Nonna Mordyukova

Nonna Mordyukova
Born	Noyabrina Mordyukova (1925-11-25)25 November 1925 Kostiantynivka, Donetsk Oblast, Soviet Union
Died	6 July 2008(2008-07-06) (aged 82) Moscow, Russia
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1948–1999
Spouse	Vyacheslav Tikhonov (divorced)

Noyabrina Viktorovna Mordyukova (Russian: Но́нна (Ноябри́на) Ви́кторовна Мордюко́ва; 25 November 1925 – 6 July 2008) was a Soviet actress and People's Artist of the USSR (1974). She was the star of films like director Denis Yevstigneyev's Mama and Nikita Mikhalkov's 1980s hit Family Relations. The editorial board of the British Who's Who encyclopedia included Nona Mordyukova among the top 20 actresses of the 20th century.

Biography

Nonna (Noyabrina) Viktorovna was born into a large family in the Cossack village of Kostiantynivka, Donetsk Region, Ukrainian SSR. Nonna spent her childhood in a settlement where her mother worked as chairwoman of kolkhoz (collective farm).

In 1946, Mordyukova entered the Actors’ Faculty of VGIK and studied there under Boris Bibikov and Olga Pyzhova. After graduating she played on stage of Theatre Studio of Film Actor and was often featured by film directors.

In 1948, Mordyukova was married to actor Vyacheslav Tikhonov and had a son (now deceased) by him. The two were divorced in 1963.

Career

In 1949, she was awarded the Stalin Prize for the role of Ulyana Gromova in The Young Guard movie. It was her debut film role.

Her filmography reveals, however, that while she has had the chance to work with a constellation of the best Soviet directors, it has usually been for one project only. There is no high-profile director with whom she has a continuous working relationship.

After her work for Sergei Gerassimov on The Young Guard, she was cast in the last movie of veteran Vsevolod Pudovkin The Return of Vasili Bortnikov (1952).

Other one-time collaborations with well-known directors have been with Mikhail Shvejtser for Chuzhaya rodnya (1955); Lev Kulidzhanov for Otchij dom (1959); Leonid Gaidai for The Diamond Arm; Andrei Konchalovsky for the Turgenev adaptation Dvoryanskoye gnyezdo (1969); Grigori Chukhrai for Tryasina (1978); Eldar Ryazanov for Railway Station for Two, and Nikolai Gubenko for Zapretnaya zona (1988).

She appeared only once in a film by Nikita Mikhalkov, who structured his village comedy-drama Kinfolk (1981) entirely around the personality of the actress, who had by that time established herself as an epitome of the Russian peasant woman.

The role of Klavdia Vavilova, a robust and boisterous Red Army Commissar who has accidentally become pregnant in Aleksandr Askoldov's Commissar (1967) is Mordyukova's most memorable work. The film, shot in 1966, was shelved and was only released in 1988. By that time Mordyukova was over sixty and had starred in over twenty other films.

The wide critical acclaim and appreciation for what is probably her best performance came too late to have any definitive effect on her profile as an actor. She received FIPRESCI Award, Otto Dibelius Film Award, Special Jury Prize at the Berlin International Film Festival, and Silver Spur Award (Flanders International Film Festival) for The Commissar.

During perestroika, Mordyukova appeared in a number of supporting roles in a range of comedy-dramas. Similarly, she has been a highly visible presence throughout the 1990s, with supporting roles in some of the most-popular Russian features, such as Pavel Lungin's Luna Park (1992) and Vladimir Menshov's Shirli-Myrli (1995).

In 1999 she played the leading role in Мother (1999), directed by Denis Yevstigneyev; a family saga loosely based on a real story, mixing melodrama and comedy elements, and spanning over several decades.

"Russian cinema goers and critics call Mordyukova one of the best actresses of the 20th century."

In over fifty years of cinematic work she has played in dozens of films, where she acted mainly as ordinary Russian women.

Nonna Mordyukava with Vladimir Putin during the Order of Merit for the Fatherland ceremony, 2000

In November 2000, Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a presidential decree awarding the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, third degree, to Mordyukova.

The asteroid 4022 Nonna is named after Nonna Mordyukova.

