Valentina Mikhaylovna Leontyeva (russian: Валентина Михайловна Леонтьева; 1 August 1923 in

Petrograd Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

– 20 May 2007 in Ulyanovsk) was a famous anchor on

Soviet TV Television in the Soviet Union was owned, controlled and censored by the state. The body governing television in the era of the Soviet Union was the Gosteleradio committee, which was responsible for both the Soviet Central Television and the All- ...

. She was one of the first television presenters in the Soviet Union. Leontyeva survived the

Siege of Leningrad The siege of Leningrad (russian: links=no, translit=Blokada Leningrada, Блокада Ленинграда; german: links=no, Leningrader Blockade; ) was a prolonged military blockade undertaken by the Axis powers against the Soviet city of L ...

, which claimed the life of her father. After a brief stint at the Mendeleyev Institute, she attended the Vakhtangov Theatre School in Moscow. In 1948, she joined a theatre in Tambov. As a TV anchor, she became famous for her deeply felt manner of presentation. Among her most popular shows was "Ot Vsei Dushi" ("From the Bottom of My Heart"), which has been praised for its honesty and emotional depth. She toured 54 cities of the Soviet Union with a stage version of the show. She was also the host of the '' Goluboy ogonyok'' ("Blue Light"), a New Year's Eve variety show, and '' Spokoinoi Nochi, Malyshi'' ("Good Night, Little Ones"), a daily program for children. In 1975, Leontyeva was awarded the USSR State Prize. In the 1980s, she hosted '' Visit to Fairy Tales'', a children's show, and became popularly known as simply "Aunt Valya" (russian: Тётя Валя). Her popularity led to her being awarded the title of

People's Artist of the USSR People's Artist of the USSR ( rus, Народный артист СССР, Narodny artist SSSR), also sometimes translated as National Artist of the USSR, was an honorary title granted to artists of the Soviet Union. Nomenclature and significan ...

(1982), the highest honor that could be bestowed on a television presenter. On 12 March 2004 the

Federation Council of Russia The Federation Council (russian: Сове́т Федера́ции – ''Soviet Federatsii'', common abbreviation: Совфед – ''Sovfed''), or Senate (officially, starting from July 1, 2020) ( ru , Сенат , translit = Senat), is th ...

presented to her the medal "For Contributions", revived from the 19th century. After her retirement from Channel One in 1991, Valentina Leontyeva lived with her sister in the Ulyanovsk Oblast up until her death. Pamyatnik Leontievoi

There is a statue of her more than 2m in height on the Goncharov street in Ulyanovsk unveiled on 1 August 2008 in the garden of the

Ulyanovskiy Regional Muppets Theater Ulyanovsky or Ulyanovskaya may refer to: Places *Ulyanovsky District, Kaluga Oblast, an administrative and municipal district in Kaluga Oblast, Russia *Ulyanovsky District, Ulyanovsk Oblast, an administrative and municipal district in Ulyanovsk Ob ...

, which was recently named after Leontyeva.Monument to Valentina Leontyeva will be opened in Ulyanovsk on Friday
RIAN, 01.08.2008 02:30

MST The Master of Studies or Master in Studies (M.St. or MSt; ) is a postgraduate degree at the University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, University of St Andrews, the Australian National University, University of Dublin and the University of Ne ...

References

External links

Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leontyeva, Valentina People's Artists of the USSR Soviet television presenters 1923 births 2007 deaths People's Artists of the RSFSR Radio and television announcers Russian women television presenters 20th-century Russian women