Kaurismaki's Star Markku Peltola dies at 51

Finnish actor Markku Peltola died Monday at age 51. Peltola was best known for his role in Aki Kaurismaki's The Man Without a Past (2002), the story of a down-and-out amnesiac who slowly rebuilds his life by moving into an industrial container with "sea view" and wooing a reluctant soup kitchen volunteer. Peltola's understated performance is both hilarious and heartbreaking. The Man Without a Past won the Grand Prix at the Cannes film festival and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film.

Peltola also appeared in Kaurismaki's Juha (1999) and Drifting Clouds (1996), as well as over 30 film and television roles. He died at his home near Tampere in central Finland. He had suffered from ill health for some time, Finnish media reported.