Lii Tedre (born Lii Mander; 10 October 1944) is an Estonian stage, television, and film actress. Tedre began her career with an engagement at the

Endla Theatre Endla ( et, Endla teater) is a professional theatre in city of Pärnu, Estonia. The theatre was opened in 1911. The first performance was "Libahunt" ("Werewolf") by Estonian writer August Kitzberg. The Estonian Declaration of Independence was p ...

in 1968, before leaving in 2010 to become a freelance actress.

Early life and education

Lii Tedre was born

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 ' ...

during

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 ...

, shortly after the Soviet reoccupation of Estonia. Her father was a driver and her mother was a manual labourer. She attended schools in Tallinn, graduating from Tallinn 8th Secondary School in 1964. Afterward, she enrolled at the ESSR Theatre Association Performing Arts Studio in

Tartu Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia after the Northern European country's political and financial capital, Tallinn. Tartu has a population of 91,407 (as of 2021). It is southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometres (152 miles) northeast of ...

, graduating in 1969. Her diploma production roles include Vera in

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 ...

's ''

The Last Ones ''The Last Ones'' (russian: Последние, translit=Posledniye) is a 1908 four-act drama by Maxim Gorky.Egon Rannet Egon Rannet (until 1940 Eugen/Jevgeni Brükke; 29 November 1911 – 1 November 1983) was an Estonian writer. Many of his works were affected by socialist realism. He was born in Tallinn Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Esto ...

's ''Kriminal Tango and Very Decent People''.

Career

Theatre

In 1968, Tedre began an engagement as an actress at the

Pärnu Pärnu () is the fourth largest city in Estonia. Situated in southwest Estonia, Pärnu is located south of the Estonian capital, Tallinn, and west of Estonia's second largest city, Tartu. The city sits off the coast of Pärnu Bay, an inlet o ...

that would last forty-two years, before departing to become a freelance actress in 2010. Tedre has, however, returned to the stage of the Endla Theatre frequently since departing as a guest actress. Notable performances throughout her career with the Endla Theatre have included roles in works by such varied international authors and playwrights as:

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- ...

Agnieszka Osiecka Agnieszka Osiecka (Polish pronunciation: ; 9 October 1936 – 7 March 1997) was a Polish poet, writer, author of theatre and television screenplays, film director and journalist. She was a prominent Polish songwriter, having authored the lyrics to ...

Alexander Ostrovsky Alexander Nikolayevich Ostrovsky (russian: Алекса́ндр Никола́евич Остро́вский; ) was a Russian playwright, generally considered the greatest representative of the Russian realistic period. The author of 47 origina ...

Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known professionally as Bertolt Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a p ...

and Weill,

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

Thornton Wilder Thornton Niven Wilder (April 17, 1897 – December 7, 1975) was an American playwright and novelist. He won three Pulitzer Prizes — for the novel ''The Bridge of San Luis Rey'' and for the plays ''Our Town'' and ''The Skin of Our Teeth'' — a ...

Lope de Vega Félix Lope de Vega y Carpio ( , ; 25 November 156227 August 1635) was a Spanish playwright, poet, and novelist. He was one of the key figures in the Spanish Golden Age of Baroque literature. His reputation in the world of Spanish literature ...

Daphne du Maurier Dame Daphne du Maurier, Lady Browning, (; 13 May 1907 – 19 April 1989) was an English novelist, biographer and playwright. Her parents were actor-manager Sir Gerald du Maurier and his wife, actress Muriel Beaumont. Her grandfather was Geor ...

Leo Tolstoy Count Lev Nikolayevich TolstoyTolstoy pronounced his first name as , which corresponds to the romanization ''Lyov''. () (; russian: link=no, Лев Николаевич Толстой,In Tolstoy's day, his name was written as in pre-refor ...

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Michel Tremblay Michel Tremblay (born 25 June 1942) is a French-Canadian novelist and playwright. Tremblay was born in Montreal, Quebec, where he grew up in the French-speaking neighbourhood of Plateau Mont-Royal; at the time of his birth, a neighbourhood wit ...

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, Charles De Coster,

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, Inga Ābele,

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, Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt,

Kaite O'Reilly Kaite O'Reilly FRSL is UK-based playwright, author and dramaturge of Irish descent. She has won multiple awards for her work, including the Ted Hughes Award (2011) for her version of Aeschylus's tragedy ''The Persians.'' O'Reilly's plays have bee ...

