Matluba Alimova Actress Date of Birth: 12.08.1954 Country: Russia

Biography of Matlyuba Alimova

Matlyuba Alimova was born and raised in Andijan. She is half Uzbek (from her father's side) and her mother has mixed heritage including Georgian, Russian, Polish, and German. In 1978, Alimova graduated from the acting department of the All-Union State Institute of Cinematography (VGIK) where she studied under the renowned actor Alexey Batalov. She still speaks of Batalov with the utmost respect, saying that he remains a role model for her. After graduating from VGIK, Alimova made her debut in the film industry. Her first role was the passionate Laura in the TV series "Little Tragedies," directed by Mikhail Shveytser and based on the works of Alexander Pushkin. In this film, Alimova had the opportunity to work alongside great figures of Russian cinema such as Innokentiy Smoktunovskiy, Natalya Belokhvostikova, Nikolay Burlayev, Vladimir Vysotskiy, and Sergey Yurskiy. Following "Little Tragedies," Alimova was invited to play the proud and wild gypsy Nastya in the series "Gypsy," a role that brought her nationwide fame. She embodied this role so naturally that both viewers and actual gypsies believed in her gypsy roots. Alimova shares that even now, gypsies in airports approach her and speak to her in their language, to which she kindly responds in Russian, grateful that they consider her one of their own. In 1985, Alimova reprised her role as Nastya in the sequel to "Gypsy" titled "The Return of Budulai." Throughout the 1980s, Alimova appeared in numerous films, playing both leading and supporting roles. One of her most well-known roles was the scheming Byzantine queen Irina in Gennadiy Vasilyev's historical tale "Vasily Buslaev." In the 1990s, Alimova withdrew from the film industry. Among her last works was a role in the social fable "They" (1992) by Georgian director Levan Zakareishvili. She also appeared in the Latvian film "The Inventor of the Pharaoh" where she played the Egyptian queen Amasu. Additionally, she starred in a Turkish film. Since the mid-1990s, Matlyuba Alimova has not appeared in films. When asked why, she answers that while she could continue acting, she questions whether it is necessary. She believes in being selective with roles and credits this mindset to her training under Batalov. Despite her distance from the film world, Alimova maintains her connections with people in the industry.