Lyudmila Zaitseva - actress: personal life, children (photo)

Lyudmila Zaitseva from a remote province, having neither connections nor money, was able to make her way to the heights of cinema, while showing remarkable perseverance.

Lyudmila was born in a small farm in the Ust-Labinsky district of the Krasnodar Territory in 1946. Her father left the family early. Later, her mother remarried and the family moved to the regional center. After graduating from school, Zaitseva decided to become an artist, for which she went to Moscow to enroll in the Moscow Art Theater School . The provincial girl had a hard time in the exams and did not pass. I had to return to my homeland and earn extra money in blue-collar jobs. The next year, Lyudmila again left to conquer Moscow and again was unable to enroll. History repeated itself in the third year, but this time the girl managed to get a job in the auxiliary staff of the Ryazan Youth Theater . Although the roles in the children's theater were quite specific, the young actress received the necessary experience, and for the 4th time Lyudmila entered the Shchukin School .

Childhood and youth

Lyudmila Vasilievna Zaitseva was born in 1946 on the Vostochny farm in Kuban. An error appeared in Lyudmila’s birth certificate: her birth month was July, although the actress herself claims that she was born in November, so Zaitseva’s zodiac sign is not Cancer, but Scorpio. Lyudmila did not change her documents, but celebrates two birthdays every year.

Lyudmila Zaitseva in her youth

According to the actress’s stories in the biographical film “The Worse the Better,” she grew up as an independent child—her father Vasily left the family shortly after her birth. Mother Olga Ilyinichna, a hereditary peasant and collective farmer, had to raise her daughter alone. Little Luda learned to take care of herself from childhood. When the girl graduated from fifth grade, her mother remarried, and the town of Ust-Labinsk became the Zaitsevs’ new place of residence.

The family was constantly in poverty, Lyudmila was forced to wear boy's shoes, which cost five times less than pumps. In an attempt to help her mother, immediately after the eighth grade, she enrolled in evening school in order to combine study with work. Lyudmila managed to work as a cleaner, a laborer at a construction site, and a plasterer, deep down dreaming of becoming an actress.

Actress Lyudmila Zaitseva

It’s not surprising - despite the circumstances under which they had to live, the mother of the future Soviet pop star loved cinema. The woman tried not to miss a single session, which the mechanic constantly arranged in the stables on the farm. After her first visit to this makeshift cinema, Lyudmila Zaitseva firmly decided to devote her life to cinema.

Lyudmila Zaitseva moved to the capital of the Soviet Union in 1965 and year after year tried to become a student at the Moscow Art Theater School, but failed to pass the competition three times in a row. The provincial girl read out excerpts from “Children” by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, tried to conquer the selection committee with “Eugene Onegin” by Alexander Pushkin, but it was all in vain - she was unable to surprise the recipients.

Lyudmila Zaitseva

Despite the failures, Lyudmila Vasilyevna firmly stood her ground and did not plan to go back to her homeland. In 1965, she got a job at the Ryazan Theater for Young Spectators, where she played in children's plays. In addition to playing the simple roles of magical heroes and forest inhabitants, Lyudmila Zaitseva, whose height was 168 cm, practiced pantomime and improved her vocal skills.

The daily work bore fruit - the actress felt a growth in skill, and four years after leaving her home, Lyudmila still managed to get her career off the ground. In 1966, she was accepted as a student at the Boris Shchukin Theater School, from which she graduated in 1970.

Biography

Lyudmila Zaitseva was born on a Kuban farm into a poor family of hereditary peasants.
Since childhood, I dreamed of an acting profession. At the end of her eight-year school year, she came to Moscow in the hope of entering the Moscow Art Theater School, but for three years in a row her attempts ended in failure. Having inherited an extraordinary work ethic from her parents, Lyudmila studied at evening school and worked as a plasterer, laboratory assistant, laborer and even a cleaner. Then in 1965 the girl was accepted into the supporting cast of the Ryazan Youth Theater, where she performed as an extra for two years. It was a real school for an aspiring actress. Lyudmila Zaitseva managed to enter the famous Shchukin School, from which she graduated in 1970. In 1976, she joined the troupe of the Film Actor Studio Theatre. “We Kuban girls are tenacious. Probably the Lord saw my persistence, my desire and took pity on me. I was accepted into the Shchukin Theater School. Naturally, euphoria. Youth, Lord! But then the journey into life begins, the search for a place in the sun. I was not accepted into any Moscow theater. I was left out of work. The movie picked me up,” says the actress herself.

