Lydia Smirnova: Filmography, biography and personal life (photo)

Lydia Nikolaevna Smirnova (1915-2007) - a famous actress of cinema and theater, People's Artist of the USSR, winner of the State Prize of the USSR. Most Soviet viewers remember such films by Lydia Smirnova as "The Village Detective", "My Love", "Carnival", "The Return of the Son". No less popular were such pictures as "The Wedding of Balzaminov", "The Shelter of Comedians" and many others.

Childhood

Lydia Smirnova, whose biography will be described in this article, was born in Tobolsk in 1915. The mother of the future actress died when the girl was barely 4 years old. This event was preceded by another tragedy: Lida's 9-month-old brother fell to the stone floor, hit his head, which led to the death of the boy. Mother could not survive it and went mad, and then died. Then Lydia Smirnova lost her father. When the civil war broke out, he went to the front and fought on the White side. The girl remained in the care of Peter (father's brother) and his wife Marousi. Then came the news of his father's death, and Lida remained an orphan. Here is how she herself recalls those events: "I learned that I was not native, after graduation. Uncle and aunt gave birth to two children. Peter worked as an accountant, and Marusya was in charge of the farm and was engaged in our upbringing. Then we moved to Moscow, but life in this city was difficult. "

Youth

At school Lydia Smirnova did not study very diligently. Her incorrect behavior was constantly discussed by the teachers. Once the girl played with the guys in the classroom and accidentally threw the stool out the window. She fell on the head of a passing man. The trauma was serious, and the passer-by told the police. The pedagogical council was urgently convened , where they decided to expel Lida from school. However, subsequently this decision was canceled, and the girl remained at school. After graduating from seven classes, the future actress decided to enter the technical school, and after his graduation became a laboratory assistant in the Aviation Industry Department. In the evening, Lida attended lectures at the Aviation Institute. She could not attend the full-time department due to lack of funds.

Adulthood

In 1932, Lydia Smirnova, whose biography is known to all fans of her work, leaves the house. The reason for this was, it would seem, a trifle - the future actress dropped a jar of foam on the floor. Seeing this, Auntie pounced on Lida with her fists, and the cup of patience of the girl was overflowing. The next day she told this situation to her boss. He went to Lydia for a meeting: he gave an order to give her three hundred rubles and got a small room for Smirnova. So began her adult life.

Marriage

In the same year, Lydia Smirnova married a 27-year-old journalist Sergei Dobrushin. The future actress met him on a ski trip. According to Smirnova's recollections, she returned to the company of friends at the ski base. To meet them was another group of skiers, which was closed by a young handsome guy. Lida caught a glimpse of him, then they looked back and went straight to each other. A month later the happy couple played a wedding.

Theatrical high school

Unexpectedly for all, Lydia Smirnova, whose biography can serve as role model, left the 2nd course of the aviation institute and applied to three theatrical high schools: Vakhtangov School, VGIK and school-studio at the Chamber Theater. She was accepted everywhere, but her choice was stopped by Smirnov on the last version because of the proximity to the house. The school was headed by Alexander Tairov. When Lida finished her studies, he offered her a place in her theater. It should be noted that only two students from the entire course received such an invitation. Chamber Theater was at that time very popular, and Smirnova offered a leading role in the film "My Love". And Lydia chose a movie. In the theater the girl managed to play only in the play "The Aristocrats". After that, Kamerny left for tour, and Lydia Smirnova, whose photo is here, began her acting career.

Carier start

"Nastenka Ustinova" is the first film in which the actress played an episodic role in 1934. A real career began for Lida from the painting "My Love". After the release of the film on the screens, the charming Shurochka fell into the hearts and minds of a large number of spectators. We can say that the actress played herself. Shurochka, like Lida, was full of optimism, energy and faith in a bright future. After the premiere of the film, Smirnova recalled: "It was the happiest day. In Leningrad and Moscow, my portraits hung everywhere. From the courtyard came the songs written for the film Dunaevsky. I was recognized on the street and called Shurochka, not Lida. They took autographs and wrote many letters. " Lydia Smirnova, whose personal life underwent changes at that time, was happy. She had a romantic relationship with the composer Isaac Dunaevsky. Lovers met in the three-room suite of Isaac in the hotel "Moscow". This continued throughout the entire shooting period, which lasted several months. Then Lydia had an abortion. Unfortunately, after that the girl could not conceive any more. Therefore, we inform those fans of the creativity of the actress who are looking for information on the topic "Lydia Smirnova, children" - they did not have them.

New hobby

In early 1940, the actress left for Yalta to shoot the picture "The case in the volcano." Every day Dunaevsky sent telegrams and letters to Lydia. And while Isaak was longing for her, Smirnova had a new hobby. She fell in love with Valery Ushakov, who was the captain on the steamer "Kuban". Their visits were held in strict secrecy and kept secret from Eugene Schneider (the director of the film). About this novel knew only a few actors who helped the lovers. However, once in the room of Lydia without warning came people from the screening commission, and Ushakov had to go down from the window on the associated sheets. Dunaevsky continued to yearn for Smirnova and send her telegrams, and after the return of the actress offered her a hand and heart. Lydia refused.

