Kari Heiskanen is a prolific Finnish actor with over 70 credited roles since his debut in 1978 upon graduating from the Finnish Theater School. He has also acted in, written and directed several plays, now regarded as one of the pillars of the Helsinki City Theater. Originally focusing on television, he first became well-known for the TV series 'Velipuolikuu' in 1983 and remained a fixture of popular Finnish television series for the remainder of the decade before establishing a greater presence in leading cinematic roles. In 1991 Heiskanen received the State Prize for Cinema and later the Pro Finlandia Medal in 2008.