Irina Konstantinovna Skobtseva (russian: Ирина Константиновна Скобцева; 22 August 1927 – 20 October 2020) was a

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

and

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 ...

actress and second wife of

Sergei Bondarchuk Sergei Fyodorovich Bondarchuk (russian: Сергей Фёдорович Бондарчук, ; uk, Сергі́й Федорович Бондарчук, Serhíj Fédorovych Bondarchúk; 25 September 192020 October 1994) was a Soviet and Russian ...

Biography

Irina Konstantinovna Skobtseva was born on 22 August 1927 in

Tula Tula may refer to: Geography Antarctica *Tula Mountains *Tula Point India *Tulā, a solar month in the traditional Indian calendar Iran * Tula, Iran, a village in Hormozgan Province Italy * Tula, Sardinia, municipality (''comune'') in the pr ...

. Her father was a research fellow at the Main Directorate of Meteorological Service, her mother worked in the archive. After finishing secondary school, Skobtseva studied art in the Faculty of History of

Moscow State University M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU; russian: Московский государственный университет имени М. В. Ломоносова) is a public research university in Moscow, Russia and the most prestigious ...

. While studying, she acted in student theatre. After graduating from the Moscow State University in 1952, she entered the

Moscow Art Theatre School Moscow Art Theatre School is the studio school of the Moscow Art Theatre. It is a state educational institution that has existed since 1943. The initiator of the studio school was Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko. In the same year, Irina Skobtseva made her cinematic debut as Desdemona in the film ''

Othello ''Othello'' (full title: ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'') is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare, probably in 1603, set in the contemporary Ottoman–Venetian War (1570–1573) fought for the control of the Island of Cypru ...

'' by

Sergei Yutkevich Sergei Iosifovich Yutkevich (russian: Серге́й Ио́сифович Ютке́вич, 28 December 1904 – 23 April 1985) was a Soviet and Russian film director and screenwriter. He was a People's Artist of the USSR (1962) and a Hero of ...

. The picture won the Best Director Award at the

1956 Cannes Film Festival The 9th Cannes Film Festival was held from 23 April to 10 May 1956. The Palme d'Or went to ''The Silent World'' by Jacques-Yves Cousteau and Louis Malle. The festival opened with ''Marie-Antoinette reine de France'', directed by Jean Delannoy and ...

, and was given diplomas and prizes at other international film festivals. In Cannes Irina Skobtseva was awarded the title "Miss Charm of the Cannes Film Festival". After ''Othello'' Irina Skobtseva, who remained in the audience's view primarily as a romantic heroine, turned to character acting. She played Cyrus in the film adaptation of Leonid Leonov's play ''The Ordinary Man'' (1956) and Klavdia Nikolaevna in ''Unrepeatable Spring'' (1957). Filming in ''Othello'', where the partner of Skobtseva was actor and director Sergei Bondarchuk who in 1959 became her husband, laid the foundations for a number of their joint works in the cinema. The actress played both in the films produced by Bondarchuk himself, ''

War and Peace ''War and Peace'' (russian: Война и мир, translit=Voyna i mir; pre-reform Russian: ; ) is a literary work by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy that mixes fictional narrative with chapters on history and philosophy. It was first published ...

'' (1965-1967), ''

They Fought for Their Country ''They Fought for Their Country'' (russian: Они сражались за Родину, Oni srazhalis' za Rodinu) is a 1975 Soviet war film in two parts based on the eponymous novel written by Mikhail Sholokhov and directed by Sergei Bondarchuk ...

'' (1975), '' The Steppe'' (1977), ''

Boris Godunov Borís Fyodorovich Godunóv (; russian: Борис Фёдорович Годунов; 1552 ) ruled the Tsardom of Russia as ''de facto'' regent from c. 1585 to 1598 and then as the first non-Rurikid tsar from 1598 to 1605. After the end of his ...

'' (1986), and in films by other directors — ''

Splendid Days ''Splendid Days'' (russian: Серёжа, Seryozha) is a 1960 Soviet drama film directed by Georgiy Daneliya and Igor Talankin. Plot Mother of five-year-old Seryozha has married for a second time and now Dmitri Korneyevich Korostelyov is officiall ...

'' (1960), ''Silence of Doctor Evans'' (1973), ''

Take Aim ''Take Aim'' (russian: Выбор цели, Vybor Tzeli) is a 1974 two-part Soviet biographical drama film directed by Igor Talankin. Plot The film depicts the nuclear arms race that took place between all sides in the World War II and the beginni ...

'' (1975), ''Such High Mountains'' (1974), ''Velvet Season'' (1978), ''

Father Sergius "Father Sergius" (russian: Отец Сергий, Otets Sergiy) is a short story written by Leo Tolstoy between 1890 and 1898 and first published (posthumously) in 1911.Julian Connolly in Charles A. Moser (ed.), ''The Cambridge History of Russian ...

'' (1978), ''

The Gadfly ''The Gadfly'' is a novel by Irish-born British writer Ethel Voynich, published in 1897 (United States, June; Great Britain, September of the same year), set in 1840s Italy under the dominance of Austria, a time of tumultuous revolt and upris ...

