Actress Irina Apeksimova: photo, biography, personal life, filmography and interesting facts

Biography

Irina Apeksimova was born into a family of musicians. Father - Viktor Nikolaevich - pianist, accordion player, first worked at a music school, and then taught piano at the conservatory. The actress’s mother, Svetlana Yakovlevna, was a choirmaster at the musical comedy theater, and later also became a teacher at the conservatory in the conducting and choral department.

Irina has an older brother, the son of her mother’s first marriage, Valery Svet. He is also a musician; in the 70s he organized one of the first vocal and instrumental ensembles in Volgograd. He currently lives and works in the USA.

At the age of eight, after her parents’ divorce, Irina moved to Odessa with her mother and brother. In Volgograd, the future actress studied piano at a music school. In Odessa, she went to a specialized theater class at a secondary school.

Having received her matriculation certificate, in 1983 Irina went to Moscow to enter theater school. But the years spent in Odessa took their toll: the girl was not accepted because of her Odessa dialect.

She returned to Odessa, worked for a year at the Odessa Academic Theater of Musical Comedy, and danced in the corps de ballet. The following summer she again came to take exams in the capital and again failed. After that, she left for Volgograd and got a job at the local regional musical comedy theater.

In 1985, Irina finally moved to Moscow and, having gotten rid of the dialect, a year later she entered the Moscow Art Theater School, in the workshop of Oleg Pavlovich Tabakov.

Admission to theater

After school, Irina tried to enter the Moscow Art Theater School in Moscow, but she was not accepted into the course due to her distinct Odessa dialect.
Upon returning to Odessa, Irina got a job in the corps de ballet of the city Operetta Theater, where she danced throughout the next year. Apeksimova again failed her next entrance exam to the Moscow Art Theater School, and again because of her Odessa accent. At the insistence of her mother, the girl went to her native Volgograd to get rid of the dialect, there she was hired to work in the corps de ballet of the Volgograd Musical Comedy Theater. Having lived for a year in a different language environment and freed from the Odessa accent, Apeksimova made her third (and last) attempt to enter the theater in 1986. And this time, a successful one, the future actress is enrolled in the first year of the artist Oleg Tabakov’s workshop. At the course, which later became, as they say, “star”, such wonderful actors as Vl. Mashkov, E. Mironov studied (by the way, with Mashkov and Mironov in 1994, Apeksimova played in the film “Limit” directed by D. Evstegneev). Also on the course with Irina was her future husband, actor Valery Nikolaev.

Irina Apeksimova - Murka

Theater

After receiving her diploma, in 1990, Irina Apeksimova was accepted into the A.P. Chekhov Moscow Art Theater, where she served for more than ten years. On the stage of the Moscow Art Theater she played a lot and almost all of them were leading roles.

“I was worried about leaving the theater. For the first two or three years, I drove past my native building with great excitement,” Irina shared. “I walked along Kamergersky Lane not without excitement. My soul was always restless. But after some time everything calmed down, although I still often think about the Moscow Art Theater. There was an unpleasant story that had nothing to do with the creative process. Exclusively administrative situation. I headed a trade union group that was opposed to the director. The result was simple - I had to leave the theater.”

After leaving the Moscow Art Theater, Irina created her own theater agency, “Bal Ast”. After some time, the name was changed, the actress gave the company her name. The agency represented enterprises in which Irina herself played the main characters.

In the 2000s, she studied at a special course in contemporary dance at the University of Florida in the USA, at the acting schools Julliard School (New York) and the Barbican Center (London).

Later, in addition to acting, Irina took up management. From 2012 to early 2015, she served as director of the Roman Viktyuk Theater. In March 2020, she became director of the Taganka Theater.

In 2013, Irina was the author of the idea and producer of the open-air theatrical art festival “Theater March”, which became a regular event. The first festival was called “Theatrical Demarche” and took place in Sokolniki Park, subsequent festivals were and are held in the Hermitage Garden.

Roles in the theater:

• “Lark” – Agnes
• “Crazy Jourdain” – Dorimena
• "Overstocked barrel"
• "Armchair"
• “The Taming of the Shrew” – Katarina
• "Richard III" – Lady M
• “Uncle Vanya” – Elena Andreevna
• “Boris Godunov” – Marina Mnishek
• “Woe from Wit” – Sophia
• "Goffman" – Julia
• “Masquerade” – Baroness Strahl
• "Beautiful life"
• “Tragedians and Comedians” – Lisa
• "The milk van doesn't stop here anymore" - Blackie
• “Little Tragedies” – Laura
• "Thunderstorm" - crazy lady
• "A Midsummer Night's Dream" - Titania
• "Ondine" - Countess Bertha
• "Archeology"
• “Dancing to the Sound of Rain” – Muse
• "Unexpected Joy"
• “Mother-of-Pearl Zinaida” – a foreigner
• "Blissful Island"
• “The Most Important Thing” – Remongonist
• "The Witches of Salem"
• "Bench" - She
• “Seagull 73458” – Irina Nikolaevna Arkadina.
• “Run Alice, run” – Queen

Roles in enterprises:

• “Dangerous, dangerous and very dangerous...” - Marquise de Merteuil, friend and lover of Viscount de Valmont
• “www.London.ru” – Anna
• "Dinner with a Fool" - Marlene
• “The Cherry Orchard” – Charlotte
• "Game of Truth" - Maya

