early years
On September 26, 1940, the future actress Lyudmila Vasilievna Maksakova was born in Moscow. She was born into the family of Maria Petrovna Maksakova, the famous Soviet opera singer and leading soloist of the Bolshoi Theater. The girl’s father is also a Bolshoi artist, baritone Alexander Volkov. Despite the birth of his daughter, he did not want to start a family with Maria Petrovna, and just two years after Lyuda’s birth he emigrated to the USA. The article presents a childhood photo of Lyudmila Maksakova with her mother.
Due to a break with her lover, Maria Petrovna did not register her daughter under his last name and patronymic. The singer’s maiden name was Sidorova, and Maksakov was her first husband, who died in 1936. After him, Maria Petrovna was married again - her second husband died in 1938, but she did not change her last name from her first husband. Most likely, by registering her daughter under the name Maksakova, Maria Petrovna wanted to honor the memory of her beloved husband, even though he had nothing to do with Lyudmila Vasilyevna. And the mother simply came up with the middle name “Vasilievna”.
From the first grade, in addition to studying at a comprehensive school, Lyudmila Maksakova also had to attend a music school - her mother insisted on this. The girl studied vocals and playing the cello, but she was not at all interested in music - Lyudmila’s heart gravitated towards the stage. After graduating from high school, she decided to enter theater school.
Childhood and family
Lyudmila Maksakova was born in Moscow on September 26, 1940.
She is the daughter of the famous opera singer Maria Maksakova (nee Sidorova) and singer Alexander Volkov, who refused to acknowledge paternity. The mother's friend, Vasily Novikov, who served in the state security agencies, agreed to give the girl a middle name. It was thanks to Novikov’s help during the war that the singer, with her little daughter in her arms, was able to evacuate to Astrakhan, where she was born and where her parents lived.
Lyudmila Maksakova in her youth
Lyudmila's mother told her who her real father was when she had already become an adult. About the further fate of her biological father, Luda was only able to find out that he emigrated to the USA, where he died of an incurable disease.
Maria Petrovna gave birth to Luda at an adult age - she was almost forty. Having previously experienced two unsuccessful marriages, she never married again, but gave all her love and care to her daughter. Subsequently, Lyudmila will say that she found the guardianship excessive. When Luda graduated from school, her mother was already a famous artist, and her mother’s authority and her reputation, which she had to live up to, seemed to hang over the girl.
Young Lyudmila Maksakova
The mother dreamed of a career as a translator for her daughter and mentally saw her among the students of the prestigious Maurice Thorez Institute, but fate decreed otherwise. Family legend says that Luda saw a play in French on TV and began to dream about the stage, but in the program “Alone with Everyone,” the actress admitted that, growing up in a creative environment and communicating with her mother’s friends, among whom were artists and directors, she I always dreamed of becoming an actress.
Maria Petrovna was an authoritarian person; Lyudmila was forbidden to use cosmetics and return home late. Having entered the Shchukin School, she disobeyed her mother for the first time and never regretted it.
Students
Most people who want to enroll in the acting department audition at all theater universities, hoping that this way they have a better chance of getting into “at least somewhere.” But Lyudochka Maksakova did not want to go “anywhere”, and was not going to waste her energy on several auditions. She decided that she wanted to study at the Shchukin Theater School - which means she would audition only there, but would show herself in all her glory. And so it happened - Maksakova was accepted on the first try.
But from the very first year, Lyuda did not justify the trust of the admissions committee - student life captivated the girl so much that she completely abandoned her studies. She came to her senses only in her third year, when she—one of the entire course—was not accepted for acting practice. Bitter resentment forced student Maksakova to come to her senses and study, and by the beginning of her fourth year she was able to join the ranks of the first female students.
The aspiring actress graduated in 1961 - her graduation role was the role of Nicole in the play “The Bourgeois in the Nobility” based on the play by Jean-Baptiste Molière.
Student years
Entering the Shchukin Institute, the singer’s daughter coped with great competition and was enrolled in the course of the famous actor V. A. Etush. The first steps towards an acting career were not easy for her. The girl experienced particular difficulties when searching for images: from herself, not from herself... at one moment it seemed to her that she was losing herself and the chosen direction. It’s good that a classmate recommended hiring a tutor.
At the same time, the girl began to transform her appearance: she lightened her hair to platinum blonde, wore bright makeup, and took friends to visit. Among her fans was V. Vysotsky.
“We wrapped a 7-string guitar, as rare as a Stradivari violin, in silk fabric and hung it in the toilet,” shares the actress. “Once Vysotsky, leaving the toilet, asked: “What is this unusual thing hanging there?” "Guitar. We decided to preserve it in such a way that it would not dry out.” “I will be glad if you put her in good hands!” I handed the instrument to Vladimir, and he used it throughout his life.
