Biography

Uldis Pūcītis (April 15, 1937 – December 14, 2000) was a Latvian television, theater and film actor, scriptwriter and film director. Uldis Pūcītis was born in Ranka parish, Gulbene District to Jānis Pūcītis and his wife Anna Pūcīte. After graduating from school in Ranka he continued his studies in Riga and studied at the Latvian State Conservatory, graduating in 1959. Following his graduation, he worked as schoolteacher in the town of Aizpute for four years while engaged at the Liepāja Theater from 1960 to 1972, the Dailes Theater from 1964 to 1973 and the Youth Theatre from 1962 to 1964 and again from 1973 until 1992. Pūcītis made his film debut in a small role as a fisherman in the 1959 Ada Neretniece-directed Latvian language Soviet film Svešiniece ciemā (English release title: Stranger in the Village) before his first starring role opposite Latvian actress Vija Artmane in the Leonīds Leimanis-directed period-drama Purva bridējs, a film adaptation of the novel of the same name by Latvian writer Rūdolfs Blaumanis.