Vera Maretskaya

Biography

Vera Petrovna Maretskaya was born on July 31, 1906, in Barvikha, a suburb of Moscow, Russian Empire (now Moscow, Russia). Young Maretskaya helped her father, named Petr Maretsky, who was a candy bar vendor at Moscow Circus. Maretskaya was auditioned by Vakhtangov and Zavadsky, and studied at Vakhtangov Theatre School, from which she graduated as a 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. In 1925 she made her film debut in 'Zakroischik is Torzhka' (Tailor of Torzhok 1925). 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. 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 Maurois. Her radio show was her last memorable acting job. In 1976 Maretskaya was designated the Hero of Socialist Labor. She was awarded the Stalin's 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 Convent Cemetery in Moscow, Russia.