Creation

Roles in the theater

• “Lark”, director: Oleg Tabakov - Agnessa
• “Crazy Jourdain”, based on the play of the same name by Mikhail Bulgakov, director: Oleg Tabakov - Dorimena
• “Overstocked Barrels”, based on the story of the same name by Vasily Aksenov, director: Evgeny Kamenkovich -
• “The Armchair”, based on the story “Emergency of a Regional Scale” by Yuri Polyakov, directors: Oleg Tabakov, Vladimir Khramov
• “The Taming of the Shrew”, based on the play of the same name by William Shakespeare, director: Brian Cox - Katarina
• "Richard III", director: Brian Cox - Lady M
• “Uncle Vanya”, based on the play of the same name by A. P. Chekhov, director: Oleg Efremov - Elena Andreevna
• “Boris Godunov”, director: Oleg Efremov - Marina Mnishek
• “Woe from Wit”, based on the comedy of the same name by A. S. Griboyedov, director: Oleg Efremov - Sophia
• “Hoffman”, director: N. Skorik - Julia
• “Masquerade”, based on the play of the same name by M. Yu. Lermontov, director: Roman Kozak - Baroness Shtral
• “Masquerade”, director: Nikolai Sheiko - Baroness Shtral
• “Beautiful Life”, director: V. Lanskoy
• “Tragedians and Comedians”, director: N. Skorik - Lisa
• “The Milk Truck Don't Stop Here Anymore”, based on the play by Tennessee Williams, director: Vyacheslav Dolgachev - Blackie
• “Little Tragedies”, director: Roman Kozak - Laura
• “The Thunderstorm”, based on the play of the same name by A. N. Ostrovsky, director: Dmitry Brusnikin - crazy lady
• "A Midsummer Night's Dream", based on the play of the same name by William Shakespeare, director: Nikolai Sheiko - Titania
• “Ondine”, director: N. Skorik - Countess Bertha
• “Archaeology”, director: M. Kochetkov
• “Dancing to the Sound of Rain”, director: N. Skorik - Muse
• “Unexpected Joy”, director: S. Kolesnikov
• “Mother-of-pearl Zinaida”, director: Oleg Efremov - foreigner
• “Blissful Island”, director: Nikolai Sheiko
• “The Most Important Thing”, director: Roman Kozak - remongonist
• "The Witches of Salem" Director: Brian Cox
• “Bench”, based on the play of the same name by Alexander Gelman, director: Nikita Grinshpun (Theater “Commonwealth of Taganka Actors”) [20] - She
• “The Seagull 73458”, based on the play by A.P. Chekhov, directed by Deinius Kazlauskas (Moscow Taganka Theater, 2017) - Irina Nikolaevna Arkadina.
• “Run Alice, Run”, based on the story by Lewis Carol, director Maxim Didenko (Moscow Taganka Theater, 2018) - Queen.

Roles in enterprises

• 2001 - “Dangerous, dangerous and very dangerous...”, based on a play in verse by Leonid Filatov (based on the novel by Pierre Chaderlos de Laclos “Dangerous Liaisons”), director: Sergey Vinogradov (Moscow Entreprise Theater “Success”) [21] - Marquise de Merteuil, friend and mistress of the Viscount de Valmont
• “www.London.ru”, based on the play “Closer” by Patrick Marber, director: Pyotr Stein (Theatrical agency “Independent Entreprise” by Yuli Malakyants) [22] - Anna
• “Dinner with a Fool”, based on the play of the same name by Francis Weber, director: Leonid Trushkin - Marlene
• “The Cherry Orchard”, based on the play of the same name by A. P. Chekhov, director: Eimuntas Nyakrosius - Charlotte
• “The Game of Truth”, based on the play of the same name by Philippe Lelouch, director: Viktor Shamirov (“Independent Theater Project”) - Maya

Filmography

Acting in films

Director's work in cinema

• 2008 - The Sleeper and the Beauty (Russia, Ukraine)

Voice acting

• 2004 - Tulse Luper's Suitcases: From Vo to Sea | Tulse Luper Suitcases, Part 2: Vaux to the Sea, The (UK)
• 2006 - Tulse Luper's Suitcases. Russian version | The Tulse Luper Suitcases. Russian Version (Hungary, Germany, Spain, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Russia) - Madame Muatesieu
• 2006 - A Star from the Side (Russia) - a documentary film about the life and work of the Soviet silent film actress Rakhil Messerer-Plisetskaya (Irina Apeksimova reads the text behind the scenes)[23]

Participation in music TV shows

• In 2006, Irina Apeksimova, paired with singer Alexander Marshal, took part in the first season of the music television show “Two Stars” on Channel One [24][25].
• On March 29, 2020, Irina Apeksimova took part as a guest in the television show of transformations “Exactly” (second season, sixth stage) on Channel One, performing the song “Moon river” from the American feature film “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” in the image of British actress Audrey Hepburn[26].
• Participant in the third season of the Channel One music show “Three Chords” (2018).

Solo music project

In March 2011, Irina Apeksimova, together with a musical group led by Timur Vedernikov, first performed her own solo program “And Odessa is a girl to me!”[5][27].

The repertoire of the program is made up of famous Odessa songs: “Bricks”, “From the Odessa Kichman”, “School of Ballroom Dancing”, “Ots-tots-pervertots!” and many others.

Working on television

• In 2003, Irina Apeksimova was the host of the TV game “Temptation” (under an English license) on the Russian TV channel TVS[28][29].
• From 2006 to 2008, she was one of the regular presenters of the Good Morning program on Channel One [30].

Participation in advertising

• In October 2007, Irina Apeksimova became the “face” of the Swiss pharmaceutical brand “Calcium-D3 Nycomed”. The slogan of the advertising campaign: “Calcium-D3 Nycomed is the main element of beauty.” The Instinct advertising agency developed two commercials starring Irina Apeksimova: in the first she is a sultry Spanish diva, and in the second she is an elegant athlete demonstrating her skills in martial arts[31].

Cinema

Irina Apeksimova made her film debut as an actress in 1987. In the feature film "Tower" she played one of the main roles - the daughter of the main characters, Ksyusha. At that time, the actress was a second-year student at the Moscow Art Theater School.

