Elisabet Reinsalu (until 2012, Elisabet Tamm; born 21 April 1976) 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, television, voice, and film actress.

Early life and education

Elisabet Reinsalu was born Elisabet Tamm 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 ...

to Tõnu Tamm and Mari Lill, both actors. She has an older sister named Katariina. Her maternal uncle is glass artist Ivo Lill. Tamm graduated from secondary school in 1994 from Tallinn Õismäe Humanitarian Gymnasium. She spent three years studying advertising and media at Tallinn Pedagogical University (now,

Tallinn University Tallinn University (TLU; , ''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 in the country. Both QS ...

) before entering 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 ...

's Drama School, graduating in 2002. Among her graduating classmates were

Priit Võigemast Priit Võigemast (born 18 April 1980) is an Estonian film, television and stage actor. Between 2002 and 2007 he has performed in the Ugala, Tallinna Linnateater and other theatres. He is probably best known for the role of Henn Ahas in the 2002 ...

Ott Aardam Ott Aardam (born 1 July 1980) is an Estonian stage, television, and film actor. Early life Born and raised in Orissaare on the island of Saaremaa, he graduated from primary school in 1995 from Orissaare Gymnasium. In 1998, he graduated from se ...

, Hele Kõrve, Karin Rask, Mart Toome, Evelin Võigemast, Maria Soomets, and Argo Aadli.

Stage career

Following graduation, Elisabet Tamm joined 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 2002; where she is still presently engaged. She made her stage debut while still a student in the role of Edith in a 2000 production of

Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, and essayist. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has produced," with William Fau ...

's 1881 novel ''

The Prince and the Pauper ''The Prince and the Pauper'' is a novel by American author Mark Twain. It was first published in 1881 in Canada, before its 1882 publication in the United States. The novel represents Twain's first attempt at historical fiction. The plot conce ...

''. Her stage debut as an actress engaged at the theatre was in the role of Catherine in a 2002 production of

David Auburn David Auburn (born November 30, 1969) is an American playwright, screenwriter, and theatre director. He is best known for his 2000 play ''Proof'', which won the 2001 Tony Award for Best Play and Pulitzer Prize for Drama. He also wrote the scree ...

's 2000 play ''

Proof Proof most often refers to: * Proof (truth), argument or sufficient evidence for the truth of a proposition * Alcohol proof, a measure of an alcoholic drink's strength Proof may also refer to: Mathematics and formal logic * Formal proof, a co ...

''. Other notable stage appearances include roles in productions by authors and playwrights such as:

Alexandre Dumas Alexandre Dumas (born Alexandre Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie, 24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870), also known as Alexandre Dumas , was a French novelist and playwright. His works have been translated into many languages and he is one of the mos ...

, Jaan Tätte, A. H. Tammsaare,

William Butler Yeats William Butler Yeats (, 13 June 186528 January 1939), popularly known as W. B. Yeats, was an Irish poet, dramatist, writer, and literary critic who was one of the foremost figures of 20th century in literature, 20th-century literature. He was ...

Luigi Pirandello Luigi Pirandello (; ; 28 June 1867 – 10 December 1936) was an Italians, Italian dramatist, novelist, poet, and short story writer whose greatest contributions were his plays. He was awarded the 1934 Nobel Prize in Literature "for his bold and ...

, Carlo Gozzi,

Jón Atli Jónasson Jón Atli Jónasson (born 1972 in Reykjavík) is an Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is ...

, and J. B. Priestley.

Film career

Tamm made her film debut at age 15 in 1991 as Rita in the

Roman Baskin Roman Baskin (25 December 1954 – 13 September 2018) was an Estonian actor and director of stage and screen. His parents were Eino Baskin and Ita Ever. Baskin's credits as an actor included '' Lotte from Gadgetville'' (2006), '' 186 Kilometres' ...

directed drama '' Rahu tänav'' 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 ...

, starring Mikk Mikiver and

Jüri Järvet Jüri Järvet (18 June 19195 July 1995), born Georgi Kuznetsov, was a Soviet Estonian actor. Biography Jüri Järvet's birthname was Georgi Yevgenyevich Kuznetsov, and he took the Estonian form in 1938. Järvet's mother was a Russian, while hi ...

