Laura Malmivaara

Biography

Laura Pauliina 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 Kajaanin maalaiskunta (now Kajaani), Finland. Before pursuing acting, she worked as a model in her youth. After graduating from the Sibelius Upper Secondary School 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 Harjunpää and the Persecutors 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 Best Supporting Actress Award at the 60th 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 Anne Riitta Ciccone: L'amore di Màrja (2002) and Thy Neighbor (2008). She also appeared in the 2006 Swedish comedy film Baba's Cars, 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 Akseli Ensemble, which was active from 2004 to 2008. Since 2008, she has been affiliated with KOM-teatteri, located in Helsinki.

=== Music === Malmivaara's debut album, Myytävänä elämä, 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).