A year later, the art-house film “The Dissident” was released, in which Irina played the main role. Evgeny Dvorzhetsky became her partner on the set.

In 1992-93, the actress starred in the popular serial melodrama “Little Things in Life.” At the same time she became the main character in the Russian-Moldavian film “Train to California”.

For her role in the French film “October” in 1994, Irina received the prize for best actress at the Paris Film Festival.

The actress gained widespread fame in 1999 after filming the film “Bourgeois's Birthday.” She played the role of the beloved of the main character, who, in turn, was played by Valery Nikolaev, who was Irina’s husband at that time.

The film “The Cage” with Irina Apeksimova in the leading role was released in 2001 - the tragic story of a woman who lost her family. In 2006, in the film “The Executioner,” Irina again became the main character - journalist Olga Dragomirova, who furiously took revenge on her rapists.

In 2007, Irina expanded her filmography with the main role in the melodrama “Contrary to Common Sense”, in 2008 – in the films “Domino Effect” and “Bodyguard”, in 2009 – in the detective series “The General’s Granddaughter”, where she appeared in in the image of police major Alexandra Starkova.

The actress continued the detective theme in 2010, starring in the film “Forensic Experts.” Later there was the film “Lucky Pashka”, in which Irina starred together with Igor Petrenko.

In 2013, the actress played in three films and played the main roles in all of them - Maya Kovalevskaya in the feature film “Game for Truth”, Elena Gennadievna Rakova in the action film “Fierce” and intelligence school instructor Matilda Genrikhovna in the military drama “Scouts”. In 2018, a continuation of the action film “Fierce” was released with the participation of Irina Apeksimova.

As a film director, in 2008 Irina made her first and so far only film, “The Sleeper and the Beauty.”

Apeksimova in cinema

Apeksimova first appeared on the silver screen in 1987, in the role of Ksyusha, in the psychological drama “The Tower” by V. Tregubovich.
The next film is “The Dissident” (1988) by the Moldovan director V. Zhereghi. In the early 90s, the actress starred in the first Russian television series “Little Things in Life.” Particularly often noted is the role of the Frenchwoman Justine in the film adaptation by director Yu. Grymov in 1997 of the story “Mu-mu” by I. S. Turgenev. A year before this, the actress played for the same director in the film “Male Revelations” based on the novel by Renata Litvinova.

Irina Apeksimova with her first husband Valery Nikolaev and daughter

For a long time, Apeksimova struggled with the image of a business woman and vamp that had stuck to her in the movies. This stereotype was further reinforced after filming the first season of the television series “Bourgeois’s Birthday” in 2000, where the actress played together with her husband Valery Nikolaev. But participation in this project also had a positive impact for Irina - it brought her nationwide love and popularity. Irina Apeksimova refused to film the second season, so the writers had to “kill” her character. In addition, the refusal to participate in the project was largely influenced by the collapse of the family of Apeksimova and Nikolaev.

In 2001, Irina Viktorovna played in the psychological drama “The Cage”, participation in which for the actress herself, in her words, was one of the most interesting works in cinema. In the 2000s, the actress worked a lot in films and TV series, in particular: “Empire Under Attack” (2000), “Northern Lights” (2001), “Yesenin” (2005), “The Book of Masters” (2009) and many others. etc.

In 2008, Irina Apeksimova tried herself as a director of a joint Ukrainian-Russian project - the melodrama “The Sleeper and the Beauty.”

A television

In 2003, the TVS channel invited Irina to the role of host in the TV game “Temptation”. In 2006, Irina was invited to Channel One, where she worked until 2009 as the host of the Good Morning program.

In the same 2006, Irina, together with singer Alexander Marshal, took part in the first season of the music television show “Two Stars”. Five years later, the actress with an instrumental group led by Timur Vedernikov first performed her solo program “And Odessa is a girl to me!” The artist's repertoire consisted of popular Odessa songs.

In March 2020, Irina Apeksimova participated as a guest in the second season of the television transformation show “Just the Same.” She performed the song “Moon river” from the American feature film “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” in the image of the British actress Audrey Hepburn. In 2018, the actress became a participant in the third season of the music show “Three Chords.”

From thirteen onwards...

It was at the age of thirteen that Irina Apeksimova, whose biography from that moment took a completely different direction, experienced a very difficult time with her parents’ divorce, which happened five years earlier. Dad went to another city - to Yakutsk. Even when she was younger, the girl was acutely aware of the breakup of her family. And when she was thirteen, she and her mother and older brother moved to Odessa, where they lived with relatives for a while. So everything in her life changed, because everything that was familiar to her remained in her hometown, her friends, her whole little life.

An important point that helped in Ira’s choice of profession a few years later was that her mother, when choosing a new school for her, settled on an educational institution that had a theater class. Life in another city gradually began to improve.

Three years later, the matured Irochka - Apeksimova Irina Viktorovna - celebrated her sixteenth birthday. She was preparing to receive a passport. But what to do if in those years the nationality in the first document of a citizen was determined by his mother. And Svetlana Yakovlevna - my mother - was Jewish. I had to negotiate with my dad. Viktor Nikolaevich came here from Yakutsk to negotiate with the passport officer, who made the necessary entry in the passport. So Ira became Russian.

Personal life

In 1988, while studying at the Moscow Art Theater School, Irina married her classmate, actor Valery Nikolaev. On March 14, 1994, their daughter Daria was born; at that time, the family was temporarily living in the United States. After graduation, Irina and Valery went to America, worked in New York theaters, but later returned to Moscow for financial reasons.

In 2000, Irina Apeksimova and Valery Nikolaev divorced. “Nothing destroyed our family - we just grew out of each other,” Irina commented on her divorce. – We have different goals and objectives. We knew so much about each other that it became uninteresting... But our life was so bright and good... We could quarrel over little things, but we had no reason for serious quarrels. And that’s why I have a very bright impression of these 12 years.”

