Lyudmila Markovna Gurchenko ( née Gurchenko; russian: link=no, Людмила Марковна Гурченко; 12 November 1935 – 30 March 2011) was a popular Soviet and Russian actress, singer and entertainer. She was given the honorary title People's Artist of the USSR in 1983.
Biography
Lyudmila Gurchenko was born in
Kharkiv
Kharkiv ( uk, wikt:Харків, Ха́рків, ), also known as Kharkov (russian: Харькoв, ), is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine.USSR
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
(now
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
) in 1935 as Lyudmila Gurchenkova to Mark Gavrilovich Gurchenkov (1898–1973) and Yelena Aleksandrovna Simonova-Gurchenkova (1917–1999). Her father came from a
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
peasant family, while her mother was from
Russian nobility
The Russian nobility (russian: дворянство ''dvoryanstvo'') originated in the 14th century. In 1914 it consisted of approximately 1,900,000 members (about 1.1% of the population) in the Russian Empire.
Up until the February Revolutio ...
— both from around
Smolensk
Smolensk ( rus, Смоленск, p=smɐˈlʲensk, a=smolensk_ru.ogg) is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River, west-southwest of Moscow. First mentioned in 863, it is one of the oldest ...
.
Before
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
they lived in a single room apartment on the ground floor at Mordvinovsky Lane No. 17 (now Gurchenko Lane #7). At that time, her parents worked at the Kharkiv Philharmonic Society. Mark Gurchenko was known to play the bayan (Russian accordion). Gurchenko spent a part of her childhood with her mom during the time of the German occupation of USSR in her native city, while her father joined the army and, together with his concert brigade, survived the war. After the withdrawal of the German Army from Kharkiv, Gurchenko auditioned for the local Beethoven Music School, where she performed the song ''About Vitya Cherevichkin'' with gestures, after which she was accepted as an acting student.
She moved to Moscow, enrolling in the Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography. At age 21, after starring in
Eldar Ryazanov
Eldar Aleksandrovich Ryazanov (russian: Эльдар Александрович Рязанов; 18 November 1927 – 30 November 2015) was a Soviet and Russian film director, screenwriter, poet, actor and pedagogue whose popular comedies, satiriz ...
's 1956 directorial debut, the musical '' Carnival Night'', Gurchenko overnight achieved fame as well as celebrity status. Throughout the next two years she toured the entire country with her ''Carnival Night''-inspired musical numbers, attracting crowds of fans.«Прощай, Примадонна!» Неопубликованное интервью Людмилы Гурченко /ref>
The Soviet cultural establishment, however, deemed her style too western and too out of line with Soviet standards. She was accused of receiving wages above State-set levels as compensation for her shows. She became the target of highly critical articles in several influential Soviet periodicals, including ''Tap Dance to the Left'' (Чечетка налево, '' Komsomolskaya Pravda'', 1957 and ''Dositheos Morals'' (Досифеевские нравы, '' Ogoniok'', 1958 devoted to her financial wrongdoing and her alleged lack of patriotism. The year of 1958 saw the release of another musical with Ludmila, '' A Girl with Guitar, Girl with a Guitar'', shot mostly before these articles were published. The musical was not recommended for wide distribution and was a box-office flop.
In the mid 1970s, Gurchenko starred in several films, which, although only moderately successful, helped showcase her dramatic talent. In 1979 she landed a role in director
Andrei Konchalovsky
Andrei Sergeyevich Mikhalkov-Konchalovsky (russian: link=no, Андрей Сергеевич Михалков-Кончаловский; born 20 August 1937) is a Russian filmmaker. He has worked in Soviet, Hollywood, and contemporary Russian ...
's ''
Siberiade
''Siberiade'' (russian: Сибириада, translit. ''Sibiriada'') is a 1979 Soviet historical drama film directed by Andrei Konchalovsky and produced by Mosfilm. The four-part epic spans much of the 20th century.
Themes
The film comb ...
