Antonina Maksimova

Acting · 1916–1986 · Tula, Russian Empire [now Russia]

Antonina Mikhailovna Maksimova (25.10.1916, Tula — 7.10.1986, Moscow); her mother was a housewife and her father worked at the Tula Arms Factory. She had two brothers, both of whom went on to become engineers. From a young age, she dreamed of a career in acting; she performed in amateur productions and was an excellent singer, dancer, and reciter. After finishing school, she was accepted into drama school at first attempt. In 1938, she graduated from the State Institute of Theatre Arts (GITIS). Whilst studying at GITIS, she made her film debut and, in the latter half of the 1930s, she rose to widespread fame following leading roles in the films Dawns of Paris, in which she played the French revolutionary Catherine Millard, and The Sailors, where she portrayed Senior Lieutenant Galina Zorina, commander of a seaplane squadron.

Full biography

From 1938, she was an actress at the Moscow Comedy Theatre. From 1940, she worked at the Saratov Drama Theatre named after Karl Marx; her roles included Katya in The Barbarians; Katerina in In the Steppes of Ukraine; and Smelskaya in Talents and Admirers. Between 1941 and 1943, she served in the Great Patriotic War as a radio operator. She was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd Class (1985). From 1943 to 1946, she was an actress with the 1st Front Theatre of the All-Russian Theatre Society (VTO); her roles included Liza in Wait for Me; Varya in Frol Skobelev; Maria in The Taming of the Tamer. In 1946, she performed with the drama collective of the Central House of Culture for Railway Workers (Tsentral'nyy Dom Kul'tury Zheleznodorozhnikov), playing Polina in the production of The Stepmother and Nina Alexandrovna in the play Mashenka. From 1947 to 1986, she was an actress at the Film Actors’ Studio Theatre; her roles included: Pamela in The Island of Peace, Alena Dmitrievna in Three Soldiers, Anna in Sofya Kovalevskaya, Klavdiya in Vanyushin’s Children, Feny in The Director, Marfa Petrovna in Russian People, Kabanikha in The Storm. She also acted at the Mosfilm film studio. Honoured Artist of the RSFSR (1969). After the war, she mainly played supporting roles on screen. In 1955, she played Iago’s wife Emilia in the film adaptation of Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello, directed by Sergei Yutkevich.