Erika Kaljusaar (born 26 March 1956) 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, and television actress, theatre producer, and stage manager whose career began on stage in 1979. She is a founder of the Open Stage Association of Freelance Actors, and a founding member and leader of the Loomine traditional theatre since 2004. Kaljusaar has also worked as a project manager for the

Padise Abbey Padise Abbey () was a former Cistercian monastery in Padise Parish, Padise in Harju County, Estonia, settled in 1310 by the dispossessed monks of Dünamünde Abbey in Latvia. It was converted into a fortress after its dissolution in 1559 and la ...

museum since 2007, and since 2013, as a contributor to the newspaper ''Padise Teataja''.

Early life and education

Erika Kaljusaar was born 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 ...

. Her parents were laborers. During her youth, she lived in

Keila Keila () is a town and an Municipalities of Estonia, urban municipality in Harju County in north-western Estonia, southwest of Tallinn. As of 2021, the town has a population of 10,499 inhabitants. Keila is also the location of administrative b ...

and graduated from Keila I secondary school in 1974. Afterward, she studied drama at the

Vanemuine Vanemuine () is a theatre in Tartu, Estonia. It is the first Estonian language, Estonian-language theatre. Stemming from the Vanemuine Society (1865), the theatre's first performance was Lydia Koidula's ''Saaremaa Onupoeg'' ("The cousin from S ...

training studio in

Tartu Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia after Tallinn. Tartu has a population of 97,759 (as of 2024). It is southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometres (152 miles) northeast of Riga, Latvia. Tartu lies on the Emajõgi river, which connects the ...

Career

Theatre

In 1979, Kaljusaar began a five-year engagement as an actress at the Rakvere Theatre in

Rakvere Rakvere is the administrative center, or county seat, of Lääne-Viru County in northern Estonia, about 100 km southeast of Tallinn and 20 km south of the Gulf of Finland and the Baltic Sea. Rakvere boasts a distinctive architectural feature: th ...

. In 1986, she joined the Vanemuine theatre in Tartu, leaving in 1988. Notable stage roles been in works by such playwrights and authors as: Jüri Tuulik, Albert Uustulnd, Kalju Saaber,

Mait Metsanurk Mait Metsanurk (born Eduard Hubel, 19 November 1879 – 21 August 1957) was an Estonian writer who led the neo-realist school of Estonian literature. Early years Mait Metsanurk was born as the youngest of eight children in a peasant family in ...

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 Gymnasi ...

, Stanislav Stratiev,

Carlo Goldoni Carlo Osvaldo Goldoni (, also , ; 25 February 1707 – 6 February 1793) was an Italian playwright and librettist from the Republic of Venice. His works include some of Italy's most famous and best-loved plays. Audiences have admired the plays ...

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 ...

Georges Feydeau Georges-Léon-Jules-Marie Feydeau (; 8 December 1862 – 5 June 1921) was a French playwright of the Belle Époque era, remembered for his farces, written between 1886 and 1914. Feydeau was born in Paris to middle-class parents and raised in a ...

, Jaan Kruusvall,

Oldřich Daněk Oldřich Daněk (January 16, 1927 – September 3, 2000) was a Czech dramatist, writer, director and screenwriter. After graduating from high school in Ostrava, he studied at the Theatre Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague ...

, and

Henrik Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright, poet and actor. Ibsen is considered the world's pre-eminent dramatist of the 19th century and is often referred to as "the father of modern drama." He pioneered ...

. In 1997, she was a founder of the Open Stage Association of Freelance Actors. Between 1999 and 2004, she worked as a stage manager at the Old Town Studio theatre in Tallinn. She is a founding member and leader of the Tallinn-based Loomine traditional theatre since 2004.

Film and television

Erika Kaljusaar made her television debut with the role of Ethel in the 1986

Ago-Endrik Kerge Ago-Endrik Kerge (also Endrik Kerge; 8 April 1939 Tallinn – 25 April 2021) was an Estonian dancer, ballet master, director and actor. In 1959 he graduated from Tallinn Choreographic School. In 1976 he graduated from the Tallinn State Conservato ...

directed Eesti Telefilm drama ''Võtmeküsimus''. This was followed by the role of Juta in the 1988 two-part television historical drama ''Narva kosk'', again directed by Kerge and penned by

Vladimir Beekman Vladimir Beekman (23 August 1929 – 3 October 2009) was an Estonian writer, poet and translator. Early life and education After completing his primary education, he attended the Tallinn University of Technology and graduated in 1953 with a degre ...

and

Enn Vetemaa Enn Vetemaa (June 20, 1936March 28, 2017) was an Estonian writer sometimes referred to as a "forgotten classic",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 ...