Movies

In her second year of study, Zaitseva made her debut on the silver screen - she was entrusted with a cameo role in Andrei Konchalovsky’s film “The Story of Asya Klyachina...”. This picture was released only in 1987 and received many awards, and in 1994 the director even made a sequel.

Lyudmila Zaitseva in the film “Rain in a Foreign City”

Lyudmila Vasilievna found a permanent job at the Film Actor Studio Theater six years after receiving her education - in 1976. Before this, Zaitseva had already gained fame thanks to the cult war film “...And the Dawns Here Are Quiet” directed by Stanislav Rostotsky. Initially, Lyudmila auditioned for a cameo role in the film, but the director saw Sergeant Kiryanova in the girl, and Zaitseva herself liked the image. A friendly atmosphere was recreated on the set; the actors lived as a united family, which helped create a film for all time.

Lyudmila Zaitseva in the film “...And the Dawns Here Are Quiet”

Later, the actress was involved in Vasily Shukshin’s film “Stoves and Benches”. Lyudmila Zaitseva received only a role in an episode, but she remained grateful to fate for the opportunity to work on the same set with the great master.

The main person in Zaitseva’s creative biography, thanks to whom the actress became famous, was Vitaly Melnikov - he can rightfully be considered Lyudmila’s mentor. He decided to entrust her with the main role in his film as soon as he saw her at work in the film Hello and Goodbye (1972).

Lyudmila Zaitseva in the film “Hello and Farewell”

Although the audition was unsuccessful - the young actress was timid and did not play well in front of the camera - he was sure that she was the ideal candidate to play the heroine Alexandra. He liked Zaitseva for a long time; he was going to call her in his last film - “The Seven Brides of Corporal Zbruev.”

Hello and Goodbye is a timeless film. This kind melodrama, which leaves behind food for thought and a mood of light sadness, tells about a mother of many children (played by Lyudmila Zaitseva) - a collective farmer, a worker, who is suddenly abandoned by her husband. The actress managed to bring to life the image of a strong and independent woman, while simultaneously revealing her vulnerable and tender soul.

Lyudmila Zaitseva and Oleg Efremov

The actress’s partner was Oleg Efremov, who at that time already held the post of chief director of the Moscow Art Theater. Lyudmila was timid in front of the famous actor, but Efremov treated the girl like a father and helped her to reveal her character.

After this work, people from cinema and theater began to notice the aspiring artist Lyudmila Zaitseva, and sometimes ordinary Soviet spectators recognized her on the street. They can be understood - after watching the film, I fell in love with the image of the heroine for its sincerity and sincerity. Viewers saw in her a collective image of a Soviet woman. Director Vitaly Melnikov chose and revealed the ideal actress for his film. Many years later, Lyudmila Vasilievna continues to call him the person to whom she owes her career.

Lyudmila Zaitseva in the film “For Family Reasons”

After this, the artist was often invited to filming, and she left her mark in many masterpieces of Soviet cinema. Among the actress’s works over the years are the films “For Family Reasons,” “Rain in a Foreign City,” “Leo Tolstoy,” and “City of Brides.”

The audience especially remembered her role in the drama “Little Vera”. The main character, Rita, is an average Soviet citizen with two children who spends her days and nights at work. This image was close to the Soviet citizen - there were millions of similar women in the country. The film became an example of cinema from the decline of the USSR.

Lyudmila Zaitseva in the drama “Little Vera”

At first, after perestroika, Lyudmila Vasilievna practically did not appear on screens - only in 1997 she masterfully played the role of Evdokia Lopukhina in her next collaboration with Vitaly Melnikov, “Tsarevich Alexei.”

In the early 2000s, Lyudmila tried on the image of Catherine of Macklenburg during filming in the series “Secrets of Palace Coups.” She also appeared in episodic roles in many Russian films of the 2000s.

