Salme Reek

Salme Reek November 10 1907 June 6 1996 was an Estonian stage film radio and television actress and stage director whose career spanned nearly seventy years sixtysix of which were spent as an actress at the Estonian Drama Theatre Salme Helene Reek was the oldest of three siblings born to paper pulp factory worker Juhan Reek and housewife Julia Reek née Erberg in Pärnu Her younger siblings were Hilda 19111990 and Oskar 19221939 who died at age seventeen During Reeks early years the family lived in nearpoverty in a oneroom apartment on SuurKuke Street later moving into a tworoom studio apartment Both of Reeks parents were keenly interested in music her father Juhan played the piano and the harmonium and her mother Julia sang as a first soprano in the familys Lutheran church choir Both parents were also theatre enthusiasts and Reek often attended theatre productions at Pärnus Endla Theatre during her early childhood Reek began her primary school studies in Pärnu before the family relocated to Tallinn then returning to Pärnu approximately four years later The family subsequently returned once more to Tallinn where Reek attended secondary school at Tallinn 2nd Girls Gymnasium now Tallinn Kristiine Gymnasium graduating in 1927 Reek performed well in history and language classes and excelled in gymnastics Just after graduation in 1927 Reek enrolled in studies at the Drama Theatre Studio School in Tallinn founded in 1920 by actor and theatre pedagogue Paul Sepp graduating in 1930 From 1929 until 1933 Reek studied dance with Estonian choreographer and dance teacher Gerd Neggo who because of Reeks difficult financial situation taught Reek without charge Reek made her feature film debut in a small role in the 1969 SovietEstonian comedydrama Hullumeelsus directed by Kaljo Kiisk for Tallinnfilm This was followed by the role of Epp in the Kiisk directed drama Tuuline rand in 1971 also for Tallinnfilm In 1972 she played the role of Amanda in the Veljo Käsper directed and Enn Vetemaa penned World War II drama Väike reekviem suupillile Reek also appeared in a number of other small roles in films during the 1970s including the Veljo Käsper directed dramaTuulevaikus in 1971 and the Kaljo Kiisk directed romanticdrama Maaletulek in 1973 In 1976 she made an appearance in the Veljo Käsper directed drama film Aeg elada aeg armastada In 1981 Reek appeared in the role of the character Tuiskas wife in the Arvo Kruusement directed period drama Karge meri a film adaptation of the 1938 novel of the same name by August Gailit about the lives of seal hunters in a small village on the Baltic Sea In 1984 she appeared in the Helle Karis directed fantasyfamily film Karoliine hõbelõng In 1989 she appeared in the Igor Voznesensky directed Russian language science fiction film Idealnoe prestuplenie and in 1991 appeared in a small role in another Russian language film the Aleksandr Polynnikov directed adventurecomedy Obnazhyonnaya v shlyape Other films include the 1992 Jüri Sillart directed period drama film Noorelt õpitud the 1992 Lembit Ulfsak directed familycomedy film Lammas all paremas nurgas and the 1993 Ilkka JärviLaturi directed dark comedy Tallinn pimeduses Throughout her career Reek also appeared in a number of short films