Savonlinna, Finland | 1938-07-07 | 2008-10-16

Erkki Olavi "Ere" Kokkonen (7 July 1938 – 16 October 2008), born in Savonlinna, was a Finnish film director and screenwriter. He worked closely with Spede Pasanen all the way from the 1960s until Spede's death, as a director, writer and also an actor. Kokkonen's feature film debut was Millipilleri (1966), co-directed with Spede Pasanen and Jukka Virtanen. In later decades, when Turhapuro films were made less frequently, Kokkonen scripted and directed the Vääpeli Körmy series of films His career as a director also includes filming of Arto Paasilinna's books, including The Ten Graters and A Charming Mass Suicide. Kokkonen worked for both YLE and MTV3, where he served as entertainment director from 1974 to 1984. Kokkonen was the founder of the Comedy Theater Arena in 1995. He was the theatre's artistic director, director and screenwriter for most of the theater's performances. His wife Anna-Maija Kokkonen is the CEO of Arena. With his ex-wife Titta Jokinen, Kokkonen has daughter Kiti Kokkonen who is an actress. In 1991 Ere Kokkonen founded a film production company, Ere Kokkonen Oy, which is still working. In 2007 he wrote his memoirs, titled Memories return in Fragments. Kokkonen died at the age of 70 in 2008 after a prolonged illness.