14 June 1956
The actress is celebrating her birthday Elena Safonova. That same "Winter Cherry".
There's a woman living next door—beautiful, young, the kind you'll be happy with for the rest of your life. And she's got it all: experience, intelligence, and even a ready-made baby, please! No diapers to wash. And a whole wagonload of unspent love. Only it's all frozen, like cherries in a store in winter. (Nina Ruslanova's character about Elena Safonova's character)
Born in Leningrad, in a family of two filmmakers - the mother, Valeria Rubleva, was the second director at Mosfilm, father, Vsevolod Safonov, an actor. Later, when they moved to Moscow, famous artists often visited the Safonovs' house— Leonov, Papanov, Smoktunovsky.
Cinema was something familiar and homely for me.
She attended a school with an emphasis on French, which came easily to her. She struggled with the science subjects, "always getting Ds." Later, she somewhat regretted missing out on the opportunity to build a career in science, and even skipped the Institute of Foreign Languages—she dreamed of becoming an actress.
I saw myself as a famous actress, recognized on the street, and I became one. It's another matter, after so many years, to wonder if my dreams were right.
She made her film debut while still a schoolgirl, playing a role in "Seeking My Destiny." This didn't help her gain admission to VGIK; she was accepted only on her third attempt. Between attempts, she worked as a librarian. She dropped out after her second year.
She received her acting training in Leningrad at the Institute of Theatre, Music, and Cinematography. She worked for a year at the Komissarzhevskaya Theatre.
In 1982, at 26, she moved to Moscow and became an actress at the Film Actors' Studio Theatre. She also played the lead role in Oleg Fialko's film "The Return of Butterfly," the life story of an opera singer. Salomea Krushelnytska. Was noticed by critics.
Fame came in 1985 after the role of Olga in the film Igor Maslennikov "Winter Cherry." The role came almost by accident - the script was written for Natalia Andreychenko. But she refused to take part in the filming and left with her fiancé, Maximilian Schell, to America. When the director chose Safonova, the role had to be rewritten. Instead of the explosive and scandalous heroine, a strong and stylish woman emerged who loves, endures, and forgives. The choice of partner also had to be reconsidered—the location Sergei Shakurov took Vitaly Solomin.
The story of a mistress who never married or started a family sparked an unprecedented response—32 million viewers watched the film within a year. Safonova was named Actress of the Year.
After that, he was often invited to act, including in foreign films. In a joint film with Italians Nikita Mikhalkov "Dark Eyes" played in a pair with Марчело Мастроянни.
In 1992, on the set of the French film "The Accompanist", she met her future husband. Samuel Labarthe. She lived in France for several years. She returned in 1997 and continued acting until the 2020s.
My entire acting career, I've lived like I'm on a volcano, waiting for it to erupt. Sooner or later, it's bound to happen, if not because of intrigue, then because of age. But then I won't be so upset.
She loves animals and joked that she might one day become a second animal. Brigitte Bardot, Picking up "all unfortunate creatures, regardless of subspecies: gophers, ferrets, hares" from the streets. In 2020, she wrote an open letter to the authorities demanding that they improve the protection of homeless animals.
Everything has been reduced to zero! In a single phrase—at the discretion of the regions! If you have the money, enforce the law; if you don't, don't. <> Our country is a gigantic animal concentration camp. It's a gigantic slaughterhouse, legalized by you. And you are all its ideologists and initiators.
