early years
Natalya Petrovna Saiko was born on January 12, 1948 in Tallinn (Estonia). Natasha Saiko had been dreaming about a career as an actress since she was 13 years old - at that age, as part of a school tourist trip to Leningrad, she first attended a performance at the Bolshoi Drama Theater. After graduating from school, the girl went to Moscow to enter any theater institute - “wherever they will take you,” but in the first year admission did not take place. The next year, luck smiled on Natalya, and she was enrolled in the first year of the Shchukin Theater School.
I broke up with Nikita after cheating
— What was Yakov Mikhailovich sick with?
“There’s a whole bunch of ailments there.” I carried him around (and he weighed 90 kg), changed his clothes, washed him, fed him, and took him to the toilet. As a result, I tore a ligament in my leg... By the way, look at the kitchen cabinet. Do you see the teapots up there? This is Yashulina's collection. He himself brought something from everywhere, and they gave him something as a gift. I was thinking about putting them away somewhere: they collect dust and need to be wiped constantly. But then I decided: no, let them stand, this is the memory of my Yashenka. The other day one of the kettles broke and I cut my finger. Well, God bless him. Would you like me to show you a wedding dress?
Natalya Petrovna called me into the bedroom. There, from a large closet, she took out a floor-length turquoise outfit with guipure sleeves and a satin skirt.
— I chose this color because this is my second wedding. I only wore this dress once. I wanted to throw it away or give it to someone, but Yashulya asked me to keep it. Although we celebrated the wedding in a restaurant, everything was modest.
— Why did you break up with your first husband?
- Nikita, with whom she lived for seven years, cheated on me. We lived in a luxurious three-room apartment on Leninsky Prospekt. I still remember scrubbing her. I removed the top layer of parquet with a metal sponge, and then polished it with mastic so that the floor would shine... I found real happiness with Yashulya. When he asked me to marry, I replied that I should first consult with my mother. She approved. Although I saw Yasha only once, when we came to my stepfather’s funeral in Tallinn. Yuri Lyubimov sent him with me to Estonia as support. And then two young handsome guys - Yashulya and Borey Khmelnitsky - took me from Leninsky to Bezrodny’s room. So I moved from a luxurious mansion to a communal apartment.
— Did you feel any shock?
— In Estonia, my mother and I generally lived in a barracks. Then they gave us a 14-meter room. And my student years were spent in a dormitory. So you won’t scare me with a communal apartment. True, when Yasha, Borya, and I first arrived there, I saw a woman sitting in the common kitchen and dripping vinegar on the cockroaches that were running back and forth.
In this comedy with the participation of our heroine, Nikolai KARACHEENTSOV sang his hit song about the maple leaf for the first time
— How was your family life with Yakov Mikhailovich?
- Fine. He was friends with Vladimir Vysotsky , with whom he once studied at the same school. Volodya and I played together in Hamlet. And we also talked when we had time. Yashulya organized Vysotsky’s concerts. He worked through the Knowledge Society, offering organizations that had their own halls in Moscow and the Moscow region to arrange a performance by Volodya. Sometimes we also went with him. I know that some people called my husband an underground millionaire behind his back and believed that he dressed me in furs and diamonds. But this is complete absurdity. For organizing the concert he received only 1 ruble. 60 kopecks. We lived with dignity, but not richly. Yasha couldn't even take a nail out of the theater. I would simply kill him for this.
— your native Tallinn?
— Yes, I’m visiting my sister Olya and my mother, who is 92 years old. I have a Schengen visa, which requires a stay in the country of 90 days every six months, so I distribute it. In 2018 I managed to go three times. Unfortunately, I will celebrate the New Year not in Estonia, but here. We need to look after the dacha. It is heated using a gas boiler, so I’m afraid something might happen.
— In the summer, probably disappear in the garden beds?
- No, the garden is not mine. Yashulya and I planted only pine and spruce trees at the dacha. That's all the vegetation. Although I'm a good housewife. Previously, guests were always gathered and noisy gatherings were held. Now no one comes, and I don’t have the strength either.
— Is it true that you decided to become an actress after you went on an excursion to St. Petersburg with your classmates?
“When I was in the eighth grade, my neighbor scolded me: “You’re already a big girl, you need to help your mom.” Indeed, I think we need to leave school, study to become a nurse in order to work at the same time, and then become a doctor. But my mother told me to get a certificate first. And in high school we had a theater club. I went with him to Leningrad, where I saw the play “The Elder Sister” at the Bolshoi Drama Theater. But I came to the conclusion that our Tallinn artists perform better in this production. She herself became an actress because of our teacher. She once said that I should definitely go to Moscow and enter the theater school. I set my sights on the Shchukin School. Mom was shocked. She worked as a hairdresser all her life and thought that the same fate awaited me. And I hated these beauty salons because of the tart smells of chemicals and Red Moscow cologne.
In the drama “Starshina” with Vladimir GOSTYUKHIN. Photo: © RIA Novosti
— Were you scared alone in the capital?
