Meritorious Artist Tran Dai My, 40 years in the art world, plays "Clams, Mussels, Oysters, Cockles" for life

Meritorious Artist Tran Dai My is one of the familiar faces of stage and television. He also appeared in many popular comedy skits and was loved by a large audience.

In addition, Meritorious Artist Tran Dai My is also known as the biological father of actor Ba Duy. Meritorious Artist Tran Dai My was born in 1962 in Vinh Loc district, Thanh Hoa province. He was born into a farming family. When he was young, he studied and worked for hire. While in 7th grade, he heard that the Vietnam Tuong Theater was recruiting actors, so he registered and passed the exam.

After graduating from the Intermediate School of Theater and Cinema Arts (now Hanoi University of Theater and Cinema), Tran Dai My worked at the Vietnam Tuong Theater.

As someone who often breaks the mold in his roles, Meritorious Artist Tran Dai My believes that when playing a role, one must have one's own ego; if one imitates someone, one is a worker, not an artist. He is very grateful to teacher Xuan Hien for letting him play a role in the experimental play Othello to participate in the International Theatre Festival in 2006.

Looking at the examples of previous artists, Dai My found life quite difficult, just the costumes and props alone weighed more than 10 kg, if not healthy, he could not perform. Therefore, in daily life, he is very active to have a comfortable life with work organizing performances, taking photos, filming, and producing props. In addition, he also participated in TV dramas; quite in demand for comedy shows and skits on holidays and Tet.

He confided that acting in plays is very hard, because it is difficult to perform well without strength, without knowing martial arts or dancing. Many days he has to perform far from home, in cold weather, and after playing a role he is exhausted and the pay is not worth much, but he still wants to act because of his passion for standing on stage. No matter how difficult it is, he is determined not to give up on performing, because every time he plays a role, the fire of passion burns again, making him forget everything.

On stage, the role of Mr. Ngheu in the famous folk play Ngheu, So, Oc, Hen can be considered the artist's most successful role, remembered by many audiences. This role brought him a Gold Medal at the 2011 National Comedy Festival organized by the Vietnam Stage Artists Association.

Previously, the role of General Avenue in the play Princess Huyen Tran (directed by Doan Hoang Giang) also helped Dai My win the Gold Medal at the National Professional Tuong Theater Festival in 2010.

He is also famous for his role as Cao Hoai Duc in the play Female General Dao Tam Xuan. The male artist once shared about his traditional roles: "Every time I dance beautifully and sing well, I am preserving the traditional culture of the nation."

In addition to his work on stage, Meritorious Artist Tran Dai My also participated in many television series. He was also in demand for comedy shows, Tet skits, and was a judge for several art competitions. In his later years, the male artist was still active in the arts.

Meritorious Artist Tran Dai My passed away at 2:03 p.m. on November 11. His funeral took place at noon on November 13 at Cau Giay Funeral Home (Hanoi). Meritorious Artist Tran Dai My passed away due to cancer. According to some relatives, he discovered the disease a few years ago.

Many close colleagues of Meritorious Artist Tran Dai My were present early to see him off on his final journey. People's Artist Le Tien Tho - former Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, former President of the Vietnam Stage Artists Association - affirmed that Meritorious Artist Tran Dai My is a talented and dedicated stage artist. People's Artist Le Tien Tho once selected artist Tran Dai My during the audition for the Vietnam Tuong Theater. He said the two were close and respected each other in the profession.

"When he first auditioned for the theater, many people said that artist Dai My did not have the appearance of a performer. But at that time, he firmly believed that he could sing, perform, and was successful. Meritorious Artist Dai My understood traditional theater. His roles were diverse, capturing the rhythm of life. That was the outstanding feature of Meritorious Artist Dai My," said People's Artist Le Tien Tho.

In life, Meritorious Artist Tran Dai My was always gentle and often helped friends. According to some colleagues, the late artist was sociable and liked to connect with people.

"Artist Dai My was sick but still devoted himself to art, performing to forget the pain. The last time I saw him was about a week ago. At that time, Dai My's health was deteriorating and he could barely speak," People's Artist Le Tien Tho said.

People's Artist Nguyen Hai also expressed his emotions when he had to say goodbye to his close friend in the profession. He wrote in the condolence book: "Dai My, I love you very much. From now on, we are far apart. We can no longer sit on the same jury board." People's Artist Nguyen Hai and Meritorious Artist Dai My have often sat on the jury board at a number of art competitions.

Meritorious Artist Tran Dai My is always concerned with his profession and roles. He always tells himself that he must do everything for traditional art, especially the art of tuong, which is selective of its audience. He is proud of the unique profession that his ancestors left him. Although it is difficult, once he loves it, he cannot give it up. He especially likes ancient roles, saying: "Every time I dance beautifully and sing well, I am preserving the traditional cultural heritage of the nation."