Maria Valtshnaya Actress Date of Birth: 23.01.1987 Country: Russia

1. Biography of Maria Valeshnaya
2. Actress

Biography of Maria Valeshnaya

Maria Valeshnaya was born on January 23, 1987, in Vorkuta, Russia, into an acting family. Her parents, Galina Melnik and Alexander Kirikov, moved from city to city in search of a theater they loved until they settled in Kirov at the local Drama Theater. Maria grew up familiar with the actor's life and dreamed of following in her parents' footsteps. After finishing school, she prepared to enter a theater university, but knowing about the intense competition, she didn't have high hopes of getting in on her first try, especially on a scholarship. However, nothing is impossible.

In 2005, Maria came to St. Petersburg and successfully passed three rounds of auditions to be accepted into the St. Petersburg State Academy of Theater Arts (formerly LGITMiK) in Grigory Kozlov's course. In 2010, Maria graduated from the acting and directing course at the St. Petersburg State Academy of Theater Arts and joined the troupe of the new theater "Masterskaya," led by her mentor Grigory Kozlov. Under his guidance, she participated in productions such as "The Idiot" based on Dostoevsky's novel (Nastasya Filippovna), "A Midsummer Night's Dream" by Shakespeare (Mustard Seed, Titania), "Dreams of Love" (Raisa), "Two Evenings in a Funny House" (Tamara), and "The Dawns Here Are Quiet" (Gurvich).

Actress

Maria Valeshnaya made her screen debut during her student years in an episode of the famous TV series "Streets of Broken Lights," playing a small role as a cunning criminal. This was not surprising, as many students from St. Petersburg had appeared in this series, some in minor roles and others as extras. However, Maria achieved something greater. In her final year at the academy, she was invited back to the iconic project, this time entrusted with the lead role. From the 17th episode of the tenth season of "Streets of Broken Lights," she played Senior Lieutenant Olga Ushakova. Maria admits that she was very nervous at first, plagued by doubts about how the show's loyal fans would receive the new character. The veterans of the project, especially Mikhail Trukhin, took her under their wing and helped her overcome her anxiety. The young actress successfully integrated into the series. After appearing in the tenth season of "Streets of Broken Lights," she continued filming in the eleventh season.

Parallel to her work in "Streets of Broken Lights," Maria Valeshnaya began working on another crime series in 2010 called "State Protection." Here, her character was Taya Zlatogradova, the wife of a police officer and a former criminal. It is worth noting that this role was much more vivid and interesting than in "Streets of Broken Lights." The series "State Protection" found its audience, and it was followed by the second and third seasons.

The young actress also made a name for herself in films of other genres, particularly melodramas. In director Andrey Shcherbinin's films "Katerina-3: Destiny" and "Katerina: Another Life," she played Irina, and in Anna Gres's melodrama "The Road to Emptiness," she portrayed Lyudmila-Kamilla. Despite playing supporting roles, the actress managed to elevate them to a worthy level and win the audience's sympathy.