Military years and the death of a spouse

When the war began, Sergei Dobrushin (the actress's husband) went to the front. Meanwhile, Lydia Smirnova, the filmography of which has more than a dozen paintings, lived in Moscow and was busy shooting in combat cinematographs. At night, she extinguished incendiary bombs. After a while, thanks to her fame, she managed to visit her husband to the front and spend 3 days with him. Soon, Sergei was killed near Smolensk. The actress was shocked by the death of her husband. The place of her work - the studio "Mosfilm" - was evacuated to Alma-Ata. There, Vladimir Rapoport (operator) and Friedrich Ermler (director) began to seek Lidia's favor. The actresses had to starve. Once, when Lydia Smirnova and Vera Maretskaya sat in the same room, Ermler came to them. He brought 2 boiled eggs and a smokehouse. Then Rapoport came and gave out 30 eggs from his ration. Maretskaya said: "And you still think? Friedrich will always wear 2 eggs all the time, and Vladimir will give everything he has! "

Disease and a new marriage

In Alma-Ata, Smirnova Lydia (actress of theater and cinema) nearly died of typhus. When she went on the mend, Rapoport surrounded her with care and attention: he took them out to the mountains and confessed his love. Years later, Lydia recalled: "I was looked after by so many people, tried to achieve reciprocity, and only one really cared for, knowing how defenseless and lonely I was." Soon the actress married him and lived with Vladimir until his death in 1975.

War period films

The military period was very fruitful in the creative career of Smirnova. The theme of trials in wartime, female heroism, irreparable loss and perseverance in the performance of its heroines impressed all Soviet movie lovers. In 1941 two films with her participation were published: "Two friends" and "We are waiting for you with a victory". And in 1942 she received a key role in the film "A Guy from Our City". In 1943, there were three more films: "Native banks", "Missing" and "She defends the Motherland". The "Marine Battalion" is another military painting of 1944, in which Lidia Smirnova managed to withdraw. The actress looked wonderful in it.

Postwar years

After the war, Lydia continues to regularly appear in films in the role of heroic women. In addition, characteristic roles, in particular, negative, were not alien to her. For example, in 1953 she played a prostitute Flossie Beit in the film "Silver Dust". Separately, I want to mention the painting "Sisters" by Lydia Smirnova, filmed in 1957. The role of Nastya-Juchka became for the actress one of the most beloved. In 1964, she won the role of matchmaker in the famous "The Wedding of Balzaminov." In the same year, Lydia played a doctor in the "Welcome" and the saleswoman Duska in a series of films about Aniskin. An interesting fact - in the early 1950s, when the cinema was in crisis, Smirnova wanted to change her profession, and even began to master the position of chairman of the collective farm. However, the love of cinema was stronger.

Regular novels and a new role

In 1953, on the shooting in Kislovodsk, the actress fell in love with the director Mikhail Kalatozov. He offered her a role in his film "True Friends". Lydia refused to act, and her place was taken by Liliya Gritsenko. The actress's refusal had no effect on the relationship with the director, and they continued to meet. Kalatozov fell in love without a memory, and even suggested Smirnova to legitimize relations, after leaving for Georgia. However, in the life of Lydia appeared another man - the director Konstantin Voinov. It was he who offered the actress a key role in his film "Sisters". Their romance lasted almost 40 years. However, this did not stop the actress from starting a new relationship. The next elect of Smirnova was directed by Lev Rudnik. This was Smirnova's most turbulent novel, which they learned far beyond the acting environment. Because of this, Rudnik was expelled from the CPSU. Meanwhile, Voinov gave the actress an opportunity to work in a new role for her, and Smirnova began to play age-old heroines. In her book Lydia Nikolaevna wrote: "I loved Konstantin very much, but I had a husband (unofficial marriage), who was waiting at home. I had to rent a room and live a double life. Voinov threw his wife and daughter for me, and I betrayed him, saying that I can not leave my deadly husband. Rapoport lay in the oncology center with stomach cancer. Doctors gave medicines, conducted irradiation sessions, but in the end they were discharged, because they were unable to help anything more. "

And again the widow

The diagnosis was made by Rapoport in 1962 at the Sklifosovsky Institute, where he was in a general ward with 17 patients. Then Smirnova asked for help from high-ranking colleagues, but received no response. Then Lydia went to the Central Committee of the CPSU, but it did not help either. Officials as if did not hear her request. Then Lidia Nikolayevna decided to hand over her party card to one of the leaders of the Central Committee. Rapoport was immediately transferred to the hospital of the MK CPSU. Thanks to the care and efforts of his wife, Vladimir lived another 13 years and died in June 1975. A year before his death, he made a Smirnova gift for 60 years - a role in the second film from the series of paintings about Aniskin.

Lydia recalled: "Vladimir always loved and protected me, like a father or mother. I only gave him trouble, anxiety and occasions for jealousy. I think he chose what he needed more - to lose me or to be with me and put up with some restrictions. The people around said that I was a bitch and tortured this holy man. And about who was easier ... Who lives with a loved one or someone who continues to live with the unloved? However, he was too ill, and I could not leave him. It would kill him right away. "

Despite everything, the actress Lydia Smirnova, whose personal life was very stormy, continued to act actively in the 70-80's. In 1981, her heroine took the exam in Irina Muravyova in the movie "Carnival".

Post-Soviet period

Smirnova - one of the few Soviet movie stars, which was lucky to appear in post-Soviet films. In the 1990s she took part in five films, and in the 2000s - in four more. Even in old age, Smirnova was unusually active and active. She was a member of the Board of the Union of Cinematographers and the National Academy of Cinematographic Arts, was engaged in public activities and traveled a lot around Russia.

Hobbies

Lydia Nikolaevna was very sympathetic and addicted, and because of this she was often asked for help. Smirnova had a collection of dolls in national costumes, occupying the whole wall of her apartment. She loved showing it to her guests. Another actress was fond of tennis, horse-riding, slalom kayak, listened to classics and went to the ballet.

Death

Lydia Smirnova died in Moscow in 2007 after a long illness. Buried next to her husband at the Vvedenskoye cemetery. About the life of the actress made a documentary.