The Soviet actress Irina Zarubina was a legend during her lifetime: in theater circles it was said about her that she could play both a telegraph pole and a telephone directory. Poets dedicated poetry to her acting talent - she was so organic, light and convincing in any role.
And often Irina Petrovna played without makeup, because all her heroines were very similar to herself, especially in appearance. It was difficult to call her a fatal beauty, but the natural charm conquered both the audience and colleagues.
Biography
Irina Petrovna Zarubina was born in 1907 in Kazan, a city on the Volga. She grew up a cheerful and cheerful child, and she managed to preserve these qualities for life.
At school, she was the first in various amusements, in amateur performances and came up with a lot of ideas for classmates. She was the instigator and inspirer of pioneering, and then Komsomol events.
She grew up in difficult times: first the revolution, then the Civil War. It was not a dream of the profession of an actress, but Irina really wanted to be on stage. Therefore, immediately after graduation, she entered the Leningrad Institute of Performing Arts, and in 1929 received an acting education.
Immediately after the university, Irina came to work at the Leningrad Theater of Proletcult. She served in this theater for six years.
In the theater, the appearance of the actor - the so-called type, plays a large role. So, the type of Zarubina was the most frivolous and provocative. However, when she was given frivolous roles, the director was surprised to see that the actress shows such a depth of character that no one expected of her.
Another feature of Irina Petrovna is the dissimilarity of the images she creates in the theater and in the cinema. Only the most talented actor can change plasticity, facial expressions, and gestures so much that it seems unlike himself. This feature was fully possessed by actress Zarubina. Each of her characters was different, not like previous roles.
Therefore, both theater and film directors invited her to their projects. She was such a typically "Russian young lady" with a special article and appearance similar to women from the canvases of Kustodiev and Malyavin. Therefore, in the movies, she mainly played ordinary Russian women.
But in the theater it’s a completely different matter: here, comedies were also a vaudeville. Charming, mobile, sparkling Zarubina was the favorite of the public in a variety of productions, even if it was a small role.
And when she embodied on the stage the image of the main character - it was either a storm of laughter, or a flurry of drama, if the role was serious.
Once the melodious voice of Irina Petrovna at one of the performances was heard by the director of the Leningrad Radio and invited her to participate in radio shows. She agreed, and soon the heroines of the performances that were broadcast on the radio spoke in her voice.
Movie actress career
In the movie, Irina Zarubina made her debut after graduation, and her first work was the role of Varvara Kabanova, sister of the protagonist in the film "Thunderstorm" (1933). The film was directed by Petrov based on the famous play by Ostrovsky. The legendary actors Mikhail Zharov and Mikhail Tsarev were shot in this picture, and the role of Kabiniha was played by Varvara Massalitinova. Zarubina was in the company of talented and experienced actors, and against their background she looked quite professional.
In the portfolio of Irina Petrovna there are only 20 films, but in all roles there is so much extraordinary character, warmth, good nature and easy irony that this is enough to appreciate her talent as an actress.
For work in the theater and cinema, Zarubina received many awards. Among them is the Order of the Red Banner of Labor, which was awarded to the actress in 1939 for the role of Euphrosyne in the historical film "Peter I"; She was also awarded the title of Honored Artist of the RSFSR in 1939 and People's Artist of the RSFSR in 1951.
By the way, the film for which the actress received the Order of the Red Banner of Labor, is included in the list of best films according to Kinopoisk. Also included in this list are paintings: “Vasilisa the Beautiful” (1939), “Different Fates” (1956), “Driving Involuntarily” (1958), “Village Detective” (1969).
