–present: Return to television

In 2014, Valu announced that she was eager to return to acting. She was later confirmed to be starring in the horror television series *Terror on the 15th* (2015–present). The show began airing in 2015 on Radiotelevizijask Resha (RTR), and quickly became one the highest-rated and critically acclaimed programs on the channel. The show has been praised for its 80s aesthetics and Valu has been acclaimed for her performance.

In 2016, Valu returned to film acting with a supporting role in *Never Forget Me* (2016). She received a nomination at the 2017 Formann Awards for her performance. She will also have supporting roles in the films *Empire* (2017) and *The Last Murmann* (2018).

## Personal life

### Relationships and family

Valu began dating her high school sweetheart Mikkel Lalersk while the two were high school students in 1985. They briefly broke up in 1989, but reunited in 1991. The two were married in 1993, but divorced three years later. Valu later confirmed that the relationship was dysfunctional and both of their actions were responsible for the relationship failing. In 2003, she married actor Henrik Palermann after dating for three years. They have one daughter together: Sula Nalinn (born 1 January 2010). The family resides in the Hammalukka borough of Hederhelm, and Sula has been reported to be fluent in the Reshan and Velkanian languages.

### Legal troubles

Valu first got into trouble with the law in 1986, after she was caught vandalizing a public building with her boyfriend at the time, Lalersk. The two were arrested but let off the hook with a warning. Her legal troubles returned in the late-1990s. In 1999, she was arrested for disorderly conduct after getting into a drunken argument with an unknown woman at a Hederhelm nightclub. She was released on bail and paid a fine of $100. In 2000, she was arrested once again for disorderly conduct and was put on probation and forced to pay a fine of $500. The following year, she was arrested for shoplifting $200 worth of goods from a clothing boutique. She served two weeks in a Hederhelm jail, and was fined $2,000.

Amongst her legal troubles in the late-1990s and early-2000s, it was also heavily rumored that Valu was suffering from a cocaine addiction, introduced to her by her ex-husband Lalersk. Although never confirming the rumors, Valu confirmed that she went to rehab in the year 2004, and successfully completed treatment for drug addiction.