BIOGRAPHY
Elena Panova was born in Arkhangelsk, into a creative family. Her father is the artistic director of the Arkhangelsk Regional Youth Theater, her mother is a piano teacher. The girl was surrounded by art from early childhood; an atmosphere of creativity reigned in the house. Lena studied dancing and wanted to become a ballerina. But a ballet career remained an unfulfilled childhood dream, and the girl decided to enroll in a theater institute.
Lena's first acquaintance with the big stage occurred at a very young age. “The first time I went on stage was at my dad’s theater. I was spinning around in the wings, and suddenly someone said: “Let’s take Lena out?” At that moment I felt like a star, I walked out with my head held high, I instantly received a slap on the head for this, I was terribly offended, but I didn’t show it. So I know everything about ups and downs from early childhood,” says the actress.
After graduating from school, the girl went to Moscow to enter the Moscow Art Theater School, but the theater university submitted to her only on the second try. Elena entered Oleg Efremov’s course.
Elena Panova's childhood and family
Elena Panova was born on June 9, 1977 in the provincial Russian city of Arkhangelsk. Her family was closely connected with the world of art, and therefore the subtle atmosphere of creativity was very familiar to the actress from childhood. Her mother, a piano teacher, instilled in Elena a love of music. And her father, the artistic director of the regional youth theater of Arkhangelsk, first introduced the girl to dramatic art.
Elena Panova - star of the TV series Taiga Romance
However, as often happens, for a long time Elena did not even think about a professional career in the world of music or theater. She was always a creative child, but in life she tried to choose her own unique path. Since childhood, the girl has been interested in ballet. She performed in cultural centers, Arkhangelsk theaters, and also often went on tour. That is why, as the actress herself admits, she very soon felt like a real star. But, as often happens, the first success was followed by disappointing defeats.
THEATER
After graduating from the institute in 1999, Elena was accepted into the Moscow Art Theater troupe. Chekhov. She played in many performances of the repertoire, including productions of “The Thunderstorm”, “The Indian Kingdom”, “The Beatle Girls”, “Oblomov”, “Crime and Punishment”, “Duck Hunt”. The actress also collaborated with the theater directed by Oleg Tabakov, on whose stage she played Serafima Korzukhina in the play “Running”.
Today, the actress films a lot, and she has practically no time left for the theater. “At first I served at the Chekhov Moscow Art Theater, then I worked, then I was registered there, and now I am free,” admits the actress. But she does not rule out that she will return to the theater stage in the near future. According to Panova, she would really like to work with director Rimas Tuminas (artistic director of the Vakhtangov Theater - editor's note), whose views and style of work seem very interesting to her.
The long-awaited fame of a film actress
In 2007, Natalya Panova waited for her finest hour; she was cast in the leading role in the series “I am a detective,” which was a great success. The actress played the younger sister of Alla Shamanskaya. After the series was released, Natasha was noticed by the directors, and she received the next offer to act. This time she played the main role in the TV series “The Witch Doctor”. The series was released in 2008, the heroine of the actress was FSB employee Natasha Panina. At the same time, the girl starred in the series “Circus Princess”, here she plays the role of Anyuta.
After such successful work, Panova receives an offer to participate in the long-term project “Wedding Ring”. She was involved in this series for five years (2008–2012). Her character's character is very complex, but the actress coped with the role of Svetlana Stolyarova's cellmate. After such success in big projects, Natalya Panova became a popular actress and had no shortage of offers to act. The list of her works includes the following series and films: “Margosha”, “Love and Other Nonsense”, “Wild-2”, “Object 11”, “Lavrova’s Method”, “Comrades Policemen”. The audience especially remembered Natalya in the role of Natasha, Sergei’s wife, in the very popular TV series “Katina Love”. Work on this project took place from 2011 to 2012.
MOVIE
Elena Panova's film debut took place in 1997, when the actress played a small role as a radio operator in the film "New Year's Story." At the time the film was being filmed, the girl was still a 3rd year student at the Moscow Art Theater School.
Elena received her first leading role in the Swiss film “Berezina, or the Last Days of Switzerland.” The actress played the role of a Russian call girl Irina, who, by the will of fate, ends up in Switzerland. Despite the fact that the film was received rather coldly, critics highly praised the talent and skill of the young actress.
Real fame and national vocation came to the actress after her role in Alexander Mitta’s series “Border. Taiga novel." Elena played the role of Galina Zhgut, the wife of officer Alexei Zhgut, played by Mikhail Efremov. This role brought the actress a great award - Elena became a laureate of the State Prize of the Russian Federation.
Elena starred in the TV series “Kamenskaya-2”, “Plot”, “Spas under the Birches”, “Enchanted Plot”. The next big work, which brought success to the actress, was the role in the cult action film by Alexei Sidorov “Shadowboxing”. Panova played the role of nurse Vicki, the beloved of the main character. According to Elena, it was very easy for her to work with the director of the film. “We immediately liked each other, and besides, we are fellow countrymen: he (director Alexey Sidorov - editor's note) is from Severodvinsk, I am from Arkhangelsk. Before this, I had never participated in this genre, I thought it wasn’t for me. But you have to feel the time,” says the actress. In 2007 and 2011 The film's sequels were released - the films "Shadowboxing-2: Revenge" and "Shadowboxing-3: The Last Round", in which Panova also starred.
Today Elena has more than 50 film works under her belt. She starred in the films “Dark World”, “Surprise”, “Mom for Rent”, “Princess from Khrushchev”, “Time to Love”, “Metro”, “Fool”, and many others. In addition, the actress has many roles in TV series, for which viewers know and love her. “You can feel whatever way you like about this type of product, but it’s impossible to completely deny the current times and the relevance of TV series. By giving up little things, you can dream about global roles in a big movie all your life. But I still refuse long-term sitcoms, where the filming process no longer resembles art, but boring factory production,” admits Elena.
