Huynh Thanh Tra: Famous actor, now sick, must stay at nursing home

In the 1980s, Huynh Thanh Tra and Kim Cuong were a beautiful couple on stage. But then, in 1997, he chose to quietly leave the artistic spotlight.

Artist Huynh Thanh Tra was born in 1945 in Saigon in a family with no one in the arts. However, he himself loved Cai Luong and had a dream of becoming an artist from an early ag.e. When he was about to take the baccalaureate exam, he asked teacher Vu Huy Chan - who taught Cheo at his high school - for advice about his future. Teacher Huy Chan, seeing his student's good looks, advised him to take the Cai Luong exam at the National School of Music and Drama. He followed his advice and passed the 3rd course, which lasted 4 years. The teachers of the course at that time included famous artists and composers such as Phung Ha, Nam Chau, Le Hoai No, Duy Lan, Kim Cuc, Bich Thuan...

During this time, playwright Nam Chau founded the Anh Chieu Duong opera troupe to support newly graduated opera students. The troupe gathered many stars and included the most outstanding students. Huynh Thanh Tra was one of the apprentices, he was assigned small roles and gradually promoted to supporting roles.

For a new student, singing with big stars like Ba Van was a great privilege. However, after a period of training here, Huynh Thanh Tra became attached to the television drama stage. He left the theater troupe and focused on drama.

From here, he was chosen by director Le Dan for a life-changing role, the role of velvet-eyed Loan in a movie of the same name, one of the most popular movies at that time.

The character of a gangster named Loan, who came from a good family and had beautiful, sad eyes, has left a deep impression on many people's memories. Huynh Thanh Tra became a star. He recalled: "A gangster with a fierce, stubborn face is easy to find, but the character in the film is a gangster with a scholarly figure and beautiful, sad eyes. Director Le Dan recruited hundreds of people but no one was suitable. One time, he watched a TV drama and saw me, then he decided that I was Loan with velvet eyes. The success of the film surprised me."

After the success of the role of Loan Mat Nhung, Huynh Thanh Tra continued to be associated with television drama. He founded the Phu Sa drama troupe, which was loved by the audience. After 1975, he joined the Bong Hong drama troupe, with the late artist Tham Thuy Hang as deputy. Here, he played all the handsome male roles. The name Huynh Thanh Tra continued to spread far and wide. Many older audiences still remember his performances in plays such as Under Two Shirts, Durian Leaves, Mother's Legend, Thunderstorm..., some of which have become classics of the Vietnamese drama stage.

In 1976, Ho Chi Minh City Television opened the drama program Indoors and Outdoors. The director of the program, Tran Van Sau, with the stage name Nguyen Di Tuong, invited him and many other artists to participate in the early stages of its formation. Later, due to his busy work on the stage, he withdrew.

According to him, at that time, as soon as the theater troupe's box office opened, audiences were already lining up. Tickets were sold out within an hour. Sometimes there were three shows a day. However, artists at that time were famous, not rich. The main role like him was initially paid 10 dong per show, and supporting actors were paid 2-4 dong per show. Later, his salary was increased to 40 dong per show. He performed about 10 shows a month, which was 400 dong. That was a good income in the years 1976-1980. However, artists had to spend mone.y on makeup and costumes, so it was just enough to live on, not enough to make ends meet. The greatest happiness of an artist at that time was to sing and to be sublimated on stage, even though he often had to sing on a rainy and windy stage in a remote countryside.

Regarding his private life, the actor in the 70s was very secretive. Only once, he shared with Nguoi Lao Dong newspaper: "In fact, I went to America to live with my wife for a few years but then returned home." Many years later until now, the actor lives alone, depending on his sister in Ho Chi Minh City.

Being away from the spotlight and suffering from many illnesses has made life difficult for artist Huynh Thanh Tra. He has diabetes and is taken care of by his younger brother and sister. He has no income and lives a "belt-tightening" life.

"Away from the stage, I feel terribly sad. Even though I have decided to live quietly in a corner of life, I still follow the news and watch TV. Every time I see a colleague playing a role, my professional spirit rises, and I also comment on why they don't act like this or that. Then, looking back, I see that I'm no longer doing this job, so that's it" - Old artist Huynh Thanh Tra confided.

"My biggest wish is health. I have diabetes and joint pai.n, so I can't walk steadily. This disease causes me constant pai.n," the male artist shared in the Sports and Culture newspaper.

In April 2022, artist Huynh Thanh Tra contracted Covid. Due to many underlying diseases, his internal organs were severely damaged. He was taken to Thu Duc Hospital for emergency treatment. Due to difficult circumstances, at that time, People's Artist Kim Cuong mobilized people to help the male artist overcome the critical condition.

In early 2024, People's Artist Kim Cuong and People's Artist Trinh Kim Chi encouraged artist Huynh Thanh Tra to move into Thi Nghe nursing home. He emotionally expressed to Vnexpress: "Decades away from the stage, I still receive help from brothers and sisters like artist Kim Cuong in times of difficulty. That is a favor I will carry with me throughout my life."

Huynh Thanh Tra is one of seven famous veteran artists living at Thi Nghe nursing home. His room is located in a two-story building, quiet space, with lots of trees.

The day he moved into his new 16 square meter room with full amenities, he emotionally said, "At the end of my life, I only wish to have a place like this, to be provided with three meals a day, and I don't want anything more."

At the ag.e of 80, artist Huynh Thanh Tra's health has declined significantly, especially after Covid-19. More than a year ago, he had surgery for a herniated disc in his neck and back. The effects of the surgery have made the actor's legs weaker, requiring someone to help him walk. However, he remains optimistic when talking to people.

Although he has been off the stage for a long time, Huynh Thanh Tra still maintains the demeanor of an actor. Although he mostly stays in his room, he often wears trousers and shirts, ironed every day. Occasionally, friends come to visit and compliment him on still having the elegance of the time he played "Loan Mat Nhung".

People's Artist Kim Cuong had difficulty breathing and had to be rushed to the emergency room in the middle of the night. She still has one regret. Đình Như21:31:22 30/10/2024Known as a diva in the Vietnamese theater world, People's Artist Kim Cuong has made many contributions to art. In her twilight years, the female artist has left the stage lights, lives peacefully with her family and actively does charity work.