Silvia Laidla (20 October 1927 – 3 May 2012) was an Estonian stage, television and film actress whose career spanned nearly six decades. Primarily a stage actress, she also appeared in several Estonian television series and motion pictures.
Early life and education
Born Silvia Lazarus in Valga in 1927 to Karl and Emilie Lazarus. She was youngest of two siblings, with an older brother. Her mother died when she was six. In 1935, the family changed their surname from Lazarus to Laidla. She attended schools in Valga and Türi, graduating from the Türi Secondary School in 1946. Following her graduation, she studied drama at the Estonian Studio of the Lutasharsky National Institute of Theatrical Arts (GITIS) in
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
, graduating in 1953. Some of her graduating classmates included Estonian actors
Ita Ever
Ita Ever (born Ilse Ever; 1 April 1931, Paide, Järva County) is an Estonian film, radio, theater and television actress. She is widely regarded as a Grand Old Lady of Estonian theatre.
Biography
She began her career in 1953 as a stage actre ...
Jaanus Orgulas
Jaanus Orgulas (5 July 1927 Vaivara – 13 August 2011 Tallinn) was an Estonian actor.
In 1953 he graduated from Lunacharsky State Institute for Theatre Arts' (GITIS) Estonian Studio. 1953-1966 and 1972-2006 he worked at Estonian Drama Theatre, ...
.
Career
Stage
In 1953, Laidla returned to Estonia and began an engagement as an actress at the Estonian Drama Theatre in
Tallinn
Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju '' ...
. Her first role at the Estonian Drama Theatre was as Anna Fedorovna in a production of
Maxim Gorky
Alexei Maximovich Peshkov (russian: link=no, Алексе́й Макси́мович Пешко́в; – 18 June 1936), popularly known as Maxim Gorky (russian: Макси́м Го́рький, link=no), was a Russian writer and social ...
's 1905 play ''Barbarians''. She would remain at the Estonian Drama Theatre for eleven years before joining the Estonian SSR State Youth Theatre (now, the
Tallinn City Theatre
Tallinn City Theatre ( et, Tallinna Linnateater) is a repertory theatre located in the medieval old town of Tallinn, Estonia. Tallinn City Theatre was established in 1965 as Estonian SSR State Youth Theatre. In 1992, after the reindependence o ...
) from 1966 until 1983. In 1983, Laidla again returned to the Estonian Drama Theatre, where she remained until 1992. During her later years, she became active in the Tallinn-based Salon Theatre, led by
Tatar
The Tatars ()Tatar in the Collins English Dictionary is an umbrella term for different - Estonian actor and stage director Dajan Ahmet.
Some of Laidla's most memorable stage roles include those in productions by such varied international playwrights and authors as:
Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...
Friedrich Schiller
Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller (, short: ; 10 November 17599 May 1805) was a German playwright, poet, and philosopher. During the last seventeen years of his life (1788–1805), Schiller developed a productive, if complicated, friends ...
Henrik Ibsen
Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright and theatre director. As one of the founders of modernism in theatre, Ibsen is often referred to as "the father of realism" and one of the most influential pla ...
,
Molière
Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (, ; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, , ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the French language and world ...
,
Aleksis Kivi
Aleksis Kivi (; born Alexis Stenvall; 10 October 1834 – 31 December 1872) was a Finnish author who wrote the first significant novel in the Finnish language, '' Seitsemän veljestä'' ("Seven Brothers") in 1870. He is also known for his 1864 ...
,
István Örkény
István György Örkény (5 April 1912, Budapest – 24 June 1979, Budapest) was a Hungarian writer whose plays and novels often featured grotesque situations. He was a recipient of the Kossuth Prize in 1973.
Biography
He was born to a wealt ...
,
Arthur Miller
Arthur Asher Miller (October 17, 1915 – February 10, 2005) was an American playwright, essayist and screenwriter in the 20th-century American theater. Among his most popular plays are ''All My Sons'' (1947), ''Death of a Salesman'' (19 ...
,
Jean Cocteau
Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau (, , ; 5 July 1889 – 11 October 1963) was a French poet, playwright, novelist, designer, filmmaker, visual artist and critic. He was one of the foremost creatives of the s ...
,
George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence simply as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from ...