The daughter of Irina Apeksimova also became an actress, graduated from the Moscow Art Theater School and the workshop of Dmitry Brusnikin. After coming of age, she took her grandmother’s maiden name – Avratinskaya.

The second husband of actress Irina Apeksimova was businessman Alexey Kim. The marriage was short-lived: due to constant bouts of jealousy of her husband, Irina filed for divorce.

Childhood

Irina was born in the Volgograd maternity hospital on January 13, 1966. Her parents were creative and musical people. Dad, Viktor Nikolaevich, was engaged in teaching at a music school, and later he went to work as a piano teacher at a conservatory. Mom, Svetlana Yakovlevna, worked at the local musical comedy theater as a choirmaster; later she also became a teacher in the conducting and choral department at the conservatory.

This was Svetlana Yakovlevna’s second marriage; from her first, the family raised a boy, Ira’s older brother on her mother’s side, Valery. His fate is also closely connected with music. In the mid-70s, he founded one of the first ensembles in Volgograd, then devoted himself to jazz, went to America, where he became a fairly popular jazz pianist.

Mom and Dad adored Ira, spoiled her, in times of complete shortage they managed to get her beautiful things and sewed charming dresses. She was the best dressed in the courtyard. A pretty black girl with huge eyes attracted the looks of boys from an early age. She grew up as a lively and cheerful child, she was desperate and brave, and loved company. Ira especially liked the actions and games of the boys.

Since her parents had a direct connection to art, exactly the same people (their friends) visited the Apeksimovs’ house. From an early age, Irina absorbed the atmosphere of theater, creativity and music. Very often in the theater where her mother worked, Ira spent her free time behind the scenes. There she was not bored with the children of other artists. The children played and did homework together when school began. In addition to high school, Ira also studied piano at a music school, and the girl also really liked to dance.

Interview

Road to Hollywood

“In the 90s, when our cinema simply collapsed before our eyes, all the actors had a goal - to conquer the “dream factory.” We were young, the sea was knee-deep. We didn’t even think that this was a very difficult task. Valera Nikolaev and I just got together and went to America. I guess I didn't really want to stay in Hollywood. No, more precisely, I wanted to stay, but I didn’t want to lose the Moscow Art Theater where I worked. I had to constantly fly to performances, so I rarely attended castings. And so, after the screening, at which I was not approved, I, upset, returned home and declared that that’s it - I’m coming back. In Moscow they just offered me a role... But as soon as I returned to Moscow, they called from Hollywood with a good offer. But I have already decided that I want to work here...”

“I’m not ninety and I have ideas”

“I don’t know a single actor who would be absolutely satisfied with his career. And it's okay to always want more. Of course, I would like my career to be more successful. Why things turned out the way they do now is a rhetorical question. I started in the difficult 90s, there were some different life circumstances. I can say that I am satisfied with how I feel in my profession at the moment. I have a lot of plans, I am constantly working. After all, I’m not 90 years old and I still have a lot of time to realize all my creative ideas.”

About pleasures

“I’m like that chameleon that changes color. When I’m on stage, I’m an actress, and when I’m creating a new project, I’m a producer. I'm bored of moving exclusively on one track, and I can't stand it when nothing happens. And other horizons always generate excitement. In my old age, I will consider publishing a book as an increase in my pension. Or I really want to open a restaurant. I hope to do this in the near future. And I dream about my own shoe line. I'm a fan of shoes and boots. From an amazing Moscow master who sews shoes for the theater, sometimes I order some pieces for my own foot for life and feel blissful. Once they made me an offer that I couldn’t refuse - to become the face of a magnificent spa center in Estonia, not for money, but for courses of treatments and relaxation. Once a year I taste this joy. And so in everyday life I don’t particularly watch my figure. What I have are genes. Well, whenever possible I go to Venice for inspiration.”

Based on materials from kino-teatr.ru, Wikipedia.org, biographe.ru, womanhit.ru, ok-magazine.ru

Family and personal life

Ira is not one of those who willingly shares her personal life. Moreover, by the time she turns 50, she practically has to start all over again. Two marriages are left behind.

During her student years at the Moscow Art Theater School, Ira met actor Valery Nikolaev, who became her first husband. But at that moment, all she had on her mind was studying. She entered the theater school with such difficulty that she was constantly worried and afraid of being expelled. And besides, at that time she was dating another young man. But, as they say, you can’t escape fate; it itself will put everything in its place.

Irina Apeksimova and Valery Nikolaev, as the best students of the course, were given the task of preparing an excerpt from the play. It was during this preparation that everything happened, everything began to spin, it started to take off. Both young and beautiful, showing great promise, they spent too much time together while preparing for the performance. The novel turned out to be stormy and fast-paced. At first Ira did not know that Valery was officially married. She became aware of this when he had already left his legal wife for her.

After graduating from college, Apeksimova and Nikolaev flew to America in search of good money. There they were involved in theatrical productions and starred in films, but did not earn much money. I had to return to my homeland. Ira began working in the theater. Although they barely had enough money to live, they decided to have a child. In March 1994, Ira gave birth to a daughter, Dasha. However, such joy was overshadowed by the husband’s announcement that he was going to return to America. Only there did he see himself as a real film and theater star.

The spouses began to see each other less and less, and a certain distance appeared in the relationship. Even filming together in the television project “Birthday of the Bourgeois” did not help them get closer again. On the contrary, during filming Valery began a romantic relationship with actress Daria Poverennova. As a result, Apeksimova and Nikolaev divorced. Despite the difficult divorce, now the former spouses maintain normal human relations. Valery sees his daughter and helps her.

Irina’s second husband was businessman Alexey Kim. But his temper turned out to be too violent, and the man was terribly jealous of his wife, which made life together simply unbearable. Ira filed for divorce.

