Masa Niemi
| Masa Niemi | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born |
Martti Elis Niemi 20 July 1914 Viipuri, Finland |
| Died | 3 May 1960 (aged 45) Tampere, Finland |
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.
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, after frustration because of lack of roles. He took an overdose of sleeping pills and died of intoxication. He left a suicide note 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 disturbance of mental health and alcoholism.
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 made two more Pekka Puupää films, with Jaakko Kallio playing Pätkä.
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