Theater roles
After graduating, Lyudmila Maksakova became an actress at the Vakhtangov Theater. Her first big role was the heroine of the cult play “Princess Turandot,” the favorite of Princess Adelma. Maksakova's premiere in the role of the Tatar princess took place in 1963, and she did it brilliantly. It was here that the actress first demonstrated the flexibility of her talent, easily moving from comedy to tragedy, and from tragedy to farce.
The next stage success came to Lyudmila Maksakova only in 1976 - in the play “Summer in Nohant” she embodied the complex and contradictory image of the great writer George Sand.
In 1983, the actress first performed the role that is cherished for any actress - Anna Karenina. After the premiere, Lyudmila Vasilievna received many positive reviews and was named one of the best performers of this role. The actress played another classic role, namely Lyubov Ranevskaya in the play “The Cherry Orchard”, in 2003 - but not on the stage of the Vakhtangov Theater, but in the Lithuanian drama theater Meno Fortas. In the photo in the article is Lyudmila Maksakova as Anna Karenina.
To date, the last in the list of Maksakova’s theatrical images is the role of the Lady in the 2020 play called “Minetti”.
Movies
The gifted actress made her film debut in 1964, playing in the film “Once Upon a Time There Were an Old Man and an Old Woman.” During the filming process, it turned out that the camera loves Lyudmila. She looked great on screen and harmoniously transformed into the character. Soon after this, famous Soviet directors began to invite the actress to films.
Lyudmila Maksakova in the film “Tatiana’s Day”
The artist’s filmography was replenished with the film “Tatiana’s Day,” where Maksakova played the role of Tatyana Ogneva. To this day, Lyudmila Vasilievna calls this role her favorite. Her masterful performances also graced the films “A Bad Good Man,” “Not Under Judgment,” and others.
Maksakova’s career in cinema took off in the 1980s. Then she played in the film “Father Sergius” and the operetta film “The Bat”. The role of Rosalind in “Die Fledermaus” was bathed in popular love among the audience of the USSR.
The actress continues to act in films to this day. So, from 2012 to 2016, she played in the popular TV series “Kitchen”.
Lyudmila Maksakova in the series “Kitchen”
In the project, the woman appeared as the despotic mother of sous-chef Leva, who controls her adult son and does not give him freedom. But in the end, the mother accepts the young man’s choice and allows him to leave with his beloved.
Another prominent role was played by Lyudmila in the mini-series “Doctor Death”. The character of Maksakova was the mother of the main character played by Yuri Chursin. According to the plot, Egor Tyulpanov is a heart surgeon from God, but due to accusations of medical error, the man was forced to leave the hospital for a veterinary clinic. Yegor’s wife also leaves him, and his brother is trying to pin a gambling debt on Tyulpanov. To forget himself, a young man gets drunk and meets former policeman Koshuba, who is obsessed with revenge: bandits killed his family. And after some time, life brings Yegor together with the gangster authority Khvat, who is behind the death of Koshuba’s relatives.
Lyudmila Maksakova and Yuri Chursin in the series “Doctor Death”
In addition to Lyudmila Maksakova and Yuri Chursin, the film stars Svetlana Ivanova, Dmitry Ulyanov, Mikhail Gorevoy and others.
Today, Lyudmila Vasilievna is the owner of a number of prestigious titles and awards: in 1971 she received the status of Honored Artist of the RSFSR, in 1980 - People's Artist of the RSFSR. In addition, in 1996, the actress was awarded the Order of the fourth degree “For Services to the Fatherland.” Maksakova has the status of professor at the Shchukin Theater Institute.
Creativity in cinema
Lyudmila Vasilyevna’s film debut was the role of the girl Nina, the daughter of the main characters in the 1964 film “Once Upon a Time There Were an Old Man and an Old Woman.” But this role did not bring her much success.
Everything changed in 1967 - after playing the role of revolutionary Tanya Ogneva in the film “Tatiana’s Day,” Maksakova woke up as a star. They began to recognize her on the street, asked for autographs, and wrote letters. The prototype of the heroine was a real woman, the organizer of the youth revolutionary movement Liza Pylaeva. In Soviet times, playing the role of revolutionary leaders was a very responsible matter - there was no way to show such a person in a bad light. But the actress did a great job, gaining lifelong popularity for this image.
Another famous film work of Maksakova was Nadezhda Fedorovna from the 1973 film “A Bad Good Man.” Together with the actress, significant actors of that time starred in this film - Anatoly Papanov, Oleg Dal and Vladimir Vysotsky.
No less famous are the roles of Lyudmila Vasilievna in the films “The Bat” (1979) and “Ten Little Indians” (1987).
