Hendrik Toompere Jr. Jr.


Hendrik Toompere Jr. Jr. is an Estonian director and actor. He is known for his productions at the Estonian Drama Theatre. Since 2018, he has been the artistic director of the Estonian Drama Theatre. His work as artistic director earned him in 2024 a special award at the Estonian Theatre Awards for developing a risk-taking, socially engaged, and diverse repertoire.

Life and career

Toompere Jr Jr was born in Tallinn, Estonia. In 2006, he graduated from Tallinn Secondary School of Science. In 2010, he graduated from the Theatre Department of the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre with a degree in acting. Since 2010, he has been a member of the ensemble at the Estonian Drama Theatre. Besides theatrical roles, he has also played in several films. Since 2010, he has been a member of the Estonian Theatre Union and the Estonian Actors’ Association, and since 2012, a member of the Estonian Directors and Dramaturgs Union.
His directorial debut was Rodolf Sirera's The Audition, staged under the title Marquis d’Artiste. In 2013, he directed Davide Carnevali's Variations on the Kraepelin Model.
His production of Marius Ivaškevičius’ Expulsion was a breakthrough, earning wide acclaim from both audiences and critics. For this production, he received the Best Director award at the 2017 Estonian Theatre Awards, and Nikolai Bentsler won Best Supporting Actor for his role in Expulsion.
Forest Forte marked his first collaboration with dramaturg Mehis Pihla. Their partnership continued as Toompere Jr Jr directed Pihla's plays Business as Usual and Once Upon a Time in Lebanon.
Business as Usual is inspired by the money-laundering scandals that rocked Estonia's and Scandinavian banking sector. Told from the perspective of a young man from a modest background who lands a job at a Scandinavian bank's Tallinn branch—where many clients are oligarchs from Russia and beyond—the play explores how illicit finance has shaped Western politics for decades and why it is so difficult to abandon dirty money. The production won multiple honors at the 2025 Estonian Theatre Awards, including Best Play, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Original Music in a Drama Performance, and Best Sound Design. The production has been so popular that demand for tickets has caused a stir among audiences. The play depicts the Danske Bank money-laundering scandal that came to light after revelations by the Danish daily Berlingske in 2017–2018. It is said to tell a larger story—not only about the case itself, but about its impact on society—arguing that the effects in Estonia have been much deeper than in Denmark. While the scandal has amounted to a kind of national trauma in Estonia, in Denmark it has largely been treated as a legal and communications issue.
In 2025 Toompere jr directed another play by Lithuanian dramaturg Marius Ivaškevičius. Ivaškevičius' Totalitarian Romance examines state violence and cultural erasure through the Central Asian myth of the mankurt—a person stripped of memory to ensure obedience. Drawing on the author's conversations with a contemporary Tajik director whose production Mankurt was banned in 2022, the work juxtaposes memories of life in the USSR with the practices of present-day post-Soviet dictatorships. It explores the impact of Soviet and current authoritarian rule on Tajik language and culture, and interweaves this dialogue with the fate of Mikhail Bulgakov—including his late-life play praising Stalin—and with figures from The Master and Margarita to depict the tragedies of artists caught under political power.
In 2025 Toompere Jr Jr directed Mehis Pihla's play Once Upon a Time in Lebanon. Once Upon a Time in Lebanon is inspired by real events surrounding a hostage crisis involving Estonian citizens in Lebanon in 2011. The play is based on the television series script Trading Life and Tiit Pruuli's book Antiliibanon 2011. The production has been highly popular with audiences, with all performances sold out. Although the story is familiar, Toompere Jr and his collaborators stage it with thriller-like tension, keeping the next twist persistently unpredictable.

Personal life

Toompere Jr Jr is the son of actor and director Hendrik Toompere Jr ; his grandparents were actors Hendrik Toompere Sr and Maie Toompere ; his aunt is actress Harriet Toompere; and his great-grandfather was wrestler Herman Kruusenberg.

Productions and roles in the Estonian Drama Theatre

YearDirectorAuthorTitle Title Role
2008Hendrik Toompere JrNikolai JevreinovKõige tähtsamThe Most ImportantComedian
2010Hendrik Toompere JrAnton ChekhovKirsiaedThe Cherry OrchardYasha
2010Ingomar VihmarMika KeränenVarastatud oranž jalgratasStolen Orange BicyclePoliceman Lippus
2011Ingo NormetErnest HemingwayViies kolonnThe Fifth Column1st soldier
2012Hendrik Toompere JrAnton ChekhovKolm õdeThree SistersNikolaj Lvovich Tuzenbach
2012Mladen KiselovDavid EdgarNelipühadPentecost
2012Priit PedajasHalldór LaxnessIslandi kellIceland's BellNorwegian police chief; Jón Jónsson; vagabond
2012Uku UusbergAndrus KivirähkKevadine LutsSpring LutsPeeter Arusk
2014Priit PedajasMadis KõivKeskmängustrateegiaMiddlegame StrategyYoung man
2015Hendrik Toompere JrFyodor DostoevskyVennad KaramazovidThe Brothers KaramazovDmitri Karamazov
2015Juhan UlfsakMichel HouellebecqKaart ja territooriumThe Map and the TerritoryJed Martin
2016Georg MalviusLee Hall, Marc Norman, Tom StoppardArmunud ShakespeareShakespeare in LoveBoatman
2017Hendrik Toompere JrHendrik Toompere JrÜle piiriAcross the BorderRaul
2018Kertu MoppelMaxim GorkyVäikekodanlasedThe PhilistinesNil
2018Hendrik Toompere Jr JrMehis PihlaMetsa forteForest Forteparticipant
2021Kertu MoppelKlaus MannMefistoMephistoOtto Ulrichs
2022Hendrik Toompere Jr JrUrmas VadiTund enne päikesetõusuAn Hour Before SunriseKaspar
2022Hendrik Toompere Jr Jr, Karmo Niguladevised by the ensembleCafé ThéâtralCafé Théâtralparticipant

Selected filmography

YearTitle Title RoleNotes
2002PääsemineEscapeCriminal in the car
2008Mehele parimBest for the ManHendrik "Heins"Student film
2011LeipzigisseOff to LeipzigKarlStudent film
2012SeenelkäikMushroomingVillu Koobalt
2013Elavad pildidLiving ImagesErik, Paul, Mihhail / Mihkel
201519441944Kristjan Põder
2016Päevad, mis ajasid segadusseThe Days That ConfusedAllarEFTA for Best Actor
2017IgiteeThe Eternal RoadToivonen's son
2017Keti lõppThe End of ChainYoung man
2021Sandra saab töödSandra Gets a JobKaarel
2022Erik KivisüdaErik StoneheartDad