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1-43 of 43
- Victoria has portrayed over 37 characters in 11 films and over 800 episodes of TV drama.
Victoria was born in the Soviet Union and moved to the Netherlands at age 12. She learned Dutch from scratch and built a TV career speaking Dutch like a native.
After years of working in Amsterdam she decided to bring a new dimension to her career. She landed her first Russian-speaking role in Moscow in 2009. Drawing on her Eastern European background she starred in the short film "American Dreams," playing Marina, the Russian wife of Lee Harvey Oswald. The film was awarded Best Short Film at the Hollywood Festival.
In 2016 Victoria learned Serbian to play a part in the Dutch Oscar submission The Paradise Suite.
Ironically, Victoria gets cast for strong iron ladies, like doctors and lawyers in the Netherlands, while in Russia she often gets the comic, girl-next-door types. On stage she has played for the National Theatre; in 2020 she appeared in the show "Mijn Man Begript Me Niet" over 50 times.
Later this year Victoria will play her first historical role in an Italian film. - Actress
- Soundtrack
What becomes a legend most? For the beloved Russian-born entertainer Sophie Tucker, it was most definitely the live stage. The stage was her home. She fed off a live audience and it's what made her the sensation she was. Seeing her up close and personal was to get the very best of her. Movies and TV were too restrictive to capture the true essence of Sophie Tucker. For well over five decades, she performed everywhere -- Broadway, vaudeville, cabaret, clubs and burlesque.
This gutsy, irrepressible "Jazz Age Hot Mamma" was born Sonya Kalish in Russia in 1884 just as her family was about to emigrate to the United States. They left when she was a mere three months old, settling in Hartford, Connecticut. She started performing as a youngster in her parent's small restaurant, occasionally singing and playing the piano for tips. Marrying in her teens to a ne'er-do-well, she was forced to continue at the restaurant to support a family of three (including baby boy Bert). Within a short time, however, she divorced, left her child with her parents, and headed to nearby New York with visions of stardom. Changing her name to the more suitable marquee moniker of "Sophie Tucker" (her ex-husband's name was Louis Tuck), she proceeded to take the town by storm.
Sophie started out in amateur shows. Not a beauty by any stretch, she was grossly overweight and quickly found that self parody and racy comedy, punctuated by her jazzy musical style, would become the backbone of her popularity. Playing at various dives, she earned a minor break in 1906 after earning a singing/piano-playing gig on the vaudeville circuit. Disguised in blackface, she played ragtime music. Her humor, of course, came at the expense of her weight but, with such ditties as "Nobody Loves a Fat Girl, But Oh How a Fat Girl Can Love," she had audiences eating out of the palm of her hand. They were laughing with her, not at her. One night her makeup kit was stolen and she was forced to stand in front of the curtain and entertain without it. The audience went crazy for her and the rest is history. She never wore blackface again.
Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. caught her act and started her off in his Follies shows in 1909. She proved to be such a scene-stealer, however, that other top female headliners refused to be on the same billing with her. She went on instead to headline her own shows. A cross between the sex-minded Mae West and the homely, self-effacing Fanny Brice, Sophie relied on aggressive sexual innuendo to win over her crowds. She had a faux confidence about her sexuality, dressing up with opulent, come-hither costumes. She gave advice to both women and married men in such songs as "You've Got to Make It Legal, Mr. Siegel." Sophie played The Palace -- vaudeville's "A" No. 1 showcase. She made huge hits out of such naughty novelty songs as "Who Paid the Rent for Mrs. Rip van Winkle When Rip Van Winkle Went Away?" These songs stayed with her act for decades. Sophie was also a pioneer recording artist, recording her famous signature song "Some of These Days" for the Edison Company on February 24, 1911. She re-recorded the song in 1926. Other big hits would include "After You've Gone," "Cheatin' On Me" and "My Yiddishe Mama."
Her blockbuster success in America aggressively spread into Europe. Upon returning from her first trip to Berlin in 1925, however, things had changed. Vaudeville was dying and she started looking into radio and films as a viable means of livelihood. Radio, yes, but films were a major disappointment. She was too bawdy and larger-than-life for the small lens. Besides, she really couldn't act. Nevertheless, in 1929, Sophie made her film debut as an night club singer in Honky Tonk (1929) in which she sang her ever-popular "Some of These Days" in addition to "I Never Want to Get Thin" and "I'm the Last of the Red Hot Mamas." She went on to share the spotlight with Judy Garland in Thoroughbreds Don't Cry (1937), in which she played a non-singing boarding house owner. She would showcase her signature tune "Some of These Days" twice more in movies, in Broadway Melody of 1938 (1937) and Follow the Boys (1944).
