“You will not die of your own death in the entrance!” Liya Akhedzhakova scared by death threats

Biography

Soviet and Russian theater and film actress, People's Artist of Russia Liya Medzhidovna Akhedzhakova was born into an acting family in Ukraine.
Her hometown of Dnepropetrovsk is now called Dnepr. Mother - Yulia Aleksandrovna - was an actress, father - Medzhid Salekhovich Akhedzhakov - chief director of the Adygea Regional Drama Theater named after Pushkin.

Majid Salekhovich was categorically against his daughter continuing the family theatrical dynasty: he insisted that Liya enter the Moscow Institute of Non-Ferrous Metals and Gold and obtain a reliable profession.

But after a year and a half of study, Akhedzhakova dropped out of university and on the first try entered GITIS named after A.V. Lunacharsky, which she graduated in 1962.

Theater

In 1960, she was accepted into the troupe of the Moscow Youth Theater in the role of a drag queen. Performed the roles of: Taraski Bobunova in “Be Prepared, Your Highness!”, Klarici in “Love for Three Oranges”, Zhenya in the play “My Brother Plays the Clarinet”, grandmothers in “Me, Grandmother, Iliko and Illarion” and others.

In 1977 she joined the troupe of the Sovremennik Theater. On this famous stage she played a number of outstanding roles, including: Leona Dawson in “A Warning to Small Ships” by Tennessee Williams, Zina in “We Go, We Go, We Go...” by Nikolai Kolyada, Mrs. Ford in “The Merry Wives of Windsor” by William Shakespeare, Rachel in "Difficult People" by Yosef Bar-Yosef.

Liya Akhedzhakova’s repertoire today includes the role of Fonsia Dorsey in the play “The Gin Game.” And of course, Zina Abramova in “Steep Route” by Evgenia Ginzburg. “Galina Borisovna Volchek made “Steep Route” 26 years ago, I play in it. On stage, we all feel that its relevance has now increased, new meanings have opened up that could not even be thought of then. It is very painful that there is an eternal theme in Russia - violence, prison, the cruelty of a brutal executioner. In general, this is the most important performance in my biography,” Liya Medzhidovna admitted in an interview.

Personal life

In the biography and personal life of Liya Akhedzhakova there were love stories, but, unfortunately, God did not give her children.

The first husband of Liya Akhedzhakova was her partner on the stage of the Youth Theater, the famous actor Valery Nosik. The marriage broke up for banal reasons: Nosik’s addiction to alcohol and affairs on the side. The parting did not turn out beautiful: Akhedzhakova went, one might say, to nowhere, leaving her ex-husband with a two-room apartment and all her property.

Liya Akhedzhakova's first husband is Valery Nosik

For a long time, the acting biography of Liya Akhedzhakova developed progressively, but there was a lull in her personal life until her second husband, graphic artist and illustrator Boris Kocheyshvili, appeared. Akhedzhakova again drank a full cup of all the delights of life with a creative person.

The husband was certainly talented, but completely impractical. Akhedzhakova not only carried out the entire daily life, but also set up a workshop, organized exhibitions, went to the authorities, etc.

But exactly why this marriage broke up is unknown. Akhedzhakova did not even tell her stepfather about the true reasons, with whom, as a rule, she shared everything.

Boris Kocheyshvili and Liya Akhedzhakova

For more than ten years there was no one in her life, but in 2001, unexpectedly for many, when she was already over sixty, she got married for the third time. Her husband, Vladimir Persiyaninov, is a photographer who works with various Moscow media. The third marriage turned out to be strong and harmonious; the couple have been living in love and harmony for seventeen years now.

This is how Liya Akhedzhakova’s personal life is ambiguous – and there seems to be happiness, but there are no photos of her with her children.

Liya Akhedzhakova with her husband, photographer Vladimir Persiyaninov

Entreprise

In 1996, the actress played the role of Her in the enterprise “Persian Night” by Nikolai Kolyada. She collaborated with the Production Company of Anatoly Voropaev - in 2000 she made her debut in the role of Pulcheria Ivanovna in the project “Old World Love”, in 2002 she created the image of Claire in “Sunflowers” ​​based on Tennessee Williams.

In 2006, she played Marceline in the play “The Marriage of Figaro,” which was directed by Kirill Serebrennikov as part of the TERRITORIYA project.

In 2007, she performed the role of Kitty in the play “Crazy Queens” directed by Olga Subbotina (theater-festival “Baltic House”).

