Rita Raave (born 6 April 1951) 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 and film actress, and painter.

Early life and education

Rita Raave was born in Mõisaküla,

Viljandi County Viljandi County ( or ''Viljandimaa''; ) is one of 15 counties of Estonia. It is located in southern Estonia bordering Pärnu, Järva, Jõgeva, Tartu and Valga counties as well as Latvia. History Viljandimaa, under the German name of ''Krei ...

in 1951 to journalist, cartoonist,

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

pastor, and politician Kalev Raave and Lydia Raave (''née'' Majas). She has three siblings: Raivo J. Raave, Riho Raave, and Anneli Raave-Sepp. Raave pursued a career in acting and is a 1974 graduate of 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 ...

). Among her graduating classmate were Maria Klenskaja, Elle Kull, Jüri Aarma, Kaie Mihkelson and Jaan Rõõmussaar.

Stage career

Following her graduation from the Tallinn State Conservatory, she became employed as an actress at the

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 in 1974, where she would remain until 1998, when she became engaged at the Vannalinnastuudio in Tallinn. Raave would remain at the

Vanalinnastuudio Vanalinnastuudio (literally 'Old Town Studio') was 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 b ...

until the theatre's closing in 2004; becoming a freelance actress afterward. She has since performed onstage at the Old Baskin's Theatre, among others. Raave has had a prolific career as a stage actress. Some of her more notable stage roles include those in works by such authors and playwrights as:

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 ...

, Jaan Kross, Jaan Kruusvall,

Samuel Beckett Samuel Barclay Beckett (; 13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989) was an Irish writer of novels, plays, short stories, and poems. Writing in both English and French, his literary and theatrical work features bleak, impersonal, and Tragicomedy, tra ...

Eugène Ionesco Eugène Ionesco (; ; born Eugen Ionescu, ; 26 November 1909 – 28 March 1994) was a Romanian-French playwright who wrote mostly in French, and was one of the foremost figures of the French avant-garde theatre#Avant-garde, French avant-garde th ...

, and

Leo Tolstoy Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy Tolstoy pronounced his first name as , which corresponds to the romanization ''Lyov''. () (; ,Throughout Tolstoy's whole life, his name was written as using Reforms of Russian orthography#The post-revolution re ...

Film and television

Raave's first substantial feature film role was as a starring role as Ragne Rass in the Olav Neuland directed 1982

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 ...

romantic drama ''Corrida''. The film was based on the 1979 Teet Kallas penned novel of the same name. This was followed the next year by the role of Maret in the Kaljo Kiisk directed ''Nipernaadi''; the film adaptation of the 1928

August Gailit August Gailit (9 January 1891 – 5 November 1960) was an Estonians, Estonian writer. Life Georg August Gailit was born in Lossiküla, Kuiksilla (near Sangaste Castle), Sangaste Parish (now Otepää Parish), Kreis Dorpat, Governorate of Livonia, ...

novel '' Toomas Nipernaadi'' about a roguish vagabond who breezes through the Estonian countryside inspiring locals to turn their own dreams into reality. In 1990, she would appear in two films: a small role in the

Peeter Simm Peeter Simm (born 24 February 1953 in Kiviõli) is an Estonian film director. In 1976 he graduated from the All-Union State Institute of Cinematography (VGIK). Selected filmography *''Ideaalmaastik'' (1980) *''Fed up!'' (2005) *''On the Other Si ...

directed historical drama ''Inimene, keda polnud'', and in the Rauni Mollberg directed Finnish drama ''Ystävät, toverit''. She would end the decade with a role in the 1999 Peeter Urbla directed dramatic film short ''Kõrbekuu'', for Allfilm. Raave would appear in a number of films throughout the 2000s and 2010s, most notably among them; the 2007

road movie A road movie is a film genre, genre of film in which the main characters leave home on a road trip, typically altering the perspective from their everyday lives. Road movies often depict travel in the hinterlands, with the films exploring the the ...

comedy '' 186 Kilometers''; as a brothel administrator in the 2007 Kadri Kõusaar directed drama ''Magnus''; as Ruth in the 2011 Mart Kivastik directed drama '' Üks mu sõber''; and as a judge in the 2013 Kadri Kõusaar directed drama ''Kohtumõistja''. She has also appeared in a number of short films; notably, the Anna Hints directed drama ''Vaba maa'', opposite actors Eili Sild and Raivo Trass. In 2013, she appeared in the role of Susanna's mother in the Veiko Õunpuu directed drama '' Free Range/Ballaad maailma heakskiitmisest''. In 2023, she appeared in the role of Ruth in the Mart Kivastik penned and directed comedy ''Taevatrepp''. Aside from film, Rita Raave has also appeared on Estonian television. Most notably, in a 1991 television play production of

Ernest Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway ( ; July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer and journalist. Known for an economical, understated style that influenced later 20th-century writers, he has been romanticized fo ...

's '' The End of Something'' based on Hemingway's 1925 first collection of short stories ''

In Our Time In Our Time may refer to: * ''In Our Time'' (1944 film), a film starring Ida Lupino and Paul Henreid * ''In Our Time'' (1982 film), a Taiwanese anthology film featuring director Edward Yang; considered the beginning of the "New Taiwan Cinema" * ''In ...

''. Between 1993 and 1995, she appeared on 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 ...

television drama series ''Salmonid''.

Painting

In addition to acting, Rita Raave has also held several exhibitions of her paintings. In December 2005, she held an exhibition at Tallinn's Gallery-G. She names

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

masters such as

Giotto Giotto di Bondone (; – January 8, 1337), known mononymously as Giotto, was an List of Italian painters, Italian painter and architect from Florence during the Late Middle Ages. He worked during the International Gothic, Gothic and Italian Ren ...

Botticelli Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi ( – May 17, 1510), better known as Sandro Botticelli ( ; ) or simply known as Botticelli, was an Italian painter of the Early Renaissance. Botticelli's posthumous reputation suffered until the late 1 ...

Titian Tiziano Vecellio (; 27 August 1576), Latinized as Titianus, hence known in English as Titian ( ), was an Italian Renaissance painter, the most important artist of Renaissance Venetian painting. He was born in Pieve di Cadore, near Belluno. Ti ...

, and da Vinci as inspirations.

Personal life

Riita Raave was married to actor Hans Kaldoja in 1976. The couple had a son, Indrek, before divorcing. Raave has been in a long-term relationship with writer and artist Enn Põldroos for many years. They currently reside in Soe in

, and operate a small, private art museum 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 ...

.kultuur.err.ee
9 July 2014. Retrieved 27 January 2017.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Raave, Rita 1951 births Living people People from Mulgi Parish Estonian stage actresses Estonian film actresses Estonian television actresses 20th-century Estonian actresses 21st-century Estonian actresses Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre alumni