Lyudmila Zaitseva in the film "Quiet Don"

A significant film in Lyudmila Zaitseva’s filmography was the 2020 series “Quiet Don” directed by Sergei Ursulyak, in which the actress received the role of Grigory’s mother, Vasilisa Melekhova. The image turned out to be close to Lyudmila herself, a Kuban Cossack by origin. The actress does not use plastic surgery, as can be seen from her photo; she happily portrays age-appropriate roles on screen.

Cinema

After graduating from college in 1970, she was initially unable to get into any theater. But I managed to get into cinema. Almost immediately, Zaitseva managed to get the main role in the film “Hello and Farewell ,” where her filming partners were already venerable actors Oleg Efremov and Mikhail Kononov .

“Hello and Farewell” 1972

At the same time, she received a small but memorable role as platoon commander Sergeant Kiryanova in the legendary film “The Dawns Here Are Quiet . In the 70s and 80s, the actress actively participated in filming. Among her famous works are the films: “Ksenia, Fyodor’s beloved wife” , “For family reasons” , “Little Vera” .

Lyudmila Zaitseva, Natalya Negoda. “Little Vera” 1988

In her paintings, she mainly embodied the images of ordinary Russian women, which, in fact, she herself was. Since 1976 he has been on the staff of the Film Actor Theater .

Personal life

During her student years, Lyudmila Zaitseva was in love with fellow student Sergei Milovanov. But the feeling turned out to be not mutual. After graduation, family life did not work out; there was a civil marriage with an engineer, but the relationship “came to naught.” The actress did not despair. Zaitseva earned good money and helped her family.

The first and only husband of Lyudmila Zaitseva was Gennady Voronin, screenwriter and film actor. Lyudmila met him in the early 80s in Altai during the filming of the film “Childhood Holidays.”

Lyudmila Zaitseva with her husband and daughter

Gennady proposed to Lyudmila during a film expedition, they got married there, and later got married in Moscow.

Zaitseva’s husband spent his childhood in an orphanage in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, so he developed a special sense of justice, which impressed Lyudmila. The husband was kind to his wife and daughter Vasilisa, who was born in 1982. Due to creative unfulfillment, since the mid-90s, Gennady began to experience health problems. He survived a heart attack and stroke. The couple lived together for 30 years until death separated them in 2011.

Lyudmila Zaitseva with her husband

The actress barely survived the death of her husband and recovered from it only thanks to her family and friends. Together with her colleagues, her wife Lyudmila Zaitseva published his book “The Bell of My Childhood” a year after her husband’s death. The collection contained Voronin's screenplays, his poetry and prose.

The daughter of Vasilisa Voronin also became an actress. The girl’s film debut took place in 1985, when Vasilisa, as a baby, starred in the film “Moscow Speaks”. Since childhood, Voronina was impressed by her mother’s profession, with whom she often went on film expeditions. The girl entered VGIK, where at one time she studied under the guidance of Vitaly Solomin.

Lyudmila Zaitseva with her grandson

Vasilisa’s personal life was happy; fellow student Alexander Noskov became her husband. In 2011, the daughter gave her parents a grandson, Seraphim. Gennady Voronin still managed to nurse the baby. And Lyudmila Zaitseva became a great grandmother - children always loved her.

The actress told her love story on the air of the program “Alone with Everyone,” the episode of which was broadcast in 2020.

INTERVIEW

“A WOMAN SHOULD BE A MOTHER, A WIFE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING”

In one of the interviews, the famous actress admits: “But acting is not the main profession in a woman’s life. A woman should be a mother, a wife - this is the most important thing. I met Gennady, my husband, in Altai, on the set of the film “Childhood Holidays.” We liked each other. He was a handsome Russian man. I conquered him with some difference from others, with his talent. He had his own point of view on everything... My husband and I had the same values in life, art, a common view on many things. He constantly confessed his love. When we got married, we decided that if a boy was born, we would call him Vasily. A daughter was born. They called me Vasilisa."

Sometimes, when Lyudmila Zaitseva has some kind of conflict with her daughter, the actress tells her: “You are not of the Cossack family, you are not of the Cossack upbringing! Cossacks don’t have conversations: I want it, I don’t want it. It must be so! That's what my father and mother said, so it will be. Now is a different time, different relationships. Then, the natures are different. It seems to me that in me, for all my obstinacy, even harshness, there is more humility. I knew how to obey the will. Maybe this even helped me in my acting profession, because in our profession you have to obey the will of the director.”

