Back in 1968, actress Victoria Ostrovskaya appeared in a tiny episode in Leonid Gaidai’s comedy “The Diamond Arm”, but the bright character of the priestess of love from Istanbul brought her fame for many decades.
"Tsigel, Tsigel, ai-lu-lu"
The phrase “Tsigel, Tsigel, Ai-Liu Liu” associated with her instantly became winged and brought Victoria popularity and recognition for many years. Few people will now remember that, in general, the first words were said by the smuggler in the pharmacy, where they put gypsum on his arm, and they were followed by the sentence: "Mikhail Svetlov tu-tu." The phrase is firmly connected in the minds of the audience precisely with the episode in the alley.
The phrase “Ziegel, Ziegel, ai-lu-lu” is still quite often heard from the lips of both the young generation who was born decades after the movie was released and older people.
It seemed that the future of the actress after the release and popular recognition of the comedy was predetermined, new roles and filming were provided for her for many years to come. But the course of life and its surprises cannot be predicted. The biography of Victoria Ostrovskaya is full of dramatic events.
Childhood Vicki Ostrovskaya
Victoria Ostrovskaya was born on September 1, 1938 in Kiev. From childhood, the child grew up in a creative atmosphere, which could not but leave an imprint on the formation of the views, interests and character of the girl. Vika’s father was repressed, Vika’s stepfather, David Semenovich Volsky, who raised her, was a well-known artist, in the pre-war years he headed the Kiev Circus, then the Drama Theater. I. Franco. The house was often visited by people whom the whole country idolized - Leonid Utesov, Emil Kio, Irina Bugrimova. Such receptions were carried out at home, without splendor and shocking. Vika loved these techniques, which were always attended by a lot of people, heated discussions were held, and interesting topics were discussed. The child literally absorbed all the incoming information, often successfully copied adults.
The girl had another passion - ballet. Victoria's mother, who studied ballet in her youth, enrolled her in a choreography school. The girl was happy to attend classes until an accident occurred with her in 4th grade - while riding on the railing, she fell down from a height of about the second floor and hit her head on the bricks laid around the flowerbed. As a result, a concussion and a doctor’s ban on dancing. In this regard, the further life path was open only to the acting profession.
Education
After graduating from school, Victoria entered the Kiev Theater Institute at the acting department. The course was taught by People's Artist P.T. Sergienko. The future actress Victoria Ostrovskaya studied on the same course with Ada Rogovtseva. Teachers noted the ability of Victoria.
But she failed to graduate. On the fourth, last, course, Victoria Ostrovskaya was expelled from the institute. The official wording read "for political reasons."
The girl was accused of promoting the lifestyle of the decaying West. At the Komsomol meeting on the analysis of Victoria’s behavior, the Komsomol secretary mentioned in her report not only the appearance of Victoria herself, but also added the phrase that she adopted short skirts and brightly painted from her mother, a dissolved lady. Vika couldn’t bear this; she grabbed the speaker with fury.
Ostrovskaya was expelled from the institute for a year and, of course, from the Komsomol.
Trip to the capital
After being expelled, Victoria decided to completely change her life. Ostrovskaya was sent to "imbue the ideology of the working class" in Moscow, where she worked as a fitter for the control of measuring instruments at the Beskudnikovsky ceramic plant. Earlier, Victoria managed to marry a Muscovite, Igor Ulchitsky. Having met a girl on vacation in Odessa, he made her an offer during his internship in Kiev.
Return to Kiev, second marriage
After a year of working at the plant, Victoria returned to Kiev, where she was reinstated at the institute and in the Komsomol. The husband stayed in Moscow. Three or four years after marriage, Victoria meets a famous writer and journalist Roman Raigorodetsky. New love captures the actress with all her might, she draws up a divorce from her first husband and marries Raigorodetsky.
After receiving her education, Victoria Ostrovskaya was sent to the Drama Theater for distribution to Syzran. Roman got a job in the newspaper. A year later, Victoria became pregnant. That year was very difficult for the actress. In addition to poverty and hunger in the city, a crisis in the relationship has ripened in the family. Ostrovskaya went to Kiev to have an abortion, she was not going to return to Syzran. But she yielded to her husband's repentance and promises, believing him.
Life and work in Dnepropetrovsk
Living together was difficult, the couple often quarreled, sometimes it literally came to fights. They parted and converged again. Roman was invited to work on the Kuibyshev television, Victoria went next. After one of the quarrels, she went to Dnepropetrovsk, where she was invited to work at the Russian Drama Theater. Upon learning that his wife was pregnant, Raygorodetskiy went after her to Dnepropetrovsk to make peace. But nothing came of it. Victoria stayed in Dnepropetrovsk, and Roman left for Kamchatka.
