Biography

Ivo Eensalu (born April 3, 1949) is an Estonian actor and theatre director. Eensalu's career began in the early 1970s, and has appeared as an actor on stage, film and in television. He became widely known after appearing on the Eesti Televisioon children's educational television series Mõmmi ja aabits. From 1995 until 2001, he was the director of the Estonian Drama Theatre.

Ivo Eensalu was born in Märjamaa in 1949. His father was a carpenter. He graduated from Järvakandi Secondary School in 1967 and enrolled in the Performing Arts Department of the Tallinn State Conservatory (now, the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre) the following year, studying drama with instructor Voldemar Panso, and graduating in 1972. His diploma production role was that of Eero in Aleksis Kivi's The Seven Brothers, directed by Panso and performed at the Estonian Drama Theatre in Tallinn. Among his graduating classmates were actors Helgi Annast, Vello Janson, Rein Kotkas, Kersti Kreismann, Siim Rulli, Tõnis Rätsep, Tõnu Saar, Jaak Tamleht, Martin Veinmann, and Juhan Viiding.

Eensalu made his feature film screen debut in the role of Vikerkaar in the 1974 Virve Aruoja and Jaan Tooming directed drama Värvilised unenäod. The following year, he had a more substantial role as Sikk in the Mikk Mikiver directed Tallinnfilm historical drama Indrek, based on the second volume of A. H. Tammsaare's pentalogy Tõde ja õigus.

During the 1980s, he established himself as a character actor. In 1982, he appeared in the Peeter Simm directed Tallinnfilm adventure film Arabella, mereröövli tütar, based on the story of the same name by children's writer Aino Pervik. In 1984, he appeared as a village idiot in the Olav Neuland directed historical adventure film Hundiseaduse aegu.

In 1992, he appeared in the Lembit Ulfsak directed comedy-family film Lammas all paremas nurgas, and the following year appeared as Ivo in the Kaljo Kiisk directed Tallinnfilm drama Suflöör, the Marek Piestrak directed Estonian-Polish-Russian historical supernatural thriller Saatana pisar, and in the Pekka Karjalainen directed Finnish-Estonian comedy Hysteria. In 1994, he played the role of a Siberian guard in the Jaan Kolberg directed period adventure film Jüri Rumm, based on the life of 19th-century itinerant thief and robber Rummu Jüri. In 1995, he appeared as a voice actor in the role of Alderman in the Heiki Ernits and Leo Lätti directed animated film Tallinna legendid.

Eensalu has been a member of the Estonian Theatre Association since 1973, the Directors' Association since 1992, and the Actors' Union since 1993