1. Early life and education
Viire Valdma was born on 29 August 1960, in the port town of Paldiski in Harju County, Estonia. Her parents divorced, and she has two sisters and a half-sister from her mother's second marriage. A significant event in Valdma's early life was the forced relocation of her family from Paldiski. This occurred after 1962 when Paldiski became a heavily fortified closed city following the establishment of a Soviet Navy nuclear submarine training center. This relocation underscores the profound impact of Soviet policies on the lives of ordinary citizens.
Valdma pursued her acting education at the Tallinn State Conservatory, now known as the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, graduating in 1982. She studied acting under the tutelage of instructor Aarne Üksküla. Her notable classmates from that period include prominent Estonian actors such as Anu Lamp, Margus Oopkaup, Jaan Rekkor, Laine Mägi, Sulev Teppart, and Andrus Vaarik.
2. Career
Viire Valdma has established a prolific acting career across various platforms, including extensive work in theatre, notable appearances in television films and series, and a significant filmography in Estonian cinema.
2.1. Stage career
Shortly after graduating in 1982, Viire Valdma began her professional acting career at the Vanalinnastuudio (Old Town Studio theatre) in Tallinn. She remained an integral part of the company until 1996. Her debut at the theatre was in the role of Alvetina Ivanova in a production of Semyon Zlotnikov's play A Man Came To A Woman in 1982. During her tenure at Vanalinnastuudio, Valdma showcased her versatility by performing in works by a diverse array of international and Estonian playwrights. These included classic authors like Shakespeare, Eduardo De Filippo, Oskar Luts, August Strindberg, and Joseph Kesselring. She also performed in plays by Jean Genet, Félicien Marceau, Achille Campanile, Sławomir Mrożek, Johnnie Mortimer and Brian Cooke, Willy Russell, Neil Simon, George Gershwin, Ray Cooney, and Marc Camoletti, among many others.
In 1996, Valdma transitioned to the Eesti Draamateater in Tallinn, where she has continued to perform extensively. Her work at Eesti Draamateater further broadened her repertoire, encompassing major roles in productions of works by internationally renowned playwrights such as Shakespeare, Ibsen, Beckett, Feydeau, Corneille, Turgenev, Caryl Churchill, David Henry Hwang, Terry Pratchett, Alan Bennett, Evgeny Schwartz, Roland Schimmelpfennig, Peter Shaffer, Antti Tuuri, Juan Rulfo, and Jane Bowles. Additionally, she has prominently featured in plays by contemporary and classic Estonian authors, including Oscar Luts, Andrus Kivirähk, Paul-Eerik Rummo, Kristel Leesmend, Uku Uusberg, Egon Rannet, Mati Unt, Ervin Õunapuu, and Madis Kõiv.
2.2. Television career
Viire Valdma's television career began early, with her first appearance at the age of 15 in 1975, in a small role in the Sulev Nõmmik-directed family-adventure film Mishuk. In 1982, she secured a starring role as Lea in the Eesti Televisioon (ETV) historical drama Musta katuse all, which was an adaptation of Juhan Smuul's 1959 novel Lea. The following year, in 1983, Valdma played the character Leesi Tulp in the Ago-Endrik Kerge-directed satirical comedy television film Püha Susanna ehk meistrite kool, produced by Eesti Telefilm and featuring Ita Ever and Tiit Lilleorg. This film was loosely based on a play by writer Enn Vetemaa. Later, in 2005, she had a minor role as a theatre director in the Rainer Sarnet-directed television comedy film Libahundi needus.
Valdma has also been a familiar face in numerous Estonian television series. One of her most notable roles was as Comrade Vokk in the 2011-2012 comedy series ENSV: Eesti Nõukogude Sotsialistlik Vabariik. This series humorously depicted everyday life in the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic during the early 1980s, offering a unique perspective on the period. In 2012, she portrayed Kaire Saar in the Kanal 2 series Saare Sosinad. Her versatility was further demonstrated through appearances in the TV3 crime-comedy Kättemaksukontor in 2012 and the Kanal 2 crime drama Viimane võmm in 2014.
Perhaps Valdma's most recognized television role is that of Tiina Püvi on the long-running ETV drama series Õnne 13, a character she played from 2010 to 2016. In 2016, she was cast in the title role of Doktor Silva in the TV3 medical comedy series, penned by Martin Algus and Ergo Kuld, which is set in a fictional healthcare center in the small village of Järva-Jaani in Järva County.
2.3. Film career
Viire Valdma made her feature film debut in 1981, starring as Reet Pärn in the Peeter Simm-directed drama Ideaalmaastik. The film, based on a novel by Karl Helemäe, explored the complex moral dilemmas faced by a member of the Young Communist League who arrives at a collective farm and must choose between adhering to the wisdom of the local villagers or following the directives of Communist Party authorities. This narrative reflected on the tension between local community values and ideological mandates prevalent during the Soviet era.
Her next significant film role was as Milla in the 1983 Kaljo Kiisk-directed Nipernaadi, produced by Tallinnfilm. This film was an adaptation of August Gailit's influential 1928 novel Toomas Nipernaadi. In 1989, Valdma appeared in a small role in the Leia Laius-directed drama Varastatud kohtumine, which depicted a mother's struggle to reconcile with her son after being released from a Soviet prison camp, highlighting the human cost of political oppression. The same year, she also featured in the Mikk Mikiver-directed drama Doktor Stockmann. In 1990, she portrayed Liivi in Regina, a drama penned by Aimée Beekman and Vladimir Beekman and directed by Kaljo Kiisk. Following her appearance in Regina, Valdma largely focused on her stage career, taking a hiatus from film until 2002 when she played a small role in Marko Raat's political thriller Agent Sinikael, starring Mait Malmsten and Kersti Heinloo.
In 2003, Valdma appeared as Imbi in the Rando Pettai-directed comedy Vanad ja kobedad saavad jalad alla (released internationally as Made in Estonia), written by Peep Pedmanson. This film was based on the popular Estonian radio serial and television comedy series Vanad ja kobedad. She returned to film in 2007 as Liina in the Andres Maimik and Rain Tolk-directed road movie comedy Jan Uuspõld läheb Tartusse. This film humorously portrays Estonian actor Jan Uuspõld as a down-on-his-luck caricature of himself, attempting to hitchhike from Tallinn to Tartu to perform at the Vanemuine theatre. In the same year, she played Kärt in the Rainer Sarnet-directed drama Kuhu põgenevad hinged, starring Ragne Veensalu. Produced by Exitfilm, the film was based on Aidi Vallik's novel Mis sinuga juhtus, Ann?, focusing on a troubled teenage girl whose brother is born with a heart defect. In 2018, Valdma portrayed Imbi, the mother of a young woman who abandons her infant, in the Liina Triškina-Vanhatalo-directed Allfilm drama Võta või jäta, a film that critically examines social responsibilities and maternal choices. Beyond feature films, Valdma has also appeared in a variety of short films and student productions.
3. Personal life
Viire Valdma married actor and singer Toomas Urb in 1982. The couple had two children: a daughter named Maria Urb, born in 1983, and a son named Tom-Olaf Urb, born in 1985. Valdma and Urb divorced in 1987. Her son, Tom-Olaf Urb, later followed in his parents' footsteps, pursuing a career as a musician and actor. Additionally, her former nephew and her children's first cousin is the actor Johann Urb.
Viire Valdma currently resides in Tallinn. She has been in a long-term relationship with Olav Lukin, a former swimming champion and water polo player, for many years.