The Soviet-Russian actress Elena Drapeko is known today for not only her cinematographic works, but also for political activities. The famous artist, who is invariably associated with the majority of the audience with the heroine of the legendary film "And the Dawns Here Are Quiet ..." by Lisa Brichkina, has been a State Duma deputy for the second decade. About the life and career of the actress and politician, about the family and the best works in the cinema are described in this article.
Parents
Drapeko Elena Grigoryevna (photos are given in the article) was born on October 29, 1948 (according to the zodiac sign - Scorpio, according to the eastern horoscope - Rat) in the small city of Uralsk, which was located in the west of the then Kazakh SSR.
The family was not related to the world of art. Mother worked as a school teacher in two subjects - literature and history. My father served as a military officer, was a career officer - lieutenant colonel, and also gave lectures on political economy in Soviet universities.
But, as Elena repeatedly stated in her interviews, despite the profession of the pope, she inherited decisiveness and firmness of character precisely from her mother, who came from an Old Believer family and brought up in severity.
Nomadic life
The ancestors of the future actress on both lines were immigrants. Relatives of the mother during the reign of Peter the Great moved to the Ural lands. And the ancestors of the father - Ukrainians by nationality - in the beginning of the 20th century moved from the village of Preobrazhensky, Chernihiv province to Bashkiria, and then to Kazakhstan.
The life of Elena and her parents was associated with moving to an even greater extent than that of their grandparents. The family was truly nomadic - this was required by the military profession of the pope. In her native Uralsk, Elena spent only the first years of her life. Soon after her birth, the family moved to Ufa. The next place of residence was Pavlovsk, Leningrad Region.
The difficulties that accompanied the nomadic life, such as changing educational institutions and surroundings, did not prevent Elena from gaining additional knowledge outside the school. She studied violin, and also attended classes in a ballet studio.
By the time school was finished, Elena Drapeko and his parents were already in another city near the Northern capital - in Pushkin. There, the future actress and received a certificate.
Craving for the beautiful
Even before graduation, she knew exactly what she wanted to connect her fate with - she was attracted only by the cinematic universe. The choice of such a field of activity somewhat surprised the girl’s parents, but no more. The wishes and opinions of the daughter in the family have always been treated with respect. Therefore, no excuses or prohibitions after Elena's statement about her desire did not follow.
The period of entry into adulthood was overshadowed. The family of the graduates was already only a mother, who at that time left teaching and worked as a librarian. At the age of 16, Drapeco was half orphaned - her father passed away.
The tragic event did not change the girl’s plans. In the mid-1960s, she went to Leningrad, where on the first attempt she entered the local Krupskaya Institute of Culture (current SPbGIK). In 1968, Elena Drapeko became a certified director of folk performances and performances.
Without giving herself a break, she continued her education by entering the Institute of Theater, Music and Cinematography of the City of Leningrad (now the Institute of Performing Arts). Elena studied on the course of Leonid Makaryev. In 1972, she received a second diploma. In the same year, Drapeko made her debut as a film actress.
Finest hour
Elena first appeared on the screen in the 2-episode military drama "The Dawns Here Are Quiet ...", where she played one of the main characters - Lisa Brichkina. This film adaptation of the novel of the same name, released in 1972, in the blink of an eye turned an unknown young actress into a real star of an all-Union scale.
The film director Stanislav Rostotsky immediately discerned the required type in the last year student of the theater institute. A pretty blonde with a tight physique (Elena's height is 170 cm, weight - 65 kg) was perfectly suited for the role of Lisa. In the novice inexperienced actress guessed the same decisiveness, courage, sincerity and kindness that were inherent in her heroine. Drapeco managed to perfectly convey all this on the screen.
The film was a truly tremendous success with both the audience and critics. And the role of Lisa Brichkina to this day is considered the best work of Elena, although she has more than fifty characters played in a variety of films.
Career
Such a successful cinematic debut is of key importance in the acting biography of Elena Drapeko. She did not have to make her way to fame and popular recognition. From the very first appearance on the screen, she received the unlimited love of the audience, as well as popularity and demand in the profession.
After the release of the film “The Dawns Here Are Quiet ...”, the talented debutant was literally bombarded with proposals for filming in various new projects. For 20 years (from 1972 to 1992), Drapeco was officially the full-time actress of Lenfilm. But this did not stop her from actively acting in films of other film studios. Among all third-party projects, a significant share falls on Mosfilm.
Starting with her debut work, Drapeko starred almost continuously. Every year, several new films featuring the actress appeared on the screens. She got both large prominent roles, like Vera Inyutina in "Eternal Call", and small episodic ones, like the attendant of a hotel in the "Crash of Engineer Garin".
Featured Films
The best films with Elena Drapeko include the following tapes:
- "Fatherlessness."
- "Version of Colonel Zorin."
- "Second spring."
- "Mushroom rain".
- "House on the Fontanka."
- "Live in joy."
- "A circle".
- "Between night and day."
- "A lonely hostel is provided."
- "Wormwood is a bitter grass."
- "Parents are not chosen."
- "My boyfriend."
- "I will never forget you".
In addition, among the bright memorable roles of the actress, one can distinguish:
- Asya from "I Serve on the Border".
- Galina Sergeyevna from The Quiet Threes.
- Dusu from Old Friends.
- Zoe from The Hottest Month.
- Katya from Step Towards.
- Claudia from Courage.
- Olya from the "Labeled Atom".
- Tanya from the White Road.
Of course, this is not a complete list of Elena's film works. The actress continues to act now, but, to the chagrin of fans of her talent, less and less. The pace of cinematic activity of the star slowed down after the collapse of the Soviet Union and did not return to its previous level.
Political activity
In the 1990s, the actress starred very little. Cinema in that difficult period for the whole country was in a deplorable state. It was at this time, when previously uninterrupted employment on the set came to naught, the actress began her political career. She successfully combined public activities with the main work in the Soviet period. But with the collapse of the Union, politics for Elena gained a professional character.
In 1992, Drapeko headed the St. Petersburg Committee for Culture and Tourism. The very next year, she took the post of vice president of the film actors guild of Russia. Then there were a few more new posts. The political career of the artist advanced, as they say, by leaps and bounds.
In 1999, Elena became a State Duma deputy. Since then, her status has remained unchanged. Favorite people, the actress is elected from time to time. Since 1999, she was a deputy from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, and from 2007, from Just Russia.
Official marriages
Of the entire biography of Elena Drapeko, the personal life of the actress is the most unknown part. If the artist eagerly talks about her cinematic and political career, she does not advertise the details of relations with men. It is known that the actress was officially married three times.
The first marriage of Helen began and ended in his student years. Spouse's name is unknown. In one of the interviews, the actress only mentioned that she considers this early marriage a big mistake.
Her second husband was Oleg Belov - an actor from Leningrad. Has acted in films for several decades. Nevertheless, it cannot be called successful. Elena was 14 years younger than her husband. They married in 1978, and divorced in 1991.
In 1983, the only child of Elena Drapeko was born - the daughter of Anastasia (by education - a journalist, now - the press attache of Vera Brezhneva).
In connection with the talkativeness of the second spouse, this marriage is the only well-known to the general public. The further personal life of Elena Drapeko is again hidden by a dark veil.
The name of the third husband of the actress is unknown. Rumor has it that he belonged to representatives of the "powers that be" and held a high post, and later became a businessman. The only thing that Elena said about this marriage is that she and her husband could not get along because of different political views. After that, Drapeco did not officially marry anymore.