Who is Lyudmila Kasatkina? The biography and cause of death of this amazingly talented Soviet actress is still of interest to a huge number of fans around the globe. The films in which she played were wildly successful. She could do everything: tame tigers, call fire on herself, capture men's hearts. Unbending, charming, fragile, she walked through life with a smile on her lips and tried to overcome all difficulties along the way with her head held high. The biography of Lyudmila Kasatkina is completely shrouded in secrecy. Let's open it up.
Biography
The biography and personal life of Lyudmila Kasatkina begins with the fact that she was born on May 15, 1925 in the village of Novoye Selo, which at that time was located in the Smolensk province. Soon, Lyudmila’s parents, Varvara Nikolaevna and Ivan Alekseevich Kasatkin, had to urgently move to the capital. After moving to Moscow, Lyuda showed her talent from an early age. She was best at dance elements, which is why her parents sent her to the choreographic studio of the famous S. T. Shatsky Academy.
The future actress began her creative career as a ballerina. At about 11 years old, Lyudmila Kasatkina won the hearts of spectators on the big stage, but an injury received at the age of 14 forever crossed out her career and dream of professional ballet. After this, Kasatkina thought for a long time about her future and after some time decided to part with drama and go to the theater.
Kasatkina's early life
After graduating from secondary school, the biography and personal life of Lyudmila Kasatkina went in the “right” direction and she firmly decided to enter the theater institute. The choice fell on the State Institute of Theater Arts, where Kasatkina entered without any problems. She proved herself to be a very talented applicant and after passing all the exams she was enrolled in the troupe of the Soviet Army Theater. There Lyudmila Ivanovna worked all her life, receiving the title of professor and teaching acting to the current generation. The most popular roles came in classic productions, for example, “The Taming of the Shrew” or “Broadway Charades.”
Notes[ | ]
- Kasatkina Lyudmila Ivanovna // Great Soviet Encyclopedia: [in 30 volumes] / ed. A. M. Prokhorov - 3rd ed. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia, 1969.
- ↑ 12
Internet Movie Database (English) - 1990. - Lyudmila Kasatkina died
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 Kasatkina L. I., Kolosov S. N.
Fate for two. Memories in dialogues. - M.: Young Guard, 2005. - P. 11-16, 26-29. — 368 p. — ISBN 5-235-02788-4. - Cultural heritage of the land of Smolensk | Smolensk and Smolensk region | Red Book of the Smolensk Region - Lyudmila Ivanovna Kasatkina (inaccessible link)
- ↑ 12
Cinema: Encyclopedic Dictionary / Ch. ed. S. I. Yutkevich. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia, 1987. - P. 174. - 832 p. - Sergey Kudryavtsev.
General list of leaders of Soviet film distribution by year (1940-1961)
(unspecified)
(November 14, 2009). - ↑ 1 2 Vladimir Trofimov
. “We have no right to forget” (published in the magazine “Siberian Lights”, 2007, No. 5). Non-profit literary Internet project “Magazine Hall” // magazines.russ.ru (Accessed March 20, 2012). - Lyudmila Kasatkina. Tamer (undefined)
.
Channel One
(2018). - MR7 about Kasatkina’s death (inaccessible link)
- Lyudmila Kasatkina died at the age of 87, February 22, 2012, vesti.ru
- Lyudmila Kasatkina will be buried at the Novodevichy cemetery next to her husband.
- 02/28/2012 Lyudmila Kasatkina was buried at the Novodevichy cemetery with military honors.
- Great Russian Encyclopedia: In 30 volumes / Chairman of scientific editor. Council Yu. S. Osipov. Rep. edited by S. L. Kravets. T. 14. Kireev - Congo. - M.: Great Russian Encyclopedia, 2009. - 751 p.: ill.: map.
- Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR of December 16, 1964 “On conferring honorary titles of the RSFSR to artists of the Central Theater of the Soviet Army”
- Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of March 7, 1975 “On awarding the honorary title of People’s Artist of the USSR to L. I. Kasatkina”
- Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the RSFSR dated December 23, 1976 No. 677 “On the awarding of the 1976 State Prizes of the RSFSR in the field of literature, art and architecture.”
- Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of March 23, 2000 No. 542 “On awarding state awards of the Russian Federation to workers of the Central Academic Theater of the Russian Army”
- Decree of the President of the Russian Federation dated May 15, 2005 No. 542 On awarding the Order of Merit to the Fatherland, III degree, to L.I. Kasatkina.
- Decree of the President of the Russian Federation dated May 15, 2010 No. 607 On awarding the Order of Merit to the Fatherland, II degree, to L.I. Kasatkina.
- Decree of the President of the Russian Federation dated June 21, 1995 No. 622 On awarding state awards of the Russian Federation to employees of joint-stock companies, enterprises and organizations
- Gazette of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. – M.: Publication of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, 1967. – No. 44 (November 1). – 681 – 716 p. – [Articles 586 – 605].
- Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of March 17, 1980 1746-X “On awarding orders and medals of the USSR to a group of workers of the Central Academic Theater of the Soviet Army”
- Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of May 14, 1985 2439-XI “On awarding the People's Artist of the USSR L.I. Kasatkina. Order of Lenin"
- Order of the Moscow Government No. 1728-RP dated August 14, 2007 “On awarding the Certificate of Honor of the Moscow Government”
"Tiger Tamer"
After the release of the film, Lyudmila Kasatkina received a lot of criticism. She was given the nickname "pigalitsa", which means small bird. Spectators and journalists explained this by the fact that Kasatkina had a unique appearance. The actress's height was 159 cm with low weight and a miniature figure. In the biography and personal life of Lyudmila Kasatkina, a photo of her miniature figure is shown and discussed more than once.
If you look at the title of the film, the plot of this film immediately becomes clear. But the original script did not involve interaction between Kasatkina and the tigers. All actions with aggressive animals had to be performed by professional circus worker Margarita Nazarova.
When editing the film, the directors began to notice that the absence of the main character had a bad effect on the overall picture of the film and they urgently needed to shoot several shots with Kasatkina’s participation. After this, Lyudmila still had to talk face to face with the tigers. Subsequently, the film's developers said that Kasatkina got into character so much that after filming was completed, one of the most famous Soviet trainers seriously invited Lyudmila to work in the circus.
The biography and personal life of actress Lyudmila Kasatkina is incredibly interesting. After the successful film, her popularity rose rapidly - she starred in the film “Honeymoon” and various war dramas, which were very relevant at that time. More significant fame came to Kasatkina after the film “The Taming of the Shrew,” in which she starred with the famous director and future husband, Sergei Kolosov.
Why Lyudmila Kasatkina left cinema
7 years ago, on February 22, 2012, the famous theater and film actress, public favorite, People's Artist of the USSR Lyudmila Kasatkina passed away. She was called one of the most charming and desperate actresses - everyone probably still remembers how she entered the cages of predators without stunt doubles during the filming of the film “Tiger Tamer.”
She became famous for her roles in the films “The Taming of the Shrew”, “Darling”, “The Big Break”, “Circus Princess”, but in the new century she practically did not appear on screens. Why the legendary actress stopped acting in films is further in the review.
Lyudmila Kasatkina in her youth
Lyudmila Kasatkina in the film *On the Other Side*, 1958
Lyudmila Kasatkina's childhood years were very difficult. She was born in 1925 into a peasant family in the village of Volodarskoye, Smolensk region, and after 3 years they had to flee from there. The actress later said about these times: “We had a middle-class farm: a cow with a calf, a horse with a foal, three sheep, three pigs, twenty chickens. One day they took it all away from us. The threat of being exiled to Siberia was quite real, and then in one night everyone from the village fled... Into the darkness... Into the unknown... To Moscow... The era of ordeals, wanderings, grief and small joys began... After many trials, we got three (and soon born and the fourth “tenant” is my brother Leonid) in Borisoglebsky Lane, a twelve-meter room in a deep basement with one window under the ceiling. We were drenched in rain and melting snow. In these basements, the former owners of the house - the Obolensky princes - kept rubbish, people did not live here...”
