Liya Akhedzhakova

Liya Medzhidovna Akhedzhakova (Russian: Лия Меджидовна Ахеджакова, Ukrainian: Лія Меджидівна Ахеджакова; born 9 July 1938) is a Soviet and Russian film, stage and voice actress who received the title of People's Artist of Russia in 1994. She received two Nika Awards as the best supporting actress and the 2014 Nika Honorary Prize.

Liya Akhedzhakova

People's Artist of Russia
Лия Меджидовна Ахеджакова
At the premiere of Generation P in 2011
Born (1938-07-09) 9 July 1938
Dnipropetrovsk, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
Citizenship Soviet Union (1938–1991) →  Russia (1991–present)
Alma materRussian Academy of Theatre Arts
OccupationActress
Years active1961–present
Notable work
The Irony of Fate (1975), Office Romance (1977), The Garage (1979), Sons of Bitches (1990), Promised Heaven (1991), Playing the Victim (2007)
Spouse(s)Valery Nosik
Boris Kocheishvili
Vladimir Persiyanov
Parent(s)Yuliya Akhedzhakova

Biography

Akhedzhakova was born in Dnipropetrovsk, Ukrainian SSR (modern-day Dnipro, Ukraine). She grew up in a theatrical family in Maykop, Russian SFSR. Her stepfather, Medzhid Salehovich Akhedzhakov (1914–2012), was a Circassian nobleman[1] who served as the Principal Director of the National Theatre of the Republic of Adygea. Her mother, Yuliya Alexandrovna Akhedzhakova (1916–1990), was also an actress at the same drama theatre. At the age of 10, when her mother and aunt was suffering from tuberculosis, she wrote a letter to Joseph Stalin with a request for help. In response, a rare drug was delivered to her family.[2]

In 1956 she entered the Moscow Institute of Nonferrous Metals and Gold where she studied for eighteen months. She first appeared on stage in 1961 at Moscow Youth Theatre. In 1962, she graduated from Lunacharsky State Institute for Theatre Arts (GITIS). Her first film appearance was in Ishchu cheloveka (1973) (Russian: Looking for a Man). Her debut in this drama was awarded several prizes at international film festivals in Locarno, Switzerland and Varna, Bulgaria.[3] In 1977 she joined the Sovremennik Theatre. In 1986 she played four main roles in the play Apartment Columbine directed by Roman Viktyuk.

As a film actress Liya Akhedzhakova became widely known due to her roles in Eldar Ryazanov's films, including Tania in The Irony of Fate (1975), Verochka in Office Romance (1977) and Fima in Promised Heaven (1991). In the 2000 film Old Hags she played alongside her stepfather.

Personal life

Akhedzhakova's first husband was Valery Nosik, an actor of Moscow Pushkin Drama Theatre and Maly Theatre. Her second husband was artist and poet Boris Kocheishvili. In the summer of 2001, Liya Akhedzhakova married the Moscow-based photographer Vladimir Persiyanov.

Political views

During the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis on the night before the storming of the White House happened Akhedzhakova, along with several other popular actors, attended a live broadcast at the "reserve studio" outside of the Ostankino Technical Center. She expressed support to Boris Yeltsin while also criticized the army for "not protecting us" from the old Soviet Constitution and encouraged people "to wake up", or "the Communists will return".[4][5] Yeltsin watched the broadcast in his office. He later wrote in his memoirs, "I will always remember Akhedhakova - shocked, fragile, but firm and courageous"[6] She was criticized for her speech by Alexander Prokhanov, Alexander Rutskoy, Stanislav Govorukhin and others who blamed intelligentsia for escalating the conflict.[7][8][9][10][11][12]

Akhedzhakova is a critic of the contemporary Russian politics. She protested against the law that prohibits adoption of Russian children by US citizens, persecution of Mikhail Khodorkovsky and incarceration of Vasily Aleksanyan[10]. Together with Eldar Ryazanov, Yuri Shevchuk, Andrey Makarevich, Andrey Konchalovsky and others, she protested against Russian policy towards Ukraine. Following the shootdown of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, she publicly read a poem by Andrey Orlov, Requiem for MH17 where he apologized as a Russian for shutting down the plane. In 2013, Akhedzhakova received a prize from the Moscow Helsinki Group for "the protection of human rights by means of culture and arts".[13]

