Meeli Sööt (13 September 1937 – 16 March 2024) was an Estonian stage, television, radio and film actress.

Early life and education

Meeli Sööt was born Meeli Alev in Tallinn to actor Voldemar Alev and Alvine Alev (''née'' Väravas). In 1956, she graduated from Tallinn 7th Secondary School (now,

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 ...

). From 1956 until 1957, she studied at the Tallinn Pedagogical Institute (now,

Tallinn University Tallinn University (TLU; et, Tallinna Ülikool, ''TLÜ'') is a public research university in Estonia. Located in the centre of Tallinn, the capital city of Estonia, Tallinn University is one of the three largest institutions of higher education ...

), and graduated in 1961 from the Tallinn State Conservatory, Performing Arts Department (now, the

Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre The Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre (''Eesti Muusika- ja Teatriakadeemia'') began as a mixed choir of the Estonia Society Musical Department (EMD) on the eve of World War I. The assembly of the Estonia Society created the Tallinn Higher Musi ...

) in TallinnSõnumileht. ''Tundetu näitleja poleks näitleja''. 22 September 1997 under the course supervision of theatre pedagogue

Voldemar Panso Voldemar Panso (30 November 1920 Tomsk, Russia – 27 December 1977 Tallinn) was Estonian stage director, actor and theatrical teacher. 1941 he graduated from Tallinn Conservatory State Stage Art School and 1955 Moscow State Theatre Art Instit ...

. Among her classmates were noted future actors

Tõnu Aav Tõnu Aav (21 January 1939 – 14 August 2019) was an Estonians, Estonian stage, film, TV, and radio actor. Aav was born in Tallinn and graduated from the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre in 1961. From 1961 he performed at the Estonian Drama ...

Mikk Mikiver Mikk Mikiver (4 September 1937 – 9 January 2006) was a prominent Estonians, Estonian stage and film actor and theater director. Biography Mikiver was born in Tallinn, Estonia. He graduated from the State Conservatory of Tallinn in 1961. He t ...

, Maila Rästas,

Aarne Üksküla Aarne Üksküla (21 September 1937 Tallinn – 29 October 2017) was an Estonian actor and theatre instructor. In 1961 he graduated from Tallinn State Conservatory's Performing Arts Department. Career: * Rakvere Theatre (1961-1968) * Endla Theatr ...

, Madis Ojamaa, Jaan Saul,

Ines Aru Ines Aru (born Ines Parker; 1 July 1939) is an Estonian stage, radio, voice, television, and film actress whose career began in the early 1960s. Early life and education Ines Aru was born Ines Parker in Tallinn to Martin Johannes Parker and Leen ...

, and Mati Klooren.

Stage career

Following graduation in 1961, she became engaged at 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 ...

in Tallinn. She would remain an actress at the theatre until 2000. She made her stage debut in 1961 in a production of

Pedro Calderón de la Barca Pedro Calderón de la Barca y Barreda González de Henao Ruiz de Blasco y Riaño (, ; ; 17 January 160025 May 1681) was a Spanish dramatist, poet, writer and knight of the Order of Santiago. He is known as one of the most distinguished Baroque w ...

's 1636 play '' The Phantom Lady'' while still a student.Eesti Entsüklopeedia.
Retrieved 12 December 2016. During her nearly forty year engagement at the Estonian Drama Theater she performed in numerous stage productions as an actress. Among her more memorable roles in works by international authors and playwrights include:

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 ...

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 ...

, von Goethe,

Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; 29 January 1860 Old Style date 17 January. – 15 July 1904 Old Style date 2 July.) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer who is considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career ...

Strindberg Johan August Strindberg (, ; 22 January 184914 May 1912) was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist and painter.Lane (1998), 1040. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg wrote more than sixty p ...

Vonnegut Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (November 11, 1922 – April 11, 2007) was an American writer known for his satirical and darkly humorous novels. In a career spanning over 50 years, he published fourteen novels, three short-story collections, five plays, and ...

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 ...

Peter Shaffer Sir Peter Levin Shaffer (; 15 May 1926 – 6 June 2016) was an English playwright, screenwriter, and novelist. He wrote numerous award-winning plays, of which several were adapted into films. Early life Shaffer was born to a Jewish family in L ...

Jean Genet Jean Genet (; – ) was a French novelist, playwright, poet, essayist, and political activist. In his early life he was a vagabond and petty criminal, but he later became a writer and playwright. His major works include the novels ''The Thief's ...

Johannes Linnankoski Johannes Linnankoski (originally Vihtori Johan Peltonen, 18 October 1869 – 10 August 1913) was a Finland, Finnish author and playwright, which mainly influenced writing in the Golden Age of Finnish Art. His most famous work is the romance novel ...

