Spectators who like the good tales of the Soviet era cannot but know who Ioannina Zheimo is. The biography, the personal life of a wonderful actress who perfectly played Cinderella in the 1947 film, is considered in this article. The star, who achieved fame during the Soviet era, left this world back in 1987, but her memory continues to live.
Zheimo Yanina Boleslavovna: childhood
The future Cinderella was born in May 1909, it happened in the small Belarusian town of Volkovysk. Unfortunately, few facts have been preserved about how Yanina Zheimo spent the first years of her life, the biography, personal life of the star interested journalists only from the 30s. It is known that the girl’s family belonged to the category of low-income, parents earned their bread by performing in a circus. Mother and father began to use Yanin in their rooms when she was three years old. The baby acted as a gymnast, ballerina, rider. At one time, she even gave ballet lessons, studying with children who were much older than herself.
The father of the future star, who had poor health all his life, died in 1923 after a long illness. The mother was forced to raise four children alone. Performances in the circus were over, the family of artists refused to renew the contract. Mother and daughters interrupted by casual earnings, settling after the death of the head of the family in Petrograd. Ioannina and her sister Elya mastered the game on xylophone, spoke to the audience with the number "Musical Eccentrics", which was very popular.
Height
There was one more nuisance that the remarkable actress Yanina Zheimo faced in her teenage years - the beauty's growth stopped at around 148 cm. The girl had to struggle with complexes associated with this for a long time. Many biographers are convinced that it was non-standard parameters that did not allow her to achieve the success that would correspond to her talent.
However, coming out of adolescence, the actress was no longer worried about this "flaw", she even managed to turn it into her own highlight. She easily agreed to the roles of little girls (and boys), who continued to be entrusted to her even after the birth of her first child. This is another proof of how positive the person was Yanina Zheimo, a biography whose personal life is considered in our article.
Choice of profession
Many children do not know who they want to be in adulthood, but Yanochka was not one of those doubters. The famous actress - and in no other way saw her future Zheimo Yanina Boleslavovna. Not surprisingly, the girl decided to acquire the appropriate education, which was supposed to help her achieve her goal. Zheimo for a long time hid her admission to the acting studio from his mother, who was categorically against her choice. The leaders of the studio during her training were Trauberg and Kozintsev, whom the country recognized in the future as talented directors.
It is curious that by the time of receipt the acting experience of the future Cinderella was over 12 years. Members of the selection committee who took exams could not boast of such an experience, which struck them from the heart. Even small growth did not prevent Yanina from achieving her goal - she became a student.
First love
Loving Jeymo Yanina Boleslavovna was fond of young people even before meeting with Andrei Kostrichichkin, however, this guy was the first who managed to interest her seriously. Andrew also chose an acting profession for himself, their fateful acquaintance occurred in a studio in which both hone their dramatic skills. The lovers met for several months, then decided to marry. It is interesting that in the debut picture of Ioannina, which was the film "Bears against Yudenich", her husband also starred. Jaime embodied the image of the Bear in this tape.
The newlyweds soon had a daughter, who received her name in honor of her mother. By the way, she also connected her life with cinema, spent many years as an employee of the Mosfilm studio, but she did not achieve much success. Shortly after the wedding and the birth of a child in the family, conflicts began on domestic grounds, which ultimately led to separation. Of course, the daughter remained to live with her mother, almost losing contact with her father.
The beginning of the way
As she studied in the studio, the future Soviet Cinderella gradually ceased to look at herself as a circus artist, starting to dream of conquering the world of cinema. It would seem that everything turned out wonderful for the beginning actress. Trauberg and Kozintsev, impressed by the student’s talents, offered her roles in several of their films. Among them, the most unusual, according to critics, was the comedy "Little Brother", in which Jaime played the main character.
However, the girl had to face problems typical of representatives of her profession in those days. She was terrified when she saw the results of her first shoot, even tried to forever say goodbye to the world of cinema. The lack of experience with the operators, the incorrect setting of the light - all this negatively affected the appearance. However, gradually, the studio’s specialists learned how to properly film actors, work with light.
The future Cinderella received a diploma confirming the completion of training in the film workshop in 1929. Her quarrels with her mother were still ongoing at that time. A woman, wise by experience, believed that her daughter could achieve serious success, remaining an entertainer, while in the movie she had no chance. It is interesting that in the maternal prophecies there was also a grain of truth, Yanina Zheimo, films with the participation of which are now largely forgotten, could not fully realize her potential in the world of Soviet cinema. Whether the growth is small or something else, this mystery will not be revealed.
Cinema of the pre-war years
Yanina Zheimo is an actress who finally felt herself in demand only in the 30s, when she was literally bombarded with offers about shooting. The girl got her first serious experience thanks to the film “Wake Helen,” which was presented to the public in 1934. After the release of this short film, they first spoke about the beginning actress. Strengthen success was helped by such tapes as "The Adventures of Korzinkina", "Girlfriends".
Jaime in those years gained a lot of fans who literally pursued her. The actress had to constantly listen to boys and girls who dreamed about the acting profession. Strangers unceremoniously guarded the artist near the house, but she met everyone kindly. Interestingly, all this happened before she became known as Cinderella. Ioannina Zheimo was also invited to the ceremony in 1939, where she was solemnly awarded the Order of the Badge of Honor. Now, such success may seem strange, since the paintings that made the movie star a 30s star are completely unfamiliar to modern viewers.
