Bruno O'Ya

Bruno O'Ya (born Bruno Oja; February 12, 1933 – October 9, 2002) was an Estonian-Polish actor. In 1974 he starred in the Academy Award-nominated film The Deluge under Jerzy Hoffman. He also appeared in the 1978 film Centaurs. He released a folk album with 12 songs in 1973.

Born on February 12, 1933, in Tallinn, O'Ya was born to Verner and Hilda Oja; his brother was Kenno Oja. He was married four times, and has a daughter, Dominika. O'Ya studied piano with the Estonian composer Eugen Kapp. He was part of a pop music group in Tartu in 1951 and the Riga Teacher's House dance orchestra from 1956–1964. From the late the 1960s, he mainly lived and worked in Wrocław, Poland, but did not renounce his Soviet citizenship, as that was how he was able to visit Estonia. In 1967, he changed his Estonian surname to a foreign one, henceforth writing the surname with a y and adding an apostrophe after the first letter in order to simplify foreign contact.

After Estonia regained its independence, O'Ya returned to Estonia, where he supervised a youth theater. On the initiative of Foreign Minister Trivim Velliste, O'Ya became the cultural attaché and honorary consul of the Republic of Estonia in Poland. In 1998 he suffered a stroke.

Bruno O'Ya is known for work in acting across film and television. New Release currently presents 30 verified screen credits connected to this profile.

Selected work includes An Unknown Friend (1978), The Weddings of Ioan Assen (1975), The Deluge (1974), Possession (1973), Wolves' Echoes (1968), Tēva zeme (1961), Calling 07 (1976), Soldiers of Freedom (1977). The recorded credits span 1961 to 2008, including 25 movies and 5 TV shows.

The filmography below lists available titles, release years and known roles. This profile is updated as additional verified information becomes available.