- Very. When the lists of applicants were posted, my name was not there. I burst into tears, called my mother, and by the evening her lively friend found out that the dean’s office had made a mistake and I was enrolled. Moscow is a big city. I went out into the street and there were strangers around me. In Tallinn, everyone knows each other and greets each other. So I cried constantly.
— Why don't you act anymore?
- She's older. It’s not good for actresses to play until the end when you can barely walk. You need to fly on stage and in front of the camera. And I don’t want to play the role of grandmothers in wheelchairs.
— How would you comment on rumors that you have problems with alcohol?
- Nonsense! It happens, of course, that I buy beer. Like this morning, for example. But there are no problems. And envious people spread gossip. One day my mother and sister came to my performance. Lyubimov gave them tickets to the first row, where he usually sat. After that, one envious bitch called my mother and said that I was lying unconscious and drunk in the dressing room. Mom got very nervous, but there was no trace of anything like that.
— How long have you been smoking?
- Since I was 17 years old. I'm a fool for starting this. In high school, I went with friends to a cafe, drank a milkshake or coffee there, and smoked for ambience. So I got involved. If you want a normal complexion and not choke from coughing, quit. True, at my age this is already dangerous.
— But your complexion is excellent. And the figure is wonderful.
- Lord, when in my youth I auditioned for the role of a gymnast, they told me: “Nata, don’t you dare get fat!” And now friends ask: “When will you finally gain weight?” Previously, I didn’t allow myself to eat after four in the afternoon, but now even after six I can eat a sandwich with sausage. I don’t do exercises in the morning. One ligament in my leg is torn, the other is torn, otherwise I won’t be able to walk.
The actress's husband was buried at the Vagankovskoye cemetery. Next to him, Natalya Petrovna prepared a place for herself. Photo from necropol.ru
Actor career
Natalya Petrovna Sayko’s acting debut was her role in the 1968 film “Village Detective”. Natalya starred in this film while she was a second-year student. She played the role of Zina Aniskina, the daughter of the main characters. In 1969, Natalia starred in one of the main roles in the film “Ten Winters in One Summer.” This was followed by several leading roles: Masha Skvortsova in the film “My Street” (1970), Tony Tumanova in “How the Steel Was Tempered” (1973) and Nadya in the teleplay “Letters of the 12th Century” (1976). For the role of Skvortsova, the actress was awarded the prize for best actress at the festival in Prague. In the photo below is Natalya Petrovna Saiko in the film “How the Steel Was Tempered.”
In addition to the main roles, during this period Natalya had several more notable roles in films such as “Different People” (1973), “Completely Lost” (1973), “Birds of Our Hopes” (1976). Basically, the actress's heroines were feminine, fragile girls with an angelic look, but at the right moment they were able to show strength and strength of character.
The actress first performed a more adult female role in 1978, playing the main character, Valentina Zhigulina, in the television play “Moscow. Chistye Prudy". Natalya Petrovna Saiko embodied similar and again leading roles in the films “Starshina” (1979) and “Zigzag” (1980). One of the most notable in Saiko’s entire career was the role of the great Russian actress Vera Feodorovna Komissarzhevskaya in the 1980 biographical film “I am an Actress.” In the next film, “The Voice” in 1982, Natalya Petrovna appeared before the audience in a completely new role, playing the role of the selfless artist Yulia Martynova, risking her life for the sake of creativity and art.
Also notable in the actress’s filmography are the films “The Crazy Day of Engineer Barkasov” (1983), “Moonlight Rainbow” (1983), “The Testament of Professor Dowell” (1984), “Mikhailo Lomonosov” (1984), “Sunny Day at the End of Summer” ( 1992). Throughout her career, Natalya Petrovna Saiko starred in 38 films, playing leading roles in many of them. The last film with the participation of the actress was the 1993 Ukrainian film “Wild Love”.
Natalya Saiko: forgotten Soviet actress with big eyes
The future cinema star was born in difficult post-war times - in 1948, in Estonia. She left a noticeable mark on the history of Soviet culture, and then left, forgotten by colleagues and fans. The new material “People and Epochs” is about the formation and difficult creative path of this talented actress.
Movie
Natasha Saiko was an ordinary Estonian girl. From early childhood she dreamed of becoming a doctor, but at the age of 13 her life changed dramatically. This happened after visiting the Bolshoi Drama Theater in Leningrad, from which she came out a different person.
The building of the Bolshoi Drama Theater in St. Petersburg, our days // Photo: fotokto.ru
The performing arts captivated young Natasha so much that she devoted all subsequent years to preparing to enter a theater university. Unfortunately, the first year after school was unsuccessful: the girl did not know which educational institution to apply to and missed the exams. However, the next year, luck smiled at her, and Natalya became a student at the famous Shchukin School.
Young Natalya Saiko // Photo: yandex.ru
Already in her second year of college, Saiko starred in a big movie for the first time. The girl played Aniskin’s daughter in the film “Village Detective” (1969), and immediately won the recognition of viewers and critics. The aspiring actress was praised and considered a talented, energetic and very pure girl.
