Erkki Olavi "Ere" Kokkonen was a Finnish film director and screenwriter born on July 7, 1938, in Savonlinna. He collaborated with Spede Pasanen throughout the 1960s until Pasanen's death, serving as director, writer, and actor.
Kokkonen's feature film debut was Millipilleri in 1966, co-directed with Pasanen and Jukka Virtanen. In later decades, he scripted and directed the Vääpeli Körmy film series and adapted Arto Paasilinna's books, including The Ten Graters and A Charming Mass Suicide.
Throughout his career, Kokkonen worked for both YLE and MTV3, serving as entertainment director from 1974 to 1984. He founded the Comedy Theater Arena in 1995, where he held various roles, including artistic director, director, and screenwriter.
Kokkonen's personal life included a marriage to Anna-Maija Kokkonen, who is the CEO of Arena, and a daughter, Kiti Kokkonen, an actress, with his ex-wife Titta Jokinen.
In 1991, Kokkonen established a film production company, Ere Kokkonen Oy, which remains active. He wrote his memoirs, titled Memories Return in Fragments, in 2007.
Kokkonen passed away at the age of 70 in 2008 after a prolonged illness, leaving behind a legacy in the Finnish film industry.
