Janina Zheimo and Joseph Kheifits: Why the perfect marriage of the actress who played Cinderella and the famous director broke up

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

They were almost the perfect couple, actress Janina Zheimo and director Joseph Kheifits. It seemed that their happiness could not be destroyed by any adversity, and together they can go through any trials. The actress looked like a teenage girl, but her childish appearance hid a strong character. She was an amazingly caring wife and mother. The director showed great promise and was ready to carry his wife in his arms. Why was the main Soviet Cinderella unable to forgive her prince?

From dream to love

Yanina was born and raised in a circus family. From the very childhood, she entered the arena: she sang, danced, performed rather complex tricks. She was 14 years old when her father passed away. Yanina, her mother and sisters switched to the stage, but young Yanichka wanted more: she dreamed of cinema.

The future star entered the FEKS workshop in Leningrad against the will of her mother, who feared the collapse of the family variety show. But since childhood, Yanina had a strong character and confidently walked towards her goal, not paying attention to her mother's refusal to give her money for travel. She cheerfully ran to classes on foot almost across the city. When the mother was gone, the girl's fragile shoulders took care of her sisters, although she was not the eldest.

Studying at FEKS gave Janichka Zheimo not only a profession, but also gave the joy of first love. Her chosen one was a young but very talented actor Andrei Kostrichkin. Together with him, she first starred in a movie in the film "Bears against Yudenich", playing a cameo role as a boy. Yanina, without a shadow of a doubt, accepted Andrey's offer to become his wife and gave birth to a daughter in marriage, named, like her mother, Yanina.

However, the actress's dreams of a happy family life were shattered by the reluctance of her young husband and father to grow up. He willingly spent time at preference in the company of friends, but he was not particularly concerned about family problems. Her husband's addiction to gambling played a major role in Janina Zeimo's decision to get a divorce.

Perfect family

Left alone with the child in her arms, the actress worked hard, trying to provide for her family, of which her younger sister was also a member. For a long time Ioannina the youngest considered her aunt to be her sister, because her mother divided her love and all kinds of sweets equally between her daughter and sister.

Men, of course, have always paid attention to the charming actress. There were many applicants for her hand and heart, but Ioannina did not seek to re-commit herself to obligations and marriage. Until she met her prince, Joseph Kheifits.

They met at the audition of the film "My Homeland", when Yanina Zheimo demanded that she be watched not by the novice director Lev Ashram, but by those who will be involved in the filming of the film, Joseph Kheifits and Alexander Zarkhi. The actress was not only approved for the role of Oli, but also completely charmed Joseph Kheifits with her spontaneity, in an unthinkable way combined with firmness of character and perseverance.

The film "My Homeland" was at the box office for only about a month, and after it was banned for allegedly unworthy coverage of the life of the army, but a warm relationship had already begun between the actress and the director. The girl, who had previously rejected any courtship, again believed in her happiness.

According to the recollections of the daughter of the actress Yanina Kostrichkina, the actress and the director had an almost ideal family. The couple truly loved each other, joked constantly and enjoyed every minute they spent together. Joseph Efimovich treated his wife's daughter very warmly and even after the birth of his own son Julia never separated the children. Janina Zheimo and Joseph Kheifits could have lived together all their lives if their family idyll had not been interrupted by the war.

Unexpected betrayal

After the outbreak of the war, Joseph Kheifits ended up in Tashkent with his children, Julia and Yanina. His wife remained in Leningrad. She went to the front as part of a concert brigade, looked after the wounded in the hospital, put out incendiary bombs while on duty on the roof. Sometimes she received touching letters from her husband, answered him invariably cheerfully and asked him not to worry.

Only in 1942, she was able to leave the besieged city and go to her husband and children in Tashkent. From the besieged city, she carried a suitcase, in which she carefully put only her husband's things. On the way, the train, in which the actress was traveling with a group of actors, her older sister and nephew, was bombed.

Joseph Kheifits received news of the death of his wife. The truth became clear much later: almost before the very bombing of Janina Zheimo, along with all her fellow travelers, she moved to a different composition. When she reached Tashkent, a woman opened the door to the hotel room where her husband and children lived …

Yanina Kostrichkina writes in her memoirs that more than a year passed from the moment of receiving the news of the death of her mother to her appearance in Tashkent. That is, Leonid Kheifits during this time resigned himself to the bitterness of loss and began to look after, and then live with another actress. He did not abandon the children and intended to educate, as before.

Joseph Efimovich, having learned about the appearance of his wife, whom he had considered dead for more than a year, immediately rushed to the hotel. He tried to explain what had happened, he asked for forgiveness and appealed to the arguments of reason. Yanina Boleslavovna was adamant. She didn't want to hear more about the man she believed had betrayed her.

Joseph Kheifits, it seems, also took offense at his wife. Well, how could she judge him, who was left with two children in his arms and believed the news of the death of Janina Zheimo … So they parted, each convinced that they were right …

Janina Zheimo had a hard time parting with her husband, she was practically paralyzed and only a doctor who successfully used the placebo effect could put her on her feet. He gave the actress a "miraculous" medicine, made her drink strictly according to the clock, assuring her of its exceptional properties.

The Polish film director and old friend Leon Jeannot, who had been in love with the actress for a long time, took care of Yanina and supported her in everything. She married him, and later left with him to Poland. But that was a completely different story …

Actually the fate of Janina Zheimo was a little like a fairy tale: she had a chance to survive the war and the betrayal of her loved ones and come to terms with the need to stay away from her homeland and from her daughter and granddaughter until the end of her days.