Linda Lampenius, also known as Linda Brava, was born February 26, 1970, in Helsinki, Finland. At the tender age of three, she entered "music kindergarten," and was playing the violin by age five. At eight, she began touring, first with the Helsinki Junior Strings, with whom she visited the United States and Canada. For the next 15 years she toured as a member and concertmaster in many orchestras from Japan, Scandinavia and Great Britain.

Though on the move, young Linda did not fail to hone her craft. In 1987, she began to study in the youth department of Sibelius Academy -- named after Finland's most famous composer -- and in 1990 she graduated into the Academy itself. Between 1994 and 1996, Linda Lampenius played in the Finnish National Opera's orchestra, and was a soloist in various orchestras throughout Scandinavia.

branching out

In 1996, Linda decided to try her hand at something new: modeling. From 1996 to 1998, she was the model for Björn Borg underwear and swimsuits. In her new job, she garnered exposure in print ads and at fashion shows, in which she would strut down the catwalk while playing music from her first album, the self-titled Linda Lampenius, a pop CD released in 1997. Meanwhile, in 1996, Linda had even been elected to the Helsinki city council.

Linda, whose mother is an actress, next gave acting a shot. She made appearances on Finnish television shows such as Kadonnut Näky and Uuno Turhapuro, playing a violinist. A subsequent appearance on the British TV show Eurotrash happened to catch the eye of none other than Andrew Lloyd Webber; after doing his homework on the foxy Finn, Webber invited Linda to play the solo violin in the Metal Philharmonic in the summer of 1997.

Also in 1997, Linda made her American television debut on the series Fame L.A.. She played, predictably, a beautiful Swedish violinist, Ilse, whose broken English is the basis for much misunderstanding. Starting that same year, Linda released her own brand of Finnish cider, which was a big sales success.

linda the sex kitten

While in Los Angeles, Linda met photographer Alison Reynolds, who soon introduced Linda to her close friend Hugh Hefner. Hef was impressed, and Linda got to pose for the feature and cover of the April 1998 "Sex & Music" issue of the iconic magazine. Linda Lampenius was "blown away" by the courtesy and professionalism of veteran Play..boy photographer Arny Freytag and his team.

When Linda played the Play..boy Mansion at Hef's 1998 New Year's bash, she caught the attention of Doug Schwartz, one of the producers of Baywatch. In 1999, Linda guest-starred on the legendary show, taking on the role of Ariana, a beautiful violinist held captive on a yacht. Music from the aforementioned Linda Lampenius album was even featured in the episode.

bravo, linda!

Naturally, Linda Lampenius' music has always remained important. Between gigs in America, Linda managed to record a new CD, Linda Brava, for worldwide release in 1999, and played concerts for many members of European royalty, including Princess Victoria of Sweden. In 2002, after much deliberation, Linda Lampenius moved to Stockholm, Sweden, and was deemed the Tourism Ambassador of Finland in Sweden.

  Kymmenen riivinrautaa (2002) (as Linda Lampenius) .... Linda
... aka The Ten Shrews (USA: DVD title)
"Kultajukka & kumppanit" (2000) TV Series (as Linda Lampenius)

"Baywatch"
... aka Baywatch Hawai'i (USA: new title)
... aka Baywatch Hawaii (USA: new title)
- Water Dance (1999) TV Episode .... Ariana
"Fame L.A."
- Reality Check (1997) TV Episode .... Dagmar
"Kadonnut näky" (1997) (mini) TV Series

Pohjantähti (1973) (as Linda Lampenius)
Akseli ja Elina (1970) (uncredited) .... A baby in arms