10 famous Soviet actors and actresses, in whose veins noble blood flows

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Today, celebrities are happy to talk about their ancestors, especially if they were related to high society in the past. In Soviet times, it was not accepted to advertise their noble origins, thanks to which they could easily be sent to places not so remote. Famous Soviet actors, in whose veins "blue blood" flowed, carefully concealed their belonging to the aristocracy. However, nobility, posture, manners and upbringing have always made themselves felt.

Nikita Mikhalkov

One of the most successful actors and directors can rightfully be proud of his belonging to the Mikhalkov noble family. Among the ancestors of Nikita Sergeevich on the paternal side are the hereditary nobleman Vladimir Alexandrovich Mikhalkov, the famous Yaroslavl collector Vladimir Sergeevich Mikhalkov, the leader of the nobility of the Venevsky district Mikhail Petrovich Glebov, as well as the princes Golitsyn and Ukhtomsky. The director's father, the famous Soviet poet Sergei Mikhalkov, was forced to hide his origin.

Maria Kapnist

The actress who played Naina in Alexander Ptushko's film Ruslan and Lyudmila was a hereditary noblewoman. And even 15 years of Stalin's camps did not force the daughter of Count Rostislav Rostislavich Kapnist to renounce his surname. The hardest work, torture and bullying did not break her spirit. She was released at 44, came to Kiev and started her life from scratch, served as a janitor, spent the night at the station. And once fate nevertheless showed its favor: at the box office of the cinema, director Yuri Lysenko noticed her, thanks to whom she got to the set for the first time.

Alexander Porokhovshchikov

The mother of the actor Galina Alexandrovna came from the nobility. Her grandfather was the nobleman Alexander Porokhovshchikov, who at one time, as an architect and philanthropist, participated in the construction of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, and he was the owner of the Slavianski Bazar restaurant. Unfortunately, the father of the actor Shalva Ambekovich Barabadze left the family after Alexander Porokhovshchikov's grandfather was arrested on espionage charges. But my mother, despite all the difficulties, was able to give her son a decent upbringing and education.

Muse Krepkogorskaya

The father of the honored actress of the RSFSR was the famous musician Viktor Krepkogorsky, who served as an accompanist for Fyodor Ivanovich Chaliapin himself. But mother Lydia Ivanovna was the heiress of a noble family and was proud of her roots. From childhood, she inspired her daughter with the idea that it was an honor to be part of an ancient family. Subsequently, the director Viktor Merezhko recalled: Muse Krepkogorskaya never missed an opportunity to emphasize her origin, but she often offended those around her, looking down on people and not honoring them with her attention. Even her spouse, the talented actor Georgy Yumatov, she considered “simple-minded” for herself. Unfortunately, "blue blood" did not become the actress's insurance against alcohol addiction.

Nikolay Fomenko

The famous actor and showman on the maternal side belongs to the ancient pillar noble family of Skripitsyns. Among the ancestors of Nikolai Fomenko there are many famous and revered people, including the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, the governess of the children of Tsarevich Alexander Nikolaevich and others. The actor's father is a talented scientist, physicist-metrologist Vladimir Fomenko.

Love Dobrzhanskaya

She was born into a family of Kiev nobles, her father Ivan Dobrzhansky was an officer in the tsarist army, her mother Olga Dobrzhanskaya was a graduate of a noble gymnasium. Lyubov Ivanovna herself studied at the Kiev Institute of Noble Maidens, where, in addition to the main subjects, the pupils studied needlework and could show their abilities by studying in creative circles. Of course, Lyubov Dobrzhanskaya, who dreamed of becoming an actress, attended a theater studio. After the revolution, Lyubov Dobrzhanskaya's father was repressed and died in the camps, and Olga Vasilievna's mother carefully concealed her aristocratic origins and, in her attempts to feed her children, took up any job: she washed, was a nanny and a seamstress.

Valentin Smirnitsky

The performer of the role of Porthos in the cult film "D'Artagnan and the Three Musketeers" for many years was silent about his noble roots. And only after the collapse of the USSR, he admitted that his maternal great-grandfather served as general-in-chief and prosecutor of Tiflis, and his great-grandmother often jokingly called her husband “counter”. However, as it turned out, there was a noble family, and a father, whose great-grandfather was a military doctor, and his great-grandmother came from a very noble German estate.

Sergey Yursky

The father of Sergei Yursky, Yuri Sergeevich, was a representative of the noble family of the Zhikharevs, in which there were military and officials. However, after the revolution, in order to save the family from repression, Yuri Zhikharev changed his last name, taking a pseudonym. He used it while studying at the gymnasium, when he participated in student performances.

Oleg Yankovsky

The famous actor was a representative of the noble family of the Yankovskys. His father, Yan Pavlovich Yankovsky, who served as the captain of the Semyonovsky Life Guards regiment before the revolution, came from the Polish-Belarusian nobles, whose estate was located near Vitebsk.

Peter Glebov

The actor who played more than forty roles in the movie and is remembered, first of all, in the image of Grigory Melekhov in the film "Quiet Flows the Don", could be proud of belonging to a noble family, if not for the fear of falling under repression. His mother, Maria Mikhalkova, was a hereditary noblewoman, her nephew was the poet Sergei Mikhalkov. The actor's father, Pyotr Vladimirovich, was a representative of the Glebov family, grandfather Vladimir Petrovich was elected leader of the Kaluga nobility, grandmother Sofya Nikolaevna Trubetskaya was a princess.

Continuing the topic, we propose to recall other famous actors and actresses who in Soviet times had hide their noble origins. Many of them played the role of people from the people, not only in films, but also in life, in order to avoid tragic consequences.