William Gibson William Ford Gibson (born March 17, 1948) is an American-Canadian speculative fiction writer and essayist widely credited with pioneering the science fiction subgenre known as ''cyberpunk''. Beginning his writing career in the late 1970s, his ...

Alexander Vampilov Alexander Valentinovich Vampilov (russian: Александр Валентинович Вампилов) (19 August 1937 – 17 August 1972) was a Soviet playwright. His play ''The Elder Son'' was first performed in 1969, and became a national succ ...

Elias Lönnrot Elias Lönnrot (; 9 April 1802 – 19 March 1884) was a Finnish physician, philologist and collector of traditional Finnish oral poetry. He is best known for creating the Finnish national epic, ''Kalevala'', (1835, enlarged 1849), from short b ...

and

John Boynton Priestley John Boynton Priestley (; 13 September 1894 – 14 August 1984) was an English novelist, playwright, screenwriter, broadcaster and social commentator. His Yorkshire background is reflected in much of his fiction, notably in ''The Good Compa ...

, among others. Memorable roles in works by Estonian authors and playwrights include those of:

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 ...

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 ...

, Juhan Sütiste,

Jaan Kross Jaan Kross (19 February 1920 – 27 December 2007) was an Estonian writer. He won the 1995 International Nonino Prize in Italy. Early life Born in Tallinn, Estonia, son of a skilled metal-worker, Jaan Kross studied at Jakob Westholm Gymnasiu ...

, Aino Undla-Põldmäe,

Jaan Kruusvall Jaan Kruusvall (full name Jaan-Vahur Kruusvall; 7 December 1940 Eru, Palmse Parish, Virumaa – 3 April 2012) was an Estonian writer and playwright. From 1966 to 1971, he studied at Maxim Gorky Literature Institute in Moscow. From 1964 to 1966 and ...

and

Mats Traat Mats Traat (23 November 1936 – 27 June 2022) was an Estonian poet, poetry translator, and author. Career Traat was born in Arula, Otepää Parish. He debuted in 1962 with a collection of poetry. He published over 20 anthologies of poetry. ...

. Beginning in 1990, Sööt was a lecturer at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, and from 1996 until 2004, was an associate professor at the academy.

Television, radio and film

Meeli Sööt made her film debut in a small role in the

Kalju Komissarov Kalju Komissarov (8 March 1946 Võru – 6 March 2017) was an Estonian actor, theatre and film director, and theatre pedagogue. In 1968 he graduated from Tallinn State Conservatory. 1968-1974 he worked as a film director at Tallinnfilm. 1974-198 ...

directed Soviet-Estonian crime-drama ''Tavatu lugu'' for

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 ...

. This was followed by a starring role as Marta in the 1982

Veljo Käsper Veljo Käsper (13 May 1930 Tallinn – 16 March 1982 Tallinn) was an Estonian film director and scenarist. In 1964 he graduated from Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography. Since 1960 he worked at Tallinnfilm. Filmography * 1974 " Dangerous Ga ...

directed drama ''Pihlakaväravad'', opposite actor

Heino Mandri Heino Mandri (11 September 1922 – 3 December 1990) was an Estonian film and stage actor, designated People's Artist of the Estonian SSR (1986). Biography Heino Mandri was born in the independent Republic of Estonia. He studied acting at Tall ...

. She also appeared in the 1990 dramatic short film ''Teenijanna'', directed by Veiko Jürisson.Eesti Filmi Andmebaas
Retrieved 12 December 2016. In 1983, she appeared in the feature-length television sports film ''Küljetuul'', directed by Raul Tammet. She also frequently appeared on the popular Estonian

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 ...

television crime series ''Kelgukoerad'' between 2008 and 2011. Additionally, she has performed in several radio plays, most memorably ''Kuu aega maal'' in 1964, ''Meelejahutaja'' in 1973 and ''Ameerika mäed'' in 1998.Õhtuleht
''Pühapäevane raadiolemmik'' 25 October 2003. Retrieved 12 December 2016.

Personal life and death

In 1961 Meeli Alev married conductor and pedagogue Ants Sööt. The couple divorced in 1978. She died on 16 March 2024, at the age of 86.

Acknowledgements

In 1976, Meeli Sööt was awarded the Merited Artist of the

Estonian SSR The Estonian SSR,, russian: Эстонская ССР officially the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic,, russian: Эстонская Советская Социалистическая Республика was an ethnically based adminis ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Soot, Meeli 1937 births 2024 deaths Estonian stage actresses Estonian film actresses Estonian television actresses Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre alumni 20th-century Estonian actresses 21st-century Estonian actresses Academic staff of the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre Actresses from Tallinn