"Goodbye, dear Count!": the star of "Hussar ballad" Larisa Golubkina died

Two weeks after her 85th birthday, Larisa Golubkina, People's Artist of the RSFSR, died. Fame came to her early — at the age of 22 she became a star of Soviet cinema, playing the main role in Eldar Ryazanov's film "The Hussar Ballad". However, as the actress herself admitted, she did not know what star disease was. Izvestia recalls Larisa Golubkina, whom everyone remembers as cornet Shurochka Azarova.

What did Larisa Golubkina die of?

Larisa Golubkina died on March 22, 2025. She was 85 years old. The sad news was reported by journalist Andrey Malakhov. "My friend, the star of The Hussar Ballad, the magnificent actress Larisa Golubkina, has passed away," he wrote.

The information was confirmed by the Central Academic Theater of the Russian Army (TSATRA).

"Since 1964, her fate has been inextricably linked with the Army Theater. On this stage, she played dozens of major roles, always vivid and memorable. Goodbye, beloved by millions, great artist Larisa Ivanovna Golubkina!" says a message posted on the Telegram channel of the Army Theater.

Golubkina's farewell will take place at the theater on March 25, the Central Theater said.

Larisa Golubkina spent the last years of her life fighting cancer. Her condition worsened in the summer of 2024, when she was hospitalized. She said that she was undergoing a routine examination, however, as reported in the media, in August she was given palliative status, recognizing the disease as incurable.

Larisa Golubkina's daughter Maria spoke about the actress' serious condition in January 2025. According to her, her mother was diagnosed with two oncological diseases and Parkinson's disease. The People's Artist of the RSFSR lived in a boarding house, and a nurse was constantly with her.

In 2021, she suffered a coronavirus infection and was also hospitalized due to a hip fracture.

Biography of Larisa Golubkina

Larisa Golubkina was born on March 9, 1940 in Moscow. She turned 85 in 2025, and was congratulated by President Vladimir Putin.

"You have fully realized your creative potential both in cinema, on stage, and on the stage of your native Central Academic Theater of the Russian Army," the congratulatory telegram said. The President particularly noted the "charm and vocals of the actress."

His father Ivan Petrovich was a military man, his mother Claudia Mikhailovna worked as a seamstress.

During the Great Patriotic War, Larisa and her mother were evacuated to Novosibirsk, and in the first half of the 1950s, from the age of 13 to 15, Golubkina lived in Germany, where her father served. After that, she was sent to Moscow alone.

In 1955, she entered the Moscow City Music College named after M. M. Ippolitov-Ivanov, and graduated from the conducting and choral department in 1959. Then she immediately enrolled in the musical comedy department of GITIS, from which she graduated in 1964. Since the same year, she has been an actress at the Central Academic Theater of the Russian Army.

She starred in films, performed on stage with songs by Claudia Shulzhenko, Soviet composers and Russian romances. She has worked with the orchestras of Leonid Utesov, Anatoly Kroll, pianists David Ashkenazi, Boris Mandrus, Levon Oganezov, etc.

In 1991, she gave her first solo concert at the Rossiya State Concert Hall, where she performed Russian romances with the N. Osipov Orchestra of Folk Instruments. She has released several CDs and toured both in Russia and abroad.

She was the host of the TV shows "Artloto" and "Morning Mail", participated in the program "Dancing with the Stars" in 2006.

Starring in movies

Larisa Golubkina gained national fame thanks to her debut role in 1962 as cornet Shurochka Azarova in Eldar Ryazanov's comedy "The Hussar Ballad" based on Alexander Gladkov's play "Once upon a Time."

She confessed that her father helped her survive fame at the age of 22.

"After watching the movie that everyone was so excited about, he said, 'It doesn't mean anything. If it wasn't for you, someone else would have been taken off. Got it?" I got it And I wasn't dizzy. I do not know what stardust is. The situation that happened to me always seemed ridiculous to me," she said in an interview.

At the same time, she admitted that if she had not received the role of Shurochka Azarova, it is not known how her fate would have turned out. After the success of the film, she became "the most out-of-town artist," regularly traveling abroad. She also played the role of Shurochka Azarova for many years in the Soviet Army Theater in the musical "Once upon a Time."

This picture remained the main one in her film career, but viewers also remember her for the comedy "Give me a plaintive Book" (1965, Eldar Ryazanov), "The Tale of Tsar Saltan" (1966, Alexander Ptushko), the epic "Liberation" (1972, Yuri Ozerov), the musical film "Three in a Boat, not counting dogs" (1979, Nahum Birman) and other works.

In 1973, she received the title of Honored Artist of the RSFSR, in 1991 — People's Artist of the RSFSR. She was awarded two orders of the Badge of Honor and the Order of Friendship.

The personal life of Larisa Golubkina

From 1969 to 1974, she was in a relationship with screenwriter Nikolai Shcherbinsky-Arsenyev. A daughter, Maria Golubkina, was born in a civil marriage.

From 1977 to 1987, she was married to People's Artist of the RSFSR Andrei Mironov, until his death. There were no children in this marriage.

Her son—in-law (until 2008) is actor, TV presenter and racing driver Nikolai Fomenko. Larisa Golubkina has two grandchildren.