Stage Following her graduation from the Tallinn Conservatory in 1992, Palmiste began a professional engagement as an actress at the
Estonian Drama Theatre in Tallinn, where she remains. Throughout her career at the Estonian Drama Theatre, she has performed in roles of works by such international authors and playwrights as:
Luigi Pirandello,
Yukio Mishima,
Michael Frayn,
Tankred Dorst,
Noël Coward,
Arthur Miller,
Hermann Bahr,
Charles Dickens,
Per Olov Enquist,
Ayn Rand,
Molière,
Alan Ayckbourn,
Terry Pratchett,
Neil Simon,
Hristo Boytchev,
Evgeny Schwartz,
John Patrick,
Fyodor Dostoyevsky,
Paul Lucas,
Henrik Ibsen,
Conor McPherson,
Juan Rulfo,
Ernest Hemingway,
John Hodge,
Tom Stoppard and
Jordi Galceran. Additionally, Palmiste has performed onstage at several other theatres in Estonia, chiefly, the
Ugala theatre in
Viljandi and the Tartu Theatre Lab in
Tartu. This was followed by the role of Grey One in the 2001
Arvo Iho-directed romantic drama
Karu süda. In 2006, she appeared as Rutt in the Jüri Sillart-directed and Hans Luik penned melodrama
Kuldrannake for
Taska Film. In 2001, Palmiste had a small role as an adjutant in the
Sulev Keedus-directed drama
Kirjad Inglile, starring
Tõnu Oja and
Rain Simmul. That same year, she voiced the character Benita the Cow in the Heiki Ernits and Janno Põldma-directed animated children's film
Lotte and the Moonstone Secret (Estonian:
Lotte ja kuukivi saladus), which was the second full-length feature film of the popular Estonian
Lotte franchise. In 2013, she appeared in the role of Karin Viisla in the René Vilbre-directed family-fantasy film
Väikelinna detektiivid ja valge daami saladus, produced by Balti Video and
Eesti Rahvusringhääling. In 2016, she appeared in a small role as Mari in the Triin Ruumet-directed tragicomedy
Päevad, mis ajasid segadusse, about a young, disaffected man played by Hendrik Toompere Jr. Jr. on a frantic journey through midsummer Estonia in the late 1990s trying to discover purpose and meaning in his life. In 2019, she appeared in the role of Marianne Büttel in the
Mart Sander directed fantasy-horror film
Kõhedad muinaslood. In 2020, she voiced several characters in the Meelis Arulepp and Karsten Kiilerich directed animated feature film
Sipsik, based on the popular 1962 children's book of the same title by
Eno Raud. In addition to Estonian films, Palmiste has appeared in several foreign language films, including; the 2003
Russian language feature-length romantic drama
Yantarnye krylya directed by Andrey Razenkov; the 2004
German language film short
Willkommen in Tallinn directed by Oliver Frohnauer; and the 2008
Ukrainian language family feature-length film
Prykolna Kazka directed by Roman Shirman. Beginning in the early 2000s, Palmiste has also appeared in a number of Estonian short films.
Television Merle Palmiste's career in television began in 1993 on the Toomas Kirss-directed
Eesti Televisioon (ETV) drama series
Salmonid. In the mid-1995 she appeared in small role in the
Dietmar Bär directed German television drama film
Nadja - Heimkehr in die Fremde. Her next several roles were all in foreign television productions: as Irina in the 1996
Finnish television crime-drama miniseries
Sergein totuus, as Gertrude Sellers in the 1997 Finnish television drama-thriller film
Nurkkapöytä Kämpissä, and a small role in the 1999
Swedish television comedy-drama film
Torsk på Tallinn - en liten film om ensamhet in 1999. Other substantial television film roles include the 2001
TV3 spy-comedy
Kodumaa parim poeg ehk eriagent 1188, Notable roles in television series include Riina in the 1998–1999 TV3 television serial drama
Kired, Vilve in the 2005–2006 TV3 comedy series
Hajameelselt abielus, Kertu in seven episodes of the
Kanal 2 crime series
Kelgukoerad between 2006 and 2007, as Riina on the TV3 drama television series
Kälimehed from 2011 until 2012, and several appearances on the popular TV3 comedy-crime series
Kättemaksukontor between 2013 and 2015. In 2016, Palmiste appeared on the Kanal 2 reality series
Suur Komöödiaõhtu, in which several Estonian celebrities compete in a variety of weekly comedic challenges. In 2017, she appeared as Anna in the TV3 mystery-drama series
Merivälja. The same year she was cast to appear in a starring role as Madame Kukk in the 2018 TV3 period drama
Litsid, based on the 2015 novel of the same name by
Mart Sander. In May 2018, Palmiste was awarded the Best Actress in a TV Series for her role on
Litsid at the 2018 Estonian Entertainment Awards. ==Personal life==