More than 50 years of dedication to the reformed theater stage
Meritorious Artist Le Thien Her birth name is To Dang Thi Thien, born in 1945 in Binh Dinh. She is known as a cai luong singer and actress familiar to many audiences through the small screen.
Le Thien’s artistic destiny came to her quite early. At the age of 11, she joined the Southern Performing Arts Troupe to perform. Intelligent, bright and showing talent, she was recruited into the General Political Department Troupe.
During her years with the troupe, she studied many art forms from singing, dancing to circus. Le Thien was eager to learn so she also participated in an acting training course with artists Minh Chau, Thanh Vy, and Ha Quang Van.
Meritorious Artist Le Thien in his youth.
Participating in the play The Free Flag, Le Thien was “spotted” by People’s Artist Duong Ngoc Thach and invited to the Southern Opera Troupe. Thanks to her vocal talent and physical advantages, she was chosen to play the main role after only 1 year of studying opera.
Typical roles such as: Crane in the play Crane Afternoon or Thuyen Quyen in the play Khuat Nguyen made her name.
At that time, Le Thien also joined the Liberation Army Art Troupe to perform abroad. During the tours, she had to memorize and perform some songs in the language of the host country. Le Thien was one of five artists from the Vietnam Democratic Republic Reformed Opera Troupe, in collaboration with overseas Vietnamese in France, to perform during the Paris Conference on Vietnam.
After that, Meritorious Artist Le Thien held the position of Deputy Director of Tran Huu Trang Opera House, where she gathered many talented stars such as Bach Tuyet, Ngoc Giau, Minh Vuong, Le Thuy, Thanh Tuan… Sharing memories of her time as a leader at the theater, the female artist said: “My whole life has been devoted to art, and the stage is my love. But when I was assigned to be a leader, I had to give in to everything and didn’t get to perform much.”
During her time working at Tran Huu Trang Opera House, Le Thien’s most memorable memory was the role of Concubine Nguyen Thi Anh in the play Rang Ngoc Con Son. Due to the lack of dialogue and the inability to find an actress, she personally took on the role.
Although she was doubted because she rarely acted, after only a few minutes on stage, she made a strong impression on the audience with her charisma and brilliant laughter, proving her talent and mark.
U80 still working hard on the film set
After more than 50 years of working on the Cai Luong stage, Meritorious Artist Le Thien gradually moved to a new art field – cinema and received the love of the audience with the image of “National Grandmother”.
Talking about her chance to enter the film industry, the female artist shared a happy memory. When she refused to audition for the role of grandmother in Even If the Wind Blows, her grandchild immediately criticized her for being lazy and acting badly. Because of her pride, she agreed to audition and the role was successful beyond her expectations.
After this project, Meritorious Artist Le Thien continued to play the role of grandmother in films such as: Ca ro, I love you!, Just go and cry, Co Tham returns to the village and Dau Tay welcomes Tet…
The role of Le Thien’s grandmother in the movie “Just Go and Cry”.
At her current age, the artist’s health is not as good as before, but her passion for art still burns. The “national grandmother” said she would still accept films if the filming schedule was not too tight and her health was guaranteed. In early 2024, she appeared in the work Bright Lights by director Hoang Tuan Cuong.
The female artist confided about the filming process: “To participate, I had to prepare my health very well. Perhaps I have never prepared so carefully. I was just afraid that if I fell ill during the filming process, it would affect the progress of the whole crew.”
Not sad when missed the title of People’s Artist
Despite his great contributions to art, Meritorious Artist Le Thien has not been considered for the title of People’s Artist.
She confided: “I failed to get the People’s Artist title, many people asked me if I was sad. The State title is an honor, but if I don’t meet the standards, then that’s it. The important thing is that I live in the hearts of my friends and audience.”
The female artist is always optimistic and loves her job at the age of U80.
More than half a life dedicated to art, Actor Le Thien always believes that artists have the responsibility to beautify life and inspire the next generation. For her, the love of the audience is the greatest recognition for her efforts.