SINGER

Olavi Virta

1915 - 1972

Photo of Olavi Virta

Icon of person Olavi Virta

Olavi Virta (originally until 1926 Oskari Olavi Ilmén; 27 February 1915 – 14 July 1972) was a Finnish singer, acclaimed during his time as the "King" of Finnish tango. Between 1939 and 1966 he recorded almost 600 songs, many of which are classics of Finnish popular music, and appeared in many films and theatrical productions. Of his most acclaimed tangos are Punatukkaiselle tytölleni ("For My Red Haired Girl"), Ennen kuolemaa ("Before Death"; French: Avant de Mourir) and Täysikuu ("Full Moon"), while standouts from his other popular songs are Poika varjoisalta kujalta ("Boy From a Shady Alley"; Italian: Guaglione), Hopeinen kuu ("Silver Moon"; Italian: Guarda Che Luna), Eva and Kultainen nuoruus ("The Golden Youth"). He was also the second tenor of the quartet Kipparikvartetti in the early 1950s. Read more on Wikipedia

His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. Olavi Virta is the 1,586th most popular singer (down from 1,375th in 2019), the 351st most popular biography from Finland (down from 290th in 2019) and the 13th most popular Finnish Singer.

Memorability Metrics

Loading...

Page views of Olavi Virta by language

Loading...

Among SINGERS

Among singers, Olavi Virta ranks 1,586 out of 4,381. Before him are Chris Roberts, Havoc, Ricardo Montaner, Joe Arroyo, Leonard Warren, and Bob Benny. After him are Paola del Medico, Mark Owen, Eleonore Schwarz, Lolita Milyavskaya, François Deguelt, and Katie Melua.

Most Popular Singers in Wikipedia

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Contemporaries

Among people born in 1915, Olavi Virta ranks 232. Before him are Ray Evans, Aníbal Ciocca, Hellmuth Marx, Jan Twardowski, Lamberto Gardelli, and Anna Schwartz. After him are Barnard Hughes, Billy Strayhorn, Norman Cousins, Nicholas Metropolis, Cornelius Warmerdam, and Lester del Rey. Among people deceased in 1972, Olavi Virta ranks 218. Before him are Per Bertilsson, Frederico Paredes, Sidney Franklin, Carlos Cillóniz, John Grierson, and Hana Mašková. After him are Herbert Hübner, Gejus van der Meulen, Andreas Cervin, Werner Klingler, Boris Livanov, and Henry Dreyfuss.

Others Born in 1915

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Others Deceased in 1972

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

In Finland

Among people born in Finland, Olavi Virta ranks 351 out of 751. Before him are Lauri Ylönen (1979), Darude (1975), Viljo Heino (1914), Pentti Linnosvuo (1933), Paavo Väyrynen (1946), and Sirkka Polkunen (1927). After him are Pentti Hämäläinen (1929), Eeva-Liisa Manner (1921), Arvo Haavisto (1900), Mikko Kozarowitzky (1948), Kaarlo Kangasniemi (1941), and Klaes Karppinen (1907).

Others born in Finland

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Among SINGERS In Finland

Among singers born in Finland, Olavi Virta ranks 13. Before him are Katri Helena (1945), Lasse Mårtenson (1934), Timo Kotipelto (1969), Laila Kinnunen (1939), Kirka (1950), and Lauri Ylönen (1979). After him are Käärijä (1993), Fredi (1942), Tony Kakko (1975), Karita Mattila (1960), Seija Simola (1944), and Linde Lindström (1976).

Finnish born Singers

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous