Julia Melnikova Actress Date of Birth: 22.05.1981 Country: Russia

Biography of Yulia Melnikova

Yulia Melnikova, an actress born in Omsk, graduated from the acting department of the Moscow Art Theatre School in 2005. During her time as a student, she began performing in the Satirikon Theatre troupe and took part in productions by Marina Brusnikina, such as "Ayy da Pushkin..." and Konstantin Raikin's "Country of Love" (Kupava, Elena the Fair). After completing her studies, Yulia continued her work at the Satirikon Theatre.

In 2006, she appeared in Marina Brusnikina's productions of "Accident" (Konstantia) and "Balsaminov" (Krasavina). She later played roles in plays such as "The Blue Monster" (Gulindi), "Look Back in Anger" (Alison), and "Romeo and Juliet" (Lady Capulet).

Yulia Melnikova made her screen debut while still a student, playing the role of Larisa Surnina in the drama film "Theatrical Blues" directed by Alexander Tsabadze. Until 2011, the actress occasionally appeared in various films and TV series, portraying minor roles. Her first major success came with the 20-episode historical film "Schism" directed by Nikolai Dostal, which tells the story of a little-known and difficult period in Russian history - the split of the Russian Orthodox Church in the 17th century. Yulia played the real historical character of Boyarina Feodosiya Morozova. The character was well-known to many (from the painting by the great Russian artist Vasily Surikov "Boyarina Morozova"), but virtually unknown to the wider public since no films had been made on this topic and Morozova's life was not written about in school textbooks. In the film, the actress had the opportunity to play her character from the age of 16 until her death. The portrayal was vivid and convincing - a wealthy, beautiful, daring, and willful girl with a strong character, but with a very strong inner core, convictions, priorities, and life position.

Regarding her work on the film, Yulia Melnikova said, "We had an amazing atmosphere on set. We rehearsed before shooting, read the text, went to Old Believer churches, attended services in the morning. I learned the 'Old Russian' language, learned to sing psalms in it, went to an Old Believer priest. My life has changed radically. And when I asked Nikolai Nikolayevich how to play a particular scene during the filming (and the scene was very complex, incredible, quiet, but with such meaning...), he replied, 'You know.' We didn't rehearse scenes on set, but did a lot of work before and during the filming to fully immerse ourselves in the material, in these people, and then give them freedom on set."

Yulia Melnikova gained wide recognition through popular suspenseful TV series, often playing the wives of the main characters. On January 10, 2012, the third season of the beloved series "Zveroboy" premiered on the NTV channel, in which Melnikova appeared as Maria, replacing Olga Lomonosova from previous seasons. In the new season, Maria becomes the wife of the main character, special department officer Ivan Prokhorov, who is engaged in solving crimes of extraordinary complexity. In another acclaimed series, "Grach" (premiered in Russia in February 2013), Yulia Melnikova played Svetlana Gracheva, the wife of Major Sergey Grachev (Pavel Trubiner), who gains extrasensory abilities as a result of being wounded. The actress portrayed a unhappy woman who loves her husband but cannot continue living with him due to his erratic behavior.

Together with Pavel Trubiner, Yulia Melnikova also appeared in her next film, the military action thriller "Death of Spies: Shock Wave." Here, her character was Elena Malinovskaya.

Filmography:
- "Theatrical Blues" (2003)
- "Happiness by Prescription" (2006)
- "Elevator" (2006)
- "The Hour of Volkov" (TV series, 2007)
- "Paid with Death" (2007)
- "One War" (2009)
- "Brothers" (TV series, 2009)
- "Doctor Tyrsa" (TV series, 2010)
- "For Life" (2011)
- "Schism" (TV series, 2011)
- "Zveroboy-3" (TV series, 2011)
- "Grach" (TV series, 2012)
- "Death of Spies: Shock Wave" (Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, 2012)
- "Matter of Honor" (2013)