Famous Estonians

List of most famous people, who were born in Estonia.

Arvo Pärt (born 11 September 1935; Estonian pronunciation: [??rvo ?pært]) is an Estonian classical composer. Since the late 1970’s, Pärt has been working in a minimalist style that employs a self-made compositional technique called tintinnabuli. His music also finds its inspiration and influence from Gregorian chant.

He was born in Paide, Järva County, Estonia. Continuing struggles with Soviet officials led him to emigrate in 1980 with his wife and their two sons. Pärt lived first in Vienna, Austria, where he took Austrian citizenship, and then re-located to Berlin, Germany. He returned to Estonia around the turn of the century and now lives in Tallinn.

Kerli Kõiv [?kerli ?k?.iv] (born February 7, 1987), known by her stage name Kerli,

is an Estonian singer who is known for her alternative rock style and her album

Love Is Dead which charted in the Billboard 200.

Carmen Kass ( born in Paide, Estonia, September 14, 1978) is an Estonian supermodel.

Carmen Kass grew up in Paid. As a girl she lived in an apartment in Sika village with her mother, who worked on a farm. At the age of fourteen years she was “discovered” in a supermarket in Tallinn by an Italian model scout. Kass had actually want to participate in the Miss Estonia-election, but an offer to fly to Milan to model it as a career it seemed a more glamorous and lucrative option.

Kass moved to Paris at age eighteen, after the covers of several magazines had been great, including Vogue (France and United States), Elle (Australia), Image (United Kingdom).

In 1999, Kass model for many famous designers including Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, Prada and Versace. Moreover, Kass has posed in numerous advertisements from including Calvin Klein, Chanel and Donna Karan. Kass was a spokesperson for Sephora, a cosmetics brand known, and the J’adore perfume by Christian Dior.

Kass was regarded by Vogue as “Model of the Year” at the VH1 / Vogue Fashion Awards 2000.

Markko Martin (Tartu, November 10, 1975) is a former Estonian rally driver. He drove to the 2005 season in the World Rally Championship, then for Peugeot. He ended his career prematurely, however, after witnessing an accident during the World Cup rally of Great Britain in September 2005, his navigator Michael Park died.

Märtin drove the remaining season not beginning in 2006 and decided not to return to the World Cup Rally. But later that year he took part in the Rally of Portugal in Subaru Impreza WRX. In 2008 he was wrong but again more or less back in the World Cup scene, when he was contracted Subaru test driver. Subaru withdrew, at the end of the year from the World Cup Rally.

Today focuses on Märtin Rally-Team and has recently tested for the factory BMW team.

Michael Roos (born Mihkel Roos, October 5, 1982) is an Estonian American football offensive tackle for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League.