In the 1930s Tucker brought a wave of burlesque-styled nostalgia into her show, now billing herself as "The Last of the Red Hot Mamas." She had a hit Broadway musical comedy with "Leave It to Me" in 1938-1939 which co-starred the comedy team of William Gaxton and Victor Moore, along with a debuting Mary Martin. With her financial success, she started the Sophie Tucker foundation in 1945.
In the 1950s and early 1960s the woman, hailed as "The First Lady of Show Business," made frequent TV appearances on the popular variety and talk shows of the day. She remained a favorite both here and abroad, especially in London music halls where she once greeted King George with an earthy "Hiya, King!" On April 13, 1963, a Broadway musical entitled "Sophie" opened with Libi Staiger in the title role, based on Sophie's early life (until 1922). It closed after eight performances.
Sophie went on doing her thing until the very end, playing the Latin Quarter only months before her death. She had developed lung cancer and died at age 82 of lung and kidney complications in 1966. She was interred at Emanuel Cemetery in Wethersfield, Connecticut, her home state. For Sophie Tucker, a true legend, it was either her way or the highway, and the audiences embraced her for it.- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Rene Lovit was born in Vinnitsa, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Vinnytsia, Ukraine]. She is an actress and producer, known for Another Version of You (2018), Succession (2018) and Sisters the Series (2016).- Actress
- Director
- Music Department
Olya Polyakova was born on 17 January 1979 in Vinnytsia, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Ukraine]. She is an actress and director, known for Zirky za obminom (2021), Date in Vegas (2020) and Olya Polyakova: U tvoyikh obiymakh (2023).- Clarice Lispector was born on 10 December 1920 in Chechelnik, Podolia Governorate [now Chechelnyk, Vinnytsia Oblast], Ukraine. She was a writer, known for Hour of the Star (1985), A Paixão Segundo G.H. (2023) and Estrela Nua (1984). She was married to Maury Gurgel Valente. She died on 9 December 1977 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
- Director
- Writer
- Actor
Viktor Ivanov was born on 13 February 1909 in Kazatin, Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire [now Koziatyn, Vinnytsia Oblast, Ukraine]. He was a director and writer, known for Oleksa Dovbush (1960), Za dvoma zaytsiamy (1961) and Ni pukha, ni pera (1974). He died on 18 June 1981.- Levi Eshkol was born on 25 October 1895 in Oratov, Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire [now Orativ, Vinnytsia Oblast, Ukraine]. He was married to Miriam, Elisheva Kaplan and Rebecca Maharshek. He died on 26 February 1969 in Jerusalem, Israel.
- Actor
- Camera and Electrical Department
He graduated from the High School of the KGB (1990-1995), the Financial Academy under the Government of the Russian Federation (1997-1998) and the University of Chicago, Executive MBA, EXP - 10 class. In 1988-1997 - Service in the GRU and the FSB of Russia. Since July 2004, is engaged in acting. After retiring from service in the GRU and the FSB, he went into business and turned to the cinema. The first film was "Antikiller", which worked as a director of fights and stunt. Then he began acting as an actor. He also participated in the creation of programs on the NTV +, Avtoplus and REN TV channels. Karate instructor, winner of 8 dan karate Budokai, 6 dan Koi karate, 5 dan Kyokushinkai (IKO-4, Tezuka), master of sports of the USSR in weight lifting. He considers arm-lifting his professional sport. Veteran special forces.- Jack Sterling was born on 24 February 1899 in Chmelnik, Podolia Governorate, Russian Empire [now Khmilnyk, Vinnytsia Oblast, Ukraine]. He was an actor, known for The Royal African Rifles (1953), Studio One (1948) and Annie Oakley (1954). He died on 3 March 1978 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Director
- Actress
- Writer
Ewa Bonacka was born on 28 December 1912 in Koziatyn, Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire [now Vinnytsia Oblast, Ukraine]. She was a director and actress, known for Television Theater (1953), For Crimes Not Theirs (1938) and O czym sie nie mówi... (1939). She was married to Wladyslaw Daszewski. She died on 23 October 1992 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland.- Writer
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Jaroslaw Iwaszkiewicz was born on 20 February 1894 in Kalnik, Podolia Governorate, Russian Empire [now Kalnik, Vinnytsia Oblast, Ukraine]. He was a writer and actor, known for Nad Niemnem (1939), Kochankowie z Marony (1966) and Kochankowie z Marony (2005). He was married to Anna Lilpop. He died on 2 March 1980 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland.- Composer
- Music Department
- Actor
