There have always been many rumors and speculations around her person. Film and theater actress Liliya Zhurkina was the Russian Sophia Loren, as her beauty and charm were simply unearthly. She had a difficult fate in store: she could not boast of being in demand in her profession, and in her personal life there were zigzags and distortions. And yet, meeting the famous actor Evgeny Evstigneev became fateful for the aspiring actress: they loved each other, overcoming all life’s difficulties and troubles together. Lilia Zhurkina died in the prime of her life and left behind not so little - her daughter Masha, who continued the work of her famous parents. What was her path to the Olympus of acting, and why was she unable to fully realize herself in the art of transformation? Let's consider this issue in more detail.
Curriculum Vitae
Liliya Zhurkina was born on October 12, 1937 in the capital of the USSR. The girl's mother, who taught at a regular school, could not have imagined that her beloved child would someday act in films.
And Lilia herself in her youth dreamed of becoming a pilot. She simply idolized Marina Raskova and Lydia Litvyak, dreaming that she too, having matured, would sit at the helm of an airplane. However, the girl was destined for a completely different fate.
Evstigneeva, Liliya Dmitrievna - what is it
Liliya Dmitrievna was born on October 12, 1937 in Moscow. Mother is a primary school teacher. In 1962 she graduated from the School-Studio of the Moscow Art Academic Theater (MKhAT).
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| Tombstone at the actress's grave. | |
From 1963 to 1964 - actress at the Moscow Sovremennik Theater.
Liliya Dmitrievna's first husband was the famous Soviet sculptor Oleg Antonovich Ikonnikov (1927-2004).
In the early 1960s, she began an affair with actor Evgeny Evstigneev, who was married at that time to Galina Volchek. According to the recollections of Liliya Zhurkina herself, when she saw Evstigneev on stage for the first time, she thought: “Lord, what an old and scary man!”[2]. Evstigneev began to court her, and she succumbed, unable to resist his charm.
Soon, both marriages fall apart - Galina Volchek, having learned about her husband’s infidelity, demanded a divorce. Zhurkina managed to get away from Ikonnikov the third time, who categorically did not want to let her go. Liliya Dmitrievna marries Evstigneev, who is 11 years older than her, in 1966, after which she is forced to leave the theater. Family friends noted the extraordinary beauty and charm of Liliya Dmitrievna.
In May 1966, their daughter Maria was born (currently an actress at the Sovremennik Theater, wife of actor Maxim Razuvaev).
After Liliya Dmitrievna and Evgeny Aleksandrovich began to live together, they rented a room from the actor Vladimir Soshalsky, then from Oleg Tabakov, near the Airport metro station[3]. Much later, in the 1970s, they received a separate apartment on Suvorovsky Boulevard.
| The house is noisy, smoky and very interesting. It’s always easy and simple with Liliya Dmitrievna, Evgeniy Alexandrovich’s wife. Beautiful, flirtatious and captivatingly selfless, ready to give whatever you ask. — Semyon Zeltser, friend of the Evstigneev family[4]. |
From 1975 to 1982 - actress of the USSR Gorky Moscow Art Theater. She played little, mostly episodic roles.
At first, Evgeniy Aleksandrovich and Liliya Dmitrievna lived in perfect harmony, but gradually the relationships in the family began to change[4]. She acted in films quite rarely and almost always together with her husband, Evgeny Evstigneev. She had a hard time feeling that she was not in demand in her profession. In the last years of her life, almost every day, she made scandals at home with her husband for any reason. She increasingly blamed Evstigneev for her disorder. I was jealous of his roles and fame. Evstigneev came home to spend the night less and less, citing filming and rehearsals[5].
She was sick with allergies, which turned into psoriasis[5]. In the 1980s, she became seriously ill with osteochondrosis and became addicted to alcohol, trying to drown out the melancholy and pain caused by the disease. She attempted to take her own life several times using pills[6].
Among her closest friends were Moscow Art Theater artists Svetlana Semendyaeva and Marina Dobrovolskaya, and she maintained a relationship with Valentina Talyzina.
| Liliya Zhurkina's acting career will be unsuccessful. She will have to leave Sovremennik - Evstigneev’s two wives will be cramped in one theater. After this, she will stay at home with the child for seven years, only occasionally acting in films. When Evgeniy Aleksandrovich moves to the Moscow Art Theater, Efremov will agree to accept his wife into the troupe. But Lilia will be diagnosed with a serious neurological disease. She will start drinking (also out of envy of her husband’s success). It was very unpleasant for her (in my opinion, it resulted in some kind of complex) that Zhenya had fantastic fame, and she, a most beautiful woman (she really was unusually beautiful in her youth, such an American, Dina Durbin), remained as if on the sidelines . Moreover, with age and illness, she lost her charm and reacted very sharply to the fact that everyone was drawn to Zhenya and wanted to communicate with him. Lilya teased him all the time, hurt him. But he patiently endured everything, tried not to notice her tricks. — Valentina Talyzina[7]. |
Evstigneev tried to treat his wife, transported him from one hospital to another, resorted to the help of psychics, but this did not give a positive result.[8]
Liliya Dmitrievna died in Moscow on August 17, 1986 at the age of 48. She was buried at the Kuntsevo cemetery in Moscow (site no. 10).
After the death of his wife, Evgeny Aleksandrovich Evstigneev suffered a heart attack[4]. In total, they lived together for 23 years, of which they were married for 20 years.
"Failed" teacher
After graduating from school, Liliya Zhurkina decided to choose her mother’s profession and began studying to become a primary school teacher. After receiving her diploma, she began her career as a teacher. Her colleagues in the workshop treated the young specialist with some aloofness. It is quite possible that they were simply jealous of a girl with huge voices and an impeccable waist. One way or another, Liliya Zhurkina devoted several years of her life to teaching at school, but after some time she still realized that this was not her path.