According to Eldar Ryazanov, "She sympathizes with the weak, and despises the cruel. In that her artistic credo coincides with the stance of the great Chaplin".[14]

Honours and selected awards
Year Award Category Work Result
1970 Honored Artist of the RSFSR Meritorious Artist Won
1973 Prize of the 8th International Film Screening in the Red Cross and Red Crescent in Varna[14] Won
1975 Prize of the 8th All-Union Film Festival in Chișinău[14] Sports Films Won
1979 Vasilyev Brothers State Prize of the RSFSR[14] Laureate of RSFSR State Prize Office Romance Won
1991 Nika Award[15] Best Supporting Actress Promised Heaven Won
1994 People's Artist of Russia[14] Won
1999 Order of Honour[14] Won
2001 "Olmypia" National Award[14] National Prize of Public Recognition for Women's Achievements Won
2006 Order "For Merit to the Fatherland"[14] Cavalière (4th class) Won
2006 Nika Award[16] Best Supporting Actress Playing the Victim Won
2008 Star of Theatre Prize[14] Won
2008 Award of "Star teatral" Civic Courage Won
2013 Award of "Star teatral" Best Actress Won
2013 Award of the Moscow Helsinki Group Won
2014 Nika Award[17] Honorary Prize Won

Selected filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
1968 Vozvrashchenie Petya
1970 The Blue Bird Young boy Voice
1970 Valiant Robin Hood Little John Voice
1973 Glasha and Kikimora Pioneer cyclist Voice
1973 Ishchu cheloveka Anna Kuznetsova
1974 Tanya Mistress, housekeeper
1974 Ivan da Mariya Princess Agrippina
1975 The Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath! Tanya, Nadya’s friend Television film
1975 Poshekhonskaya starina Polka
1975 U samogo Chernogo morya Viola Smyr
1976 Po sekretu vsemu svetu Yelizaveta Nikolaevna, geography teacher
1976 Twenty Days Without War Clock woman
1977 Zhikharka Voice
1977 Dva klyona Ivanushka Voice
1977 Zhuravl v nebe
1977 Office Romance Vera "Verochka", secretary
1978 The Handsome Man Lupacheva Television film
1978 When I Will Become a Giant Julietta Ashotovna, nicknamed “Smiley”, English teacher
1978 Podarok chyornogo kolduna Pugalitsa
1979 Pogovori na moyom yazyke Claudia
1979 Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears Olga Pavlovna, club manager
1979 The Garage Malaeva
1980 Say a Word for the Poor Hussar Loulou Television film
1981 Vosmoe chudo sveta Yuliya Yermolina
1981 Kuda ischez Fomenko? Alina Television film
1981 Otpusk za svoy schyot Irina Television film
1982 Alice Through the Looking Glass The White Queen
1983 Koe-chto iz gubernskoy zhizni Merchutkina Television film
1983 Talisman Grandmother
1983 Koe-chto iz gubernskoy zhizni Merchutkina Television film
1983 Mama Anush Anush
1984 Malenkoe odolzhenie Toma Television film
1984 Copper Angel Rosita
1984 Osenniy podarok fey Fairy of sorrow
1986 Ara, bara, pukh! Voice
1986 Igra khameliona Irma
1986 Povod Violetta
1986 Razmakh krylyev First-class passenger (herself)
1987 Dialog. Krot i yaytso Egg Voice
1987 Drugaya zhizn Roza
1988 Svirepyi Bambr Mouse Voice
1988 Greshnik Zina
1989 Vagrant Bus Zina, administrator
1989 Sofia Petrovna
1990 Yozhik dolzhen byt kolyuchim? Mother hedgehog Voice
1990 Po sledam Bambra Mouse Voice
1990 Doping dlya angelov Nina
1990 Sons of Bitches Nanaytseva
1990 Mordashka Zoya Nikolaevna, Yuliya's mother
1991 Glasha and Kikimora Voice
1991 Lovushka dlya Bambra Mouse Voice
1991 Na chyornyy den Voice
1991 Promised Heaven Afimya "Fima" Stepanovna Nika Award for Best Actress (1991)
1992 Rozhdenie Gerakla Voice
1992 Ya khotela uvidet angelov Zhenya’s mother
1992 Sem sorok Tkachuk
1993 Muravinyy yozhik Voice
1993 Bezdna, krug sedmoy
1994 Tren bren Masha
1995 Moskovskiye kanikuly Speculator
1995 Bred vdvoyom
1997 Dandelion Wine Lena Auffmann
2000 Old Hags Lyuba
2006 Playing the Victim Waitress in Japanese restaurant Nika Award for Best Actress (2007)
2006 Andersen. Zhizn bez lyubvi Gadalkal
2006 Strannoe rodzdestvo Lucia Television film
2007 Potapov, k doske! Taisiya Ivanovna
2007 Vetka sireni Anna Sergeevna, Zverev’s wife
2007 Dyuymovochka Mouse
2007 Foto moey devushki Lyubov Grigorevna, Paul’s mother
2007 The Funeral Party Mariya Ignatyevna, healer
2008 Chetyre vozrasta lyubvi Zima
2009 The Book of Masters Baba Yaga
2009 Bankrot Matchmaker
2010 Love-Carrot 3 Yelizaveta Nikolaevna
2011 Ivan Tsarevich and the Grey Wolf Baba Yaga Voice
2012 Moms Svetlana Semyonovna