Ivan 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 da ...
Albert Camus
Albert Camus ( , ; ; 7 November 1913 – 4 January 1960) was a French philosopher, author, dramatist, and journalist. He was awarded the 1957 Nobel Prize in Literature
The 1957 Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded the French writer Alb ...
,
Richard Rodgers
Richard Charles Rodgers (June 28, 1902 – December 30, 1979) was an American composer who worked primarily in musical theater. With 43 Broadway musicals and over 900 songs to his credit, Rodgers was one of the most well-known American ...
and John Murrell, among others.
Among her more memorable performances in roles by Estonian playwrights and authors include those of: August Kitzberg,
Eduard Vilde
Eduard Vilde ( – 26 December 1933) was an Estonian writer, a pioneer of critical realism in Estonian literature, and a diplomat. Author of classics such as ''The War in Mahtra'' and ''The Milkman from Mäeküla''. He was one of the most reve ...
,
A. H. Tammsaare
Anton Hansen (18 (O.S.)/30 January 1878 – 1 March 1940), better known by his pseudonym A. H. Tammsaare and its variants, was an Estonian writer whose pentalogy '' Truth and Justice'' (''Tõde ja õigus''; 1926–1933) is considered one of ...
,
Juhan Smuul
Juhan Smuul (18 February 1922 – 13 April 1971) was an Estonian writer. Until 1954 he used the given name Johannes Schmuul.
Career
Smuul was born in Koguva village on the island of Muhu to Jüri and Ruudu Schmuul (née Tuulik). He had thr ...
, Merle Karusoo, August Gailit, Urmas Vadi, Heino Väli, and several others.
Television
Silvia Laidla made her television debut as a narrator in the Elvi Koppel directed 1965 documentary ''Kakskümmend lehekülge'' ("Twelve Pages") about Estonian schoolboy Harry Esop, who died in the Leningrad Blockade during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
. This was followed by her first appearance as an actress in a television film, 1968's ''Tädi Rose'' ("Aunt Rose), directed by
Virve Aruoja
Virve Aruoja (since 1978 Virve Aruoja-Hellström; 19 February 1922 Saduküla – 15 September 2013) was an Estonian television and film director and former actress.
Aruoja graduated from the University of Tartu's Tartu Teachers' Seminary in 1941 ...
for Eesti Telefilm and based on the 1946 one-act play ''27 Wagons Full of Cotton'' by
Tennessee Williams
Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the thre ...
. This was followed by a role in the 1970 Virve Aruoja directed historical television film ''Kolme katku vahel'' ("Between Three Plagues"), based on the 1970 novel of the same name by Estonian author Jaan Kross and starring actor and singer Georg Ots as the 16-century chronicler Balthasar Russow. In 1987, Laidla appeared as Aliide Kask in the
Ivo Eensalu
Ivo Eensalu (born 3 April 1949) is an Estonian actor and theatre director. Eensalu's career began in the early 1970s, and has appeared as an actor on stage, film and in television. He became widely known after appearing on the Eesti Televisioon c ...
directed
Eesti Televisioon
Eesti Televisioon (ETV) ( en, Estonian Television) is an Estonian free-to-air television channel owned and operated by Estonian Public Broadcasting. It made its first broadcast on 19 July 1955.
History
Eesti Televisioon (''Estonian Televis ...
(ETV) television film ''Džuudopoisid'', based on the 1985 children's book by Janno Põldma of the same name.
Laidla is possibly best recalled by television viewers for her role as Erna Sumberg on the long-running ETV drama series '' Õnne 13''. She joined the cast in 2001 and appeared on the series until her death in 2012.
Film
Silvia Laidla made her film debut in the 1969 Arvo Kruusement directed film adaptation of the 1912-1913 Oskar Luts penned novel ''
Kevade
''Spring'' ( et, Kevade) is a 1969 Estonian film directed by Arvo Kruusement and is a film adaptation of Oskar Luts' popular novel of the same name. The movie placed first place in the Estonian feature films top ten poll held in 2002 by Estonian ...
