Kaljo Kiisk (3 December 1925 – 20 September 2007) was a Soviet and Estonian actor, film director, screenwriter and politician. He was best known for his roles as Kristjan Lible from ''Spring'' ( et, Kevade), ''Summer'' (''Suvi'') and ''Autumn'' (''Sügis''), film adaptations of

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 ...

' novels, and as Johannes Saarepera from

ETV ETV may stand for: Television * e.tv, a South African terrestrial television channel * Educational Television (Hong Kong), a television series * Educational television, the use of television in education * Enhanced TV, an interactive television ap ...

's long-running ''

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 ...

''. His career spanned over half a century from 1953 to 2007.

Early life

Kiisk was born and raised in Vaivina. In 1944, aged 18, he served in the

anti-aircraft Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...

unit of the 20th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Estonian), and took part in the

Battle of Tannenberg Line The Battle of Tannenberg Line (german: Die Schlacht um die Tannenbergstellung; russian: Битва за линию «Танненберг») or the Battle of the Blue Hills ( et, Sinimägede lahing) was a military engagement between the Germ ...

. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, he managed to obscure his military service from the Soviet occupiers. In 1946, he graduated from the

Rakvere Rakvere is a town in northern Estonia and the administrative centre of the Lääne-Viru ''maakond'' (county), 20 km south of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea. Rakvere is the 8th most populous urban area in Estonia. Rakvere has a tota ...

1st Secondary School and enrolled at the

Tallinn University of Technology Established in 1918, Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech; et, Tallinna Tehnikaülikool) is the only technical university in Estonia. TalTech, in the capital city of Tallinn, is a university for engineering, business, public administratio ...

. He switched the next year to the ESSR State Theatre Institute and in 1948, to the

Russian Institute 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, ...

. Graduating in 1953, he returned to Estonia and joined the

Estonian Drama Theatre The Estonian Drama Theatre ( et, Eesti Draamateater) is a theatre in Tallinn, Estonia. It has the role of a national theatre for Estonia. The Estonia Theatre is located next door. History The building that houses the Estonian Drama Theatre was or ...

Career

Stage, film and television

His first play was an adaptation of

' novel ''Spring'' ( et, Kevade), staged together with Kulno Süvalep in 1954, in which Kiisk played the part of the bright yet restless Joosep Toots. From 1955 to 1990, he worked as an actor and director at

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 During Worl ...

. His most notable works as a director included ''Naughty Curves'' (1959) and '' Dangerous Curves'' (1961), ''Madness'' (1969) and ''Nipernaadi'' (1983) He wrote the screenplay of the 1969 film ''Spring'', an adaptation of Oskar Luts' popular novel, in which he also starred as Paunvere's bell-ringer Kristjan Lible. The film became an Estonian classic. From 1993 to 2007 (his death), he starred in ''

'' as Johannes Saarepera.

Politics

From 1980 to 1990, Kiisk was a member of the Supreme Soviet of the Estonian SSR and from 1989 to 1991, a member of the

Congress of People's Deputies of the Soviet Union The Congress of People's Deputies of the Soviet Union (russian: Съезд народных депутатов СССР, ''Sʺezd narodnykh deputatov SSSR'') was the highest body of state authority of the Soviet Union from 1989 to 1991. Backg ...

. In

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...

and

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...

, he was elected to the

Riigikogu The Riigikogu (; from Estonian ''riigi-'', of the state, and ''kogu'', assembly) is the unicameral parliament of Estonia. In addition to approving legislation, the Parliament appoints high officials, including the Prime Minister and Chief Jus ...

as a member of the

Estonian Reform Party The Estonian Reform Party ( et, Eesti Reformierakond) is a liberal political party in Estonia. The party has been led by Kaja Kallas since 2018. It is colloquially known as the "Squirrel Party" ( et, Oravapartei). It was founded in 1994 by Si ...

Personal life

Kiisk married his classmate Zinaida Ivanova in 1947. They had a daughter, Riina, who married actor and poet Juhan Viiding. Poet

Elo Viiding Elo Viiding ( pen name, Elo Vee; born 20 March 1974) is an Estonian poet and prose writer. Family Viiding is the third poet in her family. Her father, Juhan Viiding was a famous and influential poet in the 1970s. He was also an actor. Her pat ...

is his granddaughter.

Filmography

Film

Television

Honours

EST Order of the White Star - 3rd Class BAR

Order of the White Star The Order of the White Star ( et, Valgetähe teenetemärk; french: Ordre de l'Etoile Blanche) was instituted in 1936. The Order of the White Star is bestowed on Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic ...

, 3rd Class * PÖFF Lifetime Achievement Award

References

External links

*
Kaljo Kiisk
at the Estonian Film Database {{DEFAULTSORT:Kiisk, Kaljo 1925 births 2007 deaths 20th-century Estonian male actors 20th-century Estonian politicians 21st-century Estonian male actors 21st-century Estonian politicians People from Toila Parish Estonian Reform Party politicians Members of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Estonia Members of the Riigikogu, 1995–1999 Members of the Riigikogu, 1999–2003 Members of the Supreme Soviet of the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic, 1980–1985 Members of the Supreme Soviet of the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic, 1985–1990 People's Artists of the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour Recipients of the Order of the White Star, 3rd Class Estonian film directors Estonian male film actors Estonian male stage actors Estonian screenwriters Estonian theatre directors Estonian Waffen-SS personnel Soviet film directors Soviet male film actors Soviet male stage actors Soviet screenwriters Soviet theatre directors Burials at Metsakalmistu