Eili Sild (born 26 October 1942) is an
Estonia
Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...
n stage, film, television and radio actress whose career began on the theatre stage in the early 1960s and has spanned over fifty years.
Early life and education
Eili Sild was born in
Tallinn
Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju ' ...
. She attended the Tallinn 7th Secondary School (now, the
Tallinn English College
Tallinn English College ( et, Tallinna Inglise Kolledž) is a co-educational general education school in Tallinn, Estonia with in depth education in the English language. It has elementary, middle and senior levels with students aged from 7 to 1 ...
), graduating in 1961. In 1963, she graduated from the Tallinn Feature and Newsreel Film Studio (now,
Tallinnfilm
Tallinnfilm is the oldest surviving film studio in Estonia. It was founded as Estonian Culture Film in 1931, and was nationalized in 1940 after Estonia was forced into the Soviet Union. During the first year of Soviet Occupation (1940–1941) ...
) and afterwards studied acting at the Lunacharsky State Institute for Theatre Arts (GITIS) (now, the
Russian Academy of Theatre Arts
The Russian Institute of Theatre Arts (GITIS) (russian: Российский институт театрального искусства – ГИТИС) is the largest and oldest independent theatrical arts school in Russia. Located in Moscow, ...
) in
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
, where she graduated in 1976.
Stage career
In 1963, shortly after graduating from the Tallinn Feature and Newsreel Film Studio, Sild began an engagement as an actress at the
Ugala
Ugala is a theatre in Viljandi, Estonia.
The theatre was founded in 1920 opening on January 10 of that year. The first production was Oscar Wilde's " Salome".
Ugala's Artistic Directors
*1925 - 1926: Andres Särev
*1926 – 1928: Eduard Le ...
theatre in
Viljandi
Viljandi (, german: Fellin, sv, Fellin) is a town and municipality in southern Estonia with a population of 17,407 in 2019. It is the capital of Viljandi County and is geographically located between two major Estonian cities, Pärnu and Tartu ...
. She would remain an actress with the Ugala (with some intermissions) until 1980. Afterward, she joined the
Vanalinnastuudio
Vanalinnastuudio (literally 'Old Town Studio') was a theatre in Tallinn, Estonia.
The theatre was established in 1980. At the beginning, it operated at Estonian State Philharmony (nowadays Eesti Kontsert). The founder and artistical leader was Ein ...
theatre (Old Town Studio theatre) in Tallinn in 1980, leaving in 1996 and becoming a freelance actress.
Notable performances during her years onstage as a theatre actress include those in works by such varied authors and playwrights as:
Rainis
Rainis was the pseudonym of Jānis Pliekšāns (September 11, 1865 – September 12, 1929), a Latvian poet, playwright, translator, and politician. Rainis' works include the classic plays ''Uguns un nakts'' (''Fire and Night'', 1905) and ''Ind ...
, Venta Vīgante, Boris Kabur, Gunnars Priede,
Oskar Luts
Oskar Luts ( – 23 March 1953) was an Estonian writer and playwright.
Biography
Oskar Luts was born into a middle-class family in Järvepera, central Estonia, at that time in the governorate of Livonia (Russian Empire). His younger brother was ...
,
Eduard Vilde
Eduard Vilde ( – 26 December 1933) was an Estonian writer, a pioneer of critical realism in Estonian literature, and a diplomat. Author of classics such as ''The War in Mahtra'' and ''The Milkman from Mäeküla''. He was one of the most revere ...
, Aldo Nicolaj,
Erskine Caldwell
Erskine Preston Caldwell (December 17, 1903 – April 11, 1987) was an American novelist and short story writer. His writings about poverty, racism and social problems in his native Southern United States, in novels such as '' Tobacco Road'' (1 ...
,
Maxim Gorky
Alexei Maximovich Peshkov (russian: link=no, Алексе́й Макси́мович Пешко́в; – 18 June 1936), popularly known as Maxim Gorky (russian: Макси́м Го́рький, link=no), was a Russian writer and social ...
,
Astrid Lindgren
Astrid Anna Emilia Lindgren (; ; 14 November 1907 – 28 January 2002) was a Swedish writer of fiction and screenplays. She is best known for several children's book series, featuring Pippi Longstocking, Emil of Lönneberga, Karlsson-on- ...
,
August Jakobson
August Jakobson (2 September 1904 – 23 May 1963) was an Estonian writer and politician. He was one of the few Estonian playwright among his contemporaries whose plays were untouched by Soviet censorship and reached other Soviet states. He h ...
