Electric shock
Nina Lapshinova. / Photo: www.perego-shop.ru Nina Lapshinova studied at GITIS in a year younger than Mark Zakharov. She entered the theater school on the advice of the head of the drama club at the Machine Tool Institute, where Nina successfully combined her studies and her passion for theater.
Accustomed to male attention and the boundless support of young fellow students at Stankin, Nina, who was responsible for publishing the institute’s wall newspaper, approached Mark with a request to draw cartoons for the next issue. He immediately refused, and the girl uttered one single phrase that struck the future director like an electric shock: “Zakharov-Prezakharov, Zakharov-Prezakharov, please draw a caricature!”
With classmates at GITIS. / Photo: from the personal archive of M. Zakharov
It was at that moment that GITIS student Zakharov-Prezakharov realized that his fate, his soulmate, his entire future life stood before him. At the same time, he was aware that even at their institute there were girls much more beautiful and attractive than this funny girl. But this particular one turned out to be destined for him by some higher power.
After some time, Nina invited him to accompany her home. But he again refused, regarding this invitation as an active attempt on his freedom. And again she called him Zakharov-Prezakharov and noticed that girls were generally not allowed to answer that way.
Mark Zakharov. / Photo: www.24smi.org
He still went to see her off. And they even kissed. Their home still has a fire alarm sign with “B8” written on it, which Mark took down from the wall to commemorate their momentous first kiss.
And then he simply lived, knowing for sure that there was that one woman in his life. But he was not going to do anything. She is destined only for him, and there is nothing to worry about here. And then he saw Nina (his Nina!) walking arm in arm with some Hungarian student. Only after realizing that without any effort on his part Nina simply did not realize her happiness, he began to show her signs of attention.
What is known about Nina Lapshinova
Nina Lapshinova studied at GITIS one year younger than Mark Zakharov.
She entered the theater school on the advice of the head of the drama club at the machine tool institute, where Nina successfully combined her studies and her passion for theater.
Accustomed to male attention and the boundless support of young fellow students at Stankin, Nina, who was responsible for publishing the institute’s wall newspaper, approached Mark with a request to draw cartoons for the next issue. He immediately refused, and the girl uttered one single phrase that struck the future director like an electric shock: “Zakharov-Prezakharov, Zakharov-Prezakharov, please draw a caricature!”
It was at that moment that GITIS student Zakharov-Prezakharov realized that his fate, his soulmate, his entire future life stood before him. At the same time, he was aware that even at their institute there are girls much more beautiful and attractive than this funny girl, but this particular one was destined for him by some higher powers...
After some time, Nina invited him to accompany her home, but he again refused, regarding this invitation as an active attempt on his freedom, and again she called him Zakharov-Prezakharov and noted that girls are generally not allowed to answer that way.
He still went to see her off, and they even kissed. Their home still has a fire alarm sign with “B8” written on it, which Mark took down from the wall to commemorate their momentous first kiss.
And then he simply lived, knowing for sure that there was that one woman in his life, and was not going to do anything. She is destined only for him, and there is nothing to worry about here. And then he saw Nina (his Nina!) walking arm in arm with some Hungarian student. Only after realizing that without any effort on his part Nina simply did not realize her happiness, he began to show her signs of attention.
Mark Anatolyevich was assigned to the Perm Theater. A year later, having completed her studies, Nina joined him. She believed that she should, like the wife of a Decembrist, follow her husband everywhere. However, they got married in Perm in 1956.
Soon the young wife realized that the provincial theater was too small for her, and she also missed her relatives. Nina organized their mutual transfer to Moscow, where they had to live with the girl’s parents in a three-room apartment.
It just so happened that at first Nina was more successful than her husband. He didn’t particularly shine on stage, but he successfully made money with his cartoons for magazines.
When Nina Tikhonovna was invited to the theater, an indispensable condition was that her husband also be employed there. This situation could not but depress a normal man with healthy ambitions. He just felt with his skin the condescending disdain coming from his wife, which was shared by her parents.
The turning point in Mark Zakharov’s life came at the moment when he realized that he was not a very gifted actor, but he turned out to be a truly wonderful director and leader.
The change of profession also had a beneficial effect on family life. Nina, having watched the performances staged by her husband, looked at him in a new way. She saw next to her a bright, talented, purposeful man with enormous creative potential. Along with his professional success, doubts about who really is the head of the family also disappeared.
Mark Anatolyevich always emphasizes the important role that his wife played in his life. It was not for nothing that he believed that Nina Tikhonovna was destined for him. She always accurately guessed which offer her husband should accept and which one should refuse.
According to the director, Nina had amazing cat-like intuition or the logic of a great chess player, capable of calculating moves several steps ahead.
Who is the head in this house
Mark Zakharov. / Photo: www.twimg.com
Mark Anatolyevich was assigned to the Perm Theater. A year later, having completed her studies, Nina joined him. She believed that she should, like the wife of a Decembrist, follow her husband everywhere. However, they got married in Perm in 1956.
But soon the young wife realized that the provincial theater was too small for her, and she also missed her relatives. Nina organized their mutual transfer to Moscow, where they had to live with the girl’s parents in a three-room apartment.