'' and in 1982 in '' Station for Two'', once again by Eldar Ryazanov, who by then had become one of the USSR's most popular and prolific directors. The role of forty-something waitress Vera in this touching film became her long-awaited comeback as a
superstar
A superstar is someone who has great popular appeal and is widely known, prominent, or successful in their field. Celebrities referred to as "superstars" may include individuals who work as actors, musicians, athletes, and other media-based profe ...
of Soviet film. Subsequently, she starred in
Vladimir Menshov
Vladimir Valentinovich Menshov (russian: Влади́мир Валенти́нович Меньшо́в; 17 September 1939 – 5 July 2021)Love and Pigeons'', among many other movies and TV shows. Her multifaceted talent was recognized on many occasions. She received the title of People's Artist of the USSR, the highest honour that could be bestowed to a musical artist, in 1983. She carried a leading role in The Burn (Ожог – 1988) with Director Gennady Glagoliev and Director of Photography Igor Chepusov.
Gurchenko wrote a book about her life during German occupation in Kharkiv and about her life in the beginning of her Acting Career.
In 2010, she was awarded an
Order "For Merit to the Fatherland"
The Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" (russian: Орден «За заслуги перед Отечеством», ''Orden "Za zaslugi pered Otechestvom"'') is a state decoration of the Russian Federation. It was instituted on 2 March 1994 by P ...
, 2nd Class (she received the 4th Class of the same Order in 2000 and the 3d Class in 2005), one of the highest civil decorations in post-Soviet Russia (with 3rd and 2nd Degree Orders having been awarded to very few extremely distinguished individuals, and the 1st Degree Order being nominally held by a serving President of Russia). At the age of 70, she still performed and attended galas.
Personal life
Gurchenko was married six times, including a short-lived marriage to
Joseph Kobzon
Iosif (Joseph) Davydovich Kobzon (russian: link=no, Ио́сиф Давы́дович Кобзо́н; 11 September 1937 – 30 August 2018) was a Russian singer, known for his crooner style.
Early life
Kobzon was born to Jewish parents in th ...
between 1967 and 1970. She had one daughter, Maria (5 June 1959 — 8 November 2017) from her second marriage, and two grandchildren as well as one great-granddaughter.
On 14 February 2011, Gurchenko fell near her house and broke her hip. She was taken to the hospital and underwent an operation the following day. On 30 March her condition worsened due to a
pulmonary embolism
Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a blockage of an artery in the lungs by a substance that has moved from elsewhere in the body through the bloodstream ( embolism). Symptoms of a PE may include shortness of breath, chest pain particularly upon breathin ...
and she died that evening. She was buried at the Novodevichy Cemetery (Moscow) after a civil funeral a few days later.
Baltic Skies
''Baltic Skies'' (russian: Балтийское небо) is a 1960 Soviet drama film directed by Vladimir Vengerov.
Plot
The film tells about military pilots defending Leningrad during World War II.
Cast
* Pyotr Glebov as Lunin (as P. Glebo ...
'' (1961) as Sonya Bystrova
* '' Roman and Francesca'' (1961) as Francesca
* '' The Man from Nowhere'' (1961) as Lena
* '' Sluttish'' (1961) as Khristina
* ''Jalgrattataltsutajad'' (1964) as Rita Laur
* ''
Balzaminov's Marriage
''Balzaminov's Marriage'' (russian: Женитьба Бальзаминова, Zhenitba Balzaminova) is a 1964 Soviet comedy film directed by Konstantin Voynov and loosely based on three plays by Alexander Ostrovsky: "Celebratory Daydream is Onl ...
'' (1964) as Ustinka
* '' Workers' Settlement'' (1966) as Mariya, Leonid's wife
* ''
The Bridge Is Built
''The Bridge Is Built'' (russian: Строится мост) is a 1965 Soviet drama film directed by Gavriil Egiazarov and Oleg Efremov.
Plot
The film tells about the Moscow correspondent who goes to Saratov, where the construction of a highway ...
'' (1966) as Zhenya
* ''
Blasted Hell
''Spring on the Oder'' (russian: Взорванный ад) is a 1967 Soviet action film directed by Ivan Lukinsky
Ivan () is a Slavic male given name, connected with the variant of the Greek name (English: John) from Hebrew meaning 'God i ...