,
Ardi Liives,
Hella Wuolijoki
Hella Wuolijoki (née Ella Marie Murrik; 22 July 1886 – 2 February 1954), also known by the pen name Juhani Tervapää, was an Estonian-born Finnish writer known for her ''Niskavuori'' series.Wuolijoki, Hella. Eesti Entsüklopeedia 10. Estonian ...
,
Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky (, ; rus, Фёдор Михайлович Достоевский, Fyódor Mikháylovich Dostoyévskiy, p=ˈfʲɵdər mʲɪˈxajləvʲɪdʑ dəstɐˈjefskʲɪj, a=ru-Dostoevsky.ogg, links=yes; 11 November 18219 ...
,
Molière
Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (, ; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, , ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the French language and world ...
,
Henrik Ibsen
Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright and theatre director. As one of the founders of modernism in theatre, Ibsen is often referred to as "the father of realism" and one of the most influential playw ...
, and
Terence Rattigan
Sir Terence Mervyn Rattigan (10 June 191130 November 1977) was a British dramatist and screenwriter. He was one of England's most popular mid-20th-century dramatists. His plays are typically set in an upper-middle-class background.Geoffrey Wan ...
.
Sild has also performed onstage at many others theatres throughout Estonia, including the
Vanemuine
Vanemuine () is a theatre in Tartu, Estonia. It was the first Estonian language theatre.
History ''1870–1906 The Beginning of the Beginning. Koidula’s Theatre, Wiera’s Theatre.''
On June 24, 1870 was the first day in Estonian theatre ...
in Tartu, the
Tallinn City Theatre
Tallinn City Theatre ( et, Tallinna Linnateater) is a repertory theatre located in the medieval old town of Tallinn, Estonia. Tallinn City Theatre was established in 1965 as Estonian SSR State Youth Theatre. In 1992, after the reindependence of ...
and the Vana Baskini Teater (Old
oman
Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...
Baskin's Theatre).
Television and radio career
Eili Sild's first prominent television appearance was the character Mari in the 1965 feature-length Ants Kivirähk and
Valdur Himbek
Valdur Himbek (31 July 1925 Tallinn – 4 April 1991 Tallinn) was an Estonian film director and actor.
In 1949 he graduated from Estonian State Theatre Institute. From 1950 to 1955 he was expelled to a prison camp in Magadan Oblast. From 1955 to ...
-directed drama for Eesti Telefilm. The television film was based on the 1896 novel of the same name by Estonian author Eduard Vilde. Following this, Sild would concentrate on her stage career and not appear in television roles until the early 2000s after she had become a freelance actress.
In 2001 and 2002, Sild appeared as Ellen in two episodes of the popular, long-running
Eesti Televisioon
Eesti Televisioon (ETV) ( en, Estonian Television) is an Estonian free-to-air television channel owned and operated by Estonian Public Broadcasting. It made its first broadcast on 19 July 1955.
History
Eesti Televisioon (''Estonian Televis ...
(ETV) drama ''
Õnne 13
Õnne 13 is an Estonian dramatic TV series that airs on ETV. The series first aired on 30 October 1993 and was written by Astrid Reinla and as of 1996 by Teet Kallas
Teet Kallas (born 6 April 1943, Tallinn) is an Estonian writer and former ...
'' in 2001 and 2002. In 2010, she made an appearance on an episode of the
Kanal 2
Kanal 2 is a privately owned Estonian television channel. Its literal name in English is "Channel 2".
The channel was established by Ilmar Taska. The channel began broadcasting on 1 October 1993.
History
The channel started broadcasting on O ...
crime drama series , and the same year she had a small role on the
TV3 comedy-crime series ''
Kättemaksukontor
''Kättemaksukontor'' (English: ''Revenge Office'') is an Estonian comedy-crime television series. In the series, a group of women have the organization called "Kättemaksukontor". This organization helps to solve murder cases for the police.
The ...
''.
Sild has also had a prolific career as a radio theatre actress and as a narrator and presenter. She has appeared frequently on
Eesti Rahvusringhääling
Eesti Rahvusringhääling (ERR) – ''Estonian Public Broadcasting'' – is a publicly funded and owned radio and television organisation created in Estonia on 1 June 2007 to take over the functions of the formerly separate Eesti Raadio ...
(ERR) in radio plays and reading monologues and short stories by authors such as
A. H. Tammsaare,
Lilli Promet
Lilli Promet (16 February 1922 – 16 February 2007) was an Estonian author.
Life
Promet was born in Petseri to the Estonian painter, Aleksander Promet. After finishing Tallinn 18th Elementary School, she entered the State Industrial Art School ...