“RURAL PEOPLE ARE SPIRITUALLY CLOSE TO ME”

“Rural people are spiritually close to me with their openness and spiritual generosity. The image of a rural woman is so multifaceted that even two acting lives are not enough to reveal it,” notes Lyudmila Vasilyevna.

Armen Dzhigarkhanyan once said about Lyudmila Zaitseva: “You are so popular that they won’t recognize you on the street.” And the actress doesn’t mind: “Recently I was riding on a trolleybus, and a woman said to me: “How similar you are to Lyudmila Zaitseva!” That is, it doesn’t even occur to a person that it’s me. I probably don’t have the respectable appearance that a people’s artist, a famous one, should have. As they say to me: “Well, you’re a star, you’re a famous actress!” - I probably have such a look that it simply doesn’t occur to an ordinary person to think that Lyudmila Zaitseva is traveling with him on a trolleybus.”

“OUR PROFESSION IS A SERIOUS TALK ABOUT LIFE”

Lyudmila Zaitseva worked with many directors, but she remembers Vasily Makarovich Shukshin with special warmth and love. They met on the set of the film “Stoves-Lavochki”, communicated very little, and the trace of this meeting remained with the actress for the rest of her life. “He shaped me not just as an actress, but, let’s say, as a citizen. Although, however, acting has never been in the first place for me, I am a person who is not indifferent to what is happening, and I never thought that an artist is just an entertainment profession, that I should make people laugh, entertain... You know what they say: pretend pretend, pretend, pretend...

It always seemed to me that our profession is a serious conversation about life, you can act in a humorous film, but it will be a serious conversation, because we perceive “Stoves and Benches” as a comedy, right? We laugh a lot at how the hero drowns his blouse in the toilet, how he contemplates life... In general, there are a lot of funny moments, no matter what there is, it’s just common aphorisms. But it always seemed to me that this is still always a serious conversation about life, about the country, about the people among whom you grew up. Therefore, of course, Vasily Makarovich had a huge influence on me with his civic position and his life.”

“FILMING IN THE QUIET FON – A GIFT OF DESTINY”

Lyudmila Zaitseva has not acted in films since 2011, although she has more than 60 films to her credit. As the People's Artist of Russia explains, there were no worthy roles. And recently, the famous director Sergei Ursulyak made Lyudmila Zaitseva an offer that they cannot refuse. In the new film adaptation of Sholokhov’s novel “Quiet Don”, the actress plays one of the central roles - Grigory Melekhov’s mother Vasilisa Ilyinichna. “Filming in this film is a gift of fate, especially with such a wonderful director as Sergei Ursulyak. He makes his own movie, he won’t follow in the footsteps of Bondarchuk, Gerasimov... It will be a different movie, more like a family saga,” Zaitseva shares her opinion.

“I LIVED THE DAY, AND THANK GOD”

The legendary actress admitted that she is not at all afraid of old age. She has a completely different philosophy on this matter: “Why be afraid of her? Many people say: I don’t want to grow old! But this is a natural process, we will all die. But the question is that you need to live your life with dignity. My main role is to always be human, no matter what happens, to do good to people. Of course, we all sin. I go to church, ask for health for my family, light candles for the repose of colleagues and loved ones who are no longer alive, and try to keep fasts. And when asked what Lyudmila Zaitseva dreams of, she boldly declares: “Honestly: nothing! I lived through the day, and thank God. As long as your health doesn’t fail you, you can overcome anything!”

