Ingrid Kivirähk (née Kasesalu until 1953; 18 May 1931 – 21 February 2024) was an Estonian puppeteer and actor. She had a career spanning several decades. She was known for her work at Estonian Television (ETV), where she became a household name through her contributions to children's programming. She was a voice actress for many animated films dubbed into Estonian, participated in Estonian Radio radio dramas, and contributed a memorable vocal part to the sound recording of Arne Oit's hit song "Seenekorjamise laul" ("The Mushroom Picking Song", 1964).Kontsertpalad: 150 | A. Oit "Seenekorjamise laul" |trans-title=Concert Pieces: 150 | A. Oit "Mushroom Picking Song" ETV, 1964.
Early life and education Ingrid Kivirähk was born Ingrid Kasesalu in Tallinn. Her father was a driver and her mother was a homemaker. She studied at Tallinn Secondary School No. 7 (now, Tallinn English College) from 1945 to 1947 and at the Drama Theatre Training Studio from 1951 to 1952, and graduated from the Viljandi School of Cultural Education in 1967 with a degree in club work.
Career She joined the Estonian Theatre Union in 1953. She was an actress at the Puppet Theatre from 1952 to 1955 and 1959 to 1962. Between 1965 and 1982, she was an assistant sound engineer at Estonian Television (ETV) and worked as a record library staff member from 1982 to 1992. She primarily performed as a puppet actress in several popular ETV children's series. She portrayed Tipp for 16 years (1965–1981) in the television series Tipp ja Täpp, by Uno Leies.
Roles Year Role Production 1952 Egli White Friend (Sudarushkin) 1952 Orphan The Orphan's Hand Mill (Kangilaski) 1953 Ajlo Kingdom of Crooked Mirrors (Gubarev and Uspensky) 1953 Snow White Snow White (Kelder) 1954 Little Red Riding Hood Little Red Riding Hood (Toona) 1954 Daryusha Silverhoof the Goat (Yermakov) 1959 Mei The Ugly Girl (Jakob) 1959 Ostrich The Insatiable Elephant's Child (Kipling and Vladytsina) 1960 Mei Happy Mei (Jakob) 1960 Little Kid The Wolf and the Seven Young Goats (Kompanyets) 1960 Scribe The Devil's Watermill (Drda and Štok) 1962 Milli Bunnies' School (Mantchev) 1962 Little Red Riding Hood and Bunny Buratino Flies to the Moon (Leies) 1962 Miki Bitter Enemies (Leies) 1992 Tiiu Christmas Spirits (Kallak) at the Puppet Theatre 1993 Orphan Twelve Months (Marshak) at the Puppet Theatre
Roles in Estonian Television children's series Years Role Series 1965–1981 Tipp Tipp ja Täpp 1967–1980 Telepoiss Telepoiss 1981–1983 Tibu and Puppy Kikerikii 1988–1990 Chestnut Girl The Adventures of Tammetõru
Personal life She was married to Ants Kivirähk. She was the mother of Tiina Vapper, Juhan Kivirähk, and Andrus Kivirähk.
Ingrid Kivirähk is buried at Metsakalmistu in Tallinn, within the "Teatritegelaste kvartal" (Theatre Figures Quarter).
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