Over a career spanning more than half a century, Lyudmila Maksakova has played about forty characters in films. By the beginning of the 2000s, her popularity had decreased somewhat, but the actress reminded viewers of herself by playing the mother of one of the main characters in the popular TV series “Kitchen” (2012-2016). To date, the last film in which Maksakova took part is “Attraction” - she got the role of the grandmother of the main character. The film was released in 2017.
Lyudmila Maksakova now
Lyudmila Vasilievna continues to play in the theater and act in films; in 2017, Maksakova played the role of the grandmother of the main character in Fyodor Bondarchuk’s fantasy “Attraction”. "VMayakovsky" - trailer 2019 In the arthouse experimental drama "VMayakovsky", a special screening of which took place at the Angleterre Hotel in March 2019, the actress played the role of Lily Brik, who has reached old age and lives in Paris. Young Lilya was played by Chulpan Khamatova, and Yuri Kolokolnikov tried to embody the sacred image of the great poet-tribune.
Personal life
Lyudmila Maksakova first got married at the age of 30. Her husband was the famous artist Lev Zbarsky. They married in 1970 and divorced a year later. In the same year, Lyudmila gave birth to a son, Maxim, but he never saw his own father - in 1971, Zbarsky emigrated to the USA, repeating the story of the actress’s father. Maxim Maksakov is notorious for his fraudulent transactions and theft of the state budget.
In 1974, Lyudmila Vasilievna married a German scientist and businessman Peter Andreas Igenbergs. In 1977, the couple had a daughter, Maria, who became the full namesake of her grandmother Maria Petrovna Maksakova. At first, she even repeated her grandmother’s career, achieving success on the opera stage. But soon Maria Maksakova-Igenbergs decided to become a State Duma deputy from the United Russia party. She currently lives in Ukraine and actively supports the policies of this country. In the photo in the article are Lyudmila and Maria Maksakov.
Lyudmila Vasilievna has only two children, and six grandchildren. Three from his son Maxim - Peter, Anna and Vasilisa, and three from his daughter Maria - Lyudmila, Ilya and Ivan. In addition, the actress is already a great-grandmother twice - not so long ago her son acquired grandchildren Anatoly and Arkady.
The year 2018 filled the biography of Lyudmila Maksakova with personal tragedy - her beloved husband Peter Igenbergs died. The actress became a widow after 44 years of marriage. Lyudmila and Peter look like an ideal couple in the photo.
“Knocked a man down and ran away?”
Lyudmila Vasilievna Maksakova, daughter of Maria Petrovna. Prima of the Vakhtangov Theater.
Strictness in education and restrictions in entertainment led to the opposite result in the life of young Lyudmila Maksakova. Having entered drama school, contrary to her mother’s advice, to become a translator and graduate from a foreign language, the aspiring actress began experimenting with her appearance. She dyed her hair and was fond of bright makeup. The taste of freedom was sweet. Lyudmila had little interest in studying. Student parties were much more attractive. It’s no wonder that the beauty quickly got married. For her sake, the artist Zbarsky even left his fashion model wife.
Lev and Lyudmila were young, loved each other and their friends. There were always guests in the house. The actress went grocery shopping, cooked, and washed dishes. At the same time, the artist demanded that she take care of herself, and he himself was jealous and often started scandals. None of them wanted to register officially.
As Lyudmila Vasilievna later said, the talented artist never had 15 rubles for a stamp in his passport. And she always had a lot of work.
Lyudmila Maksakova, 1966 Photo: RIA Novosti/Vitaly Armand
At the age of 29, Lyudmila became pregnant. It was hard to carry Maxim. And when he was born, Leo had to adopt him. He gave the boy his middle name and last name. However, the relationship with Lyudmila very soon faded away. She returned to her mother, Lev decided to emigrate to America.
My mother's mistakes taught me nothing. Fate wanted Lyudmila to learn from her own experience. And the life of the son of an emigrant in the Soviet Union would hardly have been happy. Most likely, he would not have been accepted into a decent institute or given a good job. Abroad would certainly be closed to him. This is how Lyudmila Maksakova reasoned before going to the registry office and... submitting documents for the de-adoption of Maxim Zbarsky. She rewrote her son's name. Lev left safely and did not have to pay alimony for 15 years in advance before leaving, as required by Soviet law. He simply didn't have that kind of money. Lev Zbarsky never even called his son. Not long ago the artist passed away.
With a small child in her arms, Lyudmila continued her search for personal happiness. But the second bright novel was also overshadowed by tragedy.
met Mikael Tariverdiev at the Akter sanatorium. Handsome, impressive, dressed to the nines, the owner of water skis and a Volga with a deer on the hood, the composer immediately made an impression on the actress. Both were free and ready for new romantic relationships. They only lasted three years. The beautiful fairy tale ended with a car accident in which a young stranger was injured. The young man ran across Leningradsky Prospekt near the Sovetskaya Hotel - a girl was waiting for him on the other side - and found himself under the wheels of Tariverdiev’s car.
