Margarita Nazarova Trainer Date of Birth: 26.11.1926 Country: Russia

Biography of Margarita Nazarova

Margarita Nazarova was born on November 26, 1926, in the city of Pushkin, Leningrad Oblast, in a family of a forester and a rural teacher. Her fondest memories of her childhood were the three warm summer months spent in a forest cabin, surrounded by flowers and singing birds. One summer, her father even brought home a bear cub named Minka whose mother had been killed by poachers. Margarita spent the entire summer trying to teach the clumsy cub to dance, although her attempts were unsuccessful. Another cherished memory from her childhood was ballet. As a schoolgirl, Margarita attended ballet classes in the Pioneer House and danced there for seven years.

However, her carefree childhood was interrupted by the horrors of World War II. At the age of 15, Margarita was sent to Germany. She experienced days filled with unimaginable humiliation and suffering as a prisoner. She learned the German language in school and was able to communicate with the Germans, which led her to work in a wealthy household. The owner noticed her grace and beauty and decided to employ her in a cabaret. Margarita Nazarova began her career as a dancer in the cabaret. One day, Russian soldiers barged into the cabaret during her performance. Seeing the dancers, they angrily exclaimed, "How did we end up with German whores? We should just shoot them all." Frightened, Margarita cried out, "Guys, I'm Russian!" This was the long-awaited moment of liberation.

After returning to her homeland in 1945, Margarita reunited with her mother and sisters in Riga, but her father had disappeared without a trace. Rita Nazarova prepared a small acrobatic dance routine on her own, which impressed the "Circus on Stage" collective and earned her a job there. Gradually, the young circus performer began incorporating animals such as dogs and horses into her act. Margarita Nazarova worked in the circus for almost eight years, but she eventually yearned for something more thrilling and special. She decided to try her hand at being a circus motorcycle rider and successfully performed a daring stunt, racing along a vertical wall.

It was during this non-traditional endeavor that the famous tiger trainer Konstantin Konstantinovsky discovered her. He asked her why she had suddenly switched to motorcycles and if she had abandoned working with animals. Konstantinovsky expressed his desire to work with her as an artist and animal trainer. Margarita Nazarova eagerly agreed to work with the tiger trainer. She would enter the cage wearing a sparkling costume and crack her whip. The tigers would slowly approach her, one by one, elegantly stepping with their large paws. It took a lot of effort to train the tigers to overcome their instinctual fear. With a signal, the striped bodies would form a unique bed, and the trainer would confidently and proudly rest on top.

Margarita Nazarova made her film debut in 1953 as an extra in the adventure film "A Case in the Taiga" about Siberian fur farming. In 1954, she was invited to work as a double for actress Lyudmila Kasatkina in the lyrico-eccentric comedy "Tiger Tamer." Lyudmila Kasatkina refused to perform in the cage with the predators, so Margarita Nazarova became her double.

In the comedy film "Striped Voyage," Margarita Nazarova transitioned from being a double to playing one of the main roles. Legend has it that the film owes its existence to Nikita Khrushchev, who suggested making a movie about the famous animal trainer Nazarova. Alexey Kapler and Victor Kotetsky immediately wrote a light-hearted script about a modest buffet attendant from a Soviet trade mission named Shuleykin, brilliantly played by Yevgeny Leonov, who, pretending to be a trainer, had to accompany an unusual cargo of tigers on a steamship.

The role of the girl who managed to "tame" the striped hooligans running around the ship was given to Margarita Nazarova. She vividly and naturally portrayed her character, Marianne, who was lively and full of joy, actively pursuing the love of the stern boatswain, Ivan Dmitriev. Even today, the charming Marianne's witty expressions such as "Just an ordinary hairstyle. The style is called 'I'm a silly girl like my mom,'" "He's picking on me! He doesn't pay any attention to me!" and "Poor thing, the boatswain scratched you" are still remembered by the audience.

Thanks to the film "Striped Voyage," which showcased the courageous tiger trainer Margarita Nazarova, the first woman to enter a cage with tigers, she became known worldwide. Not only did Nazarova skillfully handle her striped pets, but she also excelled in her role as the ship's cafeteria attendant on the "Yevgeny Onegin," which transported the tigers. The film was a huge success with the audience, although critics occasionally criticized it for being too funny and lighthearted.

The illustrious ruler of fierce predators concluded her film career, which began with her work as an extra in the lyrical drama "Stewardess" based on Yuri Nagibin's story. She worked alongside famous actors such as Alla Demidova, Georgy Zhzhenov, Vladimir Etush, and Yevgeny Evstigneev. In her youth, Margarita Nazarova was granted a three-room apartment in Nizhny Novgorod, and although she was on the waiting list for a Moscow circus organization, she chose to live in Nizhny Novgorod, near the circus, right opposite the massive Nizhny Novgorod Fair building. This is where the great tiger trainer lived in an apartment with faded wallpaper, antique Arabic furniture, worn-out tablecloths, and a simple woolen blanket with a painted tiger that hung above the sofa instead of a carpet. Over time, Nazarova sold most of her valuable possessions, as her pension was not enough to sustain her.

Margarita Nazarova's modest lifestyle spoke of the poverty endured by the esteemed actress and the difficulties faced as a lonely pensioner. She constantly suffered from severe headaches, a result of numerous work-related injuries and the immense stress she experienced due to her husband's premature death.

Yulka, the tigress, clawed at Margarita Nazarova's husband, Konstantin Konstantinovsky. The tigress did not tear his muscles, but rather played with him, but this playful act led to a brain inflammation. In the prime of his life, at the age of 52, Margarita's husband passed away. Margarita Nazarova, the legend of the Soviet circus, passed away on October 25, 2005, in Nizhny Novgorod at the age of 79.