People's Artist of the USSR Lyudmila Chursina. Biography

On June 10, the Central Academic Theater of the Russian Army (TSATRA) announced the death of Soviet and Russian theater and film actress, People's Artist of the USSR Lyudmila Chursina. She was 84 years old. She left behind a great creative legacy: over 150 roles in films and many professional awards. About the life of the actress — in the material of Izvestia.

Early years and education

Lyudmila Chursina was born on July 20, 1941 in the village of Gruzdovo, Pskov region. Her mother was evacuated there when the Nazi troops approached the city of Velikiye Luki during the offensive in the early stages of the Great Patriotic War.

A day after giving birth, Chursina's mother and her newborn were evacuated to Stalinabad (now Dushanbe, Tajikistan), but they came under German airstrike, and the girl disappeared. Chursina's mother miraculously found the child, the fact of birth could be registered only upon arrival in Stalinabad.

The future star spent the first years of her life in evacuation, then returned to Velikiye Luki. She grew up in a military family, her mother was a medical worker. Chursina was an excellent student at the school and graduated with a gold medal in 1959.

Having firmly decided to become an engineer, the girl was going to enroll in the Moscow Aviation Institute (MAI), but on the advice of a friend she tried her hand at theatrical universities. Unexpectedly, the applicant was accepted into three educational institutions at once — VGIK, GITIS and the Shchukin Theater School. Lyudmila chose the latter and graduated with a red diploma in 1963.

Theatrical career

After graduation, Chursina was accepted into the troupe of the Evgeny Vakhtangov Theater, where she served for two years. However, after marrying director Vladimir Fetin, she moved to Leningrad and from 1965 focused on working in films, becoming an actress at the Lenfilm film studio.

She returned to the theater stage after almost 10 years. In 1974, Chursina became an actress at the Leningrad Academic Drama Theater named after A.S. Pushkin (Alexandrinsky Theater), where she served for 10 years. Finally, in 1984, she was invited to the Central Academic Theater of the Russian Army.

Chursina gained a foothold on this stage for many years. One of her first and most striking works in this theater was the role of Nastasia Filippovna in the play "The Idiot". The stage partners were Aristarkh Livanov, Vladimir Zeldin and Alexander Petrov.

Film career

Chursina made her film debut in 1961 with a cameo role in the film Two Lives. In the same year, she starred in the film "When the Trees were Big." However, the real success came in 1964 after the release of Vladimir Fetin's film The Don Tale, where she played her first major role. In addition, the actress met her future husband on the set.

In the 1960s and 1970s, Chursina starred a lot and productively. Among her film works of this period are roles in the films "On the Seven Winds", "Spring on the Oder", "Andromeda Nebula", "Virinea", "Zhuravushka", "Ugryum River", "Lyubov Yarovaya", "Olesya", as well as in the cult spy sagas "Shield and Sword" and "His Excellency's Adjutant."

In the 1990s, the actress continued to work actively, starring in such projects as "Goryachev and others", "Hope leaves last", "Vaccine", "Hold me tight", "My husband is a genius". In the new century, viewers could see her in popular television series, including "Margosha", "Interns", "Closed School", "Purely Moscow murders".

Awards and titles

The main award of the actress is the title of People's Artist of the USSR. Chursina received it in 1981. In addition, the artist's work was highly appreciated both in the USSR and in modern Russia. In 1969, Chursina was awarded the title of People's Artist of the RSFSR. In 1970, she became a laureate of the RSFSR Vasiliev Brothers State Prize for the films "Virinea", "Ugryum River" and "Zhuravushka".

In 1969, the magazine "Soviet Screen" named her the best actress of the year, and at the XVII International Film Festival in San Sebastian, she received the Silver Shell for best actress in the film "Zhuravushka".

In 1989, the actress was awarded the Order of Friendship of Peoples, in 2000 — the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, IV degree, in 2011 — the Order of Honor. In 2012, she became a laureate of the Russian National Acting Award "Figaro" named after Andrei Mironov in the nomination "For service to the theatrical Fatherland."

Personal life

Chursina's first husband was director Vladimir Fetin, with whom she was married for 15 years. She married the ocean scientist Vladimir Zalitis for the second time. For the third time, Chursina married the diplomat Igor Andropov (the son of the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU, Yuri Andropov). Chursina had no children.