Filmography. Actress

• Fierce-2 (2018)
• Drunk Firm (2016)
• It's Always Sunny in Moscow (2014), TV series
• Boatswain Seagull (2014), TV series
• Scouts (2013), TV series
• Fierce (2013), TV series
• Game of Truth (2013)
• Stompers (2012), TV series
• Get to your room immediately. In the service of the law (2011), TV series
• Exercises in Beauty (2011)
• Lucky Pashka (2011), TV series
• Kiss of Socrates (2011), TV series
• Piranhas (20110, TV series
• Hippocratic Oath (2011)
• New Challenge (2011)
• Chiropractor (2011)
• Completeness Complex (2011)
• Forensic Scientists (2010), TV series
• The Krapivin Case (2010), TV series
• The only man (2010), TV series
• Wedding. Case. Death (2010), TV series
• Alice's Adventures. Prisoners of Three Planets (2010)
• Pyramid (2010)
• Domino Effect (2009)
• Book of Masters (2009)
• City of Happiness (2009)
• The General's Granddaughter (2009)
• Victorious Wind, Clear Day (2009)
• One Family (2009), TV series
• Bodyguard (2008)
• Against Common Sense (2008)
• Detective Putilin (2007)
• Antisniper-2. Double Motivation (2007)
• Antisniper (2007)
• Situation 202 (2006)
• Executioner (2006), TV series
• Happiness by prescription (2006), TV series
• Yesenin (2005), TV series
• Tabloid Binding (2003)
• Red Snake (2002)
• Cage (2001)
• Northern Lights (2001)
• Birthday of Bourgeois-2 (2001), TV series
• Empire under attack (2000), TV series
• Instead of Me (2000)
• Anna Karenina (1999)
• Directory of Death (1999), TV series
• Bourgeois's Birthday (1999), TV series
• Impostors (1998)
• Zenboxing (1998)
• Moo Moo (1998)
• Saint (1997)
• Men's revelations (1996)
• Shirley Myrley (1996)
• The Lonely Player (1995)
• Little things in life (1992-1995), TV series
• Limita (1994)
• These funny Russians (1994)
• Train to California (1993)
• The Abyss, the Seventh Circle (1993)
• October (1993)
• The Dissident (1988)
• Tower (1986)

Theater activities

Irina began her creative journey at the Moscow Art Theater. Chekhov, where she worked for ten years. On this stage she played many bright character roles.

In 2000, feeling the strength for further growth, Irina left the theater and created her own theater studio, which she named after herself. Under her leadership, enterprises were produced in which the actress played central roles.

It is worth noting that Irina achieved great heights in the theater not only as an actress, but also as a talented organizer. For three years, starting in 2012, she directed the Roman Viktyuk Theater and did everything possible to maintain its ratings at a high level. Then Irina moved to the position of director of the Taganka Theater.

Among other things, Apeksimova has clearly shown herself on television. On the TVS channel she was the TV presenter of the intellectual game “Temptation”, and on Channel One she hosted the popular morning program “Good Morning” . Irina was invited to television not only as a presenter, but also as a participant. So, in 2006, Irina participated in the vocal show “Two Stars”, where she performed together with Alexander Marshall.

Irina, like no one else, is a living confirmation of the proverb that a talented person is talented in everything.

In addition to her undoubted talents as an actress and leader, Irina is an excellent vocalist. In 2011, she decided to combine her abilities into a single whole and created her own program “And Odessa is a girl for me!”, in which she performed the most famous Odessa songs.

Irina Apeksimova: “They stopped looking at me as a woman”

They say that actress Irina Apeksimova has a bad character. She is considered tough, daring and capricious. In the press, the main character of some scandalous chronicles has an established reputation as a bitch. But maybe the one who once said: “Good behavior is the refuge of mediocrity” is right? Or should we be more precise in our wording?

Not tough, but fair, not impudent, but straightforward, not capricious, but principled.

Not a bitch, but just a beautiful and smart woman. One thing is true: Apeksimova is a rare human specimen. And everything else is just a cost of popularity.

— Irina, is popularity pleasant?

- Yes very. After all, people become artists not just to express themselves, but also to be known. Of course, it’s tiring when they pry into your personal life. And it makes me angry if journalists explain this by saying that the public must know who I am with, why and why. It is not right. Let's judge artists by what they do, not who they sleep with.

— Did you know from childhood that you were beautiful?

- No. And now I don’t suffer from beauty complexes. I always knew that I liked me and could make an impression. She knew her strengths and weaknesses well. And in childhood I was such a “girl-boy”, a hooligan. I considered it a shame to receive straight A's. In terms of behavior, it was a stable “bad”, although they gave it a “good” rating, of course. And once they wanted to kick me out of school altogether.

- I heard that they fought with the boys...

— I fought, and I love this business to this day. In general, I like it when men fight. I'm happy to try to fit in myself.

— Did your parents wish you the fate of an actress?

- Mom wanted it. But dad really didn’t want to. It is a rare parent who wishes an unhappy fate for their children. I am grateful to my parents. They gave me everything that could be given in Soviet times: theater class, English, music, choreography schools. I spent all my free time in the theater, behind the scenes.

— When you came to Moscow to enter drama school, did you believe in success?

- Yes, I did it three times - and each time I believed. I even entered the operetta department. Between admissions she was a ballerina and danced in the corps de ballet every evening. If I hadn’t entered the third time, I probably would have continued my ballet career. Then, when I got to the Moscow Art Theater, and even to Tabakov, I realized that I was incredibly lucky: I ended up with a great artist. After all, this was a period when entire courses disappeared. I've never played as an extra. She immediately received a serious role, inherited from Anastasia Vertinskaya, who left the theater. And then there were serious roles.

— What don’t you like about the theater?

- Amateurism. As for intrigue and gossip, this is a necessary part of any organism, especially a creative one.

