Pani Monica - actress Olga Aroseva. Biography, photos and interesting facts

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

The mass media in the USSR have always been under the strong control of the party, therefore, they abounded in propaganda topics and other works beneficial to the country's leadership. Television was no exception, and the appearance of talented entertainment programs in the broadcast schedule invariably delighted viewers.

Pani Monika - Russian actress Olga Aroseva, a frequenter of "Zucchini"

One of such iconic projects that received well-deserved love from the audience was a comedy sitcom, which received the name “Zucchini 13 Chairs” shortly after the first successes. The best theater and film actors of that time played roles in humorous sketches, among which was Mrs. Monika, actress of the Moscow Theater of Satire Olga Aroseva. It was a high point in the career of an actress, none of her roles in famous films brought her as much popularity as 15 years of work on the carefree and extravagant image that Pani Monica created on the television screen. The actress, whose biography was full of surprises no less than her own character, from childhood showedlove for reincarnations.

Adventurer Character

Pani Monica (actress Olga Aroseva), known throughout the Union, was born in Moscow in the family of Alexander Yakovlevich Arosev, a revolutionary and diplomat from the former tsarist military. From childhood, Olga showed a mischievous and unbending character, shocking her relatives with original tricks. She was always distinguished by extraordinary courage for her time and immediacy of judgments and actions. With age, the seeming simplicity and credulity grew into a tough will, the ability to adapt and practical cunning, and the actress who played Pani Monica retained her energy of nature until her deepest maturity.

Olga Vyacheslavovna Goppen - the mother of the actress

The mother of the actress, Olga Goppen, an eccentric and frivolous person, had no practical life skills, because she was brought up as the offspring of a Polish noble family. Refined, eccentric and secular nature hardly got used to the new realities of the twentieth century. Olga Vyacheslavovna never opposed the Soviet regime, but she could not take root in a new society for her. In 1930, a windy mother left her husband and children for a lover and life abroad. Obviously, the affair did not have a serious continuation, and her maternal feelings eventually prevailed over carelessness. After her husband's arrest in 1937, Goppen found incredible strength in herself to persuade officials of the emergency commission to leave the children with her, and not distribute them to orphanages.

Alexander Yakovlevich Arosev - revolutionary and intellectual

The father for the actress remained an idol all his life. A prominent revolutionary and diplomat, he participated in the Great October Revolution, stood at the origins of the formation of the Red Army of the Bolsheviks, and later represented the interests of the young Soviet state in Europe as an ambassador and diplomat. Even under the tsarist regime, persecuted by the authorities, Alexander Yakovlevich fled to Paris, where knowledge of foreign languages allowed him to meet and make friends with significant cultural figures in Europe of that time. This helped in his later work in Moscow, when, after a trip to Prague, he was appointed chairman of the VOKS. He himself joked that he was appointed "the entertainer of the Soviet Union", which did not prevent him from gladly hosting the most famous artists and writers of the early twentieth century in his famous "house on the embankment". Alexander Yakovlevich always bequeathed to his children to be a little braver than himself, not to be afraid of the opinions of others about the creative realization of their talents. He himself occasionally complained that he did not become an actor, and with pleasure performed with poems by Russian poets in front of the guests.

Repressed and rehabilitated, the main man in the life of an actress

The arrest did not come as a surprise to Arosev, he felt the changes for a long time and went to Yezhov himself to talk like a man. Unfortunately, his family never saw him again. The actress, who played Mrs. Monica in "The Tavern of 13 Chairs", carried the image of her father through her whole life as the brightest and smartest person in her life. After the arrest, little Olga wrote a bold letter to Stalin stating that her father was innocent, and even received an answer,that he was convicted incommunicado. In fact, Arosev was shot at the beginning of 1938, but much later he was rehabilitated posthumously. The memory of her father prevented her from joining the Komsomol when she was required to publicly renounce her repressed parent. Her older sister Natalya could not stand the pressure of others and abandoned her father as an enemy of the people, for which Olga almost got into a fight with her. At a mature age, Olga Aroseva received her father's carefully kept diaries from her aunt and, thanks to his personal notes, became even closer to him.

Childish pranks

From childhood, the future Pani Monika showed her acting talents. The name of the actress in connection with her "performance" appeared in a Prague newspaper already at preschool age. The Threepenny Opera that was taking place at that time made such a strong impression on the little mischievous girl that she persuaded her Czech friend, and together they, having cut their dresses into a semblance of torn clothes, went to beg. Local merchants and workers listened with amazement and interest to the story of children abandoned by their mothers who were not fed by their fathers, because at that time there were no beggars in Prague at all. The scandal in connection with this, of course, was hushed up, but the artistic nature in Olga was noticed. Upon arrival in Moscow, she took part in school theater productions and was even invited to the cinema, but her father believed that filming was harmful to children's he alth, and her film career was postponed until adulthood. Thanks to her father's connections and work activities, Olga, as a small child, became closely acquainted with Stalin, met with Romain Rolland at the government house.

