Irena Lesnevskaya is a woman who was one of the first to become a member of the Academy of Russian Television. It was she who became the founder of the currently cult channel REN-TV. She is also involved in the publication of the periodical The New Times, is not afraid to openly comment on the political and social situation, she is known among journalists as a fairly principled and tough person.
Irena Lesnevskaya, whose biography is presented in the article, learned to the last to defend her point of view and remain true to her views. Paradoxical is the fact that, being a person directly related to television, this woman does not consider herself a public person and does not like to give interviews.
Irena Lesnevskaya: biography
The future creator of one of the most popular Russian television channels was born in May 1942. Irena Lesnevskaya, whose nationality is very interested in her fans, was born in Kazakhstan (at that time it was still the Kazakh SSR), in the small village of Urlutyup, which belonged to the Pavlodar region. It so happened that it was in this village that Irena's father was sent into exile according to the 58th article notorious in Soviet times.
After the war ended in 1945, Irena, who at that time was three years old, returned to Moscow with her mother and brother, and Stefan Lesnevsky remained in Urlutyup to serve his sentence. He was rehabilitated only in 1956, but he never returned from Kazakhstan. Stefan created a new family there, marrying a German from the Volga region, who, like him, was in exile.
Having changed her place of residence, already in the capital, Irena Lesnevskaya went to an ordinary comprehensive school. Her older brother ─ Stanislav, was a literary critic, and he managed to instill an interest and love for literature to his younger sister at school age.
Youthful dream of becoming a doctor
In one of her relatively recent interviews, Irena Lesnevskaya said that, despite her sincere interest in literature, in her youth she dreamed of becoming a doctor. At that time, in order to be able to enter a medical institute, an applicant needed to have at least 2 years of experience in the medical field. For this reason, Irena Lesnevskaya, whose photo is presented in our article, having reached the age of sixteen, changed her regular school to evening school and began working as a laboratory assistant in the hospital.
Irena practically worked out the experience she needed, but she did not go into medicine. And the reason for this was one incident: senior students who had already been practicing in the hospital where Irena worked, once hinted to the girl that for the year and a half that she had been working, she should have been present at least once in the pathology during the autopsy. Lesnevskaya listened to them, went, and after that firmly decided that she would have nothing to do with medicine.
Received education
Thanks to her older brother, Irena Lesnevskaya in her youth had the opportunity to constantly revolve in the circles of outstanding and creative people. After an unsuccessful attempt to come to medicine, the girl became very passionate about becoming an actress. After graduating from evening school, she entered VGIK, but to the directing department. Irena studied there for a relatively short time and, leaving the institute, continued to dream about the career of a great artist.
Search for yourself
Life turned out so that the girl began to work in a literary newspaper. She became a member of the Music Studio, joining the creative youth of that time. Irena Lesnevskaya understood that she absolutely needed a higher education, and for this reason she decided to enter Moscow State University. After graduation, she received a diploma in journalism. I first got on television in 1966 and immediately realized that I had finally found the main business of my life.
TV career
Having got on the Central Television in the USSR State Radio and Television in 1966, she worked for a long time as an assistant director in the children's editorial office. After a while she took the post of editor. For the first 7 years of work in Ostankino, Lesnevskaya did not have any impressive career growth. She held one position, but at the same time she was allowed to do copyright programs, which even received numerous diplomas and awards. Everything changed after Brezhnev’s death - Irena was finally raised. She became the author of many programs, which were mainly devoted to literature and art.
In the 80s, Irena Stefanovna worked on the very popular “Kinopanorama” program in the Union and was actively engaged in other equally interesting projects.
Everything changed dramatically during the 1991 coup. Then Lesnevsky realized that it was necessary to take the situation into their own hands. Together with her closest person - her son Dmitry, she established and became president of the independent television company REN-TV. A few years later, in 1997, the son and his mother created a television channel of the same name - REN-TV.
For many years, being the main one on this channel, Lesnevskaya was really his heart. Everything that aired on REN-TV reflected her understanding of the general infotainment channel.
Relatively recently, the circumstances surrounding Irena have developed in such a way that, under constant pressure, she was forced to completely sell the entire share of her own television channel. But Lesnevskaya did not fall into despair, taking advantage of the situation for the first time in many years, she began to spend her free time with benefit for herself.
Personal life
Irena Lesnevskaya, whose photo in her youth can be seen in our article, has always been an interesting girl. Throughout her life, only in an official marriage she managed to visit three times. In the public domain you can find information only about her first wife, who became the famous writer Vladimir Maximov. Irena prefers not to talk about the rest of her lovers. Now she devotes herself to her beloved and only son Dima and two grandchildren.