Dzidra Ritenberga Actress Date of Birth: 29.08.1928 Country: Latvia

1. Biography of Dzidra Ritenberga
2. Early Years in Theater
3. A Beloved of the Talented
4. A Romantic Interlude
5. An Unusual Accent

Biography of Dzidra Ritenberga

Dzidra Ritenberga, one of the most beautiful actresses of Soviet cinema, passed away on a chilly March night, just a few months shy of her 75th birthday. Despite her ailing heart, she rarely ventured out in recent times, spending her days mostly in the company of her three dogs. However, whenever she did make an appearance (even at this respectable age), men turned their heads.

Early Years in Theater

In the seemingly distant year of 1948, Dzidra became the youngest graduate of the Riga Theater Studio. She went on to perform in theaters in Liepaja, Riga Russian Drama Theater, and the Moscow Stanislavsky Theater. In addition to her acting career, she also directed six films and portrayed eighty different characters in movies. However, it was her unforgettable portrayal of the character Malva, based on Gorky's short story, that earned her the Volpi Cup for Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival in 1957.

A Beloved of the Talented

Audiences across the former Soviet Union also remember Dzidra as the beloved of the renowned actor Evgeniy Urbanski. He was her one and only husband, and their love story truly began at first sight. Their daughter, whom Dzidra named Evgeniya, became a singer in a famous Latvian choir and blessed her with grandsons Gustav and Karl.

A Romantic Interlude

Before meeting Urbanski and starting their life together in a room at the Stanislavsky Theater dormitory, Dzidra had a little-known four-year romance with the married lover Vyacheslav Tikhonov. "If things are tough today, I tell myself that tomorrow will be better, and it usually is," she said a few days ago in her final Latvian press interview, revealing her greatest desire: "Oh, how I wish I could live just one week healthy, like in my youth."

An Unusual Accent

For some reason, Soviet film directors considered Ritenberga's pronunciation to be Volga-accented.