Actress in her youth
Still from the film *The Taming of the Shrew*, 1961
From the age of 5, Lyudmila studied in a choreography class and dreamed of becoming a ballerina. However, these dreams were not destined to come true: the family lived poorly, practically from hand to mouth, constant physical activity had a detrimental effect on the girl’s health, and one day she lost consciousness right on stage. After this, doctors forbade her to continue her studies. When the war began, Lyudmila was visiting her grandmother in a village near Mozhaisk, and her entire family remained in Moscow. Due to constant bombing, trains rarely ran, and we had to walk to Mozhaisk for a whole week, under shelling, with dozens of other refugees. But she still got there, and at the station, in the crowd and turmoil, she miraculously managed to find her mother - she had come for her from Moscow and was already desperate to get to the village. Kasatkina recalled this meeting as one of the happiest moments in her life.
Lyudmila Kasatkina in the film *Tiger Tamer*, 1954
Still from the film *Tiger Tamer*, 1954
The Kasatkin family did not evacuate, and Lyudmila had to endure all the horrors of the war in Moscow. A real salvation for her at that time was the classes at the Studio of Artistic Words of the Moscow City House of Pioneers. Teachers Anna Bovšek and Anna Schneider helped their students believe in the all-conquering power of art. The actress recalled: “It was they who taught us to forget about the hunger that all of us - children of wartime Moscow - felt constantly, and to give the whole evening to Pushkin. Yes, the most important thing for Anna Vladimirovna was not to learn and read Alexander Sergeevich’s poems correctly, but to make us love them for life! We forgot about the war, about the fact that we needed to repeat the program for tomorrow’s performance in the hospital, about the fact that our lessons had not been done - we forgot everything, we lived by Pushkin!” From then on, her future creative path was predetermined - Kasatkina no longer doubted that she wanted to become an artist.
Lyudmila Kasatkina in the film *Tiger Tamer*, 1954
Still from the movie *Revenge*, 1959
In 1943, Lyudmila Kasatkina entered GITIS. In her third year, she met a student at the directing department, Sergei Kolosov, who later became her husband, a famous director and creator of legendary films that made his wife famous. After graduation, Kasatkina joined the troupe of the Central Theater of the Soviet Army and performed on its stage for more than 50 years. She called herself a monogamist in everything: she devoted her whole life to one theater, lived her whole life with one person - they were so devoted to each other that their friends jokingly called them the Kolosatkins, because it was no longer possible to imagine them separately.
Still from the film *Darling*, 1966
Lyudmila Kasatkina in the film *Operation *Trust*, 1967
Despite her success on the theater stage, Kasatkina did not receive roles in films for a long time. Until in 1954 she was invited to Leningrad to audition for the film “Five Leopards”. She did not even hope that these tests would be successful - she was often invited, but was not approved for the roles, which was due to her non-standard appearance. The actress said: “My round face didn’t seem to fit with the role of a movie heroine, but according to my lyrical abilities, I seemed to be drawn to a lyrical heroine. At Lenfilm, my audition was seen by two directors who were going to direct a film about the circus. They were looking for a heroine who would have a “circus” face. Like mine. Round and funny." And thanks to this “round and funny” face, Kasatkina received the main role in the film, which brought her all-Union fame. True, its name was changed - “Tiger Tamer”.
Theater and film actress Lyudmila Kasatkina
Lyudmila Kasatkina in the film *Big Change*, 1972-1973
The entire crew was surprised at the young actress’s desperation – she filmed the main scenes without understudies, overcoming her panicky fear of tigers. And she achieved such results that the circus predator trainer B. Eder invited her to become a professional tamer. This film was an incredible success; it was shown in 54 countries, including in the out-of-competition program of the Cannes Film Festival, where Kasatkina was among the representatives of the Soviet delegation. Gerard Philip himself was captivated by her beauty and talent, showering her with compliments.
Still from the film *Circus Princess*, 1982
Her next creative peak was Katarina in Shakespeare's play The Taming of the Shrew. In this role, the actress first performed on the theater stage, and then starred in a television film. In 1962, she was awarded the prize for best performance in a leading female role at the International Film Festival in Monte Carlo.
