Masa Niemi
Martti "Masa" Elis Niemi (20 July 1914 – 3 May 1960) was a Finnish actor. Niemi started his career as a drummer, but became popular as a comedian. He is most famous for his role as "Pätkä" (in English: Stub) in all thirteen original "Pekka ja Pätkä" movies, with Esa Pakarinen as Pekka Puupää, Pätkä's best friend. Life. Niemi was born in Viipuri. His films include "Majuri maantieltä". Masa Niemi's signature phrase in his role as Pätkä was "I know it's none of my business, but..." He committed suicide in Tampere from an overdose of sleeping  pills, after frustration because of lack of roles. He left a suicide note on the back of a receipt from a café, written in verse form saying: ""Hyvä on olla, kun on nolla. Hyvästi. -T. Masa"" ("Life is a lull / when you're a null. Good bye, Masa.") Some people suppose his death could have been an accident. Masa Niemi suffered from severe stage fright, disturbance of mental health and alcoholism. His alcoholism increased over time, and he eventually had to undergo rehabilitation. Masa Niemi was only 154 cm tall (about 5 feet ½ inch), but he is said to  have drunk at least a bottle and a half of Koskenkorva hard liquor every day. By careful examination of the films, several scenes can be spotted where Niemi was drunk on set. A few years after Niemi's death, there was an attempt to search for a new Pätkä to accompany Pekka. The producer even had a new script ready. The attempt was cancelled because they could not find a suitable replacement. After a couple of decades, Visa Mäkinen played Pekka in two more Pekka Puupää films, with Jaakko Kallio playing Pätkä.