Career
In addition to his acting career, he writes a regular column for the Finnish newspaper Iltalehti and does voiceovers. Together they have 5 children. On 30 December 2006, the car Lignell and his mother were travelling in was hit in Ekenäs by a drunk driver who blew 2.41‰ on a breathalyzer test.
After being cut out of the car he was driving, Lignell was whisked away to Töölö Hospital in Helsinki for surgery along with the drunk driver.
Lignell was then put in the Intensive Care Unit to recover from a skull fracture and cerebral hemorrhage. Lignell hosts the Finnish version of Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? quiz show.