Laura Malmivaara

(born 26 October 1973) is a Finnish actress. Her acting career began in 1993 and includes dozens of roles in film and television productions, as well as stage appearances. In addition to acting, she has also worked as a singer, photographer, television host, blogger, and model.

Early life and education Laura Pauliina Malmivaara was born on 26 October 1973 into a clerical family in (now Kajaani), Finland.

Before pursuing acting, she worked as a model in her youth. After graduating from the in 1992, she lived and worked as a model in Athens, Greece, for a period of time.

In 2002, Malmivaara graduated from the Helsinki Theatre Academy. She also studied photography at the School of Arts, Design and Architecture in Helsinki and theology at the University of Helsinki.

Career Acting Screen Malmivaara made her acting debut in the 1993 film and has since appeared in dozens of Finnish film and television productions. Among her best-known roles are in the films Restless (2002), Lovers & Leavers (2002), Vares: Private Eye (2004) and FC Venus (2005). For her performance in FC Venus, she was nominated for the at Jussi Awards in 2006. Malmivaara is also well-known for her role in the drama television series Kotikatu, in which she played the priest Tuija Kangasharju from 2002 to 2012.

In addition to her roles in Finnish productions, Malmivaara has also played lead roles in two Italian films written and directed by : (2002) and (2008). She also appeared in the 2006 Swedish comedy film , written and directed by Rafael Edholm.

In 2025 she played the lead role in hit yle comedy drama series Queen of Fucking Everything, created, written, and directed by Tiina Lymi, for which she won the Lead Actor of the Year award in the Golden Venlas.

Stage Malmivaara was a founding member of the theatre group , which was active from 2004 to 2008. Since 2008, she has been affiliated with KOM-teatteri, located in Helsinki.

Music Malmivaara's debut album, , was released in 2005 by Elements Music. The ten-track album features pop songs, and both before and after its release, the singles "Nukkumaan" and "Myytävänä elämä" were released in 2005 and 2006, respectively. "Nukkumaan" peaked at number seventeen on the Official Finnish Singles Chart, while "Myytävänä elämä" did not chart. Before her recording career, Malmivaara performed the song "Daa da daa da" with other actors in the film Restless and wrote and performed the song "Sadepilvet" for the film Lovers & Leavers.

Photography In addition to her film acting career, Malmivaara has worked as a still photographer for several films. Moreover, three exhibitions featuring her photographic works have been held: Mikä minusta tulee isona (2004), Lauran matkakuvia: Tukholma (2012, 2013) and Taiteilijakuvia (2015).

Non-fiction television Malmivaara has hosted two television programs. She hosted Peili, a show based on a board game, which ran for two seasons and aired on MTV3 AVA from 2009 to 2010. From 2012 to 2013, Malmivaara hosted the travel series , which also ran for two seasons on Liv. In each episode of the series, she travelled to Stockholm, Sweden, with an alternating celebrity guest.

In 2017, Malmivaara participated in the tenth season of Tanssii tähtien kanssa, the Finnish version of Dancing with the Stars, with dancer as her partner.

Blogging Malmivaara frequently blogged for the women's magazine , published by Bonnier Publications Oy from 2010 to 2013.

Personal life Malmivaara's younger brother, Olli, is a former professional ice hockey player, and actress and singer Malla Malmivaara (also born Laura Malmivaara) is her second cousin.

Malmivaara has two daughters, born in 2004 and 2006, with director Aku Louhimies, to whom she was married from 2003 to 2012.

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1993 (Harjunpää ja kiusantekijät) Model 1993 (Romanovin kivet) Girl at the party 2000 Restless (Levottomat) Tiina Also performed the song "Daa da daa da" with other actors 2002 Lovers & Leavers (Kuutamolla) Laura Also wrote and performed the song "Sadepilvet" 2002 Màrja 2003 Young Gods (Hymypoika) Helena Pääkkönen 2004 Vares: Private Eye (Vares – yksityisetsivä) Eeva Sunila 2004 Uuno Turhapuro – This Is My Life Television show judge 2005 Frozen Land (Paha maa) Social worker 2005 FC Venus Carita 2006 (Babas bilar) Elena 2006 Man Exposed (Riisuttu mies) Vilma 2008 (Myrsky) Mother 2008 Woman Short film 2008 (Il prossimo tuo) Eeva 2009 The Hour of Prayer (Rukoushetki) Narrator Short film 2011 (Ella & Aleksi – Yllätyssynttärit) Hely Huuhkaja Animated film (voice role) 2013 Open Up to Me (Kerron sinulle kaiken) Women's shelter's director 2013 Tiina Also co-wrote the film 2014 (Lomasankarit) Annika Oksala 2015 (Ollaan vapaita) Party hostess 2016 Ricky Rapper and the Nighthawk (Risto Räppääjä ja yöhaukka) Klaudia Kämäräinen 2016 (Teit meistä kauniin) Mervi Wirtanen 2017 The Darkness Moment (Pimein hetki) Elina Short film 2021 Omerta 6/12 Iiris Huovinen-Lång

Television

Still photography Year Title Notes 1997 The Blind Spot (Sokea piste) Feature film 2000 Restless (Levottomat) Feature film 2003 Television series 2006 Frozen City (Valkoinen kaupunki) Feature film 2006 Man Exposed (Riisuttu mies) Feature film 2008 Tears of April (Käsky) Feature film 2012 Hush (Ja saapuu oikea yö) Feature film 2017 Feature film

Discography Albums (2005)

Singles "Nukkumaan" (2005) – peaked at #17 on the Official Finnish Singles Chart "Myytävänä elämä" (2006)

Photography exhibitions Mikä minusta tulee isona (2004) Lauran matkakuvia: Tukholma (2012, 2013) Taiteilijakuvia (2015)