'' (1980). Irina Skobtseva also performed roles in the pictures of Bondarchuk '' Waterloo'' (1970), ''

Red Bells II ''Red Bells II'' (also known as ''10 Days That Shook the World'' and ''Red Bells Part II – I Saw the Birth of the New World''; released in the Philippines as ''Comrade in Arms'') is a 1983 adventure-drama film directed by Sergei Bondarchuk. It w ...

'' (1982) and ''Quiet Flows the Don'' (1992) - the last work of Sergei Bondarchuk. In the pictures of

Georgiy Daneliya Georgiy Nikolayevich Daneliya ( ka, გიორგი ნიკოლოზის ძე დანელია; russian: Георгий Николаевич Данелия; 25 August 1930 – 4 April 2019), also known as Giya Daneliya ( ka, გ� ...

Walking the Streets of Moscow ''Walking the Streets of Moscow'' (''I walk across Moscow'', russian: link=no, italics=yes, Я шагаю по Москве) is a 1964 Soviet film directed by Georgiy Daneliya and produced by Mosfilm studios. It stars Nikita Mihalkov, Aleksei Lokt ...

'' (1963), ''

Thirty Three 33 (thirty-three) is the natural number following 32 and preceding 34. In mathematics 33 is: * the largest positive integer that cannot be expressed as a sum of different triangular numbers. * the smallest odd repdigit that is not a prime num ...

'' (1965) and ''

Hopelessly Lost ''Hopelessly Lost'' (russian: Совсем пропащий, Sovsem propashchiy) is a 1973 Soviet adventure comedy directed by Georgiy Daneliya based on Mark Twain's 1884 novel ''Adventures of Huckleberry Finn''. Cinematography by Vadim Yusov. It ...

'' (1973), Irina Skobtseva appeared as a comedic actress. One of her best comedy roles is Lidia Sergeevna in the film Eldar Ryazanov's ''

Zigzag of Success ''Zigzag of Success'' (russian: Зигзаг удачи, link=yes, translit. ''Zigzag udachi'') is a 1968 Soviet comedy film directed by Eldar Ryazanov. Plot Photo studio "Contemporary" in a provincial town lives with its everyday problems. ...

'' (1969). The actress played the main roles in the films ''The Mysterious Heir'' (1987), ''The Ghosts of the Green Room'' (1991), ''Zorka Venus'' (2000). In 2000 Skobtseva starred in the series ''The Heirs'' (2001, 2005), ''Amber Wings'' (2003), ''Women's Logic'' (2004, 2005), ''Gold'' (2012). She performed roles in such films and series as ''

Actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a Character (arts), character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek ...

'' (2007), '' Dark Planet'' (2009), ''In the Style of Jazz'' (2010), ''

The White Guard ''The White Guard'' (russian: links=no, Белая гвардия) is a novel by Mikhail Bulgakov, first published in 1925 in literary journal ''Rossiya''. It was not reprinted in the Soviet Union until 1966. Background ''The White Guard'' fir ...

'' (2012), ''The Secret of the Dark Room'' (2014), ''Dangerous Holidays'' (2016). Since 1957, Skobtseva was an actress of the

National Film Actors' Theatre The National Film Actors' Theatre or State Theatre of Cinema Actors (Russian - Государственный театр киноактёра) is a theatre company in Moscow, Russia, founded in December 1943 by the Council of People's Commissars t ...

. Since 1971, she taught acting, was an assistant professor of the department of acting at VGIK and together with Sergei Bondarchuk led an acting studio. Among her students were

Olga Kabo Olga Igorevna Kabo (russian: О́льга И́горевна Кабо́, born January 28, 1968) is a Soviet and Russian film and theater actress. Biography Was born in Moscow, the daughter of engineers Igor Yakovlevich and Ada Nikolayevna. From ...

Natalya Andrejchenko Natalya Eduardovna Andreychenko (russian: link=no, Ната́лья Эдуа́рдовна Андре́йченко; born May 3, 1956) is a Russian actress. Her most famous roles include the title character in ''Mary Poppins, Goodbye'' and Lyuba ...

, Vladimir Basov, Jr., Alexey Ivashchenko.

Honors

Irina Skobtseva received the title People's Artist of the RSFSR in 1974. In 1997, she was awarded the Order of Friendship. In 2017, the actress was awarded the Order of St. Sergius of Radonezh. Irina Skobtseva was awarded the prize of the name Stanislav and Andrei Rostotsky for roles in the feature films ''Another Woman, Another Man'' (2003), ''Amber Wings'' (2003), a special jury prize for the cast in the film ''The Heirs'' (2001) ''Społokhi'' in Arkhangelsk.