Still from the film “My Street” (1970) // Photo: m.kino-teatr.ru
Natalya finished her studies in 1970, and immediately began actively acting in films. The images she created on the screen were calm, strong, kind and honest girls. Soviet viewers especially liked the heroine of Tonya Tumanova in the film adaptation of the cult novel “How the Steel Was Tempered” (1973). Natalya Saiko was distinguished by her large eyes, which amazingly conveyed warmth and sincere feminine tenderness directly through the TV screen.
Still from the film “How the Steel Was Tempered” (1973) // Photo: omn-omn-omn.ru
Theater
Simultaneously with filming films, Saiko worked at the Taganka Theater, famous throughout the country. She performed significant roles in the plays “Hamlet”, “Three Sisters”, “At the Depths”, “Boris Godunov”. Among the many actors, Natalya especially singled out Vladimir Vysotsky, who gave useful advice and helped to concentrate.
Photo: yandex.ru
Reclusion
In the early 90s, a socio-political crisis began in Russia, which also affected cinema. Many actors went abroad, stopped acting or began to build careers in other areas. Natalya Saiko completed her career in 1993: she left the theater and stopped acting in films. For the last few years, the actress has not been in touch with journalists and lives a quiet, calm life. Apparently, she will not return to the cinema. It's a pity…
Photo: www.kino-teatr.ru
Theater
In 1970, after graduating from the institute, Natalya Petrovna was enrolled in the troupe of the Taganka Theater, and since 1993 she became an actress in the “Commonwealth of Taganka Actors”. It is not known exactly at what point Saiko stopped appearing in the performances of this troupe.
Since Natalya Petrovna devoted a lot of time to film roles in her profession, she had almost no time left for the theater. Despite this, for a long time she was a participant in the plays “Three Sisters”, “At the Lower Depths”, “Hamlet” (performed the role of Ophelia), “Boris Godunov”, “And the Dawns Here Are Quiet”.
Career
Natalya Saiko first appeared on the television screen while still studying at the university. The aspiring actress received a role in the film “Village Detective”. According to the memoirs of the celebrity himself, the main experience of this work was not the game itself, but observation of the works of outstanding actors - Roman Tkachuk, Mikhail Zharov and others.
In 1970, Saiko received a diploma of higher theater education. Immediately after this, the actress began working on the stage of the Taganka Theater. At the same time, the girl got the job completely by accident: one of her friends asked her to accompany him at the audition so as not to be nervous. Saiko herself was not even in the mood for some serious test, so she behaved very confidently and calmly. The theater directors liked the artist’s behavior, and they invited her to become one of the members of the troupe.
Throughout her acting career, Natalya Saiko performed only on the Taganka stage. In 1970, the actress received an invitation to film. Then she appeared in two films at once. In the film “Time Explosion,” the artist played the role of Elizaveta, an assistant to underground workers, and in the film project “My Street” she played the role of Maria Skvortsova.
One of the most difficult jobs for Saiko was filming the film “I am an Actress.” Here the celebrity embodied on the screen the image of Vera Komissarzhevskaya, the most beautiful Russian filmmaker. Another equally striking work of the celebrity was her performance in the film “The Testament of Professor Dowell.” In this project, the artist played not one role, but three.
With the end of the 1980s and the collapse of the USSR, the period of Natalia Saiko’s creative career ended. At that time, the actress appeared only in one film, “Wild Love,” where she played the heroine Raisa, a teacher at a boarding school. After this, Saiko stopped acting, and soon left the theater stage altogether. So the celebrity decided to get rid of increased attention from viewers and media representatives.
Present tense
At the moment, practically nothing is known about the personal life of Natalya Petrovna Sayko. According to rumors, she was married, but now lives alone on Taganka, next to the main theater of her life. The actress has no children, according to her neighbors, Natalya Petrovna Sayko’s only friend and family for a long time was a dwarf poodle - she was seen with him on walks, but now Natalya Petrovna has stopped appearing with the dog. Perhaps she has changed her place of residence, but most likely she leads a reclusive, solitary life.
Childhood and family
Yola Ivanovna Sanko was born on February 18, 1947.
Her father, Ivan Fedoseevich, was a Soviet military leader originally from the Kyiv region, an order bearer, a hero of the Soviet Union, who rose to the rank of colonel general. Mom, Elena Dmitrievna, is a Muscovite, a brilliant actress, who at the age of 20, among other Komsomol volunteers, went to the front and served in the Zhitomir artillery division. The commander of this military unit was her future husband. They married a year after they met, in 1943, postponing the birth of children until peacetime. Later, two more girls appeared, Tanya and Natasha (who also became an actress). Due to the specific nature of the service of the head of the family, they often moved: in 1948 they lived in Tbilisi, then in Moscow, Poland, and Germany. Having received a matriculation certificate, Yola submitted documents to the Theater School. Shchukina did so. Her mentor was Vera Konstantinovna Lvova, who trained many Russian film stars, including Yuri Lyubimov, Mikhail Ulyanov, Alexander Kalyagin, Vladimir Etush, Lyudmila Chursina, Anastasia Vertinskaya.
