21 1942 October, the
В Kuibyshev (now Samara) was born Elena Sanaeva — Soviet actress. She played the fox-Alice in "The Adventures of Buratino" and the "class teacher" in "Scarecrow." She turns 83.
The main thing is, don't forget to say: "Kreks, peks, feks!"
Father is an actor Vsevolod Sanaev, acted in films.
The mother suffered from persecution mania and depression after being denounced by neighbors.
We were living in a communal apartment at the time, and she told a joke in the kitchen. A few days later, people came over and started asking the neighbors: "Who is Sanaeva? Why isn't she working?" It was the 1950s, the "Doctors' Plot" was in full swing. Mom broke the tiny bottle of perfume Dad had brought her from abroad, cut up her fur coat, and destroyed postcards of Belgrade—all of this could indicate her "foreign connections."
She dreamed of becoming an actress since childhood. In 1966, she graduated from GITIS and performed at the Film Actors' Studio Theatre.
At 25, she made her film debut in the war drama “General Rakhimov”.
She starred in a film with her father Shukshina — played a fellow traveler in "Stoves and Benches" and the daughter of the collective farm chairman in "Strange People."
In 1972 she met the director Roland Bykov: She is 29, he is 43.
During the first years of their marriage, Sanaeva's family had a difficult relationship with Bykov—he was then called "the hero of banned films." Her son Paul (from his first marriage) was taken in by his grandparents to be raised - he lived with them until he was 11 years old (the future author of the novel "Bury Me Behind the Baseboard").
Grandma was my life, Mom was a rare holiday. Holidays had their own rules, life had its own
(Bury Me Behind the Baseboard, 1994)
I cried, of course, and laughed - Pasha wrote everything very frankly
She starred in the comedy "Foam" (about the Soviet nomenklatura) and "The Adventures of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves."
She often starred with Rolan Bykov. Their most famous work is "The Adventures of Buratino" (Sanaeva played Alice the Fox, Bykov played Basilio the Cat). The actress was 33 at the time of filming. She had to film in a fur suit and wig in 40-degree heat. Moreover, the wig was initially put on incorrectly; it pinched the blood vessels in her scalp, and Sanaeva nearly fainted.
No matter what I play, I'll still be Alice the Fox. I'll die Alice the Fox. But thank God I had Alice.
It's like first love—it only happens once. The pressure is understandable, but there's no miracle.
(About the remake of "The Adventures of Buratino," which will be released on January 1, 2026. Victoria Isakova will play Alice the Fox)
In 1983, she starred as a Soviet class teacher in the social drama Scarecrow by Rolan Bykov.
Children, especially girls, need to be constantly told how beautiful they are. This gives them confidence in life.
In 1996, she signed a letter calling for an end to the war in Chechnya.
After Bykov's death in 1998, she established a charitable children's foundation in his name. She published his poems, diaries, and books. In 2022, she made a documentary about him, "Life to Grow Into."
Since 2009 - actress of the theater "School of Modern Play" under the direction Joseph Raikhelgauz.
It's crucial to talk about the war without any pathos. Victory parades are good. But when young people see the real truth about the war revealed, that's the most important thing.
(about the play "Faina. Echelon")
At the beginning of the war with Ukraine, where relatives lived and continue to live, she took the side of official Russian propaganda.
Today, NATO is fighting against us on Ukrainian soil. I am half Ukrainian, and my grandparents are buried in Kyiv. And today, my heart bleeds.
(2022)