Personal life

Irina Skobtseva was married to actor and film director

. Their daughter,

Yelena Bondarchuk Yelena Sergeyevna Bondarchuk (russian: Еле́на Серге́евна Бондарчу́к; 31 July 1962 – 7 November 2009) was a Soviet and Russian stage and film actress. Biography She was one of three children born to actors Sergei Bond ...

was an actress of theater and cinema. Their son,

Fyodor Bondarchuk Fyodor Sergeyevich Bondarchuk (russian: link=no, Фёдор Сергеевич Бондарчук ; born 9 May 1967) is a Russian film director, actor, TV and film producer, clipmaker, TV host, founder of production company Art Pictures Studio. ...

is a film director, actor and producer, chairman of the board of directors of

Lenfilm Lenfilm (russian: link=no, Ленфильм) is a Russian production company with its own film studio located in Saint Petersburg (the city was called Leningrad from 1924 to 1991, thus the name). It is a corporation with its stakes shared betwee ...

Retirement and death

She semi-retired in the 1980s, but made some later appearances on television. She died in 2020. Her grandson,

Konstantin Kryukov Konstantin Vitalyevich Kryukov (russian: Константин Витальевич Крюков; born 7 February 1985) is a Russian actor. He is known for playing the role of Dzhokonda in ''The 9th Company''. Konstantin Kryukov was born on 7 Febr ...

, was among those who attended the funeral.

Selected filmography

* ''

'' (1955) as Desdemona * '' A Unique Spring'' (1957) as Claudia Novozhilova * ''

'' (1960) as Marianna * ''

'' (1963) as Nadya * ''

'' (1965) as Vera Sergeyevna * ''

'' (1966-1967) as Hélène Kuragin * ''

'' (1968) as Lidia Sergeevna, photographer * '' Waterloo'' (1970) as Maria * ''

'' (1973) as widow of Douglas * ''

Earthly Love ''Earthy Love'' (russian: Любовь земная, Lyubov zemnaya) is a 1974 Russian romantic drama film directed by Yevgeny Matveyev and starring Matveyev, Olga Ostroumova, and Yury Yakovlev. The film was a screen adaptation of Pyotr Proskurin ...

'' (1974) as Elizaveta Polivanova * ''

'' (1975) as Marina Kurchatova * ''

'' (1975) as senior nurse * ''

'' (1978) as baroness * ''

'' (1980) as Gladys Burton * ''

'' (1983) as countess Panina * ''

Mary Poppins, Goodbye ''Mary Poppins, Goodbye'' (russian: Мэри Поппинс, до свидания!; translit. ''Meri Poppins, do svidaniya'') is a Soviet two-part musical miniseries directed by Leonid Kvinikhidze. The movie's runtime is 141 minutes spread ...

'' (1983) as miss Lark * ''

Time and the Conways ''Time and the Conways'' is a British play written by J. B. Priestley in 1937 illustrating J. W. Dunne's Theory of Time through the experience of a moneyed Yorkshire family, the Conways, over a period of nineteen years from 1919 to 1937. Wide ...

'' (1984) as Magee * ''

'' (1986) as the innkeeper * ''

The Envy of Gods The Envy of Gods (russian: Зависть Богов, Zavist Bogov) is a 2000 Russian drama film directed by Vladimir Menshov. Plot In the "History" Herodotus says, "The gods do not like happy people". In ancient times, people knew why they can ...

'' (2000) as Sonia's mother * '' Amber Wings'' (2003) as Yelizaveta Sergeyevna * ''

Heat In thermodynamics, heat is defined as the form of energy crossing the boundary of a thermodynamic system by virtue of a temperature difference across the boundary. A thermodynamic system does not ''contain'' heat. Nevertheless, the term is al ...

'' (2006) as landlord * '' Happy Together'' (2006, TV) as Laura Larionova's mother * ''

'' (2007) as Varvara Fominichna * ''

In the Style of Jazz ''In the Style of Jazz'' (russian: …в сти́ле JAZZ, …v stile JAZZ) is a 2010 romantic comedy directed by Stanislav Govorukhin. Plot The protagonist is a successful young man with charm and the ability to please all women regardless of ...

'' (2010) as former mother-in-law of Sergey Saveliev * ''

'' (2012, TV) as Maria Nai-Turs

Honors and awards

Honored Artist of the RSFSR Honored Artist of the RSFSR (, ''Zasluzhenny artist RSFSR'') was an honorary title granted to Soviet artists, including theatre and film directors, choreographers, music performers, and orchestra conductors, who had outstanding achievements in the ...

(1965) *

People's Artist of the RSFSR People's Artist of the RSFSR (russian: Народный артист РСФСР, ''Narodnyj artist RSFSR'') was an honorary title granted to Soviet Union artists, including theatre and film directors, choreographers, music performers, and orchest ...

(1974) *

Order of Friendship The Order of Friendship (russian: Орден Дружбы, ') is a state decoration of the Russian Federation established by Boris Yeltsin by presidential decree 442 of 2 March 1994 to reward Russian and foreign nationals whose work, deeds a ...

(1997) * Order of Honour (2018)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Skobtseva, Irina 1927 births 2020 deaths Actresses from Moscow Bondarchuk family Soviet film actresses Academicians of the Russian Academy of Cinema Arts and Sciences "Nika" Honored Artists of the RSFSR People's Artists of the RSFSR Recipients of the Order of Honour (Russia) Sergei Bondarchuk Moscow Art Theatre School alumni Actresses from Tula, Russia