Biography
Elena Dobronravova was destined to become an actress, because she was born into a family of famous Moscow Art Theater members - Boris and Maria Dorbonravov. After graduating from school as a gold medalist, Elena entered the Studio School named after. Nemirovich-Danchenko, but studied there only until the third year.
In the photo: Elena Dobronravova
They say that the reason for the transition to “Pike” was the character of the future actress. Elena could calmly interrupt the teacher, believing that he was not competent enough, or disrupt classes by taking the group to a play rehearsal.
In the film "Kremlin Courier"
Having received her diploma, Elena came to the theater. Vakhtangov, where she immediately became a sought-after actress. The entire creative biography of Elena Borisovna was connected with this theater, on the stage of which she embodied many images from classical and modern plays.
In the photo: actress on the theater stage
From the very beginning, she was trusted to play the main roles, and while Ruben Simonov was the director, Dobronravova was one of the most sought-after theater actresses.
“Her main quality is unprecedented beauty and unusual thinking,” recalls Vasily Lanovoy about the actress.
She appeared on stage in Hamlet, Foma Gordeev, Princess Turandot and other famous performances.
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Elena Borisovna began acting in films immediately after graduating from university, and her first role was Katya Travnikova in “Big Family,” which immediately brought the actress popularity and an award at the Cannes Film Festival.
In the photo: Elena Dobronravova in the film “Big Family”
There was no other similar role in Elena Dobronravova’s career, although she approached every role, even the smallest one, with great responsibility and always played perfectly.
A huge professional tragedy for Elena Borisovna was her two failed roles, which could have taken her to a higher level. The first of them is Veronica in “The Cranes Are Flying.”
In the photo: Elena Dobronravova in the film “Golden Echelon”
The author of the story on which the film was based, Viktor Rozov, immediately liked Dobronravova, but the director of the film, Mikhail Kalatozov, decided that she was a little too old for this role and preferred student Tatyana Samoilova.
“Dobronravova looks too respectable,” Kalatozov said.
This refusal unsettled the actress, and in order to escape from bitter thoughts, she plunged into work. Unfortunately, that unpleasant episode was almost identically repeated in the fate of Elena Borisovna several years later.
"The City Lights Up"
She could become the star of one of the most popular films - “Officers”, starring in the role of Lyuba Trofimova. The actress was let down by her self-confidence and habit of arguing with directors. The fact is that Dobronravova insisted that Lyuba respond to Ivan Varabbas’ feelings, and the director of the film did not like this.
As a result, Dobronravova, who managed to star in several episodes, was shown the door, and Alina Pokrovskaya was approved instead. This incident became the cause of severe depression into which the actress fell; she became withdrawn and tried to communicate less with friends and acquaintances.
In the theater, things were not going well for Elena Borisovna either - after the death of the former director Ruben Simonov, she had to be content with only supporting roles, and this only intensified her depressive state.
Film roles
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Now let's look at the filmography of the actress. Elena Dobronravova played Katya Travnikova in the film “Big Family” in 1954. In 1956 she received the role of Solomiya in the film “Three Hundred Years”. In 1958 she played Valya Ostrogorskaya in the film “City”. In 1959 she received the role of Nadya in the film “Golden Echelon”. In 1962 she played Agnia in the film Tomorrow's Concerns. In 1965 she received the role of Frosya Mekhotneva in the film “Workers' Village”. In 1966, she played Vilma Martinelli in the film They Knew. In 1967 she worked on the film “Kremlin Courier”. In 1968 she played the duchess in the film “Portrait”. She worked on the film "The Shield". In 1969, she played Vasin’s mother in the film “Accused.” She received the role of Nina Savina, Kraft’s school friend, in the film “The Tale”. In 1970 she played Elena in the film “Mission”. In 1972 she received the role of Svetlana Ivanovna Vedenina in the film “Commander”. In 1974 she played Elena Nikolaevna in the film “Moscow”. In 1975, she received the role of Olga in the film “My Mocking Happiness.” In 1976 she played Anna Sergeevna in the film “Here”. In 1978 she received the role of de Rosier in the film “Summer”. In 1979, she played the queen in the film This Fantastic World. In 1980 she received the role of Octavia in the film “Antony”. She worked on the film “Great Magic”. She played a registry office employee in the film “Melody.” She played Legrain's secretary in the film "Tehran-43".
Personal life of the actress
Due to the fact that the actress was a rather secretive person, very little is known about Elena Dobronravova’s personal life. She was married, but there were no children in this marriage. Elena Dobronravova's husband was Eduard Shim, a writer from whose pen many famous works came out for both children and adults.
Eduard Yuryevich wrote stories published in popular newspapers and magazines, and films were made from his scripts. The actress's marriage could be called happy - Shim introduced her to a circle of interesting people, everyday problems bypassed her - the housekeeper cleaned and cooked the house.
It is not known why this marriage broke up, perhaps due to the lack of children, or perhaps there were other reasons, for example, the fact that the main thing in the actress’s life was the theater, to which she devoted all her time.
