Åke Leonard Lindman (born Åke Leonard Järvinen; 11 January 1928 – 3 March 2009) was a Finnish director and actor. In his youth Lindman was a football player, playing defence for the Finnish national team during the Olympics in Helsinki 1952. He represented the football club HIFK in the Finnish league where he played 81 games and scored 9 goals, he also played in second division for 8 seasons. In the 1960s, the British English Football League club Swindon Town F.C. wanted to sign him, but he turned them down to focus on his acting career. Åke Lindman's breakthrough as an actor came with his role as the stubborn soldier Lehto in the Edvin Laine filmThe Unknown Soldier in 1955. Later, he would also achieve fame as captain Torsten Jansson in the Swedish soap opera Rederiet. Lindman also found success as the director of, amongst others, the television series Stormskärs Maja and the film Framom främsta linjen, a movie about the Finland-Swedish infantry regiment 61 during the defence of the Karelian Isthmus in 1944. His final film was the war film Tali-Ihantala 1944. Lindman won two Jussi Awards, one for Best Director in 1988 and a Lifetime Achievement award in 2008. Personal life Lindman was born in Helsinki and grew up in a working class Vallila neighbourhood. His father was a truck driver. His brother Tor, who also became a footballer, was born in 1930. In 1932, his father Väinö Järvinen died from pneumonia, and some years later his mother Edit remarried to Gösta Lindman. Lindman was already an adult when he was legally adopted and changed his surname to his step-fathers. Filmography (selection) Actor 1949: Hornankoski – Artturi Yli-Koskela 1950: Tanssi yli hautojen – Suomalainen upseeri 1950: Hallin Janne – Vallankumoukseen yllyttävä vanki Siperiassa 1952: Suomalaistyttöjä Tukholmassa – Erik 1952: The White Reindeer – forest ranger 1952: Yö on pitkä – Åke Strandberg 1953: Varsovan laulu – Captain 1953: Pekka Puupää – Petteri, the criminal (uncredited) 1953: We Come During Spring – Kymppi, lumberjack boss 1954: Kovanaama – Prisoner #2 1954: Niskavuoren Aarne – Steward 1954: Pekka ja Pätkä lumimiehen jäljillä – Riku Sundman 1955: Kiinni on ja pysyy – Arpi 1955: Kukonlaulusta kukonlauluun – Eino Kustaala 1955: Rakkaus kahleissa – Pertti Kuusi 1955: Viettelysten tie – Martti 1955: The Unknown Soldier – Lehto 1956: Silja – nuorena nukkunut – Valkoisten komppanianpäällikkö 1956: Olet mennyt minun vereeni – Erkki,