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Vera Kholodnaya – Russian silent cinema star

Vera Kholodnaya

Vera Kholodnaya – Russian silent cinema star

The Russian silent movie queen Vera Kholodnaya lived a short life, only 25 years.
Pretty girl was born on August 30, 1893 in Poltava, Russian Empire. The family of school teacher Vasily Levchenko moved to Moscow in 1895, when Verochka was two years old. Vera was the eldest child in the family. The girl loved to dance, and persuaded her mother to send her to the Bolshoi Theatre ballet school. She could become a prima ballerina, but her grandmother considered that ballet was an unacceptable occupation for the girl from respectable family. So, Vera had to go back to school.
15-year-old girl watched the play Francesca da Rimini by Gabriele D’Annunzio. Vera was impressed by Vera Komissarzhevskaya, Empress of the Russian Drama Theater.
After school Verochka Levchenko met handsome young lawyer Vladimir Kholodny. Cute girl saw in him her faithful knight, who, unlike her relatives, was able to help her not just to live, but soar above life. Their wedding took place in 1910. Every evening Vera and her husband went to the theater and cinema. The invention of the Lumiere brothers had just begun gaining popularity in the country. Just in 1910 the film The Abyss with Asta Nielsen appeared. Vera was fascinated by the Danish actress.

In 1912, Kholodnaya gave birth to her daughter Eugenia. A year later, Vladimir persuaded his wife to adopt little girl Nona.
One day Kholodnaya came to film director Gardin and asked for the role, and he couldn’t refuse. As a result, Gardin handed her a letter to the director Yevgeni Bauer, who worked in Khanzhonkov and K °. Khanzhonkov was the most prosperous film manufacturer in Russia.

kholodnaya husband

Magnificent Vera Kholodnaya and her husband Vladimir Kholodny


After the first two films by Yevgeni Bauer, Song of Triumphant Love and Sky Flame (1915), Vera hypnotized the whole Russia.
Once the actress said to her sister, “You know, I have a feeling that I do not exist. It’s not me on the screen. This is just my shadow.”
For four years, Kholodnaya had starred in almost eight dozen films!
In the summer of 1915, Vera learned that Lieutenant Kholodny was seriously wounded near Warsaw. She went to the front and spent a month together with her husband.
Meanwhile, movies with her participation brought huge profits. Vera was offered to go to Europe, but the actress refused.
She had a lot of fans, even Stanislavsky invited her to join his theater troupe. Men adored her, but Vera was never physically unfaithful to her husband. The “Slave of love” she was only on the screen.
Runitsch Khudoleev Kholodnaya

Ossip Runitsch, Ivan Khudoleev and Vera Kholodnaya


Once an unknown soldier brought her a front letter from her husband. Then he began to visit Vera every day. He just was sitting and staring at her. The soldier was Alexander Vertinsky. He fell in love and dedicated songs to her.
In the summer of 1918 Vera together with film director Chardynin traveled to south to complete the shooting of the films Princess Tarakanova and Gypsy Aza.
And suddenly on February 17, 1919 her husband received the news – Vera Kholodnaya died. She died from the flu pandemic, because there was no medication. Doctors and relatives who were near her told that even dying Vera played death scene. Vera Kholodnaya went into that realm of shadows, from which she could never return. Her face was completely calm.

A director with whom Kholodnaya had worked for several years filmed her large funeral. Ironically, this seems to be her best known film today.
Her life was dramatized in Nikita Mikhalkov’s movie Slave of Love (1975), in which Elena Solovey played the main role. A documentary on her life was filmed in 1992.
In just 5 years of her career, she managed to become the most famous film actress of her time. Thanks to the bright roles in the black and white silent cinema she was called The Queen of the Screen.
Source: chtoby-pomnili.com

Vera Kholodnaya – Russian silent cinema star

kholodnaya monument

Life-size bronze statue of Kholodnaya in Odessa, Ukraine

kholodnaya stamp

Stamp dedicated to Vera Kholodnaya

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Kholodnaya Vera – silent star

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Wonderful Russian actress Vera Kholodnaya

Vera Kholodnaya – Russian silent cinema star

Actress Vera Kholodnaya in the film The Last Tango

Vera Kholodnaya – Russian silent cinema star

Amazing actress Kholodnaya Vera

Vera Kholodnaya – Russian silent cinema star

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Vera Kholodnaya – Russian silent cinema star

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Vera Kholodnaya – Russian silent cinema star

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Vera Kholodnaya – Russian silent cinema star

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Vera Kholodnaya – Russian silent cinema star

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Vera Kholodnaya – Russian silent cinema star

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Vera Kholodnaya – Russian silent cinema star

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Vera Kholodnaya – Russian silent cinema star

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Vera Kholodnaya – Russian silent cinema star

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Vera Kholodnaya – Russian silent cinema star

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Vera Kholodnaya – Russian silent cinema star

Funeral of Vera Kholodnaya

Vera Kholodnaya – Russian silent cinema star

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Vera Kholodnaya – Russian silent cinema star

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Vera Kholodnaya – Russian silent cinema star

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Vera Kholodnaya – Russian silent cinema star

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Vera Kholodnaya – Russian silent cinema star

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Vera Kholodnaya – Russian silent cinema star

Osip Runich and Vera Kholodnaya

Vera Kholodnaya – Russian silent cinema star

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Vera Kholodnaya – Russian silent cinema star

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Vera Kholodnaya – Russian silent cinema star

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Vera Kholodnaya – Russian silent cinema star

Vera Kholodnaya in the movie Moon Beauty

Vera Kholodnaya – Russian silent cinema star

Vladimir Maksimov, Witold Polonsky and Vera Kholodnaya