Andres Raag (born 24 June 1970) is an

Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...

n stage, film, radio and television actor and singer with the band L'Dorado since 1993.

Early life and education

Andres Raag was born and attended schools in

Tallinn Tallinn is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Estonia, most populous city of Estonia. Situated on a Tallinn Bay, bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, it has a population of (as of 2025) and ...

. His mother is actress Kersti Kreismann and his step-father was writer, essayist and theatre director

Mati Unt Mati Unt (1 January 1944 in Linnamäe, Voore Parish ow Voore, Jõgeva County, Voore, Mustvee Parish Jõgeva County – 22 August 2005 in Tallinn) was an Estonian writer, essayist and theatre director. Biography His first novel, written at ...

. During his formative years, he spent much of his time with his paternal grandparents. Following his graduation from secondary school he attended 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 ...

), studying drama at the institution's Performing Arts Department. Among his graduating classmates were Merle Palmiste, Kaili Närep, Kristel Leesmend,

Ivo Uukkivi Ivo Uukkivi (born 11 October 1965) is an Estonian stage, film, radio, and television actor, television producer and, under the nickname Munk, founder of and singer with the punk band Velikije Luki. Early life and education Ivo Uukkivi was born i ...

, Jaanus Rohumaa, Üllar Saaremäe,

Dan Põldroos Dan Põldroos (6 March 1970 – 5 May 2007) was an Estonian stage, television and film actor who began performing on stage at age fifteen. Although mostly known for comedic roles, he was also an accomplished dramatic actor. Põldroos' career ende ...

, Sten Zupping, Tiina Mälberg and

Garmen Tabor Garmen Tabor ( Garmen Suurmets; born on 19 April 1968 in Rakvere) is an Estonian actress and theatre director. In 1992 she graduated from the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, Tallinn State Conservatory's Performing Arts Department. From 1992 ...

Stage career

In 1990, Andres Raag began an engagement at the Estonian State Youth Theatre, which became the

Tallinn City Theatre Tallinn City Theatre () is a repertory theatre located in the medieval old town of Tallinn, Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from ...

in 1992. He is still currently an actor with the theatre. During his years with the Tallinn City Theatre, he has appeared in roles in nearly fifty stage productions, including works by:

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 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 natio ...

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 great writers in the French language and world liter ...

Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; ; 29 January 1860 – 15 July 1904) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer, widely considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career as a playwright produced four classics, and his b ...

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

and Weill, Beckett,

Twain TWAIN and TWAIN Direct are application programming interfaces (APIs) and communication protocols that regulate communication between software and digital imaging devices, such as image scanners and digital cameras. TWAIN is supported on Microso ...

, Dumas,

Gogol Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol; ; (; () was a Russian novelist, short story writer, and playwright of Ukrainian origin. Gogol used the grotesque in his writings, for example, in his works " The Nose", " Viy", "The Overcoat", and " Nevsky Prosp ...

, von Goethe,

Thomas Mann Paul Thomas Mann ( , ; ; 6 June 1875 – 12 August 1955) was a German novelist, short story writer, social critic, philanthropist, essayist, and the 1929 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate. His highly symbolic and ironic epic novels and novell ...

Evelyn Waugh Arthur Evelyn St. John Waugh (; 28 October 1903 – 10 April 1966) was an English writer of novels, biographies, and travel books; he was also a prolific journalist and book reviewer. His most famous works include the early satires ''Decli ...

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 t ...

Tom Stoppard Sir Tom Stoppard (; born , 3 July 1937) is a Czech-born British playwright and screenwriter. He has written for film, radio, stage, and television, finding prominence with plays. His work covers the themes of human rights, censorship, and politi ...

Martin McDonagh Martin Faranan McDonagh ( ; born 26 March 1970) is a British-Irish playwright and filmmaker. He is known for his Absurdism, absurdist Black comedy, dark humour which often challenges the modern theatre aesthetic. He has won List of awards and no ...

