Reino Tolvanen(1920-1974)

Reino Tolvanen was born 31st July 1920 in Viipuri as son of city gardener. He did follow his father's steps and studied botany and graduated as research agronomist. Tolvanen was also an amateur actor and as fluent speaker of Karelian dialect he was chosen to play Rokka in Edvin Laine's The Unknown Soldier (1955). This was his only major film role and to seek employment in his actual profession, in 1959 he migrated to Australia. His three sons with his wife Kaija were all born in Australia. As he was still having trouble to find work in his own field also in Australia, in 1970 he and his family moved to South Africa, where Reino Tolvanen had found a vacancy in Pretoria at Ministry of Agriculture. Monday November 18th 1974 he got brain hemorrhage at home and he was transported to a hospital. in Thursday 21st November he then got another massive stroke, that proved to be lethal. He was buried to the family grave in Lappeenranta, Finland.