Ignacy Jan Paderewski was born on 6 November 1860 in Kurilovka, Podolia Governorate, Russian Empire [now Kurilyvka, Khmilnyk Raion, Vinnytsia Oblast, Ukraine]. He was a composer and actor, known for Moonlight Sonata (1937), The Naked Angel (1946) and Television Theater (1953). He was married to Helena Maria Rosen and Antonina Korsak. He died on 29 June 1941 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.- Composer
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Mykola Dmytrovych Leontovych was born on 13 December 1877 in Monastyrok, Podolia, Russian Empire [now Monastyrok, Vinnytsia Raion, Vinnytsia Oblast, Ukraine]. Mykola Dmytrovych was a composer, known for Die Hard 2 (1990), The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017) and C.R.A.Z.Y. (2005). Mykola Dmytrovych died on 23 January 1921 in Markivka, Podolian Governorate, Ukrainian SSR [now Markivka, Haisin Raion, Vinnytsia Oblast, Ukraine].- Director
- Writer
- Actor
Igor Savchenko was born on 11 October 1906 in Vinnitsa, Vinnitsa uyezd, Podolsk Governorate, Russian Empire [now Vinnytsia, Vinnytsia Oblast, Ukraine]. He was a director and writer, known for Bogdan Khmelnitskiy (1941), Taras Shevchenko (1951) and Tretiy udar (1948). He died on 14 December 1950 in Moscow, RSFSR, USSR [now Russia].- Count Jan Potocki (8 March 1761 - 23 December 1815) was a Polish nobleman, ethnologist, linguist, traveler and author of the Enlightenment period, whose life and exploits made him a celebrated figure in Poland. He is known chiefly for his picaresque novel, The Manuscript Found in Saragossa. Born into affluent Polish nobility, Potocki lived abroad from an early age and was primarily educated in Switzerland. He frequently visited the salons of Paris and toured Europe before temporarily returning to Poland in 1778. As a soldier, he fought in Austrian ranks in the War of the Bavarian Succession, and in 1789 was appointed a military engineer in the Polish army. During his extensive voyages he actively documented prevailing customs, ongoing wars, revolutions and national awakenings, which made him a pioneer of travel literature. Fascinated by the occult, Potocki studied ancient cultures, rituals and secret societies. Simultaneously, he was a member of parliament and took part in the Great Sejm shortly before the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth ceased to exist. In spite of his literary career, Potocki became burdened by mental illness, melancholy as well as severe clinical lycanthropy, which led him to believe that he was transformed into a werewolf. He committed suicide by gunshot in 1815, however, the circumstances of his death remain controversial to this day.
- Mikhail Kotsiubinsky (1864 - 1913) was a Ukrainian modernist and impressionist writer in the Russian Empire. He was born into a poor family of a clerk in the city of Vinnitsa. From his youth Kotsiubinsky had to work hard in order to support his blind mother and his unemployed father with a big family. In 1880 he graduated from the Shargorod Theological Seminary where he studied classic languages, religion and history. His involvement in the popular political movement "Narodnaya Volya" led to his arrest in 1882 and a brief imprisonment. As a social democrat he remained under secret surveillance by the Russian police for most of his life.
Kotsiubinsky was a graduate school teacher until 1890, when he began to publish his writing. He promoted the Ukrainian language in literature and his main works were translated from Ukrainian into Russian and many other languages. Kotsiubinsky wrote about the life of simple folks, the hard working people, peasants and serfs, as well as about the beautiful folk traditions of the Ukrainian people. His writings were first published in Galitsiya (West Ukraine), because the Ukrainian language publications were banned in the Russian Empire. His large two-part novel "Fata Morgana" (1903-1910) revealed a comprehensive picture of life of the Ukrainian people just before and during the Russian Revolution of 1905-1907, describing the life and traditions of the Ukrainian peasants and and their struggle against the corrupt landlords in Ukraine. In his most lyrical work "Shadows of the forgotten ancestors" (1912) he made a portrait of the Carpathian tribe, the Gutsuls.
His poor health required him to travel abroad for convalescence in Capri, Italy. There, in 1909, he met the Russian writer Maxim Gorky and the two writers became good friends and had several more meetings in the years ahead. Kotsyubinsky lived and worked in Chernigov from 1898 until his death in 1913. His home in the city of Chernigov is now a Memorial museum of the Ukrainian Literature. - Mikhail Bolduman was a Russian actor of Moscow Art Theatre, known for his stage presence, powerful voice, and impeccable delivery, and regarded for high standard of his numerous stage and radio performances.
