Anna Lisyanskaya Actress Date of Birth: 01.11.1917 Country: Ukraine

Biography of Anna Lisyanskaya

Anna Lisyanskaya was born on November 1, 1917, in the Ukrainian city of Nikolaev. Her father, Girsh Lisyansky, was the director of the Nikolaev Jewish Theater. Her mother, Sofia Dyslis, and her paternal aunt, Dora Lisyanskaya, also performed in the theater. Anna started appearing on stage at the age of six in the same theater. Her early roles included performances in adaptations of Sholem Aleichem's works such as "Shver tsu zayn a id," "Stempenyu," and "Tevye the Milkman." The Nikolaev Jewish Theater was known for its strong semi-professional troupe, and Anna's performances were well received by both the local audience and the press. She was praised for her authenticity, believability, and childlike sincerity, qualities she maintained throughout her entire life.

In 1932, Anna Lisyanskaya joined the theater studio at the Kiev Young Spectator's Theater (TUYZ). She completed her studies in 1936 and worked at the Nikolaev TUYZ for two seasons before being invited to join the troupe at the Kiev TUYZ. In Kiev, she played notable roles such as Juliet in Shakespeare's tragedy, "Romeo and Juliet," Yulinka in Ostrovsky's "The Benefactor," and Elena in Turgenev's "A Month in the Country." It was during her time at the Kiev TUYZ that she caught the attention of screenwriter Igor Savchenko, who gave her the opportunity to debut in film in 1941, playing the lead role of Nastya in Grigory Gricher-Cherikover's "Young Years."

In the following years, Anna Lisyanskaya portrayed various characters in films such as the revolutionary drama "How the Steel Was Tempered" (Kristina), the war film "Rainbow" (Little One), the historical film "Days and Nights" (Anya Klimenko), the screen adaptation of "It Happened in Donbass" (Prisoner Marusya), the melodrama "The Village Teacher" (Dunya Ostrogova), and the drama "The Great Power" (Evdokia Milyagina). One of her most successful roles was as Akulka in Igor Savchenko's film "Old Vaudeville," released in 1949.

In 1949, Anna Lisyanskaya became an actress at the Leningrad Academic Drama Theater named after A.S. Pushkin. Here, she played a wide range of roles, including maids, merchants, baronesses, and heroines from both classical and contemporary works. Some of her stage roles were also adapted for the screen, such as her portrayal of Maria in Jan Fried's film adaptation of Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night." Her performance was described by critics as embodying the spirit of the Renaissance, with sparkling life and a playful defiance of convention.

Apart from theater and film, Anna Lisyanskaya also worked extensively in radio and television. She appeared in operettas and played the role of Agafya Savvishna, the bride, in Ilya Dunaevsky's "Brides." This work showcased a new side of Lisyanskaya's talent, highlighting her musicality, grace, and versatility in seamlessly transitioning from dialogue to aria, from a song to a dance.

Starting from 1967, Anna Lisyanskaya began performing at the Moscow Operetta Theater. For a year, she balanced her work at two theaters before fully committing to the Moscow Operetta. In her later years, she once again portrayed Jewish characters in her performances. At the "Experiment" Theater, she prepared a solo performance titled "Odessa Wedding" based on Mikhail Zhvanetsky's works. In 1989, she portrayed Aunt Pesa in "The Art of Living in Odessa," followed by the role of Madame Weiner in director Alexander Zeldovich's film "Sunset" based on Babel's works. In 1991, she portrayed the mother of a large Jewish family in Dmitry Astrakhan's film "Get Out!"

In the early 1990s, Anna Lisyanskaya fell seriously ill, and her close friend, actress Lilian Malkina, helped her relocate to Israel in 1993 to be with her family. She spent her final years there before passing away on December 2, 1999.