Filmography

Year	English Title	Original Title	Role	Notes
1948	The Young Guard	Молодая гвардия	Uliana Gromova
1953	The Return of Vasili Bortnikov	Возвращение Василия Бортникова	Nastya Ogorodnikova
1954	Kalinovaya roshcha
1955	Zvyozdy na krylyakh		Fisherwoman	Uncredited
1956	Other People's Relatives	Чужая родня	Stesha Ryashkina
1957	Ekaterina Voronina	Екатерина Воронина	Dusya Oshurkova
1958	Dobrovoltsy
1959	A Home for Tanya	Отчий дом	Stepanida
1959	Khmuroe utro		Matryona
1960	Vsyo nachinayetsya s dorogi
1960	A Simple Story	Простая история	Sasha Potapova
1960	Tri rasskaza Chekhova			(segment "Vanka")
1962	Pavlukha		Natalya
1964	The Chairman	Председатель	Donya Trubnikova
1965	Balzaminov's Marriage	Женитьба Бальзаминова	Belotelova
1965	Thirty Three	Тридцать три	Galina Pristyazhnyuk
1966	War and Peace	Война и мир	Anisya Fyodorovna	part 1, 2
1966	Dyadushkin son
1969	Zhuravushka		Glafira
1969	The Diamond Arm	Бриллиантовая рука	Varvara Pliushch
1970	Shine, Shine, My Star	Гори, гори, моя звезда	Madame
1970	Sluchay s Polyninym
1970	The Ballad of Bering and His Friends		Empress Anna Ioannovna
1971	Molodye
1972	Russian field	Русское поле	Fedosia Ugryumova
1973	Zajtra bude neskoro		Kuzurka
1974	No Return	Возврата нет	Antonina Kashirina
1974	Dva dnya trevogi
1975	They Fought for Their Country	Они сражались за Родину	Natalya Stepanovna
1975	Semya Ivanovykh
1978	Incognito from St. Petersburg	Инкогнито из Петербурга	Anna Andreevna
1978	Quagmire	Трясина	Matryona Bystrova
1979	Veroy i pravdoy
1982	Family Relations	Родня	Maria Konovalova
1983	Station for Two	Вокзал для двоих	Uncle Misha
1986	Ot zarplaty do zarplaty
1987	The Commissar	Комиссар	Klavdiya Vavilova
1987	Ssuda na brak
1988	Zapretnaya zona
1991	Begushchaya mishen
1992	Luna Park	Луна-парк	Aunt
1995	What a mess!	Ширли-мырли	Registry Office Worker
1999	Mother	Мама	Mother	(final film role)

Honours and awards

State awards

• Order of Merit for the Fatherland;
  • 2nd class (25 November 2005) - for outstanding contribution to the development of national culture and cinema, many years of creative activity
  • 3rd class (23 November 2000) - for his great personal contribution to the development of cinematography
  • 4th class (27 November 1995) - for services to the state and many years of fruitful work in the arts and culture
• Order of Friendship of Peoples (1985)
• Order of the Badge of Honour (1975)
• People's Artist of the USSR (1974)
• People's Artist of the RSFSR (1969)
• Honoured Artist of the RSFSR (1965)

Awards

• Stalin Prize, 1st class (1949) - for his role in the film Uliana Gromova, "Young Guard" '
• State Prize of the RSFSR Vasiliev brothers (1973) - for roles in "Crane", "President", etc.
• Prize of the President of Russia (2001) in art and literature

Public Awards

• National Film Award "Nika" (2004) in the "honour and dignity"
• Premium business circles of Russia, "Idol" (1999) in the nomination "For high service to art"
• Award "Kinotavr" (1996) in the "President's Council Award for creative careers"
• Award "Golden Aries" (1995) in the "Man of cinematic year"
• Recognised as one of the 10 most prominent actresses of the 20th century (1992) - according to the Editorial Board of the British reference book Who's Who

External links

• Nonna Mordyukova at IMDb
• Nonna Mordyukova, Legendary Cossack Woman of Soviet Cinema (Biography)
• Her scene as Varvara Pliushch in the Diamond Arm on YouTube