Vera Maretskaya
Encyclopedia
Vera Petrovna Maretskaya (Russian
: Вера Петровна Марецкая) was a Russian
actress.
. Young Maretskaya helped her father, named Petr Maretsky, who was a candy bar vendor at Moscow Circus. Maretskaya was auditioned by Yevgeny Vakhtangov
and studied at Vakhtangov Theatre School, from which she graduated as an actress in 1924. That same year she became permanent member of Theatre-Studio led by Yuri Zavadsky
. She soon married her teacher Yuri Zavadsky, and they had one son. They remained life-long friends and stage partners, even after the end of their brief marriage.
.She played roles in fifteen silent films.
In 1937 Maretskaya suffered from political execution of her two brothers, journalists Dmitri and Gregori, who were the followers of opposition politician Nikolai Bukharin
. Maretskaya appealed to the Soviet government, but her appeal was ignored. Her brothers were executed by gunshots during the purges of the "Great Terror" under the dictatorship of Joseph Stalin
. Soon Maretskaya lost her second husband, a young actor, named Georgi Troitsky, who was killed in action in 1941, during the Second World War. She took care of her own two children, and also adopted the children of her executed brothers. She was supported by Yuri Zavadsky.
By 1940, she was made one the faces of Soviet propaganda films. She shot to fame after the leading role in 'Chlen pravitelstva' (Member of the Government 1940) by directors Aleksandr Zarkhi
and Iosif Kheifits
. For that role she was awarded the Stalin's Prize. At that time the Zavadsky's Theatre-Studio merged with the Theatre of Mossoveta, and in 1940, Maretskaya became permanent member of the Mossoveta Theatre. There her stage partners were such actors as Yuri Zavadsky
, Faina Ranevskaya
, Lyubov Orlova
, Nikolai Mordvinov, Osip Abdulov
, Rostislav Plyatt
, Georgi Zhzhyonov, and other notable Russian actors.
Maretskaya was famous among actors for her culinary talent, which was legendary. At her Moscow home she once hosted the French
actor Jean Marais
, who was a well-known connoisseur of gourmet food, and also watched his weight too. Maretskaya made the Russian-style dinner with such dishes as "Blini and caviar", "Blintzes with fish", and various choices of Vodka. Mr. Jean Marais politely stated that he must limit himself to only one small piece of "Blini and Caviar", but he could not stop eating all night long.
. Her radio show was her last memorable acting job. In 1976 Maretskaya was designated the Hero of Socialist Labor
. She was awarded the Stalin Prize four times (1942, 1946, 1948, 1951) and was made the People's Artist of the USSR (1949).
Maretskaya died on August 17, 1978, and was laid to rest in Novodevichy Cemetery
in Moscow, Russia.
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
: Вера Петровна Марецкая) was a Russian
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
actress.
Early years
Vera Petrovna Maretskaya was born on July 31, 1906, in Barvikha, a suburb of MoscowMoscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. Young Maretskaya helped her father, named Petr Maretsky, who was a candy bar vendor at Moscow Circus. Maretskaya was auditioned by Yevgeny Vakhtangov
Yevgeny Vakhtangov
Yevgeny Bagrationovich Vakhtangov was a Russian actor and theatre director who founded the Vakhtangov Theatre. He was a friend and mentor of Michael Chekhov.Vakhtangov was born to Armenian-Russian parents from Ossetia in Vladikavkaz...
and studied at Vakhtangov Theatre School, from which she graduated as an actress in 1924. That same year she became permanent member of Theatre-Studio led by Yuri Zavadsky
Yuri Zavadsky
Yuri Alexandrovich Zavadsky was a Russian actor and director.Zavadsky studied under Yevgeny Vakhtangov, and made his acting debut at Vakhtangov's theatre, playing Anthony in Maurice Maeterlinck's play The Miracle of St. Anthony in . He worked in various Russian theatres before moving to the...
. She soon married her teacher Yuri Zavadsky, and they had one son. They remained life-long friends and stage partners, even after the end of their brief marriage.
Life and career
In 1925 Vera Maretskaya made her film debut in Zakroyshchik iz TorzhkaThe Tailor from Torzhok
The Tailor from Torzhok is a 1925 Soviet silent comedy film directed by Yakov Protazanov and starring Igor Ilyinsky-Plot:A small-town tailor Petya Petelkin buys a lottery ticket starting a chain of comic adventures.-Cast:...
.She played roles in fifteen silent films.
In 1937 Maretskaya suffered from political execution of her two brothers, journalists Dmitri and Gregori, who were the followers of opposition politician Nikolai Bukharin
Nikolai Bukharin
Nikolai Ivanovich Bukharin , was a Russian Marxist, Bolshevik revolutionary, and Soviet politician. He was a member of the Politburo and Central Committee , chairman of the Communist International , and the editor in chief of Pravda , the journal Bolshevik , Izvestia , and the Great Soviet...
