Anastasiya Vertinskaya
- Actress
- Additional Crew
Anastasia Vertinskaya is a popular Russian actress and public figure
best known for her roles as Assol in
Alye parusa (1961) and Ophelia in
Hamlet (1964).
She was born Anastasia Aleksandrovna Vertinskaya on December 19, 1944,
in Moscow, Russia, Soviet Union (now Moscow, Russia). Her father,
Aleksandr Vertinskiy, was a famous
Russian actor, singer and songwriter, who returned from his emigration
in China to Moscow during the Second World War. Her mother,
Lidiya Vertinskaya (née Lidia
Vladimirovna Tsirgvava), was also a Russian émigré who was born into a
Georgian-Russian family in Kharbin, and her older sister,
Marianna Vertinskaya, was born in
1943, in Shanghai, China. Young Anastasia Vertinskaya had a happy
childhood together with her sister Marianna. She was brought up in a
multi-lingual family where she enjoyed an intellectually stimulating
environment, and a highly cultural atmosphere of her parents circle.
Anastasia Vertinskaya was fond of her father, who invested much of his
talent and energy in his daughter's education. Her famous father died
when Anastasia Vertinskaya was 14, and she suffered from emotional
trauma that cast influence on her most important roles in film, that
she played at the age of 15 to 19, such as Assol, Gutierre, and
Ophelia.
In 1961, at age 15, Vertinskaya made her film debut starring as
love-torn Assol who has a dream about her hero,
Vasiliy Lanovoy. She became an instant
celebrity in the Soviet Union with her first film,
Alye parusa (1961), by director
Aleksandr Ptushko, a popular
adaptation of the eponymous book by
Alexander Grin. Next year she
co-starred as Gutierre in
Amphibian Man (1961)
Vertinskaya shot to international fame starring as Ophelia opposite
Innokentiy Smoktunovskiy in
Hamlet (1964), by director
Grigoriy Kozintsev. Meanwhile, she
attended the Shchukin Theatrical School, graduating in 1967, as an
actress. She played supporting roles as Lisa Bolkonskaya in
War and Peace (1965), by director
Sergey Bondarchuk and as Kitty in
Anna Karenina (1967), by director
Aleksandr Zarkhi. She also starred as
Margarita in
Master i Margarita (2006), an
adaptation of the eponymous book by
Mikhail A. Bulgakov.
Anastasiya Vertinskaya was member of several theatrical companies in
Moscow, such as Theatre of Vakhtangov, Taganka, Theatre Sovremennik,
Pushkin Theatre, and Moscow Art Theatre (MKhAT). Her most acclaimed
stage appearances were as Nina in 'The Seagull' and as Elena in 'Uncle
Vanya', both plays by Anton Chekhov. In a
unique theatrical experiment by director
Anatoli Efros at Taganka, she appeared in
two roles: as Prospero and Ariel in the Shakespeare's Tempest. In 1989
she portrayed her father,
Aleksandr Vertinskiy, in a show that
she also wrote and directed to mark the centennial birthday anniversary
of her father.
Outside of her film career A. Vertinskaya taught acting in Oxford and
in the European film school in Switzerland; she also held a master
class at Comédie-Française (Théâtre de la Républic) and at Chekhov's
school in Paris. She was designated People's Actress of Russia. Since
1991 Anastasiya Vertinskaya has been running the Charitable Foundation
for Actors, which supports such cultural landmarks as the home of
Boris Pasternak and the museum of
Anton Chekhov as well as many other
cultural projects and individual actors and filmmakers. During the
1990s she completed restoration of her father's historic recordings for
a CD release. Anastasiya Vertinskaya was married to director
Nikita Mikhalkov and their son,
Stepan Mikhalkov, is also a filmmaker.
best known for her roles as Assol in
Alye parusa (1961) and Ophelia in
Hamlet (1964).
She was born Anastasia Aleksandrovna Vertinskaya on December 19, 1944,
in Moscow, Russia, Soviet Union (now Moscow, Russia). Her father,
Aleksandr Vertinskiy, was a famous
Russian actor, singer and songwriter, who returned from his emigration
in China to Moscow during the Second World War. Her mother,
Lidiya Vertinskaya (née Lidia
Vladimirovna Tsirgvava), was also a Russian émigré who was born into a
Georgian-Russian family in Kharbin, and her older sister,
Marianna Vertinskaya, was born in
1943, in Shanghai, China. Young Anastasia Vertinskaya had a happy
childhood together with her sister Marianna. She was brought up in a
multi-lingual family where she enjoyed an intellectually stimulating
environment, and a highly cultural atmosphere of her parents circle.
Anastasia Vertinskaya was fond of her father, who invested much of his
talent and energy in his daughter's education. Her famous father died
when Anastasia Vertinskaya was 14, and she suffered from emotional
trauma that cast influence on her most important roles in film, that
she played at the age of 15 to 19, such as Assol, Gutierre, and
Ophelia.
In 1961, at age 15, Vertinskaya made her film debut starring as
love-torn Assol who has a dream about her hero,
Vasiliy Lanovoy. She became an instant
celebrity in the Soviet Union with her first film,
Alye parusa (1961), by director
Aleksandr Ptushko, a popular
adaptation of the eponymous book by
Alexander Grin. Next year she
co-starred as Gutierre in
Amphibian Man (1961)
Vertinskaya shot to international fame starring as Ophelia opposite
Innokentiy Smoktunovskiy in
Hamlet (1964), by director
Grigoriy Kozintsev. Meanwhile, she
attended the Shchukin Theatrical School, graduating in 1967, as an
actress. She played supporting roles as Lisa Bolkonskaya in
War and Peace (1965), by director
Sergey Bondarchuk and as Kitty in
Anna Karenina (1967), by director
Aleksandr Zarkhi. She also starred as
Margarita in
Master i Margarita (2006), an
adaptation of the eponymous book by
Mikhail A. Bulgakov.
Anastasiya Vertinskaya was member of several theatrical companies in
Moscow, such as Theatre of Vakhtangov, Taganka, Theatre Sovremennik,
Pushkin Theatre, and Moscow Art Theatre (MKhAT). Her most acclaimed
stage appearances were as Nina in 'The Seagull' and as Elena in 'Uncle
Vanya', both plays by Anton Chekhov. In a
unique theatrical experiment by director
Anatoli Efros at Taganka, she appeared in
two roles: as Prospero and Ariel in the Shakespeare's Tempest. In 1989
she portrayed her father,
Aleksandr Vertinskiy, in a show that
she also wrote and directed to mark the centennial birthday anniversary
of her father.
Outside of her film career A. Vertinskaya taught acting in Oxford and
in the European film school in Switzerland; she also held a master
class at Comédie-Française (Théâtre de la Républic) and at Chekhov's
school in Paris. She was designated People's Actress of Russia. Since
1991 Anastasiya Vertinskaya has been running the Charitable Foundation
for Actors, which supports such cultural landmarks as the home of
Boris Pasternak and the museum of
Anton Chekhov as well as many other
cultural projects and individual actors and filmmakers. During the
1990s she completed restoration of her father's historic recordings for
a CD release. Anastasiya Vertinskaya was married to director
Nikita Mikhalkov and their son,
Stepan Mikhalkov, is also a filmmaker.