Television
Year Title Role Notes
1977 Neznaika v Solnechnom gorode Episode 7–8
2003 Pyatyy angel Sara
2004 Uzkiy most Nina Petrovna TV mini-series
2005 Kazaroza Mariya Antonovna
2011 Dorogoy moy chelovek
gollark: English definitely doesn't.
gollark: "Official language"? Most languages don't have official authorities.
gollark: Well, the standard English one.
gollark: They should really just accept people using what's basically now the standard gender neutral pronoun.
gollark: You should probably just always use "they" if in doubt, or indeed all the time on the internet because it's more convenient than trying to remember genders or whatever.

References
  1. "Leah Akhedzhakova". movie-space.
  2. Interview at Hard Day's Night, Dozhd TV channel, 5 March 2013 (in Russian)
  3. Film and Theatre Star Liya Akhedzhakova Turns 70
  4. White House, Black Smoke documentary by NTV (Russia), archive footage at 57:50 (in Russian)
  5. Zheleznova N. L., Panova A. G., Surkov A. P. (1994). Moscow. Autumn-93. Chroincles of the Confrontation // From the speech by Lia Akhedzhakova given on central television on October 4, 1993. — Moscow: Respublika, p. 396-397 ISBN 5-250-02452-1
  6. The Invention of Russia: The Rise of Putin and the Age of Fake News, by Arkady Ostrovsky, Penguin, Jun 7, 2016 - History, page 159.
  7. Dmitri Furman (2010). Spiral Motion: The Russian Political System alongside Other Political Systems. — Moscow: Ves Mir, p. 71-72 ISBN 978-5-7777-0480-1 (Russian pdf at the official Dmitriy Furman's website)
  8. Alexander Rutskoy (1995). The Bloody Autumn: Diary of 21 September - 4 October 1993. — Moscow, p. 256 ISBN 5-900248-27-5
  9. Personal Opinion with Alexander Prokhanov at Echo of Moscow, March 16, 2011 (in Russian)
  10. Yuri Saprykin. Council of Ancients: Lia Akhedzhakova interview at Afisha, February 4, 2013 archived (in Russian)
  11. Oleg Kashin (2013). Putin's Reaction. What Is Good and What Is Bad. — Moscow: Algorithm ISBN 978-5-4438-0517-7
  12. Stanislav Govorukhin. "People are protesting, that's good, but I don't trust the leaders of opposition" interview at Argumenty i Fakty, 10/02/2012 (in Russian)
  13. https://www.svoboda.org/a/25293190.html
  14. "Ахеджакова Лия Меджидовна" (in Russian). Kino-teatr.ru. 3 October 2014. Retrieved 24 Dec 2014.
  15. 1991 Laureates at the official Nika Award website (in Russian)
  16. 2006 Laureates at the official Nika Award website (in Russian)
  17. 2014 Laureates at the official Nika Award website (in Russian)
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