The great Russian actress Vera Maretskaya was born on July 31, 1906 in the village of Barvikhe, so familiar to the current generation of Russians. Her father P.G. Maretsky was a small private entrepreneur - he rented a buffet, and despite the fact that he was not rich, he provided excellent education for four children - two older sons graduated from the Institute of the Red Professor, Vera Petrovna herself entered the Faculty of Philosophy at Moscow University, the youngest sister became a teacher. By this time, Vera was quite fluent in German and French.
Selection made
Vera Maretskaya, having studied for a year at the university, realized that she only needed a theater in life, and secretly from her parents she submitted documents to three theatrical studios at once, was accepted into two and chose the very popular school-studio at the theater named after Vakhtangov.
She was a talented girl, direct, naturally clever and erudite, in a word, charming, despite the fact that she had never considered herself a beauty. And the magnificent Yu. Zavadsky, who was in the jury, could not resist her charms. He was just thinking about his team, and after graduating from the studio school in 1924, Vera Maretskaya will forever connect her creative destiny with the theater of this talented director.
Wife and mother
Her personal fate was also connected with him for many years, although they did not live long in an official marriage. Mutual understanding and friendship united them until the end of days - the first to die was Yu. A. Zavadsky, a year later Vera Petrovna.
Vera Maretskaya in 1926 gave birth to a boy, who was named Evgeny in honor of Vakhtangov. Having matured, he dreamed of architecture, but at the insistence of his mother, and she was an imperious woman, he entered GITIS. He gave his whole life to the theater of his father and mother, but never came out of their shadow.
Sister
By the time Y. Zavadsky left V. Maretskaya, in her arms, besides little Zhenya, was an even smaller Shura, the son of Dmitryâs arrested brother. She raised Sasha as her own child.
Both journalist brothers were shot on the same day in 1937. To the honor of Vera Petrovna, she did not disown them, but, being constantly threatened with arrest as a relative of the enemies of the people (they were accused in the Bukharin case), she always helped them with parcels and in general as best she could.
Nationality
By this time, Vera Maretskaya was a famous, beloved, titled actress. Her creative fate was much more fortunate than personal. An actress of enormous talent, who could do any role, which was equally beautiful, played the partisan in the film âShe Fought for the Motherlandâ and the midwife Zmeyukin in âThe Weddingâ beyond all praise, outplayed all the characteristic roles in the theater, and always with unchanged success (more before the war we went to Maretskaya).
She could play the roles of all roles, she simply and naturally played women of any class, any nationality. Vera Maretskaya was Russian by nationality. And Rostislav Yanovich Plyatt, the smartest and most intelligent person who had loved Vera Petrovna for many years, belongs to the phrase that there is only one nationality in the world - a good, decent person. And then, the phrase of Alexandra Sokolova (âMember of the Governmentâ), known to absolutely everyone - âHere I am standing in front of you, a simple Russian woman ...â - after all, it was Maretskaya who uttered her, and quite reasonably.
Actress
Vera Maretskaya, whose personal life was inextricably linked with the theater, did not act in films very much - only 25 films. However, these were such impressive works that the whole country knew and loved the Maretskaya-film actress. Her talent was so powerful that even in the propaganda film âMember of the Governmentâ she made her heroine such a lively woman that she is believed and loved by many generations, despite the change of power in the country.
The first film in which V. Maretskaya played was the "Cutter from Torzhok" Yakov Protazanov, released in 1925. In this film,
Igor Ilyinsky, a already recognized actor who spoke well of the work of his partner, played with a young charming Verochka.
Second marriage
Before the war, Vera Maretskaya, whose filmography, as mentioned above, is not very large, starred in 10 films. The congestion on the stage, and the fact that the studio of Yu. A. Zavadsky was expelled to Rostov-on-Don, allegedly to raise the peripheral theater, also affected. The troupe left in 1936, and returned in 1940. In the same year, Vera Petrovna married G.P. Troitsky, an artist of the same theater, a year later their daughter Mashenka was born. Georgy Petrovich goes to the front as a volunteer and dies in 1943. Maretskaya was not informed of his death until the end of the shooting of the scene in which the great V.P. (that was her name in the theater) played with her son ("She Fought for the Motherland"). This film was shown on all fronts of World War II - it was incredibly popular. After watching it, people were eager for battle.
Next repression
In life, the titled Vera Petrovna, and she received awards for theatrical performances, was absolutely not puffy, not arrogant, did not establish distances between herself and people, but she absolutely knew her own worth. And everyone knew this price - it was never touched by the authorities, even despite the fact that her younger sister Tatyana was arrested after the war. And again, Vera Petrovna sent parcels and supporting letters, ran around the authorities, and still managed to free her sister two years later, though without the right to live in the capitals. They joined only in the 60s.
And again, a happy, full of creative life (Vera Petrovna tours a lot, including abroad, acts in films, works in the theater) does not harmonize with her personal one. After the death of his wife, R. Ya. Plyatt makes an offer to Vera Petrovna, but she refuses, citing age, although she still looks beautiful. Witty, sharp-tongued, charming Vera Maretskaya (photo attached) has always been liked by men. And if anyone paid Maretskayaâs attention to himself, sooner or later he would always fall at her feet. She is credited with novels with men much younger than her. But who can surprise you now? The main thing is that they sought her attention, and not she ran after young men. Maretskaya was a queen.
Post-war movies
Post-war film roles in the films âMotherâ, âRural Teacherâ, âThey Have a Homelandâ bring her to the Olympus of the greatest actresses of our time. After the war, there was also a wonderful comedic role in the cinema, which was in no way inferior to Anna Zmeyukina - Vasilisa Sergeevna in Easy Life (1960). Wonderful movie! The phrase F. Ranevskaya from this film "Hello, I am your aunt, I will live with you" - went to the people. V. Maretskaya played as always brilliantly.
Things went well in the theater as well - Yu. Zavadsky staged almost all the performances with the expectation of her. And offers of a hand and heart from him also came repeatedly. Vera Petrovna was the face of Soviet cinema, hosted foreign guests - Jean Mare, manically watching the figure, ate pancakes with caviar and salmon.
Last years
She was called "Madonna with sad eyes", she herself believed that she realized herself in creativity only by 30%. This indicates the modesty of the great actress. The film "Mother" (1955) made her not just famous - she was idolized, Nilovna entered every house.
Yuri Zavadsky was shocked, although he had never encouraged filming a movie before. Vera Petrovnaâs last film was âThe Night Bell,â shot in 1969. She was already sick, but she was hiding it with all her might. In life, everything was not all right again. Suddenly, the daughterâs happy marriage ended tragically - his son-in-law, a young, promising scientist, hanged himself. Masha did not tolerate what happened and was hospitalized with severe nervous breakdown. The children lived with Maretskaya in her beautiful apartment on the street. Nemirovich-Danchenko.
Last role
All the difficulties of the previous personal life and this event could not but affect the health of Vera Petrovna - severe headaches became permanent. Doctors ascertained a brain tumor. Vera Maretskaya, a biography whose personal life now bore the stamp of a serious illness, did not leave the theater. The last role she played on the stage of her favorite theater was the strange Mrs. Savage in the play of the same name. Theater Moscow brought down performances with her participation (she played this role in turn with other actresses). At the last production, the hall cried, V. Maretskaya herself cried, Yu. Zavadsky sobbed behind the scenes. The strength of this womanâs character, her loyalty to her beloved work is evidenced by the fact that even when she was bedridden, she read favorite poems by Russian poets, and her son Eugene recorded them on tape - they sounded at the tomb of the great actress.