'' (1967) as Greta
* ''No and Yes'' (1967) as Lyusya Korablyova
* '' White Explosion'' (1969) as Vera Arsenova
* '' My good Dad'' (1970) as Valentina Ivanova
* ''Experiment'' (1970)
* ''One of us'' (1971) as Klara Ovcharenko
* '' Road to Rübezahl'' (1971) as Shura Solovyova
* ''
Shadow
A shadow is a dark area where light from a light source is blocked by an opaque object. It occupies all of the three-dimensional volume behind an object with light in front of it. The cross section of a shadow is a two-dimensional silhouette, ...
'' (1971) as Yulia Juli
* ''
The Crown of the Russian Empire, or Once Again the Elusive Avengers
''The Crown of the Russian Empire, or Once Again the Elusive Avengers'' (russian: Корона Российской Империи, или Снова Неуловимые; translit. ''Korona Rossiyskoy Imperii, ili Snova Neulovimye'') is a 1 ...
'' (1971) as Agrafena Zavolzhskaya
* '' What Is to Be Done?'' (1971) as woman in black
* ''Karpukhin'' (1973) as Ovsyannikova
* ''Summer dreams'' (1973) as Galina Sakhno
* ''Dacha'' (1973) as Lera
* ''Open Book'' (1973) as Glafira Rybakova
* '' Old Walls'' (1973) as Anna Smirnova
* '' Vanyushin's Children'' (1974) as Klavdiya Shchyotkina
* ''
The Straw Hat
''The Straw Hat'' (russian: Соломенная шляпка, translit. ''Solomennaya shlyapka'') is a 1974 Soviet musical comedy television film directed by Leonid Kvinikhidze based on a play by Eugène Marin Labiche and Marc-Michel. Th ...
'' (1974) as Clara Bocardon
* '' Diary of a School Director'' (1975) as Nina Sergeyevna
* '' Step Forward'' (1976) as Valentina Stepanovna
* ''Prestuplenie'' (1976) as Lyuba
* '' Ma-ma'' (Мама, 1976) as Goat-Mom
* ''
Sentimental Romance
''Romance sentimentale'' is a 1930 French film directed by Grigori Aleksandrov and Sergei M. Eisenstein. The film is also known as ''Sentimental Romance'' (International English title).
Synopsis
The film opens with a montage of scenes of ...
Siberiade
''Siberiade'' (russian: Сибириада, translit. ''Sibiriada'') is a 1979 Soviet historical drama film directed by Andrei Konchalovsky and produced by Mosfilm. The four-part epic spans much of the 20th century.
Themes
The film comb ...
Highway
A highway is any public or private road or other public way on land. It is used for major roads, but also includes other public roads and public tracks. In some areas of the United States, it is used as an equivalent term to controlled-acces ...
'' (1983) as Gvozdeva
* ''Shurochka'' (1983) as Raisa Peterson
* '' Recipe of Her Youth'' (1983)
* '' A Rogue's Saga'' (1984) as Ekaterina Ivanovna
* '' Love and Pigeons'' (1985) as Raisa Zakharovna
* '' Applause, Applause...'' (1985)
* ''Dreamers'' (1987) as Grafinyata
* ''Scorch'' (1988)
* ''A byl li Karotin'' (1990)
* ''Nelud, ili V rayu zapreshchena okhota'' (1990) as Zoya Sherstobitova - predsedatel gorispolkoma
* ''Our Dacha'' (1990)
* '' My Seawoman'' (1990) as Lyudmila Pashkova
* ''Imitator'' (1990) as singer
* ''
Viva Gardes-Marines!
''Viva Gardes-Marines!'' or (russian: Виват, гардемарины!, Vivat, gardemariny!) is a 1991 Soviet two-series television film (mini-series), the second of a series of films about Russian Gardes-Marines of the 18th century, directed ...
'' (1991) as Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp
* ''Sekskazka'' (1991)
* ''Prosti nas, machekha-Rossiya'' (1991) as Natalya Fyodorovna Zimina
* '' Gardemarines-III'' (1992) as Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp
* ''Prokhindiada 2'' (1994) as Yekaterina Ivanovna
* ''
Old Hags
''Old Hags'' (russian: Старые клячи, translit. ''Starye klyachi'', ''Old nags'', "Old useless horses") is a 2000 Russian comedy film directed by Eldar Ryazanov.
Plot
Four middle-aged women with different fates live in Moscow. On ...