Eili Sild

Tallinn, Estonian SSR, USSR [now Estonia]

Eili Sild (born October 26, 1942) is an Estonian stage, film, television and radio actress whose career began on the theatre stage in the early 1960s and has spanned over fifty years.

Eili Sild was born in Tallinn. She attended the Tallinn 7th Secondary School (now, the Tallinn English College), graduating in 1961. In 1963, she graduated from the Tallinn Feature and Newsreel Film Studio (now, Tallinnfilm) and afterwards studied acting at the Lunacharsky State Institute for Theatre Arts (GITIS) (now, the Russian Academy of Theatre Arts) in Moscow, where she graduated in 1976.

Eili Sild's first substantial film role was that of Maia in the 1964 Grigori Kromanov and Jüri Müür-directed black-and-white drama Põrgupõhja uus Vanapagan for Tallinnfilm, based on the multi-layered eponymously titled 1939 novel by A. H. Tammsaare. This was followed in 1966 by the Jüri Müür-directed drama Kirjad Sõgedate külast, also for Tallinnfilm, and based on several works by author Juhan Smuul.

In 1977, Sild was cast in another small role as a housewife in the Jüri Müür-directed Tallinnfilm period piece drama Reigi õpetaja, which was based on the 1926 novel Reigin Pappi (The Pastor of Reigi), by Finnish author Aino Kallas.

After a ten year absence, Eili Sild returned to the screen in the role of a witch in the 1987 Tallinnfilm Metsluiged, directed by Helle Karis. The film was an adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's 1838 fairy tale The Wild Swans. The following year, she appeared in a two minor roles; the Roman Baskin-directed Tallinnfilm dramatic short Vernanda, based on the 1968 Arvo Valton-penned short story Vernanda leib; and in the Elo Tust-directed short dramatic film Nõid, starring Ülle Kaljuste and Enn Kraam. Both film shorts were produced for Tallinnfilm.

In 1992, Sild made a small appearance in the Lembit Ulfsak-directed family comedy Lammas all paremas nurgas, which follows the adventures of two young boys who discover a painting that was believed to be lost long ago. The following year, she appeared in another small role in the Pekka Karjalainen-directed Finnish-Estonian comedy Hysteria.

In 2012, Sild returned to the screen as the character Ilme in the Anna Hints-directed dramatic short Vaba maa, opposite actors Rita Raave and Raivo Trass.