Salme Poopuu

Born: 1939-10-18

Salme Poopuu (October 18, 1939 – May 13, 2017) was an Estonian filmmaker and actress. Poopuu's career in the film and television industry spanned nearly fifty years working in a variety of positions, such as an actress, production assistant, production manager, producer, assistant director and director. Salme Poopuu was born in the village of Rahtla on the island of Saaremaa to Alexander Theodor Poopuu and Triinu Poopuu (née Tamm). She was one of three siblings. At age nine the family moved to Kuressaare. Poopuu attended school in Kuressaare until age thirteen when the family moved to the town of Türi in Järva County where she completed her studies. After graduation, she attended the University of Tartu where she studied economic geography and demography. At university, she met students Peep Puks, Paul-Eerik Rummo and Kulle Raig, who were all interested in filmmaking. Poopuu began experimenting with an 8 mm film camera and the group would spend time filming one another. In 1969, Poopuu began work on the Madis Ojamaa directed music documentary Uksed as a production assistant. This would lead to a lengthy career in the film and television industry as a filmmaker, working on various productions as an actress, production assistant, production coordinator, production manager, producer, assistant director and director. From the early 1970s until 1996, she worked for Tallinnfilm in a number of positions. Afterward, she worked for Danish, Finnish, German and U.S. film production companies until 1998. From 1996 onward, she contributed to Estofilm, Exitfilm, RCE, Baltic Broadcast and Faama Film as a contracted project manager and an active film producer. During her lifetime, Poopuu worked as a filmmaker on over sixty television films and series and feature films. In addition to her career as a filmmaker, Poopuu has also worked as a film and television actress since the late 1960s. One of her first significant, albeit small, roles was in the 1972 Sulev Nõmmik comedy television film Noor pensionär (English: "A Young Retiree") for Eesti Telefilm. Poopuu would spend the next several decades appearing in often small roles in motion pictures, telefilms, and television series. She is possibly best remembered by younger audiences for her appearances in such television series as Kättemaksukontor, Köök and, particularly, in the role of Salme in the Ergo Kuld directed Kanal 2 teen comedy-drama series Ühikarotid from 2010 until 2012. In 2016, she appeared in a cameo role in the music video "Mind ei koti" by the Estonian rapper Azma. Salme Poopuu never married or had children. Beginning in her early 40s, she was in a relationship with a man that ended after fourteen years. She lived in Tallinn with a summer home in her childhood village of Rahtla on the island of Saaremaa. Poopuu was a longtime member of the Estonian Greens political party. She died in Tallinn at age 77.


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Candles in the Dark

as uncredited
Released: 1993-12-03

Candles in the Dark is the story of a girl who comes to visit her father's homeland, the Soviet...

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City Unplugged

as Nurse
Released: 1993-06-06

In August, 1991, Estonia reclaims its independence from the USSR and brings to its national bank...

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Tear of the Prince of Darkness

as Pie Seller at the Port
Released: 1993-03-06

Tallinn, Estonia, days before outbreak of World War II. Hotel detective and Polish writer team...

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Set Point

as Woman at Lasnamäe
Released: 2004-01-01

On one summer evening, four strangers are brought together by a mysterious murder. A case which...

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Bad Hair Friday

as Grandmother
Released: 2012-02-15

At an ever-accelerating pace, this thriller / dark comedy tells the story of 8 very different...

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December Heat

as Elder of the Knighthood Building
Released: 2008-10-16

The young country of Estonia is dancing to the jazzy tune of the 1920's when on December 1,...

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Young Pensioner

as Girl
Released: 1972-05-06

One lovely day a young man, a former ballet dancer suddenly finds himself on a pension and...

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The Witch

as uncredited
Released: 1988-01-01

Everything seems to be fine in the life of a young woman who works as a paramedic. She has...

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ENSV

as Turumammi
First aired: 2010-09-05

A comedy-series depicting an Estonian family in 1980s that consists of a rebel-minded grandpa,...

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Revenge Office

as Neighbour
First aired: 2009-04-30

A group of women create a organisation named "Kättemaksukontor" to fight for the rights of women...

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Ühikarotid

as Salme 'Ühikamutt'
First aired: 2010-03-08

Ühikarotid is an Estonian teen drama TV series that airs on Kanal 2. The series first aired on 8...

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