— In 1997, at the Moscow Art Theater, you headed the actors’ union, which did not accept the draft new charter of the theater proposed by the management. You, along with other rioters, were immediately fired. What did the Moscow Art Theater scandal teach you?

- Because from now on you need to focus only on yourself, fight only for yourself and in no case for others. Yes, I found myself thrown out of the life of the theater, where I played many wonderful roles. It was a big loss. More than anything else, I wanted to play then. Artists are like drug addicts. But there were also positive moments: then I gained complete independence and began to decide my own destiny. Then, through the court, we were all reinstated at work. But I didn’t go back there.

— Have you found an alternative to the Moscow Art Theater?

— Viktyuk. This is a great master of the stage, a brilliant director.

- But he yells at the actors like that during rehearsals...

- He screams, swears, and they adore him.

— With your ex-husband Valery Nikolaev, you starred in the film “The Saint” by Hollywood director Philip Noyce. What impression did filming in Hollywood make on you?

— What difference does it actually make – filming in Hollywood or at Mosfilm? In my opinion there is no difference.

— Well, how do they treat Russian actors there?

- The same as for Japanese and Arabic. Of course, they treat us worse, because for Americans, the best nation is the Americans. And for the French - the French. How do you think Moscow treats all other nations? Let's try - let's launch some unknown artist from America into Russia. Who needs her here? Moreover, she speaks Russian poorly?.. There is no need to create illusions about the West. To have a career there, you need to put everything on it: life, youth, health. Start over again. This is the same situation when I came to Moscow from the provinces at the age of nineteen.

—Have you ever had a desire to just stay in America?

- If I have a desire, I will realize it. No never. I lived in Los Angeles for almost a year. The only desire that I had then was to return to Moscow. Being a housewife in the USA and enjoying the upcoming weekend shopping is not for me. The thing is, I didn't do much of anything in Los Angeles. I almost went crazy. The only happiness was that every month I flew to the Moscow Art Theater to play a play. Then she finally returned to Moscow. I missed a different rhythm of life, a different lifestyle, a different mentality. And my mother did not stay in America. There she periodically worked part-time, accompanying at emigrant concerts. She lived in Brooklyn and communicated only with emigrants who lived and live exclusively in Russia. In my opinion, in the entire history of emigration to this country, she was the only person who asked to receive refugee status back to Russia. Why? Yes because!!! People born here should live here! To adapt normally to American conditions, you need to be born there or move there at a young age. And live the way Americans live, and not isolate themselves in their rather close circle of emigrants who do not live American life and no longer live their own.

— Irina, in Paris you received an award for best actress...

- When a person has a lot of different regalia, he talks about everyone, but when I have one for the rest of my life, I talk about this one and only award! It was a role in the film “October”. There was some festival in France, which I did not attend because I gave birth to a child in America, and when I arrived in Moscow, I was informed that I had received a prize for best actress. It was a pleasure.

— I know that you dream of playing a sweet, gentle girl.

- I want to play everything! Yes, once it seemed to me that the appearance of a stylish femme fatale was my cross. It all started with Denis Evstigneev, when he first cast me as a bitch in the film “Limita”. The image stuck.

— Do you like this image?

- There is a certain appearance. There are brunettes who play bad guys all their lives, and there are blondes who play Snow White. But this is a completely wrong perception! Among blondes there are women much scarier and more dangerous than many brunettes. The same can be said about blondes.

“One actor told me: “Men are afraid of Apeksimov, because not every one of them is ready to play the role of the boyfriend of a femme fatale.”

- You see, they stopped looking at me as a woman. Here's a pretty girl walking down the street, and men pay attention to her. They pay attention to me primarily as a familiar face. You know, how nice it is when some men abroad, who don’t know that I’m a popular artist in Russia, just look at me! The pleasure is unimaginable!

- Are they pestering you?

- Sometimes. But no. They're probably afraid. They see - black... Bitch.

—Have you ever thought about dyeing your hair a different color?

- Color? Everyone knows me as a brunette. Changing your color for me is like having plastic surgery. You know, when an elderly woman undergoes plastic surgery, she still does not become young. It is immediately clear that this is an elderly woman with plastic surgery. So I will be a brunette, but with white hair. But long hair is like a dream. I don't like experimenting with my appearance. I hate and do not allow image makers, stylists to approach me... No one knows me better than me. And may I be the way God created me. I have white skin and black hair. And there is no need to fix it.

— And you prefer black in clothes.

— I buy the clothes that I like. I remember wearing trousers bought for five cents in America for four years in a row. And she adored them not because they cost five cents, but because they were good. Obviously, I haven't been going to thrift stores in recent years. And once I came. I have one favorite store in Los Angeles: I’m ready to buy everything there. It sells clothes from a variety of French fashion designers, no one knows them, but the things are cool, simply unimaginable! I only have a few things from there: it's not a cheap store. In general, I love clothing stores. And in clothes, contrary to popular belief, I prefer a non-rigid style. Of course, I will never wear something soft pink. I also can't stand colored things. Yes, my favorite color is black.

- Which emphasizes an already slender figure. Do you exercise or follow a diet?

— A slender figure is a nervous system in which I cannot sit, lie, or rest. I need to do something all the time. I am not capable of spending two hours of my time on a manicure, pedicure, water baths...

- So what is your recipe for beauty then?

- He's not there. Well, except... I try not to drink every day. True, it hasn’t worked out yet. So I care about my health. Vitamins? No, I don't accept it. I smoke a lot. A pack a day, consistently.

— Did you learn to drive a car easily?