. She has also appeared in several television series, including roles on the 1998

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 ''Kired'', 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 ''Ohtlik lend'' in 2006, the long-running ETV drama ''

Õnne 13 Õnne 13 is an Estonian dramatic TV series that airs on ETV. The series first aired on 30 October 1993 and was written by Astrid Reinla and as of 1996 by Teet Kallas. Rainer Kerge. Vabandage, proua, kas see maja on Õnne tänav 13?'. Õhtule ...

'' in 2007, 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 ...

crime series ''Kelgukoerad'' in 2009, and several roles on the TV3 comedy-crime series ''Kättemaksukontor'' between 2009 and 2010. Kaljusaar's first film role was as Mari in the 1989

Kaljo Kiisk Kaljo Kiisk (3 December 1925 – 20 September 2007) was a Soviet and Estonian actor, film director, screenwriter and politician. He was best known for his roles as from Spring (1969 film), ''Spring'' (), Summer (1976 film), ''Summer'' (''Suvi'' ...

-directed Tallinnfilm drama ''Regina'', based on the 1978 novel ''Valikuvõimalus'' by Estonian author

Aimée Beekman Aimée Beekman ( Malla; born 20 April 1933) is an Estonian writer noted in her country for several books said to present realistic depictions of modern life. Amongst her works is the controversial ''Valikuvõimalus'' (English: ''An Opportunity fo ...

. In 1992, she appeared in the

Peeter Urbla Peeter Urbla (born 2 June 1945 in Türi) is an Estonian film director, producer, and screenwriter. In 1969, he graduated from the University of Tartu in art history. In 1977, he finished a two-year program for screenwriters and directors in Mosco ...

directed thriller ''Daam autos'', based on the 1968 novel '' The Lady in the Car with Glasses and a Gun'' by French author

Sébastien Japrisot Sébastien Japrisot (; 4 July 1931 – 4 March 2003) was a French author, screenwriter and film director. His pseudonym was an anagram of Jean-Baptiste Rossi, his real name. Renowned for subverting the rules of the crime genre, Japrisot broke do ...

Later career

Since 2007, she has worked as a project manager for the

museum in

Lääne-Harju Parish Lääne-Harju Parish () is a rural Municipalities of Estonia, municipality in northern Estonia. It is a part of Harju County. The municipality has a population of 12,865 (as of 1 January 2019) and covers an area of 645.71 km2. The population ...

, and has been a regular contributor to the civil initiative newspaper ''Padise Teataja''.

Personal life

Erika Kaljusaar has been in a long-term relationship with actor

Väino Laes Väino Laes (born 26 September 1951 in Jõhvi) is an Estonian actor. In 1974 he graduated from Tallinn State Conservatory. From 1978 to 1989 he worked at Rakvere Theatre, 1989–1995 in Estonian Drama Theatre, and since 1995 in Vanalinnastuudio. ...

since 1980. The couple reside in the village of

Padise Padise () is a village in Lääne-Harju Parish, Harju County in northern 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 ...

Harju County Harju County ( or ''Harjumaa''), is one of the fifteen counties of Estonia. It is situated in northern Estonia, on the southern coast of the Gulf of Finland, and borders Lääne-Viru County to the east, Järva County to the southeast, Rapla Count ...

, with a summer home and small farm on the island of

Saaremaa Saaremaa (; ) is the largest and most populous island in Estonia. Measuring , its population is 31,435 (as of January 2020). The main island of the West Estonian archipelago (Moonsund archipelago), it is located in the Baltic Sea, south of Hi ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kaljusaar, Erika 1956 births Living people Estonian stage actresses Estonian film actresses Estonian television actresses Actresses from Tallinn 20th-century Estonian actresses 21st-century Estonian actresses