Marija Leiko (14 August 1887 – 3 February 1938), also known as Marija Leyko, was a Latvian stage and

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...

actress in Europe, especially popular in

Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

,Marija Leiko profile
, cyranos.ch; accessed 10 February 2016. and

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

Life and film career

Leiko conquered the German big screen first, starring in ''

The Diamond Foundation ''The Diamond Foundation'' (German: ''Die Diamantenstiftung'') is a 1917 German silent film, silent crime film directed by Johannes Guter and starring Ernst Reicher, Marija Leiko and Frida Richard.Hanisch p.349 It was one of a long series of films ...

'' (1917), ''Kain'' (1918), ''Ewiger Strom'' (1919), ''Die Frau im Käfig'' (1919) and ''Lola Montez'' (1919) as the dancer. When the silent movie era ended Leiko retired from film acting. After the Nazi seizure of power in 1933, she returned to her native Latvia. In 1935 she visited the Soviet Union and stayed to join the company of the Latvian State Theatre in Moscow. During the so-called " Latvian Operation" the theatre was shut down, and on 15 December 1937, Leiko was arrested on charges of belonging to a "Latvian nationalist conspiracy". On 3 February 1938 at the age of 50 she was shot and buried in a mass grave at the secret NKVD killing field at Butovo, near Moscow. Maria Leiko was posthumously rehabilitated for the absence of a crime (''

corpus delicti (Latin for "body of the crime"; plural: ), in Western law, is the principle that a crime must be proved to have occurred before a person can be convicted of committing that crime. For example, a person cannot be tried for larceny unless it can ...

'') on May 12, 1958.

Memory

On May 14, 2017 in Moscow on the wall of the house 9, building 3 at Obolensky lane memorial sign ''

Last Address The Last Address (russian: «Последний адрес», translit="Posledniy adres") is a civic initiative to commemorate the victims of repressions in the Soviet Union. The essence of the initiative is that ordinary people deserve to be co ...

of Maria Karlovna Leiko'' was posted.russian
Москва, Оболенский переулок, дом 9, корпус 3
// Сайт «Последний адрес».

Filmography

* ''Die Räuberbande'' (1928) * ''

The Green Alley ''The Green Alley'' (German: ''Die Rothausgasse'') is a 1928 German silent film directed by Richard Oswald and starring Grete Mosheim, Gustav Fröhlich and Marija Leiko.Weniger p.303 The film was made by the German branch of Universal Pictures ...

'' (1928) playing Katherina Rezek * ''

At Ruedesheimer Castle There Is a Lime Tree ''At Ruedesheimer Castle There Is a Lime Tree'' (german: Am Ruedesheimer Schloss steht eine Linde) is a 1928 German silent film directed by Johannes Guter and starring Werner Fuetterer, Marija Leiko Marija Leiko (14 August 1887 – 3 Febr ...

'' (1928) playing Fritz's mother * ''Aufstieg der kleinen Lilian'' (1925) * ''Dr. Wislizenus'' (1924) * ''

The Treasure of Gesine Jacobsen ''The Treasure of Gesine Jacobsen'' (German: ''Der Schatz der Gesine Jakobsen'') is a 1923 German silent drama film directed by Rudolf Walther-Fein and starring Marija Leiko, Paul Wegener and Reinhold Schünzel. It premiered in Berlin Be ...

'' (1923) * ''Der Frauenkönig'' (1923) * ''Die Schneiderkomteß'' (1922) playing the young Comtesse * ''

Sunken Worlds ''Sunken Worlds'' (German: ''Versunkene Welten'') is a 1922 German silent film directed by Siegfried Philippi and starring Victor Varconi, Ria Jende and Hans Albers.Bock & Bergfelder p.8 Cast * Victor Varconi * Ria Jende * Max Devrient * Hans Al ...

'' (1922) * ''

Children of Darkness ''Children of Darkness'' is a 1983 American documentary film on PBS produced by Ara Chekmayan and Richard Kotuk. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. It is about mentally ill and emotionally troubled children an ...

'' (1921, 2 pats) playing Maria Geone * ''Die Frau von morgen'' (1921) * '' The Rats'' (1921) playing Pauline Piperkarcka * ''

The Fear of Women ''The Fear of Women'' (German:''Die Furcht vor dem Weibe'') is a 1921 German silent drama film directed by Hanna Henning and starring Bernd Aldor, Wilhelm Diegelmann and Otto Gebühr. The film was based on a novel by Georg Engel. It premiered ...

'' (1921) playing Reederstochter * ''Am Webstuhl der Zeit'' (1921) (as Marija Leyko) playing Ruth Einser, Hansen's assistant * ''Das Opfer der Ellen Larsen'' (1921) * ''Brandherd'' (aka ''Verlogene Moral''. English release title ''Torgus'') (1921) playing Anna * '' The Red Masquerade Ball'' (1921) * ''Die Kwannon von Okadera'' (1920) playing Ingele von Geortz * '' Eternal River'' (1920) playing Marija * '' Satanas'' (English release tite: ''Satan'') (1920) playing Irene * ''Die Frau im Käfig'' (1919) * ''Freie Liebe'' (1919) * ''

Lola Montez Eliza Rosanna Gilbert, Countess of Landsfeld (17 February 1821 – 17 January 1861), better known by the stage name Lola Montez (), was an Irish dancer and actress who became famous as a Spanish dancer, courtesan, and mistress of King Ludwig ...

'' (aka ''aka Am Hofe Ludwigs I. von Bayern)'' (1919) * ''Das Frühlingslied'' (1918) * ''

The Zaarden Brothers ''The Zaarden Brothers'' (German: ''Die Brüder von Zaarden'') is a 1918 German silent film, silent drama film directed by William Wauer and starring Albert Bassermann, Elsa Bassermann and Marija Leiko.Bock & Bergfelder p.28 Cast * Albert Basserm ...

'' (1918) * ''Die Diamantenstiftung'' (1917)

References

Sources

* Guna Zeltina, Anita Uzulniece russian: Мария Лейко : Актриса театра и кино, 1887-1937 Language: Latvian Riga Liesma 155 pages (Illustrated) January 1989

External links

Profile
kino-teatr.ru; accessed 14 August 2015. *

mcomet.com; accessed 14 August 2015.

, citwf.com; accessed 14 August 2015. 1887 births 1938 deaths Actors from Riga People from Kreis Riga Latvian stage actresses Latvian silent film actresses 20th-century Latvian actresses Latvian Operation of the NKVD Great Purge victims from Latvia Soviet rehabilitations {{Latvia-bio-stub