The Most Famous
FILM DIRECTORS from Finland
This page contains a list of the greatest Finnish Film Directors. The pantheon dataset contains 1,581 Film Directors, 6 of which were born in Finland. This makes Finland the birth place of the 39th most number of Film Directors behind Pakistan and Norway.
Top 6
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Finnish Film Directors of all time. This list of famous Finnish Film Directors is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.
1. Aki Kaurismäki (1957 - )
With an HPI of 63.25, Aki Kaurismäki is the most famous Finnish Film Director. His biography has been translated into 46 different languages on wikipedia.
Aki Olavi Kaurismäki (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈɑki ˈkɑu̯rismæki] ; born 4 April 1957) is a Finnish film director and screenwriter. He is best known for the award-winning Drifting Clouds (1996), The Man Without a Past (2002), Le Havre (2011), The Other Side of Hope (2017) and Fallen Leaves (2023), as well as Leningrad Cowboys Go America (1989). He has been described as Finland's best-known film director.
2. Mauritz Stiller (1883 - 1928)
With an HPI of 58.73, Mauritz Stiller is the 2nd most famous Finnish Film Director. His biography has been translated into 26 different languages.
Mauritz Stiller (born Moshe Stiller, 17 July 1883 – 18 November 1928) was a Finnish film director of Jewish origin, best known for discovering Greta Garbo and bringing her to America. Stiller had been a pioneer of the Swedish film industry, writing and directing many short films from 1912. When Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer invited him to Hollywood as a director, he arrived with his new discovery Greta Gustafsson, whose screen name Greta Garbo is believed to have been his suggestion. After frequent disagreements with studio executives at MGM and Paramount Pictures, Stiller returned to Sweden, where he died soon afterwards.
3. Renny Harlin (1959 - )
With an HPI of 54.20, Renny Harlin is the 3rd most famous Finnish Film Director. His biography has been translated into 32 different languages.
Renny Harlin (born Renny Lauri Mauritz Harjola; 15 March 1959) is a Finnish film director, producer, and screenwriter who has worked in Hollywood, Europe, and China. His best-known films include A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master, The Adventures of Ford Fairlane, Die Hard 2, Cliffhanger, The Long Kiss Goodnight, and Deep Blue Sea. Harlin's films have grossed over $520 million in the United States and over $1.2 billion in the worldwide aggregate box office, making him the 151st highest-grossing director in the global film market as of October 2022, and the most internationally successful Finnish filmmaker in terms of revenue.
4. Mika Kaurismäki (1955 - )
With an HPI of 52.10, Mika Kaurismäki is the 4th most famous Finnish Film Director. His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.
Mika Juhani Kaurismäki (Finnish: [ˈmikɑ ˈkɑu̯rismæki]; born 21 September 1955) is a Finnish film director.
5. Jörn Donner (1933 - 2020)
With an HPI of 51.47, Jörn Donner is the 5th most famous Finnish Film Director. Her biography has been translated into 21 different languages.
Jörn Johan Donner (5 February 1933 – 30 January 2020) was a Finnish writer, film director, actor, producer, politician and founder of Finnish Film Archive.
6. Matti Kassila (1924 - 2018)
With an HPI of 40.50, Matti Kassila is the 6th most famous Finnish Film Director. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
Matti Kassila (12 January 1924 – 13 December 2018) was a Finnish film director who achieved fame as one of the most prominent Finnish filmmakers in the 1950s and 1960s. He is most famous for the series of four Inspector Palmu movies, based on the character created by Mika Waltari. During his long career, he won seven Jussi Awards, including a concrete Jussi for lifetime achievement, and received numerous other commendations. His 1959 film Punainen viiva was entered into the 1st Moscow International Film Festival. He was also one of the screenwriters for the 1968 film Here, Beneath the North Star, directed by Edvin Laine.
Pantheon has 6 people classified as film directors born between 1883 and 1959. Of these 6, 3 (50.00%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living film directors include Aki Kaurismäki, Renny Harlin, and Mika Kaurismäki. The most famous deceased film directors include Mauritz Stiller, Jörn Donner, and Matti Kassila. As of April 2022, 1 new film directors have been added to Pantheon including Matti Kassila.
Living Film Directors
Go to all Rankings
Aki Kaurismäki
1957 - Present
HPI: 63.25
Renny Harlin
1959 - Present
HPI: 54.20
Mika Kaurismäki
1955 - Present
HPI: 52.10
Deceased Film Directors
Go to all RankingsMauritz Stiller
1883 - 1928
HPI: 58.73
Jörn Donner
1933 - 2020
HPI: 51.47
Matti Kassila
1924 - 2018
HPI: 40.50