War years
For the second marriage, the actress decided before German troops invaded the territory of the USSR. The new star of the star was a man who also made a name for himself in the cinema, directed by Joseph Kheifits, whose films were very popular in those years. The star had to temporarily refuse to work in the cinema, since she had a son Julius. Looking ahead, it should be said that almost her whole life her second child will spend in Poland, choose the profession of cameraman.
Upon learning of the start of hostilities, the husband of Ioannina took the children (common son and daughter Zheimo from his first marriage) to Tashkent. However, the actress herself chose to stay in Leningrad, as a result she experienced all the horrors of the blockade. Of course, Ioannina Zheimo did not play a role in the cinema in those years, she participated in concerts that were held in parks and hospitals to support the morale of people. Also, the woman hosted friends and acquaintances, shared all the products that she had. The star was able to leave for Tashkent only at the end of 1942, noting with a laugh that, thanks to Adolf Hitler, she finally got rid of extra pounds.
Unfortunately, the husband was not happy with the arrival of his wife, whom he sincerely considered dead. He already had another woman, which was a real tragedy for his wife, who could not forgive him for betrayal. To cope with a personal drama and a serious illness that was raging, she was helped by Leonid Jano, a Polish director who fell in love with a charming actress. Ioannina Zheimo divorced her second husband, the children stayed with their mother. Some time later, she married Leonid, who supported her, to never part with him again. It was his star of Soviet cinema in his last years called the main love of life.
"Cinderella"
Talking about the life of this amazing woman, you can not ignore the most famous role played by a talented actress. The film "Cinderella" (1947) saw the light of day exactly when the state was just trying to recover from the horrors of the war years, get rid of traces of devastation, and compensate for the losses suffered. A kind fairy tale was just what we needed, it is not surprising that the film became very popular among the population of the USSR.
It is interesting that it was not the first time that Ioannina met on the set with lead actor Alexei Konsovsky. Actors have already worked together on such tapes as "Rome, 11 o’clock", "There was a soldier from the front." Initially, the 16-year-old ballerina was invited to the role of Cinderella, however, the creators of the picture did not like her play. As a result, they settled on Jaime, who at that time was about 37 years old. The film "Cinderella" (1947) only won from this, which can hardly be doubted; it is difficult to imagine another actress as the main character.
To make the leading woman look younger, the creators of the tale resorted to various tricks. For example, it was decided to shoot it exclusively in the evenings. Shoes for the actress were made to order, as there were some difficulties with her 31 sizes. A different situation was with the dress, which was literally created from improvised materials.
Life after Cinderella
When the famous fairy tale came out, the actress had to remember again for some time what real fame looks like. Her fans chased her, the children perceived Ioannina as a real fairy-tale character. However, the absence of other vivid roles did its job, the interest that the Soviet Cinderella aroused in the public began to subside, it was once again forgotten. The decline in popularity did not fail to note the directors, who almost ceased to invite the actress to star.
Jaime did not worry about this, focused on duplicating films and animated films. Not every artist, no matter how great voice data he possesses, is successful in this area. However, Ioannina brilliantly coped with a difficult task. One can hardly recognize her voice, which the girl Gerda speaks in the famous "Snow Queen".
So, the mother, who was trying to convince her daughter who chose the acting profession, was right in something. Ioannina Zheimo was a talented actress, but could not wait for serious roles. The last time Cinderella agreed to shoot in the cinema, having already celebrated her 45th birthday. The painting "Two Friends" with her participation was presented to the public in 1954, but the actress did not present new fans anymore.
Relocation to Poland
As already mentioned, the third spouse of the former circus artist turned out to be a Pole by nationality. It was he who convinced his wife to decide on a move, which she seriously thought about when the roles were practically gone. Cinderella Janina Zheimo and her husband moved to Warsaw, the capital of Poland , and the star’s son, who was born in her second marriage, went with them. Already an adult daughter in those years, having managed to get her own family, she chose to stay in the USSR. Unfortunately, with her relatives who left the country, including her mother, she never met again.
It was in Warsaw that the last thirty years of Cinderella’s life passed, it is possible that the happiest. Yanina Zheimo, a biography whose personal life has almost ceased to be occupied by journalists, finally felt free. She discovered the ability to foreign languages, having easily mastered Polish, made friends among the local creative elite. She also enjoyed talking with other emigrants from the USSR, satisfying in this way her homesickness, which she still hadn’t let go of.
One of her closest friends was the well-known film critic Jerzy Teplice in those days. The man repeatedly offered her the opportunity to get interesting roles in the movie, but the actress, who was disappointed in her profession, was absolutely not interested in his ideas. Now she spoke only to a narrow circle of friends, with pleasure arranging home concerts, which were very popular. The woman kept in touch with other famous personalities, for example, Vyacheslav Tikhonov visited her house quite often.
The death of the actress
Unfortunately, the remarkable actress Yanina Zheimo did not manage to celebrate her 80th birthday. The cause of the death of the famous film star is a second heart attack, a woman died while in Warsaw. She did not have time to provide medical assistance, the star of the Soviet cinema passed away very quickly. Son Julius, always respecting his amazing mother with constant respect, was able to fulfill her last wish. The woman, as she wanted to, found peace in her homeland, her funeral took place in Moscow, where her body was delivered in a zinc coffin. Yanochka, as friends and relatives called her all her life, left this world in 1987, when she was only 78 years old.