Tiit Lilleorg (25 November 1941 – 15 January 2021) was 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 and television actor and co-founder and director of the Ida Dance School.
Early life
Tiit Lilleorg was born in Tartu, Estonia. His father Toivo Lilleorg was a journalist, and his mother was soprano and musician Helga Lilleorg (née Hansson). Lilleorg grew up with the theatre, as his mother performed as a choral singer, soloist, concertmaster and teacher at 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 ...
theatre in Tartu. He studied acting at the Tallinn State Conservatory (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 ...
) from 1961 until 1963, and the
Leningrad Conservatory
The N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov Saint Petersburg State Conservatory (russian: Санкт-Петербургская государственная консерватория имени Н. А. Римского-Корсакова) (formerly known as th ...
from 1966 until 1968.Postimees ''Tiit Lilleorul on tõmme teatri, tule ja tähtede poole''. 2 October 2013.
Stage career
From 1967 until 1976, he worked as an actor and the head of production at the Vanemuine theatre in Tartu and from 1976 until 1980, he was the theatre's administrator. From 1980 until 1992, and again in 1994, he returned to the stage as an actor at the Vanemuine.
Film and television career
Apart from the stage, Tiit Lilleorg has performed as an actor in a number of television and film roles. In 1983, he starred in the
Enn Vetemaa
Enn Vetemaa (June 20, 1936March 28, 2017) was an Estonian writer sometimes referred to as a "forgotten classic",Ago-Endrik Kerge directed
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) comedy film ''Püha Susanna ehk meistrite kool'' in the role of Simeon Wolf, opposite
Ita Ever
Ita Ever (born Ilse Ever; 1 April 1931, Paide, Järva County) is an Estonian film, radio, theater and television actress. She is widely regarded as a Grand Old Lady of Estonian theatre.
Biography
She began her career in 1953 as a stage actress ...
and Urmas Kibuspuu. This was followed by the role of Aleksander Sõõritsa in the Ago-Endrik Kerge directed television drama film ''Võtmeküsimus'' in 1986. Other prominent roles were that of Sass in the 2005 Rainer Sarnet directed feature film ''Libahundi needus'' and as Professor Kantemir in the 2007 Rasmus Merivoo directed comedy film ''Buratino'', based on the 1936 book '' The Golden Key, or the Adventures of Buratino'' by Russian author
Aleksey Nikolayevich Tolstoy
Aleksey Nikolayevich Tolstoy (russian: link= no, Алексей Николаевич Толстой; – 23 February 1945) was a Russian writer who wrote in many genres but specialized in science fiction and historical novels.
Despite having ...
, which was itself based on the 1883 novel ''
The Adventures of Pinocchio
''The Adventures of Pinocchio'' ( ; it, Le avventure di Pinocchio ; commonly shortened to ''Pinocchio'') is a children's fantasy novel by Italian author Carlo Collodi. It is about the mischievous adventures of an animated marionette named Pi ...
'' by Italian author
Carlo Collodi
Carlo Lorenzini (24 November 1826 – 26 October 1890), better known by the pen name Carlo Collodi (), was an Italian author, humourist, and journalist, widely known for his fairy tale novel ''The Adventures of Pinocchio''.
Early life
Co ...
.
He also appeared in a number of other Estonian television films and series, such as ''IT-planeet'' and ''
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 ...
''. In 2015, he appeared in the Margus Paju directed action-adventure film '' Supilinna Salaselts''.Eesti Filmi Andmebaas Retrieved 1 December 2016. In 2017, he appeared in the Priit Pääsuke directed feature film drama ''Keti lõpp''. In 2020, he appeared in the Margus Paju directed World War II spy film '' O2''.
Lilleorg's last film appearance was a small role in the English-language American
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...
In 1994, Lilleorg and his wife, former ballerina Alla Lilleorg, Tamara Kõrreveski and Kaljo Urbel founded the Tartu-based Ida Dance School ( Estonian: ''Ida Tantsukool''). The school was named in honor or Estonian dancer and ballet master Ida Urbel. Lilleorg also acted as the school's director.Ida Tantsukool . Retrieved 1 December 2016.
Personal life and death
In 1981, Tiit Lilleorg married former ballerina and dance teacher Alla Udovenko. They had one child; a daughter named Kristiina. He resided in Tartu.
In December 2020, Lilleorg was hospitalized after testing positive for
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...
Sügis
''Autumn'' ( et, Sügis) is a 1990 Estonian comedy film directed by Arvo Kruusement and based on the novels ''Sügis'' and ''Äripäev'' by Oskar Luts. The film is a sequence of ''Summer''.
Plot
Cast
*Margus Lepa as Kiir
*Liina Tennosaar as Ju ...