This actor was assigned the role of a romantic and absent-minded eccentric, but judging by his filmography, the roles of Lembit Ulfsak are very diverse
The future actor was born in the Estonian village of Koeru in 1947, grew up like all rural boys, except that he loved to sing more than others. Therefore, as soon as he grew up, he began to play in the Amor Trio ensemble.
At school, he studied with Kalju Komissarov, who became an actor - it was he who played an important role in the life of Ulfsak.
Actor's career
One fine day, Kalju invited Lembit to play in the play. It was the play "Oliver Twist" and Ulfsak had the lead role.
Everything that happened during the rehearsals and preparation for the performance left a deep mark on the soul of the young man, and he decided to become an actor. He always loved theater, but watching a performance from the audience and participating in this “kitchen” are two different things. He was completely captivated by the rehearsals, in which the director talked for a long time with each actor; he liked the selection of suits; he was fascinated by the scenery. Lembit realized that the theater is his world.
A pass to this world was given to him by the Tallinn State Conservatory, from which he graduated at the age of 23. Ulfsak went to work at the Tallinn City Theater, then at the Academic Drama Theater. And then the first filming began.
The debut was characteristic of that time - the role of a young guy in the film "The Tale of the Chekist" (1969). After this film, there were other not very big roles, but Lembit still loved the atmosphere of the set and was waiting for the finest hour.
This hour came to him with the film "Seven Days of Tuizu Taavi" (1971), where he played the main role. Lembit very convincingly showed the life story of a young man and that period in his life when, willy-nilly, one has to grow up and make difficult decisions. Another of Ulfsak's successful works is the role of accordionist Axel Laame in the film Spring in the Forest (1973).
It was a very successful start, but he did not bring wide popularity and major roles to the actor. And only after the role of Thiel Ulenspiegel in the film "The Legend of Thiel" (1976), he will become famous. After that, offers fell on him, and Ulfsak began to play a variety of characters: lords, police officers, scientists, advisers and storytellers. And each role - emotional, artistic, lively - was not like the previous ones.
He especially loved to play in children's films, and was very happy about every such opportunity. Moreover, he himself was the father of three children. And the guys simply adored his roles: Hans Christian Andersen from the film "Pan Blots Academy", Professor Paganel from the tape "In Search of Captain Grant", the quiet Mr. Hey from "Mary Poppins"
After the collapse of the USSR, Lembit Yukhanovich was filmed a little, and mainly in Estonian cinema. However, several years passed, and he was again invited by Russian film companies: in 1999, the filming of a series about detective Dubrovsky began, where he played the writer Steve MacDonald. Then, it would seem that the role of an oil smuggler was completely inappropriate, however, here he played brilliantly, and the serial film "Cobra" was a great success.
And in 2013 the film "Tangerines" with the participation of Ulfsak was nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe. His last film was called "The Eternal Way" (2017).
Lembit Yukhanovich Ulfsak died in 2017 in Tallinn.
Personal life
The actor was married twice: in his first marriage, he had a son, Johan, with whom they starred in the film "Red Mercury".
The second wife is an insurance agent Epp, and in this marriage they have two daughters: Maria became a journalist, and Johanna is an artist.
