May 11, 1940
She was born in Poltava Zhanna Prokhorenko — film actress.
They say it's true: if a person has good fortune, it's only for a moment. But misfortune is always there.
I became interested in the stage while still at school: I went to a drama club at the Palace of Pioneers.
At 17, she was one of the five lucky ones who were offered to study at the Moscow Art Theatre School, under Oleg Efremov.
At 19, she starred in the war melodrama "Ballad of a Soldier." Her portrayal of the main character—a fellow traveler who falls in love with a soldier—was so perfect that she didn't even need makeup before filming: on camera, she looks just as she is.
This poignant film about a soldier who goes on a short leave to repair his mother's roof was nearly banned from showing in the USSR: Goskino officials deemed the characters unheroic and the film pessimistic. However, in the West, "Ballad of a Soldier" was enthusiastically received, nominated for an Oscar, and featured on the cover of Time magazine.
After the film was released on Soviet screens, Prokhorenko woke up famous.
A couple of years later, she again thrilled audiences with her role in the social drama about teenage emotions, "What If This Is Love?"—a film about how teachers' and parents' prohibitions ruin children's lives. The film caused a sensation, as talking about love between schoolchildren was unacceptable at the time.
She appeared in nearly 50 films during her career, but no longer had any breakout starring roles. One of her most notable roles was as an investigator in Kalina Krasnaya. Her line, "Are your shoes too tight?" immediately became popular.
While still a student, she married aspiring director Yevgeny Vasiliev and gave birth to a daughter, Ekaterina Vasilyeva, who also became an actress (in “Guest from the Future” - English teacher Alla Sergeevna).
At 30, she met screenwriter Artur Makarov, with whom she lived in a common-law marriage. Together, they built a house in the Pskov village of Glush, where they spent their summers.
In the 90s, Makarov went into business and was murdered. After that, the once-popular actress almost completely stopped acting, spending most of her time in the countryside, tending her garden and beading icons.
She died on August 1, 2011 from cancer.
