Maria Babanova is an actress with a unique voice and enormous dramatic talent. Her fate was not very successful, not allowing her to play all the roles she dreamed of. However, the most striking works remained on film, allowing one to appreciate the wide range of the actress, her beauty and her ability to transform.
Childhood and adolescence: the beginning of a biography
The remarkable actress of Russian theater and cinema was born in 1900, in a large merchant family. Since childhood, the girl was distinguished by her musicality, dramatic talent and attractive appearance, but she could not even dream of a stage: the harsh merchant way of life 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 dispose of her fate on her own. She was always bright, restless, even daring. At the same time, the girl studied well, after school she graduated from the Commercial Institute. During her studies, she got married, forgetting to notify her family. A hasty marriage with a school friend turned out to be fateful: the new family was the direct opposite of the parental home. Art, theater, music were appreciated here, famous actors and singers often came to visit. These meetings strengthened 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 took up the faceting of the aspiring actress's talent, while Babanova herself simply idolized the master, listening to his every word. Maria took on any role, and spent all her free time in the theater. From the first days, she was trusted not only by the episodes, but also by the main parties; both her stage partners and the audience loved her. Among the brilliant works of this period are Thea from "Teacher Bubus", Stella from "Cuckold", Fight from the production of "Roar, China". The audience was amazed at the actress's ability to completely transform. In a short time, Babanova became a real star of the theater, the audience went exclusively to her, gave ovations and showered their beloved artist with flowers.
Such popularity was very much disliked by the example of the theater - Meyerhold's wife Zinaida Reich. At the insistence of his wife, the director began to reduce the role of Babanova and replace her in performances. Maria grieved, but she understood that there can be only one star in the author's theater, 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 retained gratitude to Meyerhold, who revealed her talent.
Maria moved to the Theater of the Revolution, where new interesting roles awaited her. The audience remembered her in "Dog in the Manger", Arbuzov "Tanya". Soon the actress was waiting for the highest recognition - at the age of 33 she was awarded the title of People's Artist of the RSFSR.
After 50, Babanova's theatrical career began to decline. The artist, who retained a strikingly sonorous silver voice and girlish figure, did not want to move on to age roles. She switched to work on the radio, voicing fairy tales. The Little Prince Exupery, Ole Lukoye, Peter Pen and other magical characters spoke in her voice. The tapes with Babanova's recordings are still heard today.
On the eve of her eightieth birthday, Babanova returned to the stage again, playing the main role in Alby's play "It's All Over", the script was rewritten especially for her. The name turned out to be fateful: this role was the last on a long list.
Personal life
Mary's first marriage ended in separation by mutual agreement. Former spouses have always maintained a good relationship, without any pretensions to each other.
Stage partner David Lipman became Babanova's second husband. He idolized Maria and her talent, was not jealous of his wife for the theater, steadfastly enduring frequent absences, late performances and the persistence of fans. However, the family idyll ended after a chance meeting with the writer Igor Knorre. According to Babanova, she fell in love for the first time for real, considered Igor the only kindred spirit. Married life was cloudless, later Maria called this time the happiest in her life.
Unfortunately, the third marriage also ended in failure. Knorre fell in love with actress Nina Emelyantseva, a whirlwind romance began, which became obvious to everyone. Babanova did not know how to forgive betrayal and suggested that her husband leave. She kept good relations with Igor, but left dreams of a happy family forever, focusing on the main thing for herself - the theater.
