Maria Babanova is an actress with a unique voice and huge dramatic talent. Her fate was not too successful, not allowing him to play all the roles that he dreamed about. However, the most striking works remained on the film, allowing us to evaluate the wide range of the actress, her beauty and ability to transform.
Childhood and adolescence: the beginning of a biography
A wonderful actress of the Russian theater and cinema was born in 1900 in a large merchant family. From childhood, the girl was distinguished by musicality, dramatic talent and attractive appearance, but she could not even dream of a scene: the severe merchant lifestyle did not imply such a career. Maria was waiting for the typical fate of a girl from a wealthy middle class: marriage and numerous offspring.
Wayward Maria decided to decide her fate on her own. She was always bright, restless, even impudent. At the same time, the girl studied well, after college she graduated from the Commercial Institute. During her studies she got married, forgetting to inform her family. A hasty marriage with a school friend turned out to be crucial: the new family was the exact opposite of the parental home. Art, theater, and music were valued here, and famous actors and singers often visited. These meetings reinforced Babanova’s desire to get on stage, especially since friends at home confirmed that she really has talent.
The creative fate of the actress
Maria entered the drama studio under the guidance of the famous Vsevolod Meyerhold. He personally engaged in cutting the talent of the beginning actress, while Babanova herself simply idolized the master, listening to his every word. Maria took on any roles, and spent all her free time in the theater. From the first days, she was trusted not only by episodes, but also by the main parties, she was loved by her partners in the scene and the public. Among the brilliant works of this period, Thea from “Teacher Bubus”, Stella from “Cuckold”, The fight from the production of “Rychov, China. The audience was amazed at the actress's ability to completely transform. In a short time, Babanova became a real theater star, the audience went exclusively to her, made a standing ovation and bombarded her beloved artist with flowers.
Such popularity did not like the theater prima - Meyerhold’s wife Zinaida Reich. At the wife’s insistence, the director began to reduce the role of Babanova and replace her in performances. Maria grieved, but understood - in the author's theater there can only be one star, and this role is not assigned to her. As a result, the talented actress was forced to leave the troupe, but for the rest of her life she thanked Meyerhold for revealing her talent.
Maria moved to the Theater of the Revolution, where she was waiting for new interesting roles. The audience remembered her in “Dog in the Hay”, the watermelon “Tan”. Soon, the actress was waiting for the highest recognition - at 33, she was awarded the title of People's Artist of the RSFSR.
After 50, the theatrical career of Babanova began to decline. The artist, who retained a strikingly sonorous silver voice and a girlish figure, did not want to switch to age roles. She switched to work on the radio, voicing fairy tales. Her voice was spoken by the Little Prince of Exupery, Ole Lukoye, Peter Pan and other magical characters. Films with recordings of Babanova are listening today.
On the eve of her eightieth birthday, Babanova returned to the stage again, playing the main role in the play by Albi “It's Over, ” the script was rewritten specifically for her. The name turned out to be crucial: in the long list, this role was the last.