Cause of death of Elena Dobronravova
In recent years, Elena Dobronravova’s personal life was bleak - the actress was lonely and was sick a lot. She kept her social circle to a minimum; her former theater colleagues almost forgot about her.
Undoubtedly, Elena Borisovna’s condition was influenced by the failures that haunted her in her creative biography - she was given practically no roles in the theater; she last acted in films in the eightieth year in the small role of a secretary in the film “Tehran-43”.
Lack of demand and lack of opportunity to realize her extraordinary talent took their toll; Dobronravova was almost constantly in a state of depression, illnesses haunted her, and this ultimately became the cause of the death of this wonderful actress.
She died in ninety-nine at the age of sixty-six and was buried at the Novodevichy cemetery.
Forgotten Soviet actresses with a difficult fate
Not all representatives of the acting profession cope with the challenges that life presents to them. Some people overcome them and continue on the path to fame, while others go to great lengths and try to relieve their inner pain with the help of alcohol and drugs. In the lives of artists, illness, loss of loved ones and unhappy love also happen. Teleprogramma.pro remembered some Soviet actresses with tragic biographies.
Elena Dobronravova
Still from the film
Dobronravova was the daughter of Moscow Art Theater artists Boris and Maria Dobronravova. After graduating from the Shchukin School, she entered the service at the Vakhtangov Theater. And, it would seem, everything should have turned out well for her. At first it was so: she made her debut in the film “Big Family” by Joseph Kheifits. However, he did not bring her popularity. Later, she took part in the casting for the role of Veronica in “The Cranes Are Flying,” but the director appointed Tatyana Samoilova to the main role, explaining his decision by saying that Dobronravova was too respectable for this job. Of course, this was a serious blow to the artist’s self-esteem. Later she starred in the films “The City Lights Up,” “Golden Echelon,” “Moscow, My Love” and many others. But she never fulfilled the main role in her life - mother and wife. Dobronravova was never married - she did not want to waste her time on fleeting romances, and she never met great love. In the last years of her life, Elena Borisovna was seriously ill and hardly communicated with anyone.
Valentina Serova
A still from the film
The Magnificent Soviet Artist Serova was the lover of Konstantin Simonov. It was to her that he dedicated his famous poem “Wait for Me.” The relationship between the writer and the actress never worked out (they were married for some time and their daughter Maria was born in 1950). The star of such films as “A Girl with Character”, “Hearts of Four”, “Wait for Me”, “Immortal Garrison”, “Vanyushin’s Children” and others had an addiction - Valentina Serova abused alcohol. Her first husband was a pilot, hero of the Spanish Civil War, Stalin's favorite Anatoly Serov. He died in 1939. Then the actress carried their son under her heart, whom she named after her father. Alcohol became the main problem of the famous actress. She disrupted performances and showed up drunk to filming. She had a very difficult relationship with her mother, actress Klavdia Polovikova, who was jealous of her daughter’s fame. Anatoly Serov Jr. also became addicted to alcohol over time and died at the age of 35. Valentina Serova passed away in December 1975.
Kyunna Ignatova
Still from the film
Ignatova was born in 1934 in Moscow, in the family of an academician (Yakut by nationality) and a ballerina. The actress was a woman of amazing beauty. She shone on Soviet screens in the mid-20th century in such films as “Lyana”, “The Tale of the Newlyweds”, “The Fighter and the Clown”, “The Long Way and Others”. In 1961, she left the Moscow Drama and Comedy Theater for the Moscow Art Theater, where she met her second husband (the actress was married three times in total), artist Vladimir Belokurov. This meeting became fatal for Kunna - Belokurov drank heavily and introduced his wife to alcohol. In the end they broke up, but the terrible addiction turned out to be stronger than the fragile actress. They say that she suffered from a lack of opportunities to realize her talent. In 1988, Ignatova did not show up for the performance. Colleagues found her unconscious in her apartment. Two days later she passed away in the hospital.
Victoria Fedorova
Still from the film
Victoria Fedorova, the daughter of disgraced actress Zoya Fedorova and an American military man, lived a very difficult life. She starred in two dozen films, including the films “Goodbye, Boys!”, “Returned Music”, “About Love”, “Literature Lesson” and other films. She was raised by her mother's sister, since Zoya Fedorova was convicted and sent to a camp. Together with her aunt, the girl lived in a small village in northern Kazakhstan. The first time Victoria saw Zoya Alekseevna was when she was 10 years old. Later, Fedorova left for America, but was never able to find herself overseas. In 1981, Zoya Fedorova was found murdered in her own apartment. Then Victoria was not allowed into the USSR for her mother’s funeral. The funeral event was filmed and the film was sent to her. Victoria Fedorova wrote an autobiographical book about herself and her parents. She passed away in 2012. The cause of her death was a terrible disease - lung cancer.
The list of actresses with a tragic fate can also include Natalya Kustinskaya, Marina Ladynina, Alexandra Zavyalova, Tamara Nosova and many others.
