At the end of her life, Irina Miroshnichenko did not have a single girlfriend left. In addition to Marina Zudina, the widow of Oleg Tabakov, the former artistic director of the Moscow Art Theater, where Irina Petrovna served from 1965 until her last breath, none of her partners said a word at the farewell ceremony for the people’s artist. And most of the women from the troupe did not come at all to see off the blond superstar on his last journey.
Irina Petrovna was not very fond of actresses. And tried to stay away from her. Miroshnichenko was always sharp-tongued, flaunted her diamonds (she owned a whole collection) and tried to extend her influence to everyone and everything.
Even the playwright Lyudmila Petrushevskaya, who now lives abroad, published an essay on the death of the actress, where she noted her arrogance and passion for luxury:
– I saw Ira often – in ancient times – after showings of my unauthorized performance “Cinzano” directed by her [третьего] husband Igor Vasiliev. She came in a luxurious fur coat and slightly disapproved of our beggarly performance in terms of plot: three drunks drink rare Italian wine. We were not particularly friends, she treated me like a senior in rank. Her position – the star of the theater – gave her this right. We met with her at my girlfriends, costume designers. She scolded me with a dash of praise at these dressers. She said: “Why do you need a long skirt, you need to wear a mini with such legs!” And all this with a not too friendly intonation.
Dobronravova and Miroshnichenko in the film “They were known only by sight” (1966)
Understood guilt
And yet, Miroshnichenko had one real girlfriend. Hereditary actress, smart, beautiful, intellectual, who never chased fame and chic. Alas, the name of Elena Dobronravova, who died at the age of 66 in 1999, is almost forgotten today.
Kirill-Edgar Dalberg, an art critic and theater historian, the godson of Elena Dmitrievna, spoke about their friendship, which ended in a quarrel.
On the screen behind the coffin, footage from the theatrical life of the deceased was shown, including her joint work with her lover, Oleg Efremov.
“Maybe there, beyond the horizon, beyond the clouds, you will meet my beloved godmother Lenochka Dobronravova, with whom you were once so friends, with whom you often acted in films and with whom there was a break,” Dahlberg addressed the deceased Miroshnichenko on his social page . – Even to me, years after the death of the godmother, you reprimanded that she never forgave you. And you, it seems, never forgot about it and understood your guilt. You were smart and unforgettable. Sorry and goodbye, Irochka. Bright memory to you. I remember. Sincerely.
Dobronravova, who refused to play the main female role in the film “Officers”, was very kind and generous. For example, she settled and helped actress Valentina Malyavina with all her might after she was released from prison for killing her lover.
Lev Leshchenko offered to kneel before Eternity, where Irina Petrovna went
Elena, like Miroshnichenko, did not have children, and her personal life was strange. Both friends were followed by crowds of boyfriends, and they experienced real feelings only once or twice in their lives. They say that when, in recent years, Dobronravova began to be overcome by a terrible depression, Miroshnichenko, instead of coming to her friend’s aid, defiantly pulled away from her.
At the same time, before Elena helped Irina a lot. She was even able to convince the “great old women” of the Moscow Art Theater, who did not take Miroshnichenko seriously, to treat her with respect. The prima of the Art Theater Olga Androvskaya, according to Irina Petrovna herself, constantly made remarks to her: “Don’t be so loud, don’t be so bright, you need to be more modest, quieter, more precise, more restrained … After all, you play the classics.”
Zudina asked Miroshnichenko, “who hears everything,” to tell Oleg Tabakov in the other world that she and the children love him very much
Resentments and offenders
With another beauty, Anastasia Vertinskaya, Miroshnichenko was at enmity over a man. As you know, both in different years were the mistresses of their boss, artistic director Oleg Efremov. After the death of Irina Petrovna, many remembered this. Here is the testimony of the venerable journalist Sergei Nikolayevich:
– In the spring of 1987, I asked the famous photographer Valery Plotnikov to shoot for me for the Soviet Theater magazine all the stars of the Moscow Art Theater, headed by Oleg Nikolaevich. We collected them for a long time. Everyone had a difficult relationship there: Kalyagin with Efremov, Miroshnichenko with Vertinskaya. Probably, Irina Petrovna could tell a lot about the then division of the Moscow Art Theater, about the years of lack of role, about her female and acting grievances against Efremov, and then Tabakov. But she never did. She was a proud woman.
90-year-old Stanislav Lyubshin (right) held on to 76-year-old Nikolai Chindyaykin
From birth, Vertinskaya had everything that Irina only dreamed about in her youth – exotic beauty, gloss, name, magic, connections … And Miroshnichenko, in order to be accepted into the Moscow Art Theater School, even had to change her father’s Jewish surname Weinstein at birth to the mother. And then, in order to enter the bohemian circle, she married an influential playwright, author of plays about Lenin, Mikhail Shatrov, who was much older.
– Most of all, Irina Petrovna envied Anastasia that she could love whoever she wanted. While Miroshnichenko herself allowed herself to love those from whom she was benefited, they gossip surrounded by two prim.
Yevgeny Mironov has wrinkles from grief
Men who were useless for her career, Irina Petrovna ruthlessly rejected.
– Ira broke the life of Seva Abdulov, who madly loved her all his life. Seva and serenades sang to her, and committed madness for her, but marriage with him did not give Miroshnichenko anything, – Vsevolod Shilovsky bitterly shared with Express Newspaper.
In fairness, we note that the artist herself sometimes suffered from influential chosen ones.
Vanguard Leontiev remembers the deceased as an ideal beauty
“During her short marriage to the director, State Prize winner Vytautas Zhalakyavichyus, he cheated on Miroshnichenko already on the fifth day after the marriage,” writer Alexandras Belauskas told Express Gazeta. – And I contacted an assistant from the film studio. Soon, Irina Petrovna’s eyes opened, she declared to the missus: “What all of you, Lithuanians, goats!” – and filed for divorce.
The sorcerer Kulebyakin came to the memorial service with a black cat
Sleep with everyone
Oleg Efremov did not consider Miroshnichenko a good actress. One of the worst enemies of Irina Petrovna spoke about this – her hated stepfather Yakov Rozenker, whom she, according to an elderly invalid, left homeless. Despite the fact that he lived with her mother for 40 years.
“One critic told me Efremov’s words about Miroshnichenko that she is no artist,” Yakov Pinkhusovich sighed.
On the theatrical sidelines, there was gossip that the history of Efremov’s relationship with Miroshnichenko and Vertinskaya formed the basis of Oleg Nikolayevich’s aphorism, which other artistic directors later began to repeat: “It’s worth sleeping with one theater actress, then you’ll have to do it with everyone.”
Before and after the memorial service, Pasha Tabakov and Danya STEKLOV smoked with Valentina Ivanova, longtime chief administrator of the Moscow Art Theater
… Irina Petrovna rested at the Troekurovsky cemetery next to the grave of the former actor of the Moscow Art Theater and host of the Fazenda television program Sergei Kolesnikov. In a recent interview with Express Gazeta, he said:
– The most beautiful actress in our history was Nastya Vertinskaya. Incredible beauty and perfection.
Minister of Culture of Russia Olga Lyubimova came with scarlet roses
Having commemorated the deceased, Sergei Chonishvili culturally got rid of the glass
Irina Petrovna lay in a coffin like a queen
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Photo source: Frame from the film, Boris Kudryavov, Larisa Kudryavtseva