Youth and the beginning of the war

Olga's youth passed under the seal of the child of an enemy of the people, at school she and her sisters were constantly attacked by ideological pioneers and Komsomol members. However, Olga could stand up for herself, and they didn’t touch her, besides, she was sure of her father’s innocence, this protected her from evil tongues better than the most durable armor. Later, the war began, and petty grievances were put aside. Olga and her sister went to the Orel region to build military fortifications, where the girls came under real air bombardment. While they were returning to Moscow with crowds of peaceful people fleeing the war, the mother and her little daughter went to the evacuation. She left them the essentials to leave Moscow after her, but the girls decided to enter the theater. Olga, due to her age, was not allowed to take exams and went to the circus, where they accepted from the 8th grade. At the same time, Olga studied at landing courses, however, she was afraid of heights to the point of panic and she was expelled long before graduation. What is surprising: in the circus school, the height did not pose any problems for the dexterous actress. Having received a certificate of maturity, Aroseva left the circus and followed her sister into the theater. Apparently, the dream of becoming a rider in a circus at that time could not come true, since all the horses were sent to the front or mobilized for other purposes.

The beginning of professional acting in Leningrad

The restless nature and the spirit of adventurism were not very conducivesystematic and persistent training, and in the 3rd year Olga fled to Leningrad with the troupe of the Comedy Theater passing from the evacuation under the direction of Nikolai Akimov. She deceived the theater management by providing a diploma in the name of her sister, who had graduated from college by that time, however, the director immediately appreciated the talent and innate data, so they didn’t pay much attention to the formalities then. The lack of education affected Olga later, when at the age of 25 she was presented with the title of Honored Artist of the Republic for her work in cinema, but for a quarter of a century the assignment was undeservedly delayed due to the lack of a confirmed diploma.

Return to Moscow

Regalia and titles did not really worry Olga Alexandrovna, once in the theater, she realized where she could prove herself best. Simultaneously with the performances, the future actress Pani Monika took part in the filming at Lenfilm, where each episode with her participation was transformed, became more alive and harmonious. Unfortunately, the work in Leningrad did not last long, the director Akimov fell out of favor with the authorities, and the intimidated theater actors were forced to sign a treacherous letter. Desperate and devoted, Aroseva refused to participate in this forgery, and she had to return to Moscow.

Satire Theater and social activities

Since 1950, the time has come for the Theater of Satire in Moscow, with which she did not part until the last years of her life, despite various circumstances and ups and downs. She had a pretty hardand an independent character, because of which she at times fell out of favor with the artistic leadership, besides, a penchant for various adventures and intrigues affected her relations with others. However, during the Soviet era, Olga Alexandrovna was responsible for allocating living space to theater workers as a member of the trade union committee, and many of her colleagues warmly note her efforts in this field.

Personal and family life

Work in the theater occupied a significant place in life, but the family has always been in the first place for such a hardworking and extraordinary person as Pani Monica. The actress, whose personal life did not go well, was very sorry that she could not have children due to he alth problems discovered back in Leningrad. She gladly directed her unspent maternal love to loved ones in the family and at work. Olga Alexandrovna does not like to talk about relations with the opposite sex, recognizing only 4 official marriages. It is very difficult for such a windy and impulsive nature as Olga to create relationships for life, and a separate book could probably be written about all her novels.

Working on set

The 60s of the twentieth century were marked for Olga Alexandrovna by successful work on TV and in cinema. In the theater of those years, the actress was not too busy in roles, and sometimes they didn’t notice at all, and Olga Aroseva could completely devote herself to filming. Serious roles in the movie she receivedback in the 50s in such films as the lyrical comedy "The Girl with No Address" and the comedy film with the first leading role of Arkady Raikin "We met somewhere …", but real popular recognition came to her after the film "Beware of the car » Ryazanov and performances in a series of TV shows called «Zucchini 13 chairs». Secular and imposing Mrs. Monika - actress Olga Aroseva - with her restless enterprising character, sunk into the soul of many Soviet viewers. Polish colleagues also spoke warmly about the heroes of Zucchini.

It is she who is largely obliged to introduce various breathtaking women's hats a la "Pani Monica" into fashion in the USSR. The actress, whose photos, like herself, became recognizable throughout the Union, was always coquettishly upset that her work in the theater was valued much less.

Later, Olga Alexandrovna starred in several more films, including the comedy "Old Robbers", which became a classic of Soviet cinema. At the end of her life, the actress was seriously ill, but she did not tell anyone about it and played in the theater as if nothing had happened. Even before her death, Olga Aroseva was full of creative plans and enthusiasm, and most importantly, she managed to finish writing a book dedicated to the idol of her life, her father.