Russian Personalities

People well-known in art, sport, film, fashion

Category Archive: Movies and theatre

Marina Yesipenko, Russian actress

Marina Yesipenko, Russian actress

Marina Yesipenko, Russian actress


Marina Yesipenko is a Russian actress, Honored Artist of the Russian Federation (2001). By the way, in the 90s, the girl together with actor Yevgeny Knyazev were the hosts of the prestigious award ceremony Crystal Turandot. In 2016, she received the title of People’s Artist of the Russian Federation.
Pretty girl was born on July 30, 1965 in Omsk.
In 1987, she graduated from the Shchukin Theater School. After graduation the girl joined the State Academic Theater.
You know, Marina played in numerous performances, including Glass of Water, Princess Turandot, The Lady Without Camelias, Guilty Without Guilt, The Queen of Spades, The Lion in Winter, Night of the Iguana, Othello, Just a Gigolo, Masquerade, Mademoiselle Nitouche and many others.
Since 2004, Marina and Oleg Mitiaev are hosts of an annual awards ceremony Bright Past, which takes place in the Chelyabinsk region.
More »

Elena Polyakova, film actress

Elena Polyakova, film actress

Elena Polyakova, film actress


Elena Polyakova is a Russian theater and film actress.
Pretty girl was born on August 2, 1979. The girl was fond of ballet, horses, adored watching educational programs, including Around the World. You know, Elena studied in the UK. Upon returning home, the girl entered the State Academy of Management.
Her first job was in the casino. In the daytime she studied and at night she worked. Then the girl got a job in one of the video studios, where she wrote annotations for films, and translated into Russian the texts and so on.
Despite the fact Elena didn’t have the education she joined the State Theatre.
In 2004 she graduated from the Russian University of Theatre Arts (GITIS).
She made her debut in 2001 in Peter Todorovski’s film Life Is Full of Mischief. Young actress played together with Irina Rozanova and Larisa Udovichenko. Then there were roles in the melodrama Avalanche and the drama Mamuka.
More »

Nikita Dzhigurda performed Gangnam Style

Nikita Dzhigurda

Nikita Dzhigurda


Renowned actor and showman Nikita Dzhigurda performed a famous dance by Korean singer PSY – Gangnam Style, in Red Square.
In his words, with this dance he has canceled the End of the World.
51-year-old actor, dressed only a Scottish kilt and a T-shirt, singing Opa Dzhigurda danced in the main square of the capital, next to the Kremlin gates and St. Basil’s Cathedral.
It was cold outside, but an idea was worth it)
Dzhigurda promised, if the video recording Opa Dzhigurda gathered 21,000 views before December 21, he would record the full Russian version. He was going to film the video in the barn with the pigs. This is Dzhigurda!
More »

Gia Skova, Hollywood actress and model from Saratov

Gia Skova, Hollywood actress and model from Saratov

Gia Skova, Hollywood actress and model from Saratov


Gia Skova is a famous Hollywood model and actress of Russian origin.
Gulia Skovorodina (her real name) was born on August 21, 1991 in Saratov. Since childhood, she dreamed of becoming an actress. The first role Gia played in the school theater. However, after school she did not enter the theater institute. The girl studied at the economic institute and took part in KVN and other creative projects.
It is noteworthy that Gia got into the modeling business, thanks to the fact that she loved to draw. Little Gia took her drawings and went to the editorial office of the children’s magazine. She could not work, because she was only eleven years old. However, she was noticed by the editor in chief, who wanted to see her on the cover of the magazine. So she posed for her first cover.
15-year-old girl was the winner of the contest The Beauty of the Volga. Then she worked in the modeling agency Modus and took part in several large projects in Italy, France, Spain, and several Asian countries. Her photos appeared on many magazine covers around the world.
More »

Viktor Tsoi, legend of Soviet rock

Viktor Tsoi, legend of Soviet rock

Viktor Tsoi, legend of Soviet rock


Viktor Tsoi is a phenomenon of national rock music. The leader of the rock group Kino, a musician and film actor, he became the idol of the Perestroika generation. The problems in Tsoi’s songs still continue to worry young minds. He was the voice of the people, a symbol of the era of Russian rock, the wind of change. By the way, he was one of the pioneers of Russian rock and had many devoted fans.
The boy was born on June 21, 1962 in Leningrad. The father of musician Robert Tsoi worked as an engineer, and his mother Valentina Vasilievna taught physical education at school. His grandfather was born in Korea.
In his childhood the boy liked to draw and studied in an art school. Later he became interested in music and even formed his first group Palata No. 6 with his comrades.
After the ninth grade, Tsoi decided to continue his studies at the Leningrad Art College named after Serov to become a designer. But most of the time the young man devoted to music and was expelled from the art college for poor progress.
More »

Ksenia Rappoport, Russian actress

Ksenia Rappoport, Russian actress

Ksenia Rappoport, Russian actress


Ksenia Rappoport is a Russian theater and film actress, Honored Artist of the Russian Federation (2009).
Pretty girl was born on March 25, 1974 in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) into the family of an engineer and an architect. At school she was fond of the Puppet Theater.
Her debut was in the film Go Out, when the future actress was 16 years old.
In 2000 she graduated from the St. Petersburg State Academy of Dramatic Art (SPbGATI) and was immediately invited to the Maly Drama Theatre.
You know, Ksenia acted in many plays, including The Seagull by Chekhov, Claustrophobia, Uncle Vanya, Play Without a Title directed by Lev Dodin, Servant of Two Masters and Antigone.
For her role in the play Uncle Vanya the actress was awarded the Golden Sofit prize in 2003 as Best Actress.
More »

Elena Yakovleva – actress, who played the role of Vanga

Elena Yakovleva

Elena Yakovleva – Russian actress


The film company Favorit Film started shooting the 12-part film Vangelia about the legendary soothsayer.
Vangelia Dimitrova or Vanga (31 January 1911 – 11 August 1996) was a blind Bulgarian mystic, supposed clairvoyant and herbalist who spent most of her life in the Rupite area in the Kozhuh mountains, Bulgaria.
Elena Yakovleva agreed to play the role of 70-year-old Vanga. Three actresses refused to play this role. A special mask to make Elena old had been preparing for six months. And it took five hours daily to make Makeup.
Many of the actors were personally acquainted with Vanga. Moreover, she had predicted some of them roles in Vangelia.
The series was shown in autumn 2013 on the First Channel.
There is the scene of Vanga’s meeting with Hitler in the film. On February 2, 1943 Hitler came to know his fate. The Vanga’s words were: “You should not go to Russia, you’ll lose”. But Hitler did not believe her.
More »