David Storey David Malcolm Storey (13 July 1933 – 27 March 2017) was an English playwright, screenwriter, award-winning novelist and a professional rugby league player. He won the Booker Prize in 1976 for his novel '' Saville''. He also won the MacMillan F ...

, and Jean-Luc Lagarce, among many others. Raag is a 2002 recipient for recognition of his performances as a stage actor. He has also received the Tallinn City Theatre Colleague Award in 2001 for Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor in 2002, 2007 and 2013, and Best Actor in 2009 for the role of Kemp in

Morris Panych Morris Stephen Panych (born 30 June 1952) is a Canadian playwright, director and actor. Early life Panych was born in Calgary, Alberta and grew up in Edmonton, Alberta. He studied at Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, and the Universit ...

's ''Auntie & Me''. In addition to the Tallinn City Theatre, Raag has also made appearances at the

Von Krahl Theatre Von Krahl Theatre () is a theatre in Tallinn, Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across f ...

, Old Baskin's Theatre, Kell Kümme, and

Estonian Drama Theatre The Estonian Drama Theatre () 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 originally built for the ...

in Tallinn, the

Ugala Ugala is a theatre in Viljandi, Estonia. The theatre was founded in 1920 opening on January 10 of that year. The first production was Oscar Wilde's "Salome (play), Salome". Ugala's Artistic Directors *1925 - 1926: Andres Särev *1926 – 1928 ...

theatre in

Viljandi Viljandi (, , , , ) is a Populated places in Estonia, town and Municipalities of Estonia, municipality in southern Estonia with a population of 17,255 in 2024. It is the capital of Viljandi County and is geographically located between two major ...

, and the

Kuressaare Kuressaare () is a populated places in Estonia, town on the island of Saaremaa in Estonia. It is the administrative centre of Saaremaa Municipality and the seat of Saare County. Kuressaare is the westernmost town in Estonia. The recorded popul ...

City Theatre.

Film

Andres Raag made his feature film debut as Ain in the 1989 Valentin Kuik directed

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

-Estonian youth drama ''Perekonnapildid'' 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 integrated into the Soviet Union. During the first year of Soviet occcupation (1940 ...

. In 1993, he had a small role as a waiter in the joint Finnish-Estonian Anssi Mänttäri directed drama film ''The Grey Light of November'', and another role as Contreras in the Ilkka Järvi-Laturi directed comedy-thriller '' Tallinn pimeduses''. Other film appearances include roles in the 2010 Marko Raat directed ''Lumekuninganna'', based on the 1844

Hans Christian Andersen Hans Christian Andersen ( , ; 2 April 1805 – 4 August 1875) was a Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogue (literature), travelogues, novels, and poems, he is best remembered for his literary fairy tales. Andersen's fai ...

fairy tale ''

The Snow Queen "The Snow Queen" () is an 1844 original fairy tale by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. It was first published 21 December 1844 in ''New Fairy Tales. First Volume#New Fairy Tales. First Volume. Second Collection, New Fairy Tales. First Vo ...

''; and the 2011

Katrin Laur Katrin Laur (née Poola, born in 1955) is an author, film director and professor. She lives in Estonia and Germany. Biography Laur was born in 1955 in Tartu, Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic, Estonian SSR. In 1973 in Soviet-occupied Tallinn sh ...

directed drama ''Surnuaiavahi tütar''.

Television and radio

Andres Raag has made a number of appearances on Estonian television. He is possibly best recalled, however, as the character of Tom Miller on the long running

TV3 Channel 3 or TV 3 may refer to: Television *Canal 3 (Burkina Faso), a commercial television channel in Burkina Faso * Canal 3 Niger, a commercial television channel in Niger * Canal 3 (Guatemala), a commercial television channel in Guatemala * Can ...

drama series ''Elu keset linna'' from 2003 until 2006 and again from 2009. He would reprise his role as Tom in the TV3 follow-up series ''Elu keset linna'' in 2012. In 2014, he began playing the role of Gunnar, a driving instructor, on the

Kanal 2 Kanal 2 is a privately owned Estonian television channel. Its literal name in English is "Channel 2". History The channel was established by Ilmar Taska. The channel started broadcasting on 1 October 1993, the first program seen on the new ...

comedy series ''Parim enne''. Other appearances on television include guest roles as Avo on an episode of Kanal 2's crime-drama series ''Kelgukoerad'' in 2007; as Enn Loots on an episode of the

Eesti Televisioon Eesti Televisioon (ETV) () 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 Television'') was launched on ...