Theater and film actress Lyudmila Kasatkina
Lyudmila Kasatkina's further film career was successful: she played in 25 films, 12 of which were created by her husband, director Sergei Kolosov. The audience enjoyed the greatest love for Kasatkina’s work in the films “Calling Fire on Ourselves,” “Darling,” “Big Break,” “Circus Princess,” etc. However, after 1993, the public’s favorite practically disappeared from the screens - since then she has only acted in in 4 films.
Lyudmila Kasatkina and her husband, director Sergei Kolosov
Lyudmila Kasatkina always called herself primarily a theater actress; she played in 60 performances on the stage of the Central Theater Theater! The actress admitted: “I love theater more than cinema... The theater gives the actor happiness to always seek, every day. Theater is a daily exam, and you are doomed to fail every time your heart, your nerves are silent, when you allow yourself for a minute to think that you can mechanically repeat what was found yesterday. Theater gives happiness to forever search for the path to the truth. For this difficult intimacy with the truth of human life, I will forever love the theater.”
People's Artist of the USSR Lyudmila Kasatkina
However, besides her love for the theater, there were other reasons that forced her to end her film career. The fact is that over the past years Lyudmila Kasatkina suffered from Alzheimer's disease, which led to memory disorders. After 20 years of living in a semi-basement, the actress developed chronic bronchitis. In May 2011, she was hospitalized with acute pneumonia. On February 11, 2012, after a massive stroke, her husband died, and 11 days later she herself passed away - relatives said that they had such a spiritual connection that Kasatkina simply could not imagine her existence without her husband.
Theater and film actress Lyudmila Kasatkina
Success
After a series of successful works by Lyudmila Kasatkina, the Soviet people saw the first serial film called “Calling Fire on Ourselves.” This picture became clear proof of the fact that culture and cinema are inseparable things that perfectly complement each other in all areas. It is worth noting the fact that the main character of the series, Anna Morozova, whose role was played by Lyudmila Kasatkina, was a partisan during wartime and was posthumously awarded the proud title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
In the 60s and 70s, Lyudmila Ivanovna was invited to appear in a large number of different films. That is why Kasatkina always appeared different in the eyes of the viewer. The only thing in which the heroines were similar was undoubted leadership and pride in themselves and their partners. The biography, filmography and personal life of Lyudmila Kasatkina reached a new level in the 80s. The number of films in which Kasatkina starred has decreased significantly. At the same time, four full-length films with the participation of the talented actress were included in the golden fund of classical Soviet cinema, which was very prestigious at that time.
Best roles in cinema and theater
In the first years of work in the theater, the young actress got the roles of cheerful and cheerful girls. They suited Lyudmila Kasatkina perfectly. In the theater, the actress played about sixty roles. Among her best theatrical works are “The Taming of the Shrew,” “Your Sister and the Captive,” and “First Thunder.” In this performance she played the role of Ulyana Gromova, a member of the Krasnodon underground. The director wanted to see Lyudmila Kasatkina in this role. In the biography of the actress, in addition to theatrical roles, there are many good works in films.
It started in 1954 with the romantic comedy Tiger Tamer. This was followed by roles in the melodrama “Honeymoon”, the TV series “Calling Fire on Ourselves”, the musical “Circus Princess” and many others. Filming fully revealed Lyudmila's talent. She was able to create more than twenty images of opposite nature on the screen. Her heroines evoke the sympathy of the audience literally from the first minutes. Films with Kasatkina’s participation are included in the golden fund of Soviet cinema. In addition, it should be mentioned that the panther from the children's cartoon "Mowgli" is voiced by the actress' mesmerizing voice.
Lyudmila Kasatkina at the end of her career
In the biography, the personal life and films of actress Lyudmila Kasatkina are inextricably linked. It was clear that until the end of her days she would remain faithful to her wonderful profession. In the last years of the 20th century, she starred in the comedy films “Lost in Paradise”, “Poisons” or “Looking for a Bride without a Dowry”. Despite her age, the directors gave her not minor, but only leading roles.
