Indrek Taalmaa (born 9 July 1967)[ Postimees Indrek Taalmaa, näitleja saatuse tahtel 5 October 2013. Retrieved 16 July 2018.] is an Estonian stage, television, voice, film actor, and theatre director whose career began in the early 1990s.
Early life and education
Indrek Taalmaa was born and raised in the town of
Viljandi. He graduated from Viljandi Secondary School No. 4 in 1985.
[ Postimees Indrek Taalmaa, näitleja saatuse tahtel 5 October 2013. Retrieved 16 July 2018.] In 1986, he entered the Drama School of the Tallinn State Conservatory (now, the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre), but was conscripted into the
Soviet Army and spent two years deployed to
Afghanistan during the Soviet–Afghan War.
[ Eesti Päevaleht Kuulpea sai juuksed pähe 9 July 1999. Retrieved 16 August 2018.]
Career
Stage
Indrek Taalmaa has had a prolific career in theatre, beginning with a two-year engagement at the
Ugala in Viljandi in 1991. From 1994 until 1999, he was engaged at the Rakvere Theatre in
Rakvere. From 1999 until 2006, he was engaged at the
Vanemuine in
Tartu, until leaving for the
Endla Theatre in Pärnu, where he is still currently engaged. He has also performed throughout Estonia on a number of other stage venues and has been the artistic director of several theatre festivals.
[ Postimees Indrek Taalmaa, näitleja saatuse tahtel 5 October 2013. Retrieved 16 July 2018.] In 2013, Taalmaa opened the Tallinn Chamber Theatre in the Tallinn subdistrict of
Kalamaja, where he acts as the theatre director and also as a performer, often in solo performances.
[ err.ee Kalamajas avab uksed Tallinna kammerteater 4 November 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2018.][ Õhtuleht Indrek Taalmaa asutas kammerteatri: «See on täiesti sõltumatu teatrike.» 7 November 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2018.]
Television
Taalmaa's first significant television role was as Carl Danhammer in the 2005
Ilmar Raag-directed Eesti Televisioon (ETV) television film
August 1991; a dramatization of the failed Soviet attempt to suppress the independence movement in Estonia.
[ arhiiv.err.ee August 1991. Retrieved 16 August 2018.] The following year, he portrayed Konstantin Päts, the first head of government, in the twelve-part ETV historical drama television mini-series
Tuulepealne maa.
[ Elu24/Postimees «Tuulepealne maa» põhitegelased 10 October 2008. Retrieved 16 August 2018.] Also, in 2006, he appeared on Finnish television in the role of Igor Golitsyn in the Tapio Piirainen-directed crime drama film
Bodomin legenda.
[ mubi.com Bodomin legenda. Retrieved 16 August 2018.]
From 2002 until 2009, Taalmaa made frequent appearances on the long-running ETV drama serial Õnne 13 as the character Kuno Pfeffermint. From 2010 until 2012, he played the role of Villem Kadak on the ETV comedy series ENSV: Eesti Nõukogude Sotsialistlik Vabariik, which reflects on life during the 1980s in the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic. Since 2014, he has played the role of Chef Viktor on the Kanal 2 comedy series Köök.[ Kanal 2/Postimees Köök. Retrieved 16 August 2018.] Other notable television appearances include roles on the ETV crime series Ohtlik lend (2009), the TV3 comedy-crime series Kättemaksukontor (2009), the Kanal 2 crime series Kelgukoerad (2010), and the Kanal 2 drama series Romet ja Julia (2012–2013). In 2018, he joined the cast of the ETV series Miks mitte?! in the role of Martin.[ Kanal 2/Postimees Romet ja Julia. Retrieved 16 August 2018.]
Film
Taalmaa began his film career in several short films and as a voice actor in animated short films in the early 1990s. His first significant film role was that of Oskar Elevant in the 1997 historical comedy
Minu Leninid, directed by
Hardi Volmer.
[ Eesti Ekspress Kloonigem juhte. 18 May 2007. Retrieved 16 August 2018.] Other roles followed in the 2005
Rainer Sarnet-directed thriller
Libahundi needus and the 2006 Elmo Nüganen-directed comedy
Meeletu; both of which were originally aired on Estonian television, then released theatrically. In 2007, he played the role of Talesh in the Peeter Simm-directed biographical drama film
Georg, which chronicled the life of Estonian singer and actor
Georg Ots. In 2008, he again played the role of President of Estonia Konstantin Päts in the Ain Mäeots-directed
Exitfilm biographical drama
Taarka, based on the play of the same name by Kauksi Ülle about the difficult life of
Setomaa folk singer
Hilana Taarka.
[ Õhtuleht «Taarka» 31 May 2006. Retrieved 16 August 2018.]
Taalmaa has appeared in over thirty short films, animated films, and feature films. Notable appearances include roles in the 2009 Andrus Tuisk-directed road-movie Pangarööv, the 2013 René Vilbre-directed family film Väikelinna detektiivid ja valge daami saladus, the 2017 Sulev Keedus-directed drama Mehetapja/Süütu/Vari, the 2017 Andres Puustusmaa-directed comedy Rohelised kassid, and the 2018 Moonika Siimets-directed period drama Seltsimees laps.[ Eesti filmi andmebaas Filmography. Retrieved 16 August 2017.] In 2021, he appeared in the role of Mõisnik in the Ergo Kuld directed comedy film Jahihooaeg alongside Harriet Toompere, Mirtel Pohla and Grete Kuld. The following year, he appeared in the Ergo Kuld directed romance-drama Soo, screen written by Martin Algus and based on the novel 1914 novel of the same name by Oskar Luts.
In 2012, when the 1994 Disney animated musical film The Lion King was dubbed into the Estonian language, Taalmaa voiced the character Pumbaa.
Personal life
Indrek Taalmaa is in a long-term relationship with actress
Karin Tammaru. The couple have two sons and reside in Tallinn.
[ Postimees Indrek Taalmaa, näitleja saatuse tahtel 5 October 2013. Retrieved 18 August 2018.][
]
target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> Őhtuleht Paar: Karin Tammaru ja Indrek Taalmaa 28 April 2017. Retrieved 16 August January 2018.
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