With a career of over 60 years at the film studio Suomi-Filmi, he rose to be head of production and chief director in the 1930s.

In the years 1933–43, Orko directed many films, including two (Aktivistit and Jääkärin morsian), which were banned for being "overly patriotic".

He had a joint cooperation with the German film industry during World War II.

Orko also directed a Finnish-Soviet co-production, released into the American market with subtitles, entitled The Day the Earth Froze in 1959.

His death in Helsinki, aged 102, was received with great sadness in his native Finland; thereafter he became known as the "last Finnish Film Tycoon".