Escape from Kamchatka
Things in Dnepropetrovsk went with the actress pretty well. She went to Kiev to give birth. Ostrovskaya gave birth to a son, Cyril, at age 23. At the same time, Vicki's mother became seriously ill. When the mother was discharged from the hospital, Ostrovskaya goes with her baby to Kamchatka to her husband.
But family life is not getting better, on the contrary, the crisis is becoming more noticeable. The husband begins to abuse alcohol and in a drunken state beat a woman. Once Victoria doesn’t stand it and opens her veins. Thank God everything worked out. But to live this way was impossible, and Ostrovskaya decided to run away from her husband, telling him that she would fly with her child to her mother for a short while in Kiev. Boarding a plane, she shows her farewell to her husband a portrayal of the famous Russian gesture, indicating a break in relations forever.
A few years later, Raygorodtsev, being married again, found Victoria. But to revive the old feelings did not work. Died Raygorodtsev in America from cancer.
And again to Moscow
Ostrovskaya first returned to Dnepropetrovsk, to the theater, but after a quarrel with the director she left for Moscow, where her mother already lived. She got married a third time there, but the marriage was not long: the husband, slipping on the icy step, fell and crashed.
Actress Victoria Ostrovskaya could not get a job in the theater, despite offers and interviews. We needed money to feed my family and look after my mother, who again had health problems. Waving her hand on her acting career, Victoria gets a job as a dispatcher to a motor depot. At the motor depot, Ostrovskaya was respected by simple hard workers, drivers, they loved her for her fighting character, appreciated and respected her. Once, when Victoria (Madeleine, as the workers called her) wanted to be fired for being rude, the drivers stood up for their darling, defended her, forcing the authorities to ask Victoria for forgiveness.
Finest hour
But, as you know, you won’t run away from fate. At that time, the shooting of The Diamond Arm began, and Gaidai was looking for an actress for the role of a prostitute. Once, an assistant director came up to Ostrovskaya in the street, asking if she was an actress. Victoria answered in the affirmative. After watching Ostrovskaya’s photo test, Gaidai immediately gave her the role, without a single film test. Victoria goes to Baku, where at that time all foreign scenes were filmed to play an episodic, but her most vivid role in life.
Almost immediately, she starred in the sequel to "Carnival Night" - in the film "Old Friend" (an episode with a woman in the shower).
However, this role went unnoticed.
By participating in the filming of two films, Victoria Ostrovskaya sincerely hoped that recognition and long-awaited success would now come, even at 30. Vika leaves the carpool. But…
Disruption and return to life
She could not sit and wait for a suitable role or proposal: she had to feed and support her family. Victoria Grigoryevna gets a job at the Lenin Library, in the arts sector, where she worked for 30 years.
Her salary in those years was 80 rubles; there was no way to raise a child with this money. Victoria earned money wherever she could, even tidied up in private apartments. I stayed with my last strength, but nevertheless there was a breakdown.
Failures in a career, a sick mother, a small child - too much fell on the woman's shoulders. For 2 weeks, she lost 13 kg, tears poured down the river, attended thoughts of suicide. The mother, unable to stand it, called her daughter an ambulance. Help was needed from a neurologist. A friend advised Ostrovskaya to go to the clinic of neurosis and psychotherapy in Leningrad. After spending three months in Bekhterevka, having undergone a course of treatment with tranquilizers, Victoria left the hospital as a completely different person.
The personal life of Victoria Ostrovskaya did not work out. She did not officially marry. It was not up to the husbands: grandchildren, cat, dogs. Victoria always tried to help everyone, she never complained about her fate and failure in the cinema: it means that God so pleases.
Another tragedy and recovery
Life went on as usual, and suddenly disaster struck again. Ostrovskaya suddenly got down with a vertebral hernia. No treatment helped, she could not get up, she needed surgery. But Victoria refused. According to her, conscience did not allow: there was no one to look after her dogs, whom she picked up on the street.
Accidentally on the radio, Ostrovskaya heard a program about the doctor and his system, which puts even hopeless patients on their feet. Victoria decided - this is her chance. So she got to the Kinesitherapy Center and began to study. Ostrovskaya Victoria G. not only won her ailment, but also remained to teach gymnastics at the center for people with back pain. This became her true calling.
She has helped many people. To this day, letters of thanks are written to her, which mean much more to actress Victoria Ostrovskaya than film prizes and awards, which she, unfortunately, have not received.
Today she is already 79 years old, but she not only does gymnastics herself, but also conducts classes, helping others. Incorrigible optimist and “cheerful rickety” (according to her own words), Ostrovskaya is still full of energy, still does not avoid strong words and expressions in life and work.
You can only wish health and long years to Victoria Ostrovskaya. The fate of the actress is an example of courage, which in our time, many are so lacking.