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, Patrick Hamilton,

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, and

Israel Horovitz Israel Horovitz (March 31, 1939 – November 9, 2020) was an American playwright, director, actor and co-founder of the Gloucester Stage Company in 1979. He served as artistic director until 2006 and later served on the board, ex officio an ...

. Among his more memorable performances in roles by Estonian playwrights and authors include those of:

August Kitzberg August Kitzberg ( in Laatre Parish, Governorate of Livonia, Russian Empire – 10 October 1927 in Tartu) was an Estonian writer. Life Until 1863, August Kitzberg was known as August Kits. He grew up in Niitsaadu farmstead in Penuja village, A ...

, Ott Kool,

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 ...

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, Olaf Kopvillem, August Gailit,

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, and Heidi Sarapuu. Additionally, Tedre performed in variety theatre at the Hermes restaurant in Pärnu between 1972 and 1984 and the Varius Theatre in Tallinn. Tedre has been a member of the Estonian Theater Association since 1971. Since 1993, she has been a member of the Actors' Union since 1993, and an honorary member since 2014.

Film and television

Since the 1970s, Tedre has frequently appeared in television films and series. In 1976, she made her television debut in a small part in the Virve Aruoja-directed

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) ...

television comedy film ''Minu naine sai vanaemaks'', based on the 1975 Erni Krusten-penned novel ''Vastsündinu''. In 1982, she appeared as Dudkina in the Ingo Normet-directed television comedy film ''Puhkepäev''. In 1991, she appeared as the character Eeva Almar in the Ingo Normet-directed television film ''Otto Almari nägemus'', based on the 1907 story ''Uurimisel'', by A. H. Tammsaare. Since the 2000s. Tedre has made a number of appearances as a guest actress on several Estonian television series, most notably: the 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 series ''

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, the ETV crime series ''Ohtlik lend'' in 2006, the

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crimes eries ''Siberi võmm'' in 2017, the TV3 crime series ''Lõks'' in 2018, and between 2015 and 2018, several roles on the TV3 comedy-crime series ''

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''. Tedre's first major role in a motion picture was that of Mother in the 1992 Mati Põldre-directed historical drama '' Need vanad armastuskirjad'', which chronicles the life of Estonian musician and composer

Raimond Valgre Raimond Valgre (born Raimond Tiisel; 7 October 1913 – 31 December 1949) was an Estonian composer and musician, whose songs have become some of the most well known in Estonia. During World War II, Valgre was conscripted into the Red Army and was ...

. In 2012, she appeared as the mother of actress

Evelin Võigemast Evelin Võigemast (until 2007, Evelin Pang; born 22 May 1980) is an Estonian stage, film television and voice actress and singer. Early life and education Born Evelin Pang in Tallinn, her parents were Valdur Pang and Eda Pang (''née'' Taska). Sh ...

's character in the Ain Mäeots-directed drama ''Deemonid''.

Personal life

In 1971, Lii Mander married actor and businessman Peeter Tedre. The couple lived in Tallinn, with a summer home in Pärnu until his death on 18 March 2020.

Acknowledgements

Tedre has won an Estonian Theatre Association award on five occasions and has been chosen as the audience favorite of Endla Theatre several times during her career with the theatre. In 2006, she was awarded the annual prize of the Estonian Actors' Union and the same year also awarded the

Johann Voldemar Jannsen Johann Voldemar Jannsen ( in Vändra, Kreis Pernau, Livonia, Russian Empire – , in Tartu) was an Estonian journalist and poet active in Livonia. He wrote the words of the patriotic song "Mu isamaa, mu õnn ja rõõm", which later became the ...

Award by the city of Pärnu for her long-term contribution to Pärnu's cultural life. In August 2019,

Minister of Culture A culture minister or a heritage minister is a common cabinet position in governments. The culture minister is typically responsible for cultural policy, which often includes arts policy (direct and indirect support to artists and arts organizati ...

Tõnis Lukas Tõnis Lukas (born 5 June 1962) is an Estonian politician, former Ministry of Culture (Estonia), Minister of Culture from 2019 to 2021 and Minister of Education and Research (Estonia), Minister of Education and Research from 1999 to 2002 and from ...

presented Tedre with a letter of thanks and a gift of

€ The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone and unilaterally adopted by Kosovo and Montenegro. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists ...

1,000 in appreciation of Tedre's contribution to national culture.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tedre, Lii 1944 births Living people Estonian stage actresses Estonian film actresses Estonian television actresses 20th-century Estonian actresses 21st-century Estonian actresses Actresses from Tallinn