Helle Meri (born 14 March 1949), widow of

Lennart Meri Lennart Georg Meri (; 29 March 1929 – 14 March 2006) was an Estonian politician, writer, and film director. He served as the second president of Estonia from 1992 to 2001. Meri was among the leaders of the movement to restore Estonian independ ...

, is an Estonian actress who also served as the First Lady of Estonia from 1992 to 2001. Helle Meri (née Pihlak) was born in the small town of

Rapla Rapla (German: ''Rappel'') is a town in central Estonia, the capital of Rapla County and the centre of Rapla Parish. The oldest records date back to 1241 in the Danish Census Book, when it was said that it was a small village with 8 acres of c ...

where she also went to school. In her spare time she actively participated in different sports and played basketball. After secondary school, she went on to study at the Stage School of Tallinn Conservatory. Before serving as the First Lady, she played in the Estonian Drama Theatre from 1972 up until 1992 when Lennart Meri became the Estonian Ambassador to Finland prior to his nine years of presidency. The couple got married in 1992 when her acting career came to an end. In theatre, Helle Pihlak had roles in numerous classical pieces to a good critical acclaim, including the pieces by Estonian playwrights like August Kitzberg,

A. H. Tammsaare Anton Hansen (18 (O.S.)/30 January 1878 – 1 March 1940), better known by his pseudonym A. H. Tammsaare and its variants, was an Estonian writer whose pentalogy '' Truth and Justice'' (''Tõde ja õigus''; 1926–1933) is considered one of ...

, Jaan Kross and Jaan Kruusvall among many. She had roles also in

musicals Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement ...

, in children's plays and in film. Prior to her marriage with Lennart Meri, Helle Pihlak was in a relationship with actor

Jaak Tamleht Jaak Tamleht (10 February 1942 – 13 July 1986) was an Estonian actor. Education Tamleht was born and raised in Tallinn and graduated from the on 1967. He graduated from the drama school at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre in 1972. Car ...

and a long-term relationship with composer

Eino Tamberg Eino Tamberg (27 May 1930 – 24 December 2010) was an Estonian composer whose works are performed internationally. He composed operas such as ''Cyrano de Bergerac'', four symphonies, and several concertos. He taught composition for decades at th ...

. Helle Meri has one daughter, Tuule Meri (born in 1985). Helle Meri is the patron of the Estonian SOS Children's Village in Keila.

References

1949 births 20th-century Estonian actresses Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre alumni Estonian film actresses Estonian stage actresses Living people People from Rapla Spouses of presidents of Estonia {{Estonia-actor-stub