Yanina Boleslavovna Zheimo is a Soviet actress, famous for her roles in the cinema of the post-war period. Because of her diminutiveness, she has always played the role of a drag queen actress, playing teenage girls and boys. One of her best works is the lead role in the 1947 film Cinderella, which she played at the age of 37.
Biography
Yanina was born into a family of famous circus artists. Dad was Pole, and mom was Russian. Their daughter was born on May 29, 1909, and as soon as she learned to walk, she enthusiastically took part in all parenting training.
At that time, the Zheimo family lived in the city of Volkovysk, which is part of the Russian Empire in the Grodno province. Now it is part of Belarus. From the age of three, the girl began performing in the arena with her parents, showed amazing talents in ballet and acrobatics, and soon even taught others, giving paid ballet lessons.
In 1923, the father of the Boleslav family died, and his wife and children had to leave the circus. It was the father who was in charge of all the rooms of the family and there was no one to replace him. The enterprising mother moved with her two daughters to Petrograd and together with them organized a musical troupe, which had a resounding success.
Even then, Yanina realized that she liked to perform on stage, but much more she was fascinated by the magic of cinema. In 1924, the girl managed to enroll in the Leningrad Film Studio, where the pioneers of this art, Kozintsev and Trauberg, taught. 15-year-old Yanina shocked everyone by presenting evidence that she has been performing in front of an audience for 12 years.
Career and personal life
Zeimo's height was only 148 centimeters. Pretty face, miniature body - all this determined her role, which is quite popular at all times. There are too few adult actors capable of playing a childish role convincingly. Already in 1925, she made her film debut, playing a boy named Mishka in the film "Bears against Yudenich".
It was then that the actress met her first love - the actor Kostrichkin. As usual with celebrities, their personal life is inseparable from work. The lovers got married and had a daughter, who was named after her mother - Yanina. However, the relationship quickly faded and in 1932 the couple broke up without regrets.
In 1926, Yanina got the main role in the joint film of eminent mentors "Brother", and in 1929 she finally received the long-awaited FEKS diploma and set off to make a high-profile career. She was in great demand, but loud fame came to Zheimo after she played Asya "Button" in the cult film "Girlfriends" in 1935.
She was inundated with letters, declarations of love, flowers and gifts. This role also brought her a state award - the Order of the Badge of Honor. And in 1938, the actress got married for the second time. This time, her chosen one was Joseph Kheifits, to whom she gave birth to a son.
War years
During the war, Zheimo Yanina Boleslavovna ended up in besieged Leningrad without a family - her husband and children were successfully evacuated to Tashkent, and the actress was calm for her loved ones. She constantly performed in hospitals and in front of residents, soldiers of the occupied city, refusing to leave Leningrad on a specially designated plane for her.
When asked why she stayed, Ioannina proudly replied: "Someone must defend this city!" The audience laughed - tiny Asya was the least like a courageous defender, but it was her performances that inspired people and made them hope for the best. In addition to performances, the actress actively participated in all the affairs of the unfortunate city - she carried night shifts, helped deliver food, and heal people.
In 1942, she was able to leave Leningrad, but after the bombing of the train, in which Zheimo was, rumors reached her husband about the death of the actress, and he married again. This was a painful blow and the last straw for Ioannina, who survived the hardships of the blockade. She fell seriously ill and only two years later was able to think again about work and about her own future. The woman was saved by Leonid Zhanot, a caring man, an admirer of her talent and a director. He also became the third husband of the star.
Post-war years and death
After recovering from depression, Zheimo began acting in Cinderella, which brought her a new wave of rave reviews and many fans.
Yanina dubbed foreign films, but after "Cinderella" there was only one acting job - the role of the mother of one of the main characters in the film "Two Friends", released in 1954.
In 1957, my husband was offered a job in Poland, and the family went to live in Warsaw. Jeannot more than once offered his wife to return to filming, but she did not want to return to the past. Ioannina died of a heart attack at the age of 78. It happened at the very end of December 1987. The legendary actress is buried at the Vostryakovskoye cemetery in Moscow.