Filmography

1972 — “Stoves and benches”
1972 - “Hello and Farewell”
1972 - “...And the dawns here are quiet”
1976 — “Twenty days without war”
1981 — “Childhood Holidays”
1983 — “The Tale of the Star Boy”
1984 — “Leo Tolstoy”
1985 — “City of Brides”
1986 — “Moscow Speaks”
1988 — “Little Vera”
1997 — “Tsarevich Alexey”
2000—2008 — “Secrets of palace coups”
2009 — “Tender May”
2015 — “Quiet Don”
2017 — “Eight beads on a thin string”
2018 — “Choir”

Filmography of Lyudmila Zaitseva

1970 - Happy Man
1970 - Five Brave
1972 - The eccentric from the fifth "B" - saleswoman
1972 - Stove benches - Lyudmila, sister of Ivan Rastorguev
1972 - Hello and goodbye - Alexandra Timofeevna Yarmolyuk
1972 - ... And the dawns here are quiet - platoon deputy commander Sergeant Kiryanova
1973 - Cement - Dasha Chumalova
1973 - At my own request
1974 - Moscow, my love - nurse
1974 - Rain - Pavel
1974 - Ksenia, Fyodor’s beloved wife - Valentina
1974 - Second Wind - Tatiana
1976 - Strogoffs - Anna Strogova
1976 - Everyone knows Kadkina - Pelageya Kadkina
1976 - Our Debts - Tonya
1976 - Twenty days without war - Lidia Andreevna, actress
1977 - Prison Break - Capitolina
1977 - For family reasons - an exchanger with a sick husband
1977 - Crane in the sky - Lisa
1977 - Sunday Night - Zubrich Nina Antonovna
1978 — Seeing off
1978 - On the day of the holiday - Zinaida
1979 - On the trail of the ruler - Tatiana
1979 - Rain in a foreign city - Kira Andreevna
1980 - Story by an unknown person - Polina, the maid
1981 - I want him to come - Vitka’s Mother
1981 - Childhood holidays - Maria Sergeevna Popova
1981 - Transit - Claudia
1982 - The train stopped - Timonina
1983 - Hurricane comes unexpectedly - Berezina
1983 - The Tale of the Star Boy
1984 - I am responsible for you - Anna Antonova
1984 - Leo Tolstoy
1984 - Lost in the Sands - The Mistress
1985 - City of Brides - Odintsova
1986 - Will - Serafima Evgenievna
1986 - Moscow Speaks - Lyubov Borisova, Chairman of the District Executive Committee
1988 - Little Vera - Vera’s mother
1990 - Sons of bitches - Anna Kuzminichna
1990 - Boys - Agafya
1991 - The Flying Dutchman - Marsevna
1993 - Dreams of an idiot - Chairman of the Executive Committee
1993 - Maestro with a thread - Nyura
1994 - Code of Silence 2: Trail of the Blackfish
1997 - Tsarevich Alexey - Tsarina Evdokia Lopukhina
1997 - At the dawn of foggy youth - Pelageya Ivanovna Koltsova
2000-2008 - Secrets of palace coups - Ekaterina Ioannovna of Mecklenburg
2001 - Salome - Fyokla Semyonovna Zakholusteva
2001 - Halfway to Paris - Pelageya
2003 - Sel
2003 - Operational pseudonym - Marya Petrovna
2004 - Dasha Vasilyeva. Private Eye Lover (season 2, episode "My Husband's Wife")
2004 - Red Square - Vera Petrovna Tsvigun
2007 - Propaganda brigade “Beat the enemy!” — Ustinya Gavrilovna
2008 - Ring my doorbell - Pavel's mother
2008 - Witch Doctor - Mother Melania
2008 - My autumn blues - Galya, Antonina Sergeevna’s assistant
2008 - Russian victim (documentary)
2009 - Tender May - grandmother of Andrei Razin
2010 - To the touch - grandma
2011 - Crazy - Alena Igorevna, Katya’s mother
2015 - Quiet Don - Vasilisa Ilyinichna Melekhova, mother of Gregory
2017 - Eight beads on a thin string - Marfa Stepanovna
2018 - Choir

Video

Film "Hello and Farewell"

But still, the most striking role was the role of Alexandra Yarmolyuk in the film “Hello and Farewell” directed by Vitaly Melnikov. This film was released in 1972. According to the plot of the film, the main character Alexandra, played by Lyudmila Zaitseva, whose biography is closely connected with cinema, lives in a small village, where, together with other women, she goes to the field to harvest crops and works on the farm.

But not everything is going well in Alexandra’s personal life. Her husband, leaving his family, went to the city because he wanted a different life. And Alexandra herself raises three children. But in this village there appears a new district police officer who likes Alexandra, and the woman herself is also drawn to him.