In 2012, Liya Akhedzhakova, together with actor Albert Filozov, made her debut in the title role in the play “Circo Ambulante” by St. Petersburg experimental director Andrei Moguchy at the Theater of Nations.

In the summer of 2012, she took part in a project directed by Dmitry Krymov - the play “A Midsummer Night's Dream (As You Like It)”, created as a program work for the Edinburgh International Theater Festival.

Views

Akhedzhakova is known for her active civic position[15], invariably supporting President B.N. Yeltsin. She repeatedly expressed her disagreement with the subsequent government[16], in particular, she opposed the trial of Mikhail Khodorkovsky and the trial in the Yukos case[17][18][19]. In 1996 and 2003, she was among cultural and scientific figures who called on the Russian authorities to stop the war in Chechnya and move on to the negotiation process[20][21]. In elections, she traditionally voted for the “Union of Right Forces”[22]. In 2001, she signed a letter in defense of the NTV channel[23].

On October 4, 1993, during the crisis of power in Russia, she spoke on Russian television in support of the actions of President Yeltsin:

I don’t want to be objective anymore.<…>

What kind of Constitution is this, human life next to which is worth nothing... What kind of damned Constitution is this?! After all, according to this Constitution, people were put in prison. <…> Now amendments are being written to this Constitution, and the main thing in these amendments is privileges. And now, for this Constitution, which already includes their privileges, they are killing people. I don’t know what will happen now if there are a hundred thousand people there.

Where is our army?! Why doesn’t she protect us from this damned Constitution?!

And they also tell me: it’s legitimate, it’s illegitimate... But tell me, was it legitimate to put healthy, intelligent people in insane asylums?!

My friends! Wake up! Do not sleep!

Tonight the fate of unfortunate Russia, our unfortunate Motherland, is being decided. Our unfortunate Motherland is in danger! Do not sleep!

Terrible things threaten us. The communists will come again![24].

This speech live from the studio on Shabolovka became the reason for reproaches to the actress for a misunderstanding of her civic position and sharp criticism from O. A. Platonov and A. A. Prokhanov [25][26][27].

Since 2011, Akhedzhakova has been critical of the activities of Vladimir Putin[28]. In anticipation of the rally on December 24, 2011 on Sakharov Avenue in Moscow, she recorded an appeal to the participants of the action, in which she criticized the current government, and also addressed members of pro-Kremlin youth organizations, advising them not to participate in actions in support of the authorities[29].

In January 2013, she condemned the adoption of federal law No. 272-FZ of December 28, 2012, prohibiting the adoption of Russian orphans by US citizens. The actress called him “absolutely cannibalistic and vile” and called on him to take part in protests against the law[30].

On May 6, 2013, she spoke at an opposition rally on Bolotnaya Square in Moscow.

In March 2014, she spoke out against the possibility of introducing Russian troops into the territory of Ukraine[31], signed a letter from the Russian “Union of Cinematographers and Professional Cinematographic Organizations and Associations” to her colleagues from Ukraine, condemning “Russian military intervention in Ukraine”[32], signed an appeal to the initiative group for holding a congress of intellectuals “Against the war, against the self-isolation of Russia, against the restoration of totalitarianism”[33], signed an appeal in defense of the Russian musician Andrei Makarevich, who criticized the policies of the Russian authorities in Ukraine[34].

On July 21, 2014, the actress, speaking on “Echo of Moscow”, read Orlusha’s poem “Requiem for MH-17”, where on behalf of Russia she took responsibility for the passenger plane shot down over the Donetsk region[35] and called the fighters of the DPR armed formations “terrorists” "[36].

On June 29, 2020, during an interview with the Dozhd TV channel, she made a public apology to “the people of Armenia for Russian aggression and occupation”[37].

In May 2020, Akhedzhakova (among 60 scientific and cultural figures) signed a letter to Putin in defense of the arrested human rights activist Oyub Titiev[38]. She supported the Ukrainian director Oleg Sentsov, convicted in Russia.[39]

Movie

Liya Medzhidovna's film debut took place in 1973. She played the role of Allochka Kuznetsova in Mikhail Bogin’s film “Looking for a Man.” This role was awarded prizes at international film festivals in Varna (Bulgaria) and Locarno (Switzerland) and marked the beginning of the bright cinematic career of Liya Akhedzhakova.

