Helsinki - Finnish actor Markku Peltola, internationally best known for his role in director Aki Kaurismaki's 2002 movie The Man Without a Past, died early Monday, aged 51. Kaurismaki's film won the Grand Prix at the Cannes film festival in 2002. Peltola also had supporting parts in Kaurismaki's 1999 movie Juha and Drifting Clouds from 1996.
Peltola died at his home near Tampere, central Finland. He had suffered from ill health for some time, Finnish media reported.
Born 1956 in Helsinki, Peltola was the son of a taxi driver. After middle school he went into acting.
The late actor was also a director and a musician, and played guitar in a band. He also co-founded the theatre restaurant Telakka in Tampere in 1996.
In October 2007 he directed a play called Activist at Telakka.
A recent movie was a small part in the film Jade Warrior from 2006.
His last film role was in an Estonian movie I Was Here, due to premiere in September 2008 in Estonia.
