In the Kaive area of Sēme Parish, on 21 August 1929, Alīda Artmane was born – the future Vija Artmane. Her father, Fricis Arnolds Artmanis, had already died in March, so her stage life began from a starkly modest point. After the Dailes Theatre studio, she performed at that theatre for almost half a century; audiences remember her as Rainis’s Laimdota, as Kristīne in the film “Purva bridējs,” and as Julia Lambert in Jānis Streičs’s “Teātris.”

Artmane’s career linked the stage tradition of the Dailes Theatre with the screen popularity of the Riga Film Studio era. Her biography also shows the public side of the Soviet cultural system – posts, awards, and political representation alongside her acting craft.