“A couple of friends taught me how to start it and put it in first gear.” I didn’t have the opportunity to travel for a long time, and I learned right away. On the second day of driving, all the electrics in the car caught fire. I remember when I was still a “teapot”, I drove into the “ass” of the head of the traffic police in one of the districts of Moscow. I begged for a long time to let go. My first car was a Moskvich. Not because I dreamed of the 41st Moskvich. I just bought what I had enough money for. Then there were all sorts of Lada cars... And finally I bought myself a BMW. Which I was very happy about. Recently I’ve been driving a black Pontiac. I love black cars. I was more than happy when my beloved man gave me this Pontiac.

— Is a car of this brand the ultimate dream?

- No, I dream of a Jaguar. Black or red. Although... no, only black. The car must be solid - it is not jewelry. The “woman driving” problem? It exists, but it's a little far-fetched. Volga drivers are much more dangerous. These are the ones wearing hats with ear flaps... But if I suddenly see that someone is driving like an idiot, it means a woman is driving.

— How do you react to gossip about yourself? Remember the most stunning one?

— I don’t know much, because, unfortunately, they don’t tell me. But I heard that I lived with Hollywood director Philip Noyce and was his mistress. That's it.

— In your first husband, Valera Nikolaev, did you immediately see the right person?

- No, thank God, not right away. We studied in the same course. I noticed it only after a few months. And then I looked closely for some time.

- What should a man be like for you to pay attention to him?

- He must be a man. At least, it seems to them. I don’t like handsome men, I can’t stand narcissists. He must be confident. This does not mean that he must be rich, but he must be self-sufficient. I hate hypocrisy, greed... In short, I love strong men. Those who make themselves, do not complain or whine about anything.

— Did a real man appear in your life today?

“Maybe I’m afraid I’ll jinx it.”

- Do you need to be looked after beautifully?

- Yes, a woman needs to be looked after beautifully - both at the very beginning of the relationship, and when she has already fallen in love with you. It often happens that they court you incredibly beautifully, truly, in a chivalrous manner, as they write in novels, and when you achieve your goal, where does it all go?.. You know, as one smart woman said: “At first you can give so much money, as much as you consider necessary, but you never have the right to give less later.”

— How does it sound in your interpretation?

- Very simple. If you have already begun to look after me beautifully, be kind, my dear, and continue to do this for the rest of your damned life.

—Are you afraid of family ties?

“I’m afraid that someone will start chaining me to themselves, holding me.” There is no need to do this. The only way to hold me is by not holding me at all. Sometimes you can dictate terms to me. But only if I want it myself. And if not, it’s useless. And about the wedding... Imagine, I think that once in her life a woman should wear a white dress. Once in a lifetime. Let it be a two-day marriage, but you definitely need to wear this white dress. When I look at brides in white dresses, I really regret that I stupidly didn’t have the same one. And marriage... Basically, I don’t really understand what marriage is. On the one hand, I don’t understand why not: if people love each other, then why not legalize their relationship? Nobody says that this is for life! On the other hand, why put stamps?.. In short, it’s a difficult question. But I was never interested in stamps in my passport.

- So you are still against open relationships?!

- What are you talking about, I'm a jealous woman. I don’t know, maybe I could afford myself... an open relationship. I know that this is not love, that this is just a hobby. But I can’t imagine the same from my man.

— According to rumors, Irina Apeksimova is a successful producer. Are you a good businesswoman?

— I have a theater company, my own acting agency, which produces performances. But I'm a bad businesswoman. There are people sitting nearby (points to his mother and friend) who you can rely on in the acting agency. I'm just the head of the panic. This needs to be done - this is a separate profession. And so the problem of getting money in my life always exists. Every second! Finding money for a performance that will never bring huge profits is very difficult.

— Is it true that you and Valera Nikolaev earned your living by tap dancing in nightclubs?

- Yes, you remembered a not very romantic episode from my life. It was the beginning of the nineties, when we had no money, and if we had it, there was nothing to buy with it: nothing was sold in stores. Someone, thank God, invited me and Valera Nikolaev to work in a concert for an additional fee. After that, we began to be invited to cooperative restaurants, where rich people of that time loved to have fun. So we made our living by tap dancing in these restaurants. I already said once that I am ready to work as anyone if I need to earn money. I know the need well. And my child should not need anything. I will even agree to wash the floors, but I will never whine that I have nothing to feed my child. And I was not ashamed to beat this tap dance. I don't have any Soviet complexes.

— Is actress and producer Irina Apeksimova a strict mother?

- I'm the wrong mother. In some ways she is absolutely adamant, but in others she is too soft. Dasha studies at school, at a music school and studies ballet with Gediminas Taranda.

— Will she be an actress or a ballerina?

- No, I don’t wish my daughter the fate of an actress, and especially not a ballerina. Actresses' life spans are too short, and those of ballet dancers are even shorter.

-What would you like more than anything in the world?

“I would like my daughter to grow up strong and independent.” And so that I have the strength and ability to help her.

Biography of Irina Apeksimova

The future actress was born in Volgograd in 1966. Irina’s parents taught music; her brother founded one of the first VIA in the city, and subsequently emigrated to the USA, where he continued his musical career. At the age of eight, Irina witnessed her parents’ divorce and soon went with her mother to live in Odessa.

Since childhood, Irina dreamed of becoming an artist. She sang beautifully and loved to dance. In 1983, the girl was unable to overcome the examination barrier of one of the Moscow theater universities on her first attempt. The reason for this was the Odessa accent. Postponing plans to conquer Moscow for three years, the future movie star honed her skills in the theaters of Odessa and Volgograd.

The year 1986 can be considered fateful for the actress, when she was accepted into the workshop of O.P. Tabakova. The aspiring star’s film debut took place in 1987 in the film “Tower”. Then there were bright films with the participation of Apeksimova: “Limit”, “Little things in life”, the French-Russian “October”, and, finally, “Birthday of the Bourgeois”, which brought wide fame to the actress. In 1990, a graduate of the studio school was accepted into the Chekhov Moscow Art Theater, where she was remembered for her roles in “Uncle Vanya,” “Boris Godunov,” “Woe from Wit,” and “Masquerade.”