The story that happened to the composer and actress became the basis for the script of Eldar Ryazanov’s “Station for Two.” They talked a lot about her in those years. But how it really happened, Lyudmila Maksakova and the widow Mikaela Tariverdieva tell differently.
The widow says that Lyudmila was driving, and Mikael, like a decent noble man, took the blame upon himself. The actress assures that there were a lot of witnesses - Tariverdiev himself drove the car. As Lyudmila Vasilievna said, the worst thing that night was that Mikael did not stop, but even increased speed. Apparently there was a shock. And only when some military man caught up with them and shouted: “What, you bastard, knocked down a man and ran away?!”, Tariverdiev turned around and drove to the crime scene. The composer had a famous lawyer, and he was given a suspended sentence. However, that story ruined Tariverdiev’s life. Having suffered several heart attacks, he died quite early.
German citizen, Latvian Peter Paul Andreas Igenbergs , whose ancestors once left Tsarist Russia, became the first and only legal husband of Lyudmila Maksakova. A physicist and businessman, Peter worked in Moscow. According to one version, they met by chance, at the entrance. And there the man proposed to the actress. According to another version, they finally met in the apartment - at a party on the occasion of Maksakova’s conferment of the title of “honored”. However, this just doesn’t matter.
Lyudmila Maksakova. Photo: RIA Novosti/Vladimir Vyatkin
For a year and a half, Peter and Lyudmila looked closely at each other. Although, maybe she was looking closely. And he was so persistent from the very beginning that he was ready to run to the registry office almost the next day. As a result, he “starved out.” And when they submitted an application to Griboedovsky, they began to get on their nerves and demand the most incredible certificates about relatives up to the seventh generation.
Finally, Peter and Lyudmila signed. Although in 1974, marriage with a foreigner was considered almost a betrayal of the homeland. And her colleagues reacted differently to her marriage. Only a few found the strength to sincerely rejoice. Mostly, they were jealous. And many simply stopped communicating with her. For the upcoming tour to Greece, her name was not on the list. She became restricted from traveling abroad. They stopped inviting her to filming and photo tests. My husband had problems getting in and out. Once, when Maria Petrovna Maksakova was dying, they did not want to let him into the Union, and Lyudmila Vasilievna called Gromyko’s assistant. If my husband is not given a visa, I will throw myself out of the window,” she shouted into the phone. And Peter managed to say goodbye to his mother-in-law.
Only in this marriage, Lyudmila Maksakova later admitted, did she feel truly happy. Only with Peter did I understand what it means to be “like behind a stone wall.” He raised Maxim as his own son, although the “good people”, of course, told the truth. And on July 24, 1977, in Munich, the couple had a daughter, who was named in honor of Maria Petrovna.
Lyudmila Maksakova as Jocasta in the play Oedipus the King. Photo: RIA Novosti/Vladimir Fedorenko
Scandalous cases
In the life of Lyudmila Maksakova, there are often events that cause public outcry. The actress's first scandal occurred in the mid-60s. At that time, she was in a romantic relationship with composer Mikael Tariverdiev, and one night the young people were driving in a car. Suddenly, a drunk passer-by appeared on their way - the car did not have time to brake, and the man was hit. Lyudmila was driving, but Tariverdiev took the blame on himself - he was sentenced to two years in prison. Later, Tariverdiev told his friend, director Eldar Ryazanov, about this incident, and he, in turn, included the incident in the plot of his film “Station for Two.”
In 2020, Lyudmila Vasilievna became a guest on the program “Alone with Everyone.” She communicated with the presenter Yulia Menshova very impolitely and frankly answered her questions in a boorish manner. Immediately after the program aired, the actress’s behavior was very actively discussed online. Even fans who were accustomed to Maksakova’s behavior agreed that this time she had gone too far.
The most recent case that struck the public was the actress’s statement regarding the murder of her son-in-law Denis Voronenkov in March 2020. Here's what Lyudmila Maksakova personally said about this:
Well, thank you God. What else can you do with it? Thank you God that, in the end, the person who was so mean... He is a military man, he would have been shot for treason long ago.
Present tense
A film about the life of the poet Vladimir Mayakovsky will be released in the near future. Lyudmila Maksakova will appear in it as the elderly Lily Brik, the poet’s legendary muse.
At the end of September 2020, rumors appeared about the upcoming wedding of Lyudmila Vasilievna with her longtime friend, actor Stanislav Sadalsky. Stanislav Yurievich himself stated this, but it is possible that he was just joking.
