Actress Tamara Syomina. Photo: Anton Novoderezhkin / TASS
The other day a note was published in KP, where they talked about the small pensions of the once popular artists. According to the expert of the program “Let them talk” Denis Sorokin, some of today’s Soviet idols are “sitting with nothing”: the legendary Katyusha Maslova from Resurrection, People’s Artist of the RSFSR Tamara Syomina, complained about her pension of 17 thousand rubles Although Semina is entitled to a monthly allowance from the city of 30 thousand rubles. A few years ago, the Moscow mayor’s office began to pay this amount to Moscow pensioners with the title of People’s or Honored Artist. It is difficult to say whether Tamara Syomina receives an additional 30 rubles or not. She perhaps believed that movie stars of her level deserved much more: at one point they provided multimillion-dollar fees for the distribution of Soviet films. Probably, for someone 30 thousand is a little money, but if we are talking about a “miserable existence”, then they will definitely not be superfluous. In addition, there is a regional surcharge for Moscow pensioners. And yet, for sure, a recalculation (in the direction of increase) of the pension after 80 years was made: Tamara Syomina is 84 years old. In any case, the State should pay him more than 17 thousand.
We called Tamara Petrovna to find out what the problem was.
“Why is the people’s artist leading a miserable existence, why such a shameful pension, ask not me, but the Moscow government,” Tamara Syomina said as she blurted out. – I am ashamed of them! How could I forget all my movie masterpieces! I have a lot of beautiful and talented work. Only the public remembers me. I feel like I’ve been thrown in the trash. I deeply dislike people who humiliate older artists. I feel humiliated, crushed and offended by your attitude towards my past merits and my work. All…
And hung up. Without clarifying anything: they pay/do not pay, if the compensation has arrived…
We agree, not only Semin, many Soviet actors live hard. But the Screen Actors Guild told us that there is a category of people who are always unhappy. Even if there is money, additional payments, allowances, benefits, for example, treatment in the “Kremlin” hospital, they still believe that they “did not give them enough”. It all depends on the person and her character.
However, as I understand it, the title bonuses do not reach all major artists.
“I have a pension of about 30 thousand rubles, including the additional payment that I receive as a blockade survivor,” actress Larisa Luzhina, born in Leningrad in 1939, told us. – I have no idea why there is no bonus for the title of Artist of the People of the RSFSR. I don’t know who to complain to. But many of my well-deserved and popular colleagues receive the same pension as me. For some reason we don’t get paid for the titles. But why Tamara Semina has such a small pension, I also do not understand …
Actress Larisa Luzhina.
Photo: Boris KUDRYAVOV
How and where is the additional payment for the title determined? Where to apply? We asked this question to the director of the Lenkom Theater Mark Varshaver, who cares a lot about the well-being of his artists.
– Additional payment for the title of convicts and people’s artists is a purely city subsidy, a sign of respect for the mayor of Moscow. For the artists to receive it, the theater writes a letter to the Department of Culture, which applies to the mayor’s office. After that, an allowance is established for a retired artist.
Since Tamara Syomina and Larisa Luzhina do not work in theaters, they should probably contact the Department of Culture or the Ministry of Culture on their own, or ask the actors’ guild to do so. After that, I think they will be assigned a surcharge. They are really amazing and wonderful actresses.
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