Elena Panova's path to acting: moving
As a result, Elena had to leave the ballet section.
Thus, already at the end of school, our today’s heroine found herself without any clear goal in life. Finding herself at a crossroads, the girl decided to follow the beaten path and submitted documents to the Moscow Art Theater School. She had been familiar with the peculiarities of theater since childhood, and therefore for a long time she naively believed that she could enter a theater university without any difficulties. However, this is precisely what ultimately let the aspiring actress down. She “successfully” failed the exams in Moscow, and therefore was forced to return back to Arkhangelsk. Such an offensive defeat made the girl shake herself. She began to systematically work on herself, and therefore next year she still managed to achieve the coveted height. Elena Panova entered the Moscow Art Theater, and from that moment her life and her very attitude towards her acting career changed dramatically.
INTERVIEW
ABOUT THE CRITICISM
“First of all, I trust my inner censor. And if you listen to everyone, you can lose self-confidence. This happens often in our profession. Although sometimes someone else's opinion can be very useful. Once Oleg Pavlovich Tabakov told me: “When you go on stage, it’s as if you are apologizing to the audience, but the artist should be the owner.” I learned it very well."
ABOUT WOMEN
“Women are women and men are men. I believe that a healthy union between them is best. As I get older, I come to the conclusion that women’s self-sufficiency depends on men.”
ABOUT HUMILITY
“At some point I realized that modesty is a perverted form of pride. Exactly. And I allowed myself to be myself.”
Based on materials from the sites kino-teatr.ru, 24smi.org, glamur.co.il, vokrug.tv, vashdosug.ru, starhit.ru, m24., uznayvse.ru.
Works in cinema
Today, in the biography and personal life of Elena Panova, there are already about fifty roles in films and television series. People first started talking about the actress after the release of the film “Border. Taiga Romance” directed by Alexander Mitta, for her work in which she was awarded the State Prize of Russia. This was followed by the series “Plot” and the movie “Shadowboxing”, which was released at the time, as well as their sequels.
Of the actress’s latest works, the audience especially noted her roles in such films as “The Dark World” and “Metro,” which her husband Anton starred in the biography and personal life of Elena Panova.
According to the artist, there is a certain magic in cinema. There are the most talented theater actors who, when captured on film, are completely lost on the screen. Maintaining this line between worlds and not getting lost either on stage or in cinema are Elena’s main creative goals.
FILMOGRAPHY: ACTRESS
- Shuttlewomen. Sequel (2018), TV series
- Coal (2016) (in production), TV series
- Capture (2016) (in production), TV series
- Time of the First (2016) (in production)
- Shuttlewomen (2016), TV series
- Mom (2014)
- Fool (2014)
- Fierce (2013), TV series
- Metro (2012)
- Princess from Khrushchev (2012)
- Time to Love (2012)
- A Fine Line (2011), TV series
- Shadowboxing 3: The Final Round (2011)
- Dark World (2010)
- Doctor Tyrsa (2010), TV series
- I'm not me (2010)
- Bachelorette Party (2010), TV series
- Secret guard. Deadly Games (2009), TV series
- House on Ozernaya (2009)
- Prodigal Days (2009), TV series
- Surprise (2008)
- Friend or Foe (2008), TV series
- Sin Time (2008)
- I'm counting: one, two, three, four, five (2007)
- Detective Putilin (2007), TV series
- Law & Order: Crime Branch (2007), TV series
- Year of the Goldfish (2007)
- Husband returns from a business trip (2007)
- Shadowboxing 2: Revenge (2007)
- Union without sex (2006)
- Hunter (2006)
- Enchanted Site (2006), TV series
- Women's work at risk to their lives (2006)
- Secret Guard (2005), TV series
- Hunting for the Red Deer (2005), TV series
- MUR is MUR-3 (2005), TV series
- MUR is Mur-2 (2005), TV series
- Swan Paradise (2005), TV series
- MUR is MUR (2004), TV series
- Stargazer (2004), TV series
- Shadowboxing (2004)
- Plot (2003), TV series
- Spas under the birches (2003), TV series
- Island Without Love (2003), TV series
- Red Sky. Black Snow (2002)
- Kamenskaya-2 (2002), TV series
- Border. Taiga Romance (2000), TV series
- Berezina, or the Last Days of Switzerland (1999)
- Mom (1998)
- New Year's Story (1997)
Star Trek of actress Elena Panova, filmography and theater
In Moscow, a talented native of Arkhangelsk began studying in Oleg Efremov’s studio. It was this teacher who subsequently had the greatest influence on the career and creative style of our today’s heroine. Her level of acting became more and more professional.
As a result, by the end of her studies, Elena Panova became one of the brightest students in her group.
After graduating from university in 1999, the aspiring actress went to work at the Chekhov Moscow Art Theater. In this place, she began to regularly participate in a variety of productions and soon became one of the leading actresses of the local stage. Among her best works, it is worth highlighting the productions “The Beatle Girls”, “Running”, “In a Distant Land”, “A Light Taste of Treason”, “An Indian’s Kingdom” and some others.
As for cinematic roles, there have always been many of them in the actress’s career. The girl played her first role back in her student years, appearing together with Leonid Kuravlev in the film “New Year's Story.” After that there were the projects “Chekhov and Co” and “Berezina”. In the last of these films, the actress played the leading role for the first time in her career. This film brought her her first success, and also allowed her to gain invaluable experience working with directors from Austria and Germany.