, and
Jaan Kaplinski
Jaan Kaplinski (22 January 1941 – 8 August 2021 ) was an Estonian poet, philosopher, politician, and culture critic, known for his focus on global issues and support for left-wing/ liberal thinking. He was influenced by Eastern philosophical s ...
, among many others.
Film career
Eili Sild's first substantial film role was that of Maia in the 1964 Grigori Kromanov and
Jüri Müür
Jüri Müür (born 7 January 1929, Tartu – 17 November 1984) is an Estonia
Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from F ...
-directed black-and-white drama ''
Põrgupõhja uus Vanapagan
''Põrgupõhja uus Vanapagan'' (''The New Devil of Hellsbottom'', English release title: ''Devil with a False Passport'') is a 1964 Estonian film directed by Grigori Kromanov and Jüri Müür, and based on the 1939 novel of the same name by A. H ...
'' for Tallinnfilm, based on the multi-layered eponymously titled 1939 novel by A. H. Tammsaare. This was followed in 1966 by the Jüri Müür-directed drama , also for Tallinnfilm, and based on several works by author
Juhan Smuul
Juhan Smuul (18 February 1922 – 13 April 1971) was an Estonian writer. Until 1954 he used the given name Johannes Schmuul.
Career
Smuul was born in Koguva village on the island of Muhu to Jüri and Ruudu Schmuul (née Tuulik). He had three ...
.
In 1977, Sild was cast in another small role as a housewife in the Jüri Müür-directed Tallinnfilm
period piece
A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romances, adventure films, and swas ...
drama , which was based on the 1926 novel (''The Pastor of Reigi''), by Finnish author
Aino Kallas
Aino Krohn Kallas (2 August 1878 – 9 November 1956) was a Finnish-Estonian author. Her novellas are considered to be prominent pieces of Finnish literature.[The Wild Swans
The Wild Swans (Danish: ''De vilde svaner'') is a literary fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen about a princess who rescues her 11 brothers from a spell cast by an evil queen. The tale was first published on 2 October 1838 in Andersen's '' ...]
''. The following year, she appeared in a two minor roles; the Roman Baskin-directed Tallinnfilm dramatic short , based on the 1968
Arvo Valton
Arvo Vallikivi (born 14 December 1935 in Märjamaa), commonly known under the pen name of Arvo Valton, is an Estonian writer known for a number of books and, among other things, the script for Viimne reliikvia, the highly successful movie adaptat ...
-penned short story ; and in the Elo Tust-directed short dramatic film , starring
Ülle Kaljuste
Ülle Kaljuste (born Ülle Side; 10 April 1957) is an Estonian stage, film, television and radio actress.
Early life
Born Ülle Side in Tallinn, she attended Tallinn Secondary School No. 2 (Tallinn Reaalkool), graduating in 1975. Afterward, she ...
and
Enn Kraam. Both film shorts were produced for Tallinnfilm.
In 1992, Sild made a small appearance in the
Lembit Ulfsak
Lembit Ulfsak (4 July 1947 – 22 March 2017) was a prominent Estonian stage and film actor. Ulfsak starred in the 2014 film ''Tangerines'' which was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 87th Academy Awards. It was also among the f ...
-directed family comedy , which follows the adventures of two young boys who discover a painting that was believed to be lost long ago. The following year, she appeared in another small role in the
Pekka Karjalainen
Pekka Karjalainen is a Finnish film director and sound producer. He won the Jussi Award
The Jussi Awards are Finland's premier film industry prizes, awarded annually to recognize the achievements of directors, actors, and writers.
History
T ...
-directed Finnish-Estonian comedy ''Hysteria''.
In 2012, Sild returned to the screen as the character Ilme in the Anna Hints-directed dramatic short , opposite actors
Rita Raave
Rita Raave (born 6 April 1951) is an Estonian stage, television and film actress, and painter.
Early life and education
Rita Raave was born in Mõisaküla, Viljandi County in 1951 to journalist, cartoonist, Lutheran pastor, and politician Kale ...
and Raivo Trass.
Personal life
Eili Sild married actor and director Heino Torga. The coupled remained married until his death in 2012. They have one child, daughter Mari Torga, who became a television presenter and theatre manager and director. Her nephew is poet and writer Ivar Sild.
HMSX
''Luuletaja Ivar Sild paneb lugejad punastama'' 14 March 2008. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sild, Eili
1942 births
Living people
Estonian stage actresses
Estonian film actresses
Estonian television actresses
20th-century Estonian actresses
21st-century Estonian actresses
Actresses from Tallinn