These brilliant actresses have come a long creative path, coupled with ups and downs, all-Union glory and oblivion, the love of millions of fans and bitter loneliness.
In their stage and cinematic biography there were many interesting characteristic roles, but in the memory of most viewers they remained charming and strict, comical and serious, eccentric and majestic grandmothers.
At the same time, all of them were united by incredible charisma and outstanding acting talent, which allowed them to write their names on the pages of the history of Russian cinema.
We represent the 10 most famous “screen grandmothers” of Soviet cinema, famous actresses of the USSR.
10. Galina Makarova
Galina Makarovanee Agata Chekhovich, is rightfully considered one of the most soulful actresses of Soviet cinema, which knew real success quite late - at the age of 57. She was really a folk artist and her screen images were just as incredibly close to the heart of the viewer.
Noble simplicity and inner charm, meekness and strength were the distinguishing qualities of the characters of Makarova.
On the account of the actress - more than fifty roles in the movie. She played a lot of mothers, aunts and grandmothers affectionate and strict, wise and simple-minded. One of such roles was Makarova’s image of Agasha’s grandmother in the drama “Young Wife”.
9. Evgeniya Melnikova
This bright characteristic actress began her career in cinema in 1928. Success came to her after the film “Pilots”, where she played a major role.
Also known for her work in the cinema was the supporting role in the legendary film of Alexandrov “Circus” with Lyubov Orlova in the title role. There Evgenia Melnikova played the role of Raechka - Shurik's lover.
By the way, it was for her that the script of the famous comedy “Girl with Character” was written, however, the actress was unable to star in this film: at this time she found out that she would become a mother. As a result, Valentina Serova played the main role in this picture, becoming a real idol of the 30-40s.
Later Melnikova often starred, mainly in episodic roles. On the screen, she embodied the images of mothers, wives, grandmothers. The most striking screen old women of the actress were the images of grandmother Kai and Gerda in “The Snow Queen” and grandmother Pavlik Varvara Petrovna in the film “I Don't Want to Be Adult”, for which Melnikova was awarded the N.K. Krupskaya State Prize of the RSFSR in 1984.
8. Natalya Tenyakova
This talented actress only once had the opportunity to translate the image of an old woman into a movie, while she was barely 39 years old. Of course, we are talking about the legendary woman Shura from the film by Vladimir Menshov “Love and Pigeons”.
A comical old woman, always trying to wean her non-good-natured husband (Uncle Mitya) from drunkenness, fell in love with several generations of spectators.
Screen tandem Natalya Tenyakova and Sergei Jurassic, who were also spouses in real life, became one of the most striking comedic duets in the entire history of Soviet and Russian cinema.
7. Love Sokolova
This incredibly beautiful actress, with a wise deep and slightly mysterious look, the mass audience is more known for her supporting roles. She played about 400 roles in the movie, earning her the title of one of the most filmed actresses.
Lyubov Sokolova often appeared on the screen in the image of mothers, for which her viewers dubbed the “All-Union Cinema Mom”.
In the late 80s and 90s, the artist changed her role and began to try on the images of grandmothers more often. She played similar roles in the films “Stringer”, “Masha and the Beasts”, “Hell mi”.
6. Love Dobrzhanskaya
Love Dobrzhanskaya It is known to the audience, first of all, as the performer of the roles of mothers of two, probably the most famous "Ryazanov" comedic characters - a noble car thief (Detochkin) and a lover of visiting baths on New Year's Eve (Lukashina).
However, the images of grandmothers embodied by her were no less vivid. Such were the roles in the films “The Player”, the movie almanac “Two Smiles” and the film play “Uncle Vanya”.
5. Tatyana Peltzer
Tatyana Peltzer first got on the stage at the age of nine. Professional success and all-Union fame came to her after forty. And even then, the artist began to receive the roles of cute old women.
"Grandmother" - so often called Peltzer colleagues. The actress herself often called herself a "happy old woman." Possessing an unbending will and firm character, despite all the trials of life, she still considered her fate, including cinematic, very successful.
Soviet viewers associated Peltzer with her on-screen images. A sweet, funny, slightly eccentric grandmother seemed to them painfully dear and understandable.
In life, the actress had few similarities with her images embodied on the screen. Pelzer had a well-developed sense of aesthetics. On weekends, she loved to visit restaurants, in addition, she was an avid cardgirl and smoker, and she could not get rid of these harmful addictions until the last years of her life.
The brightest grandmothers of the main characters of the picture performed by the inimitable Peltzer were the hooligan Anna Petrovna Verevkina in “The Adventures of the Yellow Suitcase” and her antipode, the absurd hypocritical old woman in “You Never Had A Dream”.
4. Evgenia Khanaev
Evgenia Khanaeva went down in the history of Russian cinema as an unsurpassed performer of supporting roles and vivid episodic images.
Despite the fact that the filmography of the actress has dozens of interesting works, the audience especially remembered her for her roles in the cult films “Practical Joke”, “For Family Circumstances” and “Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears”.
In the last two films, Khanayeva very reliably embodied the images of very capricious old women who were loving, but very domineering mothers, shamelessly penetrating the privacy of their already adult children.
The talent of Evgenia Khanaeva was awarded the honorary titles of the Honored and People's Artist of the RSFSR. The latter was assigned to the actress after her death in 1987.
3. Galina Stakhanova
Galina Stakhanova - Soviet and Russian actress, who, without a specialized theater education, was able to become the real queen of the episode.
For her creative biography, she managed to star in more than 180 films. Basically on the screen, she plays supporting roles or episodes.
The key roles of Stakhanova are nannies, watchmen, technicals, controllers, cashiers and, of course, grandmothers. All her images are strict, but with a wonderful sense of humor and self-irony.
The most striking screen grandmother performed by Stakhanova was the role of the woman Mani in the film "Christmas Tree".
2. Rina Green
Talent Rina Green was very multifaceted. In addition to her bright artistic abilities, she owned the technique of pop performances, had the ability to compose and had an inimitable sense of humor. For an hour, her comedic episodes were remembered by the audience more than the images of the central characters.
Her most striking works were roles in the films “Foundling”, “Girl without an Address”, “The Adventures of Pinocchio”, “Spring”, “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson”, etc.
Also in her filmography there are brilliantly performed roles of grandmothers - first of all, this is the work in the film “About the Little Red Riding Hood”, as well as “Attention, turtle!”.
1. Anastasia Zueva
Anastasia Zueva, more than once embodying the image of an old storyteller on the screen, she became a symbol of the films of Alexander Rowe. She warmly opened the carved shutters of her tower, looked out of the window, squinted and completely captured the childish and parental attention.
Zueva’s tender voice, warm intonation and a charming smile plunged viewers of different ages into the world of Russian fairy tales.