Lyudmila Kasatkina had a beautiful, sweet and charming voice. Absolutely every child would recognize him thanks to the film “Mowgli”, in which the actress was simply able to voice the panther Bagheera at a fantastic level. The voice was so perfect that the directors trusted her with this role in five episodes of this cartoon.
The languid and melodic voice seemed so beautiful to the Soviet directors that all the episodes were even interrupted by the original foreign film. This is because Kipling’s panther Bagheera is a male, Mowgli’s best friend, protector and teacher. In the Soviet cartoon it was a little the opposite, which helped create an image that surpassed the original. In addition to cartoons, Lyudmila Kasatkina voiced the role of the main character in the film “Twelve Months” and the role of a maid in the animated film “The Last Bride of the Snake Gorynych.”
The biography, personal life and films of Lyudmila Kasatkina indicate that she was not only a good actress, but also an excellent teacher who happily shared her knowledge and acting skills with all caring people. In 1979, together with her beloved husband, the actress, with great efforts, was able to create an acting workshop on the basis of the State Institute of Theater Arts, which existed there for 12 years. This wonderful room gave the professional theater scene many talented, young and motivated people, who were developed by Lyudmila Kasatkina over the years.
Viewer reviews
Films in which actress Lyudmila Kasatkina starred are watched in one breath. She was good and incomparable in any paintings. Many of us became acquainted with her in childhood, when we watched the cartoon “Mowgli”. The wise panther Bagheera added a special flavor to the plot. Her voice was mesmerizing in its sound. And as we got older, we already looked at the performance of the owner of this voice in films such as “Tiger Tamer”, “Calling Fire on Ourselves”, “Circus Princess”, “Mother Mary” and many others.
She worked very carefully on each role, trying to fully reveal the image chosen by the directors. Thanks to this attitude, the actress even had episodic roles becoming central in films. It seems that her huge, radiant eyes look straight into the soul.
Personal life
Lyudmila Kasatkina met her husband, the famous director Sergei Kolosov, at the Soviet Army Theater, where, as mentioned earlier, she worked almost all her life. They formed a strong and reliable union; the family never flaunted their relationship. In addition to mutual understanding in the family, they also formed a wonderful creative duet on stage. Everyone who knew them admired the love of Sergei and Lyudmila, and called their love biography the most beautiful in the world.
They formed not only a strong family union, about which, unlike many colleagues, there were never any rumors or gossip, but also a wonderful creative duo. They spoke about this couple with admiration, calling their joint biography a lifelong love story.
During their joint creative work, Sergei Kolosov and Lyudmila Kasatkina created 12 films, a certain part of which ended up in the cinema classics fund. However, they always indicated that the film was created together.
Lyudmila Kasatkina. Biography: cause of death
Many creative people do not attach much importance to their health. Lyudmila Kasatkina was one of these people. For many years she was tormented by a severe cough, which eventually developed into chronic bronchitis. But the actress was in no hurry to consult doctors. In May 2011, when the cough became completely unbearable, she went to the hospital. The diagnosis was disappointing - acute pneumonia. Her husband and son were very worried about her health, because the doctors did not make comforting predictions.
Fortunately, Lyudmila Kasatkina’s health was still managed to improve. But tragedy struck. Her beloved husband died. Lyudmila Kasatkina could not recover from this grief and died literally a few days later. This tragedy occurred on February 22, 2012. A huge number of people came to see off the talented actress and beautiful woman.
Lyudmila Kasatkina and Sergey Kolosov
In the biography and personal life of Lyudmila Kasatkina, children have always occupied an important place. That is why she gave her husband a son, Alexei. He did not follow in the footsteps of his parents and did not become an actor, but his creative potential did not disappear from him. At the moment, Lesha is the leader of the famous jazz group “Aura”. In addition, Kolosov Jr. more than once wrote soundtracks for his father’s films and repeatedly broadcast about music on the Russian Radio radio station. It is interesting that Alexey named his first daughter in honor of his mother, Lyudmila, and in 2001, Kolosov Jr. had a second daughter, who was named Anna.
