Maarja Jakobson, a renowned Estonian television, stage, and film actress, embarked on her career in the late 1990s.
Born in Tartu in 1977, Jakobson is distantly related to 19th-century writer and politician Carl Robert Jakobson, who played a pivotal role in the Estonian national awakening.
After graduating from the 15th Secondary School of Tartu in 1995, Jakobson enrolled at the University of Tartu to study German for a year before pursuing a degree in performing arts at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre in Tallinn, graduating in 2000.
Among her graduating classmates were notable actors and directors, including Kersti Heinloo, Margus Prangel, Eva Püssa, Katrin Pärn, Tambet Tuisk, Piret Simson, Urmas Lennuk, Tiit Ojasoo, and Vahur Keller.
In 2002, Jakobson earned a master's degree in theatre and drama from the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, having spent the previous year studying at the Berlin University of the Arts.
Her early career included a role in the long-running Eesti Televisioon (ETV) television drama series Õnne 13, which she has been performing for over twenty years, as well as a small role in the 1999 sci-fi adventure film Kass kukub käppadele.
Jakobson began her stage career at the Endla Theatre in Pärnu in 2001 before transitioning to freelance work in 2004, appearing on the stages of various Estonian theatres.
She received her first starring role in a feature-length film as Alice in the 2005 comedy-drama Stiilipidu and appeared in several film shorts before starring as Laura in the 2006 drama Sügisball, for which she won the Best Actress award at the 11th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival.
In 2006, Jakobson was recognized with the European Shooting Stars Award, presented by the European Film Promotion (EFP),during the 56th Berlin International Film Festival.
Throughout her career, Jakobson has appeared in numerous films, including the comedy-dramas Tabamata ime and Kõrini!, as well as the dramas Tühirand and Sügisball.