'' ("Spring") as Köögi-Liisa. This was followed by the role of Viia in the 1971 drama ''Tuuline Rand'' ("Windy Beach"), directed by Kaljo Kiisk for Tallinfilm and based on the four-part novel penned by Aadu Hint of the same name. Laidla's next role was as Tereza in the Arvo Kruusement directed musical-comedy ''Don Juan Tallinnas'', also released by Tallinnfilm in 1971.
In 1981, Laidla appeared in the Arvo Kruusement directed drama ''Karge meri'', portraying the main character Katrina's (actress
Merle Talvik
Merle Talvik (born 6 June 1954) is an Estonian stage, film and television actress whose career began in the mid-1970s.
Early life and education
Merle Talvik was born in Tallinn to Herbert and Asta Talvik (''née'' Tomson). She attended primary an ...
) mother. ''Karge meri'' was based on the 1938 novel of the same name by author August Gailit. In 1992, she appeared in a small role in the Lembit Ulfsak directed family-comedy ''Lammas all paremas nurgas'' ("The Secret Lamb") for Tallinnfilm. In 1998, she made her last film appearance in the role of a director for the home for the elderly in the Rao Heidmets directed family-comedy film ''Kallis härra Q'' ("Dear Mister Moon"), released by Rao Heidmetsa Filmistuudio.
Voice
In addition to work on the stage and in film and television, Silvia Laidla has also appeared in a number of
radio theatre
Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine ...
plays. Among them include a 1955 radio production of
Juhan Sütiste
Juhan Sütiste (until 1936 Johannes Schütz; 28 December 1899 Tähtvere Parish, Tartu County – 10 February 1945 Tallinn) was an Estonian poet.
During Estonian War of Independence, he belonged to the reserve battalion of Tartu schoolteachers.
1 ...
's 1945 play ''Ristikoerad'' and the role of Hatty Doran in a 1963 radio play production of ''The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor'', one of the fifty-six short Sherlock Holmes stories written by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. In 2012, shortly before her death, she worked as a humorist for a Vikerraadio program, of the
Eesti Rahvusringhääling
Eesti Rahvusringhääling (ERR) – ''Estonian Public Broadcasting'' – is a publicly funded and owned radio and television organisation created in Estonia on 1 June 2007 to take over the functions of the formerly separate Eesti Raadi ...
(Estonian Public Broadcasting).
In 1975, Laidla, along with Estonian actresses Ita Ever and Lisl Lindau, recorded several spoken-word works of poetry by Estonian poet Marie Under. The recording was released under the title "Marie Under – Valik Luulet" (Marie Under – A Selection of Verse)."
Personal life
Silvia Laida was married twice. Her first husband was writer and journalist Silver Anniko. The couple later divorced. Anniko and his second wife were later murdered in May 1982. The crime was never solved. Laidla's second husband was lawyer Jakob Lurje. The two were introduced by actress
Laine Mesikäpp
Laine Mesikäpp (27 February 1917 – 5 May 2012) was an Estonian film, radio and stage actress, singer and prolific collector and cataloguer of Estonian folk music.
Early life and education
Laine Mesikäpp was born in the small village of Adi ...
. Lurje and Laidla were married for nearly twenty years before his death in 1983. Laidla never remarried or had children. Laidla died on 3 May 2012 at age 84 and was buried at Tallinn's Metsakalmistu (Forest Cemetery).
Legacy
In 1974, Silvia Laidla was awarded the honorary title
Merited Artist Merited Artist or Honored Artist is an honorary title in the Soviet Union, Russian Federation, Union Republics, and autonomous republics, also in some other Eastern Bloc states, as well as in a number of post-Soviet states. Specifically, the term ma ...
Order of the White Star
The Order of the White Star ( et, Valgetähe teenetemärk; french: Ordre de l'Etoile Blanche) was instituted in 1936. The Order of the White Star is bestowed on Estonia
Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Balti ...
IV Class, by Estonian President Arnold Rüütel. In 2015, The Estonian Theater and Music Museum released a book written by Kirsten Simmo titled ''Sonettide sarmikas daam'' ("The Charming Lady of the Sonnets"), dedicated to the life and work of Laidla, published by SE&JS. The book, number eighteen, is part of a series of archival publications of individuals related to the field of entertainment in Estonia.Eesti Teatri-ja Muusikamuuseum Retrieved 25 December 2017.