Liya Medzhidovna starred in more than ninety films, collaborated with many prominent directors: Alexei German (“Twenty Days Without War”), Vladimir Menshov (“Moscow Doesn’t Believe in Tears”), Alla Surikova (“Moscow Holidays”).

Director Eldar Ryazanov played a special role in the work of Liya Akhedzhakova. She was involved in seven of his films: “The Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath,” “Office Romance,” “Garage,” “Say a Word for the Poor Hussar,” “Promised Heaven,” “Old Nags,” “Andersen. Life without love." Until now, the actress says that she owes everything to Eldar Ryazanov. “When I was young, I looked at him as a god, I loved him very much, I appreciated him as a director and as a person. He was very funny, strong and very respected in his field. And not only".

Eldar Ryazanov considered Liya Akhedzhakova one of his favorite artists. “She sympathizes with the weak and hates the cruel. And in this, her creative credo coincides with the position of the great Chaplin,” the director said about the actress.

Later she played in the tragicomedy by Kirill Serebrennikov “Playing the Victim”, the biographical drama by Pavel Lungin “The Lilac Branch”, in the fairy tale “The Book of Masters”, in the film project “Moms”, in the film by Sergei Loznitsa “The Meek” and the film by Kirill Serebrennikov “Summer”.

Children of Liya Akhedzhakova

When they pronounce the name of Liya Akhedzhakova, images of her heroines immediately appear in memory, a smile appears. They are all amazing: cute, funny, persistent, like unbending “iron nails”.

There is another page in her work - scoring cartoons. Liya Akhedzhakova gave her voice to the characters of more than 20 animated films. The actress herself says that all these heroes are the children of Liya Akhedzhakova and grandchildren.

Despite three marriages and numerous novels that the press attributed to her, the actress has no children, which she very much regrets.

Titles and awards

• Honored Artist of the RSFSR (1970)
• People's Artist of the Russian Federation (1994)
• Awarded the State Prize of the RSFSR named after the Vasilyev brothers (1979), the Order of Honor (1999), the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, IV degree (2006)
• Laureate of the Nika Prize (1991, 2006, 2014), the Theater Star Award (2008, 2013), the Moscow Helsinki Group Prize (2013), the Moscow Prize in Literature and Art (2014)

Based on materials from the sites: peoples.ru, vokrug.tv, kino-teatr.ru, Wikipedia, AiF, RIA Novosti

Filmography: Actress

• Meek (2017)
• Moms (2012)
• My Dear Man (2011), TV series
• Trap for Pinocchio (2009)
• Book of Masters (2009)
• Four Ages of Love (2008)
• Steep Route (2008), teleplay
• Photo of my girlfriend (2007)
• Potapov, come to the board! (2007)
• Branch of lilac (2007)
• From Nowhere with Love, or Merry Funeral (2007)
• Thumbelina (2007)
• Playing the Victim (2006)
• Strange Christmas (2006)
• Andersen. Life without love (2006)
• Thumbelina (2006)
• Gorynych and Victoria (2005), TV series
• Casarosa (2005), TV series
• Narrow Bridge (2004)
• Another Life (2003)
• The Fifth Angel (2003), TV series
• Old nags (2000)
• The Abyss, the Seventh Circle (1993)
• Seven Forty (1992)
• Sofya Petrovna (1989)
• A Small Favor (1984)
• Something from provincial life (1983)
• Moscow doesn't believe in tears (1979)
• Crane in the Sky (1977)
• Dandelion Wine (1997)
• Delirium for two (1995)
• Moscow Vacations (1995)
• Rumble (1994)
• I Wanted to See Angels (1992)
• Promised Heaven (1991)
• Sons of Bitches (1990)
• Face (1990)
• Dope for Angels (1990)
• Stray Bus (1989)
• Sinner (1988)
• Wingspan (1986)
• Autumn Gift of the Fairies (1984)
• Copper Angel (1984)
• Talisman (1983)
• Vacation at your own expense (1981)
• Where did Fomenko disappear to? (1981)
• The Eighth Wonder of the World (1981)
• Say a word for the poor hussar (1980)
• Speak My Language (1979)
• Garage (1979)
• The Black Sorcerer's Gift (1978)
• Handsome Man (1978)
• When I Become a Giant (1978)
• Office Romance (1977)
• Twenty days without war (1976)
• Irony of Fate or Enjoy Your Bath! (1975)
• Tanya (1974)
• Ivan da Marya (1974)
• Seeking My Destiny (1974)
• Looking for a Man (1973)