The year 2000 was marked by the creation of its own agency, Bal-Ast, which, in collaboration with director Roman Viktyuk, produced several memorable enterprises. At the same time, the actress played in many films and TV series, including “The Cage”, “The Executioner”, “Impostors”, “Death of the Empire”, “Yesenin”, “Game of Truth”, etc.

Irina Apeksimova and Ballantyne designer Yossi Cohen Malakhov and Duma - the “cashmere mafia” in GUM Irina Apeksimova Gosha Kutsenko celebrated his daughter’s birthday together with Irina Zabiyaka Irina Apeksimova with her daughter Opening of the OIFF 2013: Granovskaya, Apeksimova and other stars on the red carpet

The famous star couple Irina Apeksimova and Valery Nikolaev have an 18-year-old daughter, Daria. The girl decided to continue her acting dynasty and entered the Moscow Art Theater School-Studio in the acting department, where her famous parents once studied.... One after another: star children who step on the heels of their parents Irina Apeksimova with her daughter Closing of the MIFF-2019: Navka, Kozhevnikova and other actresses flashed in summer outfits Irina Apeksimova with her daughter Ravshana Kurkova, Sabina Akhmedova, Snezhana Georgieva and other celebrities at the InStyle gala dinner Irina Apeksimova Golden Mask 2020: theater figures received an award

Irina Apeksimova and Vadim Vernik Peresild, Moroz, Ustinova and other guests of the gala dinner of the OK!

Yulia Vysotskaya will also visit the Taganka Theater Yulia Vysotskaya: “My husband said that with a short haircut I looked 15 years younger”

At 50 years old, being the director of two capital theaters at once, Irina Apeksimova continues to actively take care of herself and looks no worse than 10 or even 15 years ago. She only goes out into the world in the company of her daughter, although not often. It is clear that the relationship... Like peers! Star daughters are growing up, and their mothers are getting younger. Like most star daughters, Daria Avratinskaya always looked at her mother with admiration and involuntarily tried to copy her, like her peers! Star daughters are growing up, and their mothers are getting younger Irina Apeksimova (50 years old) and Daria Avratinskaya (21 years old) The daughter of actors Irina Apeksimova and Valery Nikolaev, Daria Avratinskaya (by the way, she took her grandmother’s surname so as not to be associated with famous parents) continued ...Like the same age! Star daughters are growing up, and their mothers are getting younger Irina Apeksimova with her daughter Daria Ball of Tatler magazine: debutante beauties and social guests

Daria Avratinskaya with her mother, Irina Apeksimova Breakfast of Tatler magazine: debutantes and their star mothers met before the ball 21-year-old Daria Avratinskaya, daughter of actors Irina Apeksimova and Valery Nikolaev, became a debutante at the Tatler magazine ball in 2020 Debutantes of the Tatler ball 2020: these star heirs are ready outshine parents Irina Apeksimova with daughter Daria Nikolaeva “Faces of Victory”: stars remembered cult films about the Great Patriotic War Irina Apeksimova with daughter Daria Apeksimova will replace Lyubimov at the Taganka Theater

Irina Apeksimova Apeksimova will replace Lyubimov at the Taganka Theater Irina Apeksimova Apeksimova will replace Lyubimov at the Taganka Theater Irina Apeksimova - one of the most successful Russian actresses Apeksimova will replace Lyubimov at the Taganka Theater

Irina Apeksimova's ex-husband - actor Valery Nikolaev Apeksimova will replace Lyubimov at the Taganka Theater Irina Apeksimova is raising her daughter Daria Nikolaeva, who also followed in the footsteps of famous parents Apeksimova will replace Lyubimov at the Taganka Theater Also, Irina Apeksimova is the director of the Roman Viktyuk Theater Apeksimova will replace Lyubimov at the Taganka Theater Taganka

Irina Apeksimova on the theater stage since 1990 Apeksimova will replace Lyubimov at the Taganka Theater Irina Apeksimova will combine work in two theaters Apeksimova will replace Lyubimov at the Taganka Theater Irina Apeksimova will head the Taganka Theater Apeksimova will replace Lyubimov at the Taganka Theater Daria Nikolaeva with her mother Irina Apeksimova Kirkorov , Topuria and other stars watched the musical “Pola Negri” Irina Apeksimova Reading Moscow: Ernst and Sobchak were inspired by a book about love Irina Apeksimova Zavorotnyuk and 5 other stars who look no older than their daughters Poster for the film “The Game of Truth” Odessa International Film Festival 2013 : what premieres await us? Irina Apeksimova with her daughter “Golden Mask - 2013”: the results of the main theater award in Russia have been summed up Irina Apeksimova Hollywood style! The stars congratulated the film magazine on its birthday

Irina Apeksimova Why did Viktyuk gather stars at night in the theater? Irina Apeksimova Fandera and other stars at The Hollywood Reporter magazine awards Irina Apeksimova Kinotavr-2012: stars at the opening of the festival in Sochi Actress Irina Apeksimova MIFF closing ceremony. Burnt out by the sun, Irina Apeksimova and Alexander Marshal Chanson of the Year: Irina Krug, Stas Mikhailov and other bards received their awards in the Kremlin Irina Apeksimova Bold, but not vulgar: Elizaveta Boyarskaya came out in a dress with a transparent bodice

Irina Apeksimova In Moscow they said goodbye to Oleg Tabakov

Irina Apeksimova Nelly Uvarova appeared in public for the first time in a long time Irina Apeksimova with her daughter The strangest outfits of the stars at the premiere of the film “Gogol. Start"

Valery's second wife was actress Irina Apeksimova. The ex-husband of Irina Apeksimova married a young gymnast.