He was in his prime as film-actor in the 1950s and 60s, most famously playing Captain Kariluoto in an Edvin Laine film The Unknown Soldier.

[2] Ranin has also acted extensively as a voice-over artist in children's audio books, cartoons and TV shows.

He became known as the voice of the horse Histamiini, performed in puppet theatre style programming and based on the children's books by Raili Mikkanen.

Ranin was also a voice actor in various animated films and series, including Doc in Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs and Maurice in Beauty and The Beast.

Ranin also had long running television roles as Pentti Karvala in the hospital drama Ihmeiden tekijät and as Kaarlo Kares on the soap opera Kotikatu.