5 1943 October, the
Inna Churikova, a beloved theater and film actress, was born in Belebey, Bashkiria.
Beauty is a divine radiance within a person. It's either there, or it's not. Sometimes you meet absolute beauties, naturally gifted with wonderful eyes, noses, and lips. But when such a woman starts talking, the beauty evaporates. For me, a person is beautiful only if they shine and warm.
She dreamed of becoming an actress since childhood. Attempts to enroll in the Moscow Art Theatre School and the Shchukin Theatre Institute failed.
The examiner glanced at me and asked, "Do you know who Aphrodite is?" I shook my head. "It's the goddess of beauty," the stern teacher explained. "Go and look at yourself in the mirror!" I ran to the bathroom, looked at myself, and burst into tears. But apparently, it was fate—to go to the Shchepkin School... where they taught me the professions so well.
In 1965, she graduated with honors. But she only found work at the Youth Theater, where she initially played animals. Her first "human role" was Baba Yaga. And Churikova humanized her. Her future husband, Gleb Panfilov, recalled that "for the first time in his life, he felt sorry for the evil witch." In 1967, Panfilov invited Churikova to play the lead role in his debut film, "There's No Ford Through Fire." They married in 1970.
You know, trials take away the fuss; only the most important things can bother you anymore. And one more thing. You can give to someone else what you previously kept only for yourself.
Churikova's role as Marfushka in Row's film "Morozko" brought her nationwide fame. During filming, the actress had to ride a real pig and gnaw onions instead of apples—thanks to the props manager.
When I went to the film's dubbing and saw myself on screen for the first time, I burst into tears. I thought I was so ugly! After that, I seriously considered never acting in films again.
Churikova has starred in more than 40 films: “The Same Munchausen,” “The Courier,” the Oscar-nominated “Wartime Romance,” “Casanova’s Cloak,” and “The Idiot.”
She passed away in January 2023.