Meeting with the “great”
One day, quite by chance, a girl encounters the famous actor and composer from France, Charles Aznavour, in Moscow.
Their meeting took place shortly before the start of the maestro’s performance. The chanson star immediately invited the teacher to his concert, and after some time invited her to have dinner with him. The meeting with the famous actor predetermined his further choice of profession.
Filmography
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The novel is still developing...
However, at first it was still difficult to believe that the aspiring actress Liliya Zhurkina would live with Evstigneev himself. The fact is that both of them were already connected by marriage. Evgeniy Aleksandrovich was married to a graduate of the Moscow Art Theater School, Galina Volchek, who was one of the significant figures in Sovremennik. Naturally, a love affair on the side could turn out to be fatal for Evstigneev: the actor would not have found a place in the troupe of the theater, to the creation of which Galina Borisovna had a hand.
Liliya Zhurkina, whose personal life at that time was in the best possible shape, was not free either. Her husband was Oleg Ikonnikov, who established himself as a talented sculptor. He adored his wife and never wanted to part with her.
But the romance between Evstigneev and Zhurkina still happened.
One day the troupe of the Sovremennik Theater went to Saratov to shoot the film “A Bridge is Being Built.” It was in this provincial town that Evgeniy and Lilia went for a walk and completely forgot about everything...
Mental and physical pain
After the wedding, the spectacular and talented Liliya Zhurkina had to leave the Sovremennik Theater, where Evstigneev’s ex-wife Galina Volchek still served. However, life gradually got better. Evstigneev and Zhurkina had a daughter, Maria, the couple acquired new housing, and began working together at the Moscow Art Theater. But Liliya Dmitrievna, unlike her husband, only got episodic roles, and even those she most often managed to get with the help of Evstigneev. It is clear that this state of affairs did not contribute to strengthening the family. Soon, against the background of nervous experiences, Zhurkina developed psoriasis. In addition, according to the actress’s daughter, Liliya Dmitrievna developed a neurological disease, in which her whole body ached terribly. More and more often she spent time in bed, facing the wall. Neither doctors nor the then fashionable psychics could help Zhurkina. The artist often drowned out mental and physical pain with alcohol.
"New Family"
Volchek also found out about her husband’s betrayal. During the filming of “A Bridge is Being Built,” she told Lilia that she was not going to interfere with their relationship. But the sculptor Ikonnikov did not want to let go of the beautiful Lily. Several divorce attempts were made. After some time, Zhurkina and Evstigneev got married, naturally, after that the actress could not remain in Sovremennik. The young people did not have their own housing and were forced to wander around rented apartments, living either with the actor Vladimir Soshalsky or with the actor Oleg Tabakov. Only after a while they received separate living space.
Career
The family idyll that reigned in the relationship between Evstigneev and Zhurkina began to fade over time. Evgeniy Aleksandrovich was rarely left without work: directors gladly offered him roles. But his new wife rarely acted in films; she mostly appeared on camera with Evstigneev. More of her was approved for episodic images. However, some films with actress Liliya Zhurkina still replenished the treasury of the domestic cinematography. We are talking, in particular, about such films as “Stunning Berendeev” (I. Voznesensky, 1975), “Old New Year” (N. Ardashnikov, O. Efremov, 1980), “Still I Love, Still Hope” (N. Lyrchikov, 1984). The actress's filmography includes about 17 film roles.
Naturally, she couldn't stand the fact that she didn't have much work to do on set. She began to have quarrels with her husband. Lily was distracted from her painful thoughts by the birth of her daughter Masha. For seven whole years she plunged headlong into the process of motherhood, only occasionally appearing on television.
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However, he thought that Galina would forgive him, but she quickly packed her bags and kicked him out the door, and he did nothing to make peace.
This ended the family life of Evstigneev and Volchek, which lasted nine years. Galina took the breakup very hard, but was able to maintain a good relationship with her ex-husband even after the divorce.
State of hopelessness
When Evgeniy Aleksandrovich decides to leave Sovremennik and move to the Moscow Art Theater, he will ask Oleg Efremov to find a job for his wife. But soon doctors will diagnose Liliya Zhurkina with neuralgia, and the path to the stage will be closed for her. The lack of demand for acting will be a real blow for her. The press will write that the actress will move away from her husband, whom she was jealous of, and will become addicted to alcohol. Over time, her former beauty will begin to disappear, and her illness will only worsen her state of mind. Journalists began to write that Liliya Zhurkina (actress) was jealous of the fame and success that her husband achieved. However, Evgeny Alexandrovich did not pay any attention to his wife’s reproaches and tricks. She even began to hear rumors that Evstigneev was cheating on her, and this “breaks her spirit” even more.
last years of life
Of course, Evstigneev made every attempt to help his wife get rid of the disease.
The actor took her to hospitals, even turned to psychics, but everything was in vain. In the summer of 1986, Evgeniy Alexandrovich’s wife died. She was buried at the Kuntsevo cemetery in the capital. One way or another, many viewers still remember who Liliya Zhurkina is. What was the cause of the actress’s death? This question is not fully clarified today: various versions have been put forward. Some claim that the early death of Evstigneev’s wife is the result of an addiction to alcohol and an illness. Others say that Lilia died in her prime because she was very worried about the lack of demand in the acting profession. However, these are not all the rumors about why Liliya Zhurkina suddenly passed away. The cause of death is suicide. There is such a point of view, but how true it is is unknown.
