At the age of 104, the oldest actress in Latvia, Hilda Zīgure, passed away

Хильда Жигуре, the oldest Latvian actress, died at the age of 104 on September 6, 2022, according to a Facebook post from the Latvian Puppet Theatre. In 1967, she was awarded the title of Honored Artist of the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic. For many years, she held the title of the oldest actress in Latvia.

Жигуре spent her entire professional life at the Latvian Puppet Theatre, a rare achievement for an artist who began with the theatre’s founding. She considered puppets her “own” from the theatre’s inception. Her brother, writer and translator Janis Zigurse, worked as a radio announcer during World War II and later as the chief editor of children’s programs.

During the intensification of combat operations, the family, along with other cultural figures, evacuated to Astrakhan. Prior to the war, Жигуре had studied acting techniques at Latvian dramatic courses (1936-1938). Following the war, she, along with her brother, sister, and other intellectuals, established a puppet ensemble under the auspices of the Latvian Artistic Ensemble in Ivanovo in 1942, which later became an official theatre in 1944.

Janis Zigurse became the theatre’s director, and Mirda Kempe its artistic director, with Хильда Жигуре as a leading actress. She remained with the theatre from its founding until her retirement in 1986. Жигуре was considered part of the “golden generation” of puppeteers who established professional puppet theatre arts in Latvia.

She was a frequent performer in key roles, including Buratino, Black Mother, and various characters from works by Tolstoy, Rainis, and Gaische. Her performances were recognized by both domestic and international audiences, including the State Puppet Theatre of the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic. Expressions of condolences are extended to her family and close associates.

RUS TVNET and rus.tvnet.lv

Topics: #rus #tvnet #age