Vera Arkadevna Michurina-Samoilova (russian: Вера Аркадьевна Мичурина-Самойлова; 1866–1948) was a Russian and Soviet actress of Saint Petersburg / Leningrad. She was a People's Artist of the USSR. Michurina-Samoilova was born in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

, into the Samoilov theatre family. Michurina-Samoilova debuted on stage in 1886. She often appeared at the

Alexandrinsky Theatre The Alexandrinsky Theatre (russian: Александринский театр) or National Drama Theatre of Russia is a theatre in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The Alexandrinsky Theatre was built for the Imperial troupe of Petersburg (Imperial tr ...

. Among her notable roles were Reneve in '' Light Without Heat'' (by

Alexander Ostrovsky Alexander Nikolayevich Ostrovsky (russian: Алекса́ндр Никола́евич Остро́вский; ) was a Russian playwright, generally considered the greatest representative of the Russian realistic period. The author of 47 origina ...

and Nikolai Solovyov), Natalia Petrovna in

Turgenev Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev (; rus, links=no, Ива́н Серге́евич Турге́невIn Turgenev's day, his name was written ., p=ɪˈvan sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ tʊrˈɡʲenʲɪf; 9 November 1818 – 3 September 1883 (Old Style dat ...

's '' A Month in the Country'', Ranevskaia in

Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; 29 January 1860 Old Style date 17 January. – 15 July 1904 Old Style date 2 July.) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer who is considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career ...

's ''

The Cherry Orchard ''The Cherry Orchard'' (russian: Вишнёвый сад, translit=Vishnyovyi sad) is the last play by Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. Written in 1903, it was first published by '' Znaniye'' (Book Two, 1904), and came out as a separate editio ...

'', and Lady Milford in Schiller's ''

Intrigue and Love ''Intrigue and Love'', sometimes ''Love and Intrigue'', ''Love and Politics'' or ''Luise Miller'' (german: Kabale und Liebe, ; literally "''Cabal and Love''") is a five-act play written by the German dramatist Friedrich Schiller. His third play, ...

''. The 1917

October Revolution The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key mome ...

and the establishment of the Soviet state occurred when Michurina-Samoilova was just over 50. Her notable roles in Soviet Russia included Zvezdintseva in

Tolstoy Count Lev Nikolayevich TolstoyTolstoy pronounced his first name as , which corresponds to the romanization ''Lyov''. () (; russian: link=no, Лев Николаевич Толстой,In Tolstoy's day, his name was written as in pre-refor ...

's '' The Fruits of Enlightenment'', Khlestova in

Griboyedov Griboyedov may refer to: * Alexander Griboyedov (1795-1829), Russian playwright and diplomat * Griboyedov Canal The Griboyedov Canal or Kanal Griboyedova () is a canal in Saint Petersburg, constructed in 1739 along the existing ''Krivusha'' r ...

's ''

Woe From Wit ''Woe from Wit'' (, also translated as "The Woes of Wit", "Wit Works Woe", ''Wit's End'', and so forth) is Alexander Griboyedov's comedy in verse, satirizing the society of post-Napoleonic Moscow, or, as a high official in the play styled it, "a ...

'', Polina Bardina in Gorky's '' Enemies'', and Gurmyzhskaia in Ostrovsky's '' The Forest''. During the Siege of Leningrad, Michurina-Samoilova remained in the city; she was 75 by then and her health did not permit her to be evacuated. During the siege she participated in the cultural resistance, performing in the readings and plays of the Microphone Theatre. She published a memoir, ''Sixty Years in the Arts'' in 1949, including her description of the siege. Michurina-Samoilova died in Leningrad on 2 November 1948.

Awards

Michurina-Samoilova was made a People's Artist of the Soviet Union in 1939, was awarded the

USSR State Prize The USSR State Prize (russian: links=no, Государственная премия СССР, Gosudarstvennaya premiya SSSR) was the Soviet Union's state honor. It was established on 9 September 1966. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, t ...

in 1943, and was awarded the

Order of Lenin The Order of Lenin (russian: Орден Ленина, Orden Lenina, ), named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was established by the Central Executive Committee on April 6, 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration ...

. She is memorialized by a plaque at

2 Rossi Street 2 Architect Rossi Street (russian: Улица Зодчего Росси, д. 2) is a building in St. Petersburg, Russia. It is located at the corner of Ostrovsky Square and Architect Rossi Street (also called just Rossi Street), which is named for ...

, where she lived and worked, and where she died.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Michurina-Samoilova, Vera 1866 births 1948 deaths People's Artists of the USSR Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the USSR State Prize Actresses from the Russian Empire 19th-century actresses from the Russian Empire Russian stage actresses 20th-century Russian actresses Actresses from Saint Petersburg Burials at Tikhvin Cemetery