Risto Kübar

Risto Kübar (born 4 December 1983)^[1] is an Estonian stage, voice and film actor.

Early life and studies

Born in the small borough of Kose, he attended school at Kose Secondary School from 1990 until 1999, followed by studies at the Tallinn Old Town Educational College (VHK), graduating in 2002. After graduation from VHK was accepted at the Estonian Music and Theatre Academy of Dramatic Art (now, the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre) where he studied in courses under the tutelage of actor and teacher Priit Pedajas, graduating in 2006.^[2][3]

Theatre

While still a student, Risto Kübar made his stage debut at Estonian Drama Theatre in Finis nihili, a play written by Madis Kõiv. This was followed by a role in William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. In 2006, just after graduation, he began working at Theatre NO99 in Tallinn, where he made his made his debut in Anton Chekov's The Cherry Orchard. He was engaged at Theatre NO99 until 2014; working from 2012 until 2014 at both Theatre NO99 and the German Münchner Kammerspiele theatre.^[4] From 2014, he has been living in Germany while engaged at the Münchner Kammerspiele. Kübar has also performed at the Tallinn City Theatre in a production of George Orwell's Animal Farm, and the Vanemuine theatre in Tartu, where he played the role of guitarist Jaanus Nõgisto in the rock opera Ruja in 2008;^[5] a production based on the Estonian rock band of the same name.^[6][7]

On the first and second of October 2016, Kübar returned to the Theatre NO99 in a production of the play Spectacular Lightshows Of Which U Don't See The Effect. The two-man show, with Belgian actor Benny Claessens, caused some controversy for the amount of nudity and homosexual theme, but garnered positive reviews.^{[8][9] [10]}

Film

Risto Kübar made his film debut as a voice actor in the 2006 animated short film Maraton for Eesti Joonisfilm. He followed this as a voice extra in the feature-length Heiki Ernits and Janno Põldma directed Estonian animated children's film Leiutajateküla Lotte (English: Lotte from Gadgetville). His most prominent film role to date was a starring role in the 2011 Rainer Sarnet directed Idioot; an adaptation of Fyodor Dostoyevsky's The Idiot.^[11]

Personal life

On 6 October 2014, Risto Kübar penned an open letter addressed to Estonian lawyer Varro Vooglaid, who is the foundation chairman of SA Family and Defense of Tradition (SAPTK) (Estonian: Perekonna ja Traditsiooni Kaitseks). The letter, printed in the daily Estonian newspaper Postimees, was a personal and public appeal that took aim at Vooglaid's anti-gay sentiments and opposition towards the gender-neutral civil partnership law passed by the Estonian Parliament; a cohabitation agreement that gives the same legal protections to same-sex couples that are available to opposite-sex couples.^[12] In the letter, Kübar publicly came out as gay, making him one of the first well-known Estonian celebrities to do so.^[13]

Risto Kübar currently resides in Munich while he is engaged at the Münchner Kammerspiele theatre. His brother is sidecar motorcross racer Silver Kübar (et).^{[14] [15]}

Acknowledgements

• Voldemar Panso award (2004)
• Kristallkingake award (Adolf Rühka, Adolf Rühka lühikene elu) (2006)
• Estonian Theatre Award for best supporting actor (The Trickster, Three Kingdoms) (2011)
• Estonian Cultural Endowment of the Arts (2013)
• Theatre Heute Young Actor of the Year (2013)^[16]

References