(ETV) crime-drama series ''Ohtlik lend'' in 2007; as Roger on an episode of the TV3 comedy-crime series ''

Kättemaksukontor ''Kättemaksukontor'' or in English ''The Vengeance Bureau'' and even ''Revenge Office'' is an Estonian comedy-crime television series. In the series, a group of women have a organization called "Kättemaksukontor". This organization helps to solv ...

'' in 2009; and as Sten Vaiksoo in two episodes of the TV3 mystery-horror series ''Keeris'' in 2015. Raag has also had roles in several Estonian television mini-series, including: ''Oli mis oli'' in 2004; ''Klass - Elu pärast'' in 2010, which was a follow-up to the 2007

Ilmar Raag Ilmar Raag (born 21 May 1968 in Kuressaare) is an Estonian media executive, actor, screenwriter and film director, best known for his socio-critical film '' The Class''. He was CEO of Estonian Television from 2002 to 2005. He is a well known ...

directed feature film '' Klass'' about bullying and school violence; and in ''Teise mehe pea'' in 2010. Raag has also appeared in a number of

Estonian Public Broadcasting Estonian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Estonia, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe * Estonians, people from Estonia, or of Estonian descent * Estonian language * Estonian cuisine * Estonian culture See also * ...

television and radio programs for children and a number of radio theatre plays.

Music

In late 1993, Andres Raag and friends Tarvo Krall, Tarvo Jaaksoo, and Jaan Sööt formed the band L'Dorado. Their first performance took place at the

House of the Blackheads House of the Blackheads may refer to: * House of the Blackheads (Riga), building in Riga, Latvia * House of the Blackheads (Tallinn), building in Tallinn, Estonia {{dab ...

in Tallinn in 1994. Over the years, the line-up has changed several times, however Raag has remained the main vocalist. L'Dorado plays a mixture of

Latin music Latin music (Portuguese language, Portuguese and ) is a term used by the music industry as a catch-all category for various styles of music from Ibero-America, which encompasses Music of Latin America, Latin America, Music of Spain, Spain, Mu ...

and

merengue music Merengue is a type of music and Merengue (dance), dance originating in present-day Dominican Republic which has become a very popular genre throughout Latin America, and also in several major cities in the United States with Latino communities. ...

, sung in the

Estonian language Estonian ( ) is a Finnic language and the official language of Estonia. It is written in the Latin script and is the first language of the majority of the country's population; it is also an official language of the European Union. Estonian is sp ...

. The current line-up includes: Raag (lead vocals and conga drums), Krall (vocals, mandolin, and accordion), Jaaksoo (vocals and bass guitar), Toomas Rull (drums), and Anneli Kadakas (drums). To date, the band has released four albums: "Kuuba pulm" (1996), "Karneval" (1998), "Siivutu Sa mulle meeldid nii" (2000), and "Kahe samba vahel" (2003). They have also appeared on several compilation albums.

Personal life

Andres Raag has been in a long-term relationship with Viktorija Gurjev for many years. In 2003, Gurjev gave birth to their daughter Aliis. The family currently reside in Tallinn.err.ee
''Kersti Kreismann: keegi pole mind nii põhjalikult kritiseerinud nagu poeg'' 5 October 2013. Retrieved 17 February 2017.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Raag, Andres 1970 births Living people Estonian male stage actors Estonian male film actors Estonian male television actors Estonian pop singers 21st-century Estonian male singers Male actors from Tallinn Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre alumni 20th-century Estonian male actors 21st-century Estonian male actors 20th-century Estonian male singers