Truly great actors and actresses can show their unimaginable talent in literally two or three roles. Sometimes just one role is enough. The audience fell in love with this wonderful actress of Soviet cinema after the release of only two films: “Girls” (the role of Vera’s mother) and “Let's Live Until Monday” (the role of Svetlana Mikhailovna)). So, Nina Menshikova: acting wife and mother.
Start
On a warm summer day, August 8, 1928, a daughter was born in the family of Tatyana Grigoryevna (born in 1903) and Evgeny Aleksandrovich (born in 1898), Menshikov, named Ninochka. Very little is known about the childhood of the actress, practically nothing. It is known that her father was a military man. Ninochka herself from childhood dreamed of acting in films.
At the age of nineteen (in 1947), Nina Menshikova became a student at the All-Union Institute of Cinematography. She enters the acting department. Despite the fact that she really liked to study, this process was not very successful for her. The head of the course, on which the future actress studied, was Boris Babochkin (the legendary Chapaev), and he could not make out at all in his student at least some kind of sweetness or bright, instantly striking beauty. Butterfly was sure that in her future there was no prospect: her appearance was absolutely not suitable for the pages of cinematographic art, and the student herself did not show any hopes necessary for working in the cinema. None of the educational works of Nina Evgenievna did not suit him, therefore, the marks did not rise higher than "satisfactory".
Acquaintance with Gerasimov
This situation lasted two years. Nina Menshikova, biography which is rich in a huge number of interesting facts, made a fateful decision for her to switch to the course below. It was the workshop of Sergei Gerasimov. From this moment, a completely different life begins for the girl.
It was in these walls that her acting charm was revealed, her somewhat peculiar talent revealed and a huge increase in her professionalism occurred. Nina Menshikova studied very diligently, she was even a Stalin scholarship holder. In the characterization that was given to her upon graduation from the institute, it was said that she is very curious and well educated, can independently solve acting problems, played many diverse roles, differing in character and age ...
By the way, all these qualities could be seen in her thesis: in "Anna Karenina" Menshikova had the role of Dolly, and in "Youth of Peter" - Anna Mons.
Debut role
Her first role, Nina Menshikova, an actress of Soviet cinema, played in the diploma short film "The Trouble", staged by her comrades in the workshop based on Chekhov's story. They decided to invite the beginning actress to the main role of governess Mashenka. According to the scenario, she had rather mean actions and remarks. But ... It was a very interesting material, saturated through dramatic art. The psychological state of Mashenka has changed three times during a little story! Each time, Menshikova had to look for some tricks to convey to the viewer the state of the main character. She did it well, she managed to make Masha alive, and the tragedy - real.
Teachers were able to make sure that the girl is very professional in expressing the state of her heroine, moving plastic, she listens to any idea of the director and is able to make independent creative decisions.
Varvara and Svetlana Mikhailovna
The role of the mother of an ordinary village boy, who accidentally managed to find an ancient miraculous icon, made it possible for Menshikova to very clearly show all her best acting qualities and capabilities. The image of Barbara (mother) in the whole huge creative biography is the most tragic. The character is torn apart by internal contradictions. Her husband left her, left her with a small son in his arms. Barbara is not very well adapted to live independently, she is very timid, modest, used to obey. Nina Menshikova very convincingly conveyed all the worthlessness and joylessness of the existence of Barbara. She has constant transitions from fear of life to attempts to show evil power over her little son and again to tears.
Another serious and beloved by the audience role of Nina Menshikova was the character from the painting “Let's Live Until Monday” - a teacher of literature Svetlana Mikhailovna. At first glance, this is a very negative person. But Menshikova’s mastery made it possible to reveal the most contradictory character traits of her heroine, to show her refined. Each viewer, having watched this film, could not only sympathize or gloat over some line in the picture, but also reflect on the life upheavals of the teacher, on all the circumstances of her personal drama. The work of the actress on creating the image of Svetlana Mikhailovna clearly showed that playing the role of a character that is not very attractive at first glance, the talented actor will be able to show it from the other side. For the performance of this role Nina Menshikova received the State Prize of the Soviet Union.
Personal life
The biography of actress Nina Menshikova cannot be complete without mentioning her family.
The 45-year-old marriage of director Stanislav Rostotsky and actress Nina Menshikova was a happy exception, completely not confirming the opinion that people of art are so dissolute and unfaithful.
It was one of the most beautiful pairs of Soviet cinema. They met back at VGIK. Nina was sure that her love had no chance, because almost all the girls of the course were in love with Stanislav, not even Alla Larionova was left behind. But after a trip to the village of Kirzhach, where Rostotsky was going with co-author of the first work, Vladimir Krasilshchikov, and where Menshikova went to cook food for two talented people, everything was decided. The novel, the result of which was the painting "Earth and People" in 1956 and the birth of Andrei's son in January 1957, began on the first day. Doctors forbade Menshikova from even thinking about the child because of the transferred tuberculosis. She did not listen to them. So the world learned about another talented actor, stuntman and director Andrei Rostotsky.
The family was very happy until August 2001, when Rostotsky Sr. passed away after an extensive heart attack. It would seem that this loss in the life of Nina Evgenievna could not be heavier. But there was another bereavement. On May 5, 2002, their son Andrei was tragically killed in Sochi.
Nina Menshikova died on December 27, 2007, having outlived her son for 5 years ...