Marjo-Riikka Mäkelä (born 7 May 1971)[2] is a Finnish stage and independent film actress, director, acting coach, and the founder of Los Angeles–based acting studio Chekhov Studio International.
[3] Much of Mäkelä's mention in Finnish media is associated with Michael Chekhov acting technique.
[4] In Europe, Mäkelä hosted Finnish television series Kulttuuri Putiikki from 1994 to 1996.
She trained at the Russian Academy of Theatre Arts (GITIS)[5] and emigrated to the United States and resumed her stage career as Candy in the stage adaptation of The Cider House Rules[6] and as the title character in Euripides' "Medea".
Using it often in her own work, she has also become a coach of the technique, particularly in Los Angeles, Helsinki, and São Paulo.