Finnish actress Seela Sella, known as the Finnish voice of several classic Disney characters, died on Monday, September 28, at the age of 89. Her death was reportedly confirmed to news agency STT by the Digital and Population Data Services Agency. No cause of death was revealed, but she had been diagnosed with throat cancer last spring.
Career and final projects
Sella enjoyed a career spanning more than six decades across theatre, film, television, radio, and animation. She voiced the evil stepmother in Cinderella, Grandmother Fa in Mulan and its sequel, and the witch in Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.
Despite her diagnosis, she continued to work, returning to the stage in August for the Tampere Theatre Festival production of Love Letters. She also worked on the play Rakkauskirjeitä at the same festival, but later performances were taken over by Sinikka Sokka after she had to cancel. She was readmitted to hospital at the end of August this year. Her last big-screen outing, Teräsleidit - kuin viimeistä päivää, was released in 2025.
Book release and reflections on death
On September 22, less than a week before her death, she released the book Keskusteluja hyvästä elämästä, which she penned with Jarkko Martikainen. The book features conversations between the two Finnish artists about life, survival, and humanity, including her thoughts on death.
In it, she described her funeral as "Seela's last premiere" and said everyone should be welcome to attend. However, she also stated: "I like life so much that I have no wish for death."
Awards and honours
Throughout her career, Sella won several of Finland's highest cultural honours and acting accolades. These included winning the Jussi Award, Finland's equivalent of the Oscars, for Best Supporting Actress twice: first in 1985 for Calamari Union and again in 2007 for her role as Elsa Aarni in The Leaning Tower (Kalteva torni). She won the Venla Award, Finland's equivalent to the Emmys, in 2001 for portraying Sylvi Kekkonen in the TV film Sylvin kamari.
In 1993 she was awarded the Pro Finlandia Medal, one of Finland's highest orders given to artists and writers. In 2023 she was named Commander of the Order of the Lion of Finland, a major state honour reflecting her enduring contribution to Finnish society.
Tributes from fans
Tributes flooded in for the star as fans learnt the sad news. On Instagram one fan penned: "Rest in peace Seela Sella. You were one of the best Finnish voice actors. You were one of my favorites. Thank you for the childhood memories you gave me."
Another added on Facebook: "This is a big loss for the movie scene of Finland, not just for the voice acting roles. She was an absolute legend in the field and will be greatly missed by the Finns."
A third chimed in: "She was a legend in Finland. She wasn't just a voice actor. She was in many Finnish movies, TV shows and performed in theatre. R.I.P Seela. You're truly missed."
Meanwhile, a fourth shared: "RIP queen. You carried me through my childhood, teenage years, and now, I'm an adult who still ain't got his s**t together, but the point is I'm gonna miss her voice acting."