Mark Zakharov and Nina Lapshinova. / Photo: www.savepic.org
It just so happened that at first Nina was more successful than her husband. He didn’t particularly shine on stage, but he successfully made money with his cartoons for magazines. When Nina Tikhonovna was invited to the theater, an indispensable condition was that her husband also be employed there. This situation could not but depress a normal man with healthy ambitions. He just felt with his skin the condescending disdain coming from his wife, which was shared by her parents.
Mark Zakharov. / Photo: www.rbth.com
A turning point in Mark Zakharov’s life came at the moment when he realized that he was not a very gifted actor. But he turned out to be a truly wonderful director and leader. The change of profession also had a beneficial effect on family life. Nina, having watched the performances staged by her husband, looked at him in a new way. She saw next to her a bright, talented, purposeful man with enormous creative potential. Along with his professional success, doubts about who really is the head of the family also disappeared.
Mark Zakharov cannot recover after the death of his wife Nina Lapshina
Beloved by many Soviet citizens, theater and film actress Nina Lapshinova lived to be 82 years old, after which she began to complain of poor health. Doctors advised her to go to the hospital, but the active and cheerful elderly woman did not want to listen to the doctors. Which ultimately led to the worsening of the disease and in August she was taken to the hospital. The grief in the Lapshin family knew no bounds, because husband Mark loved his wife very much, devoting every role he played to her. For a long time, reporters tried to ask the man how he felt about this tragic set of circumstances. As expected, the actor was heartbroken and practically never leaves his own apartment. For quite a long time he refused to comment on his wife’s death, because he was completely depressed by what happened. The whole country was sad when the news appeared that the legendary theater actress Nina Lapshina, the wife of Mark Zakharov, died of cancer.
Family co-creation
Mark Zakharov. / Photo: www.m24.ru
Mark Anatolyevich always emphasizes the important role that his wife played in his life. It was not for nothing that he believed that Nina Tikhonovna was destined for him. She always accurately guessed which offer her husband should accept and which one should refuse. According to the director, Nina had amazing cat-like intuition or the logic of a great chess player, capable of calculating moves several steps ahead.
When Mark Zakharovich became the main director of Lenkom, he categorically refused to hire his wife. He believed that marital relations would only interfere with productive work. Perhaps Nina Tikhonovna was offended, but over time she decided to devote herself entirely to her family, finding considerable pleasure in this. At the same time, Nina Tikhonovna became her husband’s main adviser, his strict critic and the most demanding viewer.
Alexandra
Nina Lapshinova with her daughter. / Photo: www.livejournal.com
In 1962, Alexandra was born to the couple, who became the main person in both of their lives. Mark Anatolyevich associates the most sentimental moments of his life with the appearance of his daughter. And now, many years later, he remembers what feelings he felt when he first took her in his arms, when she said “daddy” for the first time.
Alexandra Zakharova in the film “Formula of Love”. / Photo: www.blogspot.com
After the birth of their daughter, the relationship between the spouses also changed. They became warmer, more tender, more touching. Nina Tikhonovna became softer and more caring. Over time, she began to teach her daughter the basics of acting, passing on to Alexandra Markovna the spark of her artistic gift. Mark Anatolyevich took Alexandra to work in his theater. And she became a leading actress not because her dad was behind her.
Childhood and youth
Mark Anatolyevich Zakharov was born in Moscow in 1933. The nationality of the director is Russian. During the revolution, Mark's father studied at the Voronezh Cadet Corps. The man supported the Red Army soldiers by joining the army and went a long way from Voronezh to Warsaw. After the Civil War he worked in the military physical education sector. The mother of the future director dreamed of becoming an actress. The woman studied acting from Yuri Zavadsky.
In 1934, the father of the family was arrested and charged with Article 58. For counter-revolutionary activities they are sentenced to 3 years in captivity and exile. The mother abandoned dreams of a theatrical future, leaving for her husband. Then my father was banned from entering Moscow. The mother, left without a husband, worked a lot. Mark often communicated with his maternal grandmother, Sofia Nikolaevna. The woman at that time worked as the head of an orphanage.
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In 1943, after the death of their grandmother, the family returned to Moscow. They barely got 2 rooms in a communal apartment. As Mark Zakharov himself wrote: “A hard, half-starved, unpromising life began.”
My father got a job in the security units of the Moscow garrison. But under the same Article 58, the man is expelled from Moscow again. Mother worked as a teacher in drama clubs for children. The woman also included her son in the activities.
At that time, Mark Zakharov was fascinated by Obraztsov’s Puppet Theater. And as a teenager, he attended a drama club led by his mother and, together with Andrei Tarkovsky, studied in the theater group of the House of Pioneers.
After school, Mark Zakharov did not have a clear goal. The young man did not get into the Institute of Architecture through a competition; he was not accepted into the Military Engineering Academy because of his father’s “tainted” biography. Then the mother intervened. She had a prophetic dream that revealed to her the calling of her son. Before this, the woman was against Mark linking his fate with the theater.
