Olli Ungvere (born Olga Marie Birk; 17 June 1906 – 12 December 1991) 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 and film actress and singer whose career spanned more than sixty years on the stages of most of Estonia's largest theaters.

Early life

Born Olga Marie Birk in Lüütja, Mikitamäe Parish, in

Setomaa Setomaa (; russian: Сетумаа, seto, Setomaa) is a region south of Lake Peipus and inhabited by the Seto people. The Seto dialect is a variety of South Estonian. The historic range of Setomaa is located in the territories of present-day ...

, she was the youngest of two sisters born to Oskar Alfred Julius Birk and Leeno Nass (''née'' Praggi). Her father was a factory worker in the village of Võõpsu. Her mother also had eight children from a previous marriage who were raised by Unvgere's parents. She graduated from secondary school at Räpina Joint Gymnasium in 1924. From 1931 until 1934, she studied singing at the Heino Eller Tartu Music College in Tartu.

Stage career

In 1931, while still a student at the

Heino Eller Heino Eller (7 March 1887 – 16 June 1970) was an Estonian composer and pedagogue, known as the founder of contemporary Estonian symphonic music. Life Eller was born in Tartu, where he took private lessons in violin and music theory, played i ...

Tartu Music College, she joined 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's operetta chorus. She made her stage debut in 1931 in the Oscar Straus operetta ''Marietta''. From 1934 until 1936, she was engaged at the Ugala theatre in

Viljandi Viljandi (, german: Fellin, sv, Fellin) is a town and municipality in southern Estonia with a population of 17,407 in 2019. It is the capital of Viljandi County and is geographically located between two major Estonian cities, Pärnu and Tartu. ...

as an operetta soloist and dramatic actress. From 1937 until 1948, she was 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 ...

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 '' ...

. Her longest engagement was 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 ...

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 ...

, where she worked as a performer from 1948 until 1986. Her career in theatre spanned nearly sixty years, making her one of Estonia's most prolific stage performers. During her long stage career, she appeared in productions in works by:

William 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 ...

Richard Brinsley Sheridan Richard Brinsley Butler Sheridan (30 October 17517 July 1816) was an Irish satirist, a politician, a playwright, poet, and long-term owner of the London Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. He is known for his plays such as '' The Rivals'', '' The ...

Marcel Pagnol Marcel Paul Pagnol (; 28 February 1895 – 18 April 1974) was a French novelist, playwright, and filmmaker. Regarded as an auteur, in 1946, he became the first filmmaker elected to the Académie française. Although his work is less fashionabl ...

Erskine Caldwell Erskine Preston Caldwell (December 17, 1903 – April 11, 1987) was an American novelist and short story writer. His writings about poverty, racism and social problems in his native Southern United States, in novels such as '' Tobacco Road'' (1 ...

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 ...

Honoré de Balzac Honoré de Balzac ( , more commonly , ; born Honoré Balzac;Jean-Louis Dega, La vie prodigieuse de Bernard-François Balssa, père d'Honoré de Balzac : Aux sources historiques de La Comédie humaine, Rodez, Subervie, 1998, 665 p. 20 May 179 ...

Carlo Goldoni Carlo is a given name. It is an Italian form of Charles. It can refer to: * Carlo (name) * Monte Carlo * Carlingford, New South Wales, a suburb in north-west Sydney, New South Wales, Australia *A satirical song written by Dafydd Iwan about Prince ...

, Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Edward Albee, among many others. She also appeared in many productions in works by Estonian playwrights and authors; most memorably in productions of works by

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 ...

Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald ( – ) was an Estonian writer who is considered to be the father of the national literature for the country. He is the author of Estonian national epic ''Kalevipoeg''. Life Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald's pare ...

and Aarne Üksküla.

Film

Olli Ungvere has also appeared in several films, including: the 1981 Raivo Trass directed drama ''Keskpäev'', the 1983 Peeter Urbla directed crime drama ''Suletud ring'', and the 1989 supernatural short ''Mardipäev'', directed by

Jaan Kolberg Jaan Kolberg (born 21 November 1958) is an Estonian film director and producer. Jaan Kolberg was born in Pärnu, where he attended primary and secondary schools. In 1976, he enrolled at Tartu State University, majoring in English. While at unive ...

Death and legacy

Olli Ungvere died in Pärnu in 1991 at age 85. She was buried in the Pärnu Forest Cemetery. In 1946, she was awarded the Merited Artist of the Estonian SSR.Talts, Leida. ''Olli Ungvere''. Eesti Raamat, 1981.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ungvere, Olli 1906 births 1991 deaths People from Setomaa Parish Estonian stage actresses Estonian film actresses Estonian musical theatre actresses 20th-century Estonian women singers 20th-century Estonian actresses