He was born Mikhail Panteleimonovich Bolduman on July 12, 1898, in Izrailovka, Mogilev Governorate, Russian Empire (now Mahilyow Voblast, Belarus). His parents belonged to Ukrainean and Moldavian nobility. Young Bolduman grew up in a trilingual environment. During the WWI and the Russian Civil War, he spent several years outside of Russia. In 1921 he returned to Ukraine, and made his acting debut with Zhmerinka Theatre Company, then worked with Kiev Theatre of Russian Drama. In 1930 Bolduman moved to Moscow, there he worked at Korsh Theatre and took part in productions under director Vsevolod Meyerhold.
From 1933 - 1983 Mikhail Bolduman was a permanent member of the troupe at Moscow Art Theatre (MKhAT). There his stage partners were such renown Russian actors as Ivan Moskvin, Nikolay Khmelyov, Alla Tarasova, Anatoli Ktorov, Olga Androvskaya, Angelina Stepanova, Anastasiya Georgievskaya, Mikhail Yanshin, Aleksey Gribov, Boris Livanov, Mikhail Kedrov, Viktor Stanitsyn, Vasili Toporkov, Mark Prudkin, Pavel Massalsky, and the next generation of MKhAT actors - Oleg Efremov, Innokentiy Smoktunovskiy, Oleg Tabakov, Kira Golovko, Nina Gulyaeva, Tatyana Lavrova, Iya Savvina, Olga Barnet, Irina Miroshnichenko, Anastasiya Voznesenskaya, Andrey Myagkov, Vladimir Kashpur, Vladlen Davydov, Viktor Sergachyov, Vyacheslav Nevinnyy, Stanislav Lyubshin, Sergey Sazontev, Avangard Leontev, Igor Vasilev, and others. Bolduman gave acclaimed performances as Vershinin in Chekhov's 'The Three Sisters', and as Boris Godunov opposite Ivan Moskvin, among his other roles. Bolduman's acting career spanned over 60 years, and he was a member of the board at Moscow Art Theatre (MKhAT).
Mikhail Bolduman received the State Stalin's Prize three times: in 1946 (twice), and in 1950, and was designated People's Actor of the USSR. He was married to actress Natalya Durova, the daughter of the famous circus tamer Yuri Durov, and the couple had one son. Mikhail Bolduman died of a heart failure, on December 28, 1983, in Moscow, and was laid to rest in Vvedenskoe Cemetery in Moscow, Russia. - Actress
- Soundtrack
Marina Luczenko was born on 3 July 1989 in Vinnitsa, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Vinnytsia, Ukraine]. She is an actress, known for 39 i pól (2008), I pól (2009) and Pech to nie grzech (2018). She has been married to Wojciech Szczesny since 21 May 2016. They have one child.- Anton Vakhliovskiy was born on 20 June 1984 in Vinnytsia, Ukrainian SSR, USSR. He is an actor, known for Home, Sweet Home... (2008), Kill Skills (2016) and Carlos in Ukraine (2023).
- Director
- Writer
Artur Voytetsky was born on 23 October 1928 in Vinnitsa, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Vinnytsia, Ukraine]. He was a director and writer, known for Tronka (1971), Nyne proslavisya syn chelovecheskiy (1990) and Skuki radi (1968). He died on 22 May 1993 in Kyiv, Ukraine.- Tatyana Aptikeeva was born on 17 February 1969 in Mogilyov-Podolskiy, Vinnitsa Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Mohyliv-Podilskyi, Vinnytsia Oblast, Ukraine]. She is an actress, known for Streets of Broken Lights (1998), Vykhod (2000) and Otriv po polnoy (2007).
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Jan Brzechwa was born on 15 August 1898 in Zhmerinka, Podolia Governorate, Russian Empire [now Zhmerynka, Vinnytsia Oblast, Ukraine]. Jan was a writer, known for Pan Kleks w kosmosie (1988), O dwóch takich, co ukradli ksiezyc (1962) and Mister Blot's Academy (1984). Jan was married to Karolina Lentowa, Maria Sunderland and Janina Magajewska. Jan died on 2 July 1966 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland.- Director
- Writer
Maria Kwiatkowska was born on 15 August 1926 in Verbovaya, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Verbova, Vinnytsia Oblast, Ukraine]. Maria was a director and writer, known for Czy znacie Walerie M.? (1977), Lzy slonca polnocy (1980) and ...Rodem Warszawianin... (1996). Maria died on 2 June 1999 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland.- Galina Demchuk was born on 11 April 1947 in Gontovka, Vinnitsa Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Hontivka, Vinnytsia Oblast, Ukraine]. She is an actress, known for Zhenshchiny shutyat vseryoz (1981), Zhnetsy (1979) and Kogda chelovek ulybnulsya (1973).
- Music Department
- Composer
Oscar Potoker was born on 26 April 1880 in Vinnitsa, Russian Empire [now Vinnytsia, Ukraine]. He is known for Trailing the Killer (1932) and Primitive Passions (1935).