. Following this role, she returned to her studies and didn't appear in another film until receiving a small roll in the 2002

Elmo Nüganen Elmo Nüganen (born on date 15 February 1962 in Jõhvi) is an Estonian theatre director, film director, and actor. He has been the artistic Director of the Tallinn City Theatre since 1992. He was a graduate of the Estonian Academy of Music and ...

directed historical drama '' Nimed marmortahvlil'', adapted from the 1936 Albert Kivikas novel of the same name about the 1918–1920

Estonian War of Independence The Estonian War of Independence, also known as the War of Freedom in Estonia, was a defensive campaign of the Estonian Army and its allies, most notably the United Kingdom, against the Soviet Russian westward offensive of 1918–1919 and the ...

. In 2006, she played the role of Ottilie in the Roman Baskin directed '' Vana daami visiit''; based on 1956 tragicomic play '' The Visit'' by Swiss dramatist

Friedrich Dürrenmatt Friedrich Dürrenmatt (; 5 January 1921 – 14 December 1990) was a Swiss author and dramatist. He was a proponent of epic theatre whose plays reflected the recent experiences of World War II. The politically active author's work included avant- ...

, and starring Ita Ever and Aarne Üksküla. Other small film roles include, the Marko Raat directed '' Agent Sinikael'' in 2002; the Mart Arjukese directed film short ''Viimane öö'' in 2003; as a voice actress in the

Hardi Volmer Hardi Volmer (born 8 November 1957 in Pärnu) is an Estonian film director, puppet theatre set decorator and musician. Volmer is the singer in the Estonian punk rock band Singer Vinger. Animated cartoons *"Imeline nääriöö" (Wonderful New ...

directed animated film short ''Barbarid'' in 2003; in the 2005 Leeni Linna directed dramatic short film ''Personal Space''; and the Sander Allikmäe directed dramatic short film ''Kastis'' in 2012. In addition to film roles, she has also had a career as a voice actress; often dubbing foreign animated film characters into

Estonian 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

...

. She has voiced the characters Colette Tatou in

Pixar Pixar (), doing business as Pixar Animation Studios, is an American animation studio based in Emeryville, California, known for its critically and commercially successful computer-animated feature films. Pixar is a subsidiary of Walt Disney ...

's 2007 American animated comedy film ''

Ratatouille Ratatouille ( , ; ) is a French Provençal dish of stewed vegetables that originated in Nice and is sometimes referred to as ''ratatouille niçoise'' (). Recipes and cooking times differ widely, but common ingredients include tomato, garlic ...

''; Vanellope von Schweetz in the American animated fantasy-comedy film ''

Wreck-It Ralph ''Wreck-It Ralph'' is a 2012 American animated comedy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. It was directed by Rich Moore and produced by Clark Spencer, from a screenplay by Phil Johnston (filmmaker), Phil Johnston and Jennifer Lee ( ...

'', produced by

Walt Disney Animation Studios Walt Disney Animation Studios (WDAS), sometimes shortened to Disney Animation, is an American animation studio that produces animated feature films and short films for the Walt Disney Company. The studio's current production logo features a s ...

; and Maggie in the 2013 animated fantasy-comedy film '' The House of Magic'', among others.

Television career

Tamm's first prominent television role as an actress was as Rita Leidpalu in the 2006–2007

ETV ETV may stand for: Television * Educational television, the use of television in education * Enhanced TV, an interactive television application specification Africa * e.tv, South Africa * ETV (Ethiopia), Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation * ETV G ...

crime drama serial '' Ohtlik lend''. In 2008, she appeared in the role of Helmi Reiman in the ETV twelve-part television historical mini-series '' Tuulepealne maa'', which focused on the pre-

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

history of

, its birth as a country, the

, post-war life throughout 1920 up to 1941 and

. Since 2010, she has appeared as Mari Murakas in the popular Kanal 2 drama series ''Pilvede all''. In 2013, she played a central character named Vivian in the

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 ''Kartulid ja apelsinid''.

Personal life

In 2012, Elisabet Tamm married Ardo Reinsalu. The couple had been in a long-term relationship and have two children; a daughter, born in 2004; and a son, born in 2008. Since 2012, she has used her married surname Reinsalu.Õhtuleht
''PALJU ÕNNE! Elisabet Tamm sõudis abieluranda!'' 4 May 2012. Retrieved 26 December 2016.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Reinsalu, Elisabet 1976 births Living people Estonian stage actresses Estonian film actresses Estonian child actresses Estonian television actresses Actresses from Tallinn Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre alumni 21st-century Estonian actresses