Elena Maksimova
Elena Alexandrovna Maksimova (23.11.1905—23.09.1986) was born in Moscow to a grocer father (he sold non-perishable goods) and a housewife mother, who was often ill. Apart from her, there were two other daughters in the family. Following her father's death in 1920, her mother was forced by poverty to send all three daughters to Orphanage No. 55, located in the Sokolniki district. Shortly after, in 1922, her mother also passed. Thus, at the age of 17, she was left completely orphaned.
From an early age, Elena Maximova had dreamed of becoming an actress. When she finished schooling in 1925, she immediately went to the film studio attached to ‘Moskprofobor’ (Москпрофобр) to sit her entrance exams. There was only one free place available, and it went to Elena – as the most talented of all the applicants. From 1925 to 1927, she trained under the guidance of renowned film masters Vladimir Gardin and Konstantin Eggert. Alongside her studies at the film studio, Elena Maksimova had to work as a press operator at a button factory.
She worked in film since 1927, appearing in productions by various film studios in Moscow and Leningrad. Between 1940 and 1964, she was an actress at the Soyuzdetfilm studio (now the Gorky Film Studio).
Honoured Artist of the RSFSR (30 September 1958). The characters she portrayed were distinguished by their realism and attention to everyday detail. Her heroines were most often active, energetic and impetuous, yet she was equally at home with gentle, lyrical roles. She served Soviet cinema for nearly fifty years, and her work was modest and selfless — rarely in supporting roles, but more often in small cameos.
Acting
Movie
Earth
as Natalia, Vasyl's bride
1930
Movie
The Red Snowball Tree
1974
Movie
Father of a Soldier
as Borya's grandma
1965
Movie
Quiet Flows the Don
as Кошевая
1957
Movie
Carnival
as visitor of the pawnshop
1981
Movie
The Peasant Women of Ryazan
as Lukerya
1927
Movie
Aerograd
as Mariia Kudina
1935
TV
Yeralash
1974
Movie
Height
as Berestova
1957
Movie
The Secret Agent's Return
as Utkin's neighbour
1982
Movie
Yevdokiya
as Maryushka
1961
Movie
Admiral Ushakov
as Wife of doctor Yermolaev (uncredited)
1953
Movie
This Merry Planet
as мать Прошки
1973
Movie
A Home for Tanya
as Makarikha
1959
Movie
Two Captains
as aunt Dasha
1955
TV
Investigation Held by ZnaToKi
as Прасковья Андреевна
1971
Movie
The Grasshopper
as krestyanka iz Glukhova
1955
Movie
The Tight Knot
as Sasha's mother
1957
Movie
Ranks and People
as Modest's servant - Anna na shee
1929
Movie
Other People's Relatives
as Varvara Stepanovna
1956
Movie
And Quiet Flows the Don
as Daria Melekhova
1931
Movie
First-Year Student
as Woman with flowers
1948
TV
Russia Is Young
as старуха
1984
Movie
The Soldier and the Elephant
1978