Kārlis Freimanis

Born: December 29, 1983

Born in Sigulda, graduated from the Sigulda Music School (1998 and 2002, specializing as a tenor and trombonist), Sigulda Secondary School No. 2 (2003), Riga Purvciems Craft School (2005), and the 9th Studio of the Dailes Theatre (2009). He worked at the Dailes Theatre (2009–2012). Since 2012, he has been performing in productions at the Valmiera Theatre.

Kārlis embodies stability and masculinity, qualities that are also reflected in his characters. Sometimes this stability—or the longing for it—turns into conformity and a denial of one’s roots, as seen in his role as the former legionnaire Vilis Bambāns. However, in the character of Ravik—another exile, driven from his homeland and profession—Kārlis has managed to reveal the unerring internal, ethical compass of the hero, which allows him to maintain his humanity during the darkest of times and become a sanctuary for those who have none. Beneath the calm or seemingly drowsy surface of Kārlis’s characters (such as the perpetually exhausted theatre enthusiast Tim), a hidden lava glows, and it cannot be concealed.

In Kārlis Freimanis’s latest roles, a sense of human maturity and acting self-confidence has emerged, leading to a freer and more convincing creative process. And success was not far behind. In the 2021/2022 season, the actor received a Spēlmaņu nakts (Actors’ Night) nomination for “Actor of the Year in a Supporting Role” for his portrayal of Ivo in the production Mēs, roks, sekss un PSRS (We, Rock, Sex and the USSR). Through his performance, Kārlis Freimanis succeeds in awakening a very specific archetype of the Soviet-era man—it is entirely clear that his exaggerated, forced bravado, cynicism, and rejection of any ideals are merely an adaptive mask worn for survival. It’s as if he’s saying: “Stop twitching, brother, and playing the holy idealist; grab what life gives you and don’t ask unnecessary questions.”

“Kārlis Freimanis’s Ivo—a man of broad and simple strokes—knows everything about factory workers and 20 DEN tights, and tries to hammer into his dangerously romantic and rebellious little brother the safe idea that the army will sort everything out (Undīne Adamaite. Sarkanā sajūtu istaba. KDi. 21.04.2022.). But it is clear that he, too, has read poetry at some point or—perhaps after a few drinks while listening to Vysotsky—still does…”
In the 2022/2023 season, Kārlis Freimanis was nominated as “Best Actor of the Year in a Supporting Role” for his performance as Ezra Mannon in the production Sēras piestāv Elektrai (Mourning Becomes Electra).

“The men of the Mannon family, unlike the fragile yet strong women, are large and powerful, but highly vulnerable. Kārlis Freimanis’s rough and domineering Ezra, having returned home, unexpectedly yearns for his wife’s love.” (Andra Rutkēviča. Kaislību izdedzinātais lauks. No. 2, 2023).
“The worlds of men and women are distinctly separated here. The men, weary of war and having experienced its horrors, become weak and vulnerable when they end up in the crossfire of women’s interests. It is no coincidence that when returning from the war, the men do not simply enter the room—they collapse into it. Kārlis Freimanis’s Ezra Mannon is hardened, a voluntary participant in the war who has returned as a hero, yet now he desires peace and respite, which is not granted to him. He finds himself caught in the crossfire between a mother who has a lover, and a daughter who side with her father but expects him to punish the mother.” (Atis Rozentāls. Kaisles postošā uguns. Kroders.lv. 09.03.2023).