Pihla Viitala

Actor · Director

Helsinki, Finland

September 30, 1982

Biography

She studied acting at the Helsinki Theatre Academy and began her career in the late 2000s with feature films such as Ganes (2007) and Tears of April (Käsky, 2008). In 2010, she was named one of Europe's Shooting Stars at the Berlin International Film Festival. She subsequently developed an international career, notably appearing in the American fantasy action film Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013) and the Italian comedy-drama Latin Lover (2015). On television, she achieved widespread international recognition for her leading role as Detective Sofia Karppi in the crime drama series Deadwind (Karppi, 2018–2021), a performance that earned her the Kultainen Venla Award for Best Actress. She has also featured in the drama series Arctic Circle (Ivalo) and Cold Courage (2020). In cinema, she portrayed the title role in the historical drama Maria's Paradise (Marian paratiisi, 2019).