. Maretskaya appealed to the Soviet government, but her appeal was ignored. Her brothers were executed by gunshots during the purges of the "Great Terror" under the dictatorship of Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
. Soon Maretskaya lost her second husband, a young actor, named Georgi Troitsky, who was killed in action in 1941, during the Second World War. She took care of her own two children, and also adopted the children of her executed brothers. She was supported by Yuri Zavadsky.
By 1940, she was made one the faces of Soviet propaganda films. She shot to fame after the leading role in 'Chlen pravitelstva' (Member of the Government 1940) by directors Aleksandr Zarkhi
Aleksandr Zarkhi
Aleksandr Grigoryevich Zarkhi was a Soviet film director, screenwriter, and playwright. Aleksandr Zarkhi was granted the honorary title of People's Artist of the USSR in 1969 and received Stalin Prize in 1946...
and Iosif Kheifits
Iosif Kheifits
Iosif Kheifits was a Soviet film director, winner of two Stalin Prizes , People's Artist of USSR , Hero of Socialist Labor . Member of the Communist Party of Soviet Union since 1945....
. For that role she was awarded the Stalin's Prize. At that time the Zavadsky's Theatre-Studio merged with the Theatre of Mossoveta, and in 1940, Maretskaya became permanent member of the Mossoveta Theatre. There her stage partners were such actors as Yuri Zavadsky
Yuri Zavadsky
Yuri Alexandrovich Zavadsky was a Russian actor and director.Zavadsky studied under Yevgeny Vakhtangov, and made his acting debut at Vakhtangov's theatre, playing Anthony in Maurice Maeterlinck's play The Miracle of St. Anthony in . He worked in various Russian theatres before moving to the...
, Faina Ranevskaya
Faina Ranevskaya
Faina Georgievna Ranevskaya is recognized as one of the greatest Soviet Russian actors in both tragedy and comedy. She was also famous for her aphorisms....
, Lyubov Orlova
Lyubov Orlova
Lyubov Petrovna Orlova, was the first recognized star of Soviet cinema, famous theatre actress and a gifted singer.She was born to a middle class family in Zvenigorod near Moscow and grew up in Yaroslavl...
, Nikolai Mordvinov, Osip Abdulov
Osip Abdulov
-Biography:Osip Naumovich Abdulov was born to a Jewish family in Łódź, Poland in 1900. He briefly studied at Moscow University in 1917 before turning his interest to acting....
, Rostislav Plyatt
Rostislav Plyatt
Rostislav Plyatt is a famous Russian actor. He appeared in numerous films from 1939 to 1987 including Makes the Whole World Kin, Seventeen Moments of Spring, Going Inside a Storm, and Zoya. He won the People's Artist of the USSR in 1961 and State Prize winner of the USSR in 1982. He was born in...
, Georgi Zhzhyonov, and other notable Russian actors.
Maretskaya was famous among actors for her culinary talent, which was legendary. At her Moscow home she once hosted the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
actor Jean Marais
Jean Marais
-Biography:A native of Cherbourg, France, Marais starred in several movies directed by Jean Cocteau, for a time his lover, most famously Beauty and the Beast and Orphée ....
, who was a well-known connoisseur of gourmet food, and also watched his weight too. Maretskaya made the Russian-style dinner with such dishes as "Blini and caviar", "Blintzes with fish", and various choices of Vodka. Mr. Jean Marais politely stated that he must limit himself to only one small piece of "Blini and Caviar", but he could not stop eating all night long.
Later years
Vera Maretskaya suffered from breast cancer during the last ten years of her life, and was later diagnosed with brain cancer, but she continued her acting career on Moscow Radio. At that time she created popular radio shows based on her adaptations of 'Woman Without Love' and 'The Art of Living' by the French writer André MauroisAndré Maurois
André Maurois, born Emile Salomon Wilhelm Herzog was a French author.-Life:Maurois was born in Elbeuf and educated at the Lycée Pierre Corneille in Rouen, both in Normandy. Maurois was the son of Ernest Herzog, a Jewish textile manufacturer, and Alice Herzog...
. Her radio show was her last memorable acting job. In 1976 Maretskaya was designated the Hero of Socialist Labor
Hero of Socialist Labor
Hero of Socialist Labour was an honorary title in the Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact countries. It was the highest degree of distinction for exceptional achievements in national economy and culture...
. She was awarded the Stalin Prize four times (1942, 1946, 1948, 1951) and was made the People's Artist of the USSR (1949).
Maretskaya died on August 17, 1978, and was laid to rest in Novodevichy Cemetery
Novodevichy Cemetery
Novodevichy Cemetery is the most famous cemetery in Moscow, Russia. It is next to the 16th-century Novodevichy Convent, which is the city's third most popular tourist site. It should not be confused with the Novodevichy Cemetery in Saint Petersburg....
in Moscow, Russia.