Biography

Toivo Jalmari Särkkä (20 November 1890, Mikkeli – 9 February 1975, Helsinki), born Toivo Hjalmar Silén, was a Finnish film producer and director. Before his career in filmmaking, Särkkä worked as a bank manager and chairman in Kotimainen Työ, an organization promoting Finnish work and products. After the death of Erkki Karu, founder and owner of Suomen Filmiteollisuus, Särkkä became the CEO thus producing 233 and directing 49 feature films. In 1965, when Finnish film industry was in difficulties due to the coming of television, Särkkä initiated bankruptcy of Suomen Filmiteollisuus. He was CEO of the production company Suomen Filmiteollisuus. Särkkä married Russian-Lithuanian Margariitta Beljavsky in 1914. They had one daughter. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia