Rita Raave

Rita Raave (born April 6, 1951) is an Estonian stage, television and film actress, and painter.

Rita Raave was born in Mõisaküla, Viljandi County in 1951 to journalist, cartoonist, Lutheran 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). Among her graduating classmate were Maria Klenskaja, Elle Kull, Jüri Aarma, Kaie Mihkelson and Jaan Rõõmussaar.

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