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Varvara PopovaActress
Date of Birth: 17.12.1899
Country:  Russia |
Content:
Biography of Varvara Popova
Varvara Alexandrovna Popova is considered the most mysterious figure in the history of the Vakhtangov Theater. She was introverted, simple-minded, and illiterate, but at the same time remarkably talented. In the prime of her creative powers, she left the stage, or more precisely, she withdrew herself. Varvara Alexandrovna did not accept the new leadership of her beloved theater and did not fight against it. She never held any honorary titles. "Being Vakhtangov's favorite student is above all honors and awards," the actress said. She studied in the studio of the great actor and pedagogue, along with those who later defined the style and direction of the Russian theater, who truly became the face of the national stage - B. Zakhava, R. Simonov, T. Mansurova, E. Alekseeva, and I. Tolchanov. Varvara Popova was on friendly terms with all of them, but she never boasted about it and never engaged in any conflicts. The only thing Varvara Alexandrovna allowed herself was to stand up for her beloved partner and like-minded colleague, Boris Zakhava, when intrigues began against him in the theater. This incident became fateful in her biography.
Theater Career
Varvara Popova gained attention in the late 1920s when she brilliantly played Louise in Friedrich Schiller's play "Intrigue and Love." However, she did not play any remarkable roles in the theater afterward. She did not know how to intrigue, fight, or take advantage of opportunities. Many called her a failure. In her personal record, it was written: "In unfavorable conditions for growth, but still making progress."
From 1956, Varvara Alexandrovna never stepped foot in the Vakhtangov Theater again. However, soon after, Popova's new life began - she returned to the cinema. It was a return because she already had significant experience working in films. In the 1920s, she starred under the direction of masters of the screen such as Y. Protazanov and L. Obolensky. In 1959, I. Pyryev brought her back to the cinema, inviting her to play the role of Babushka in the film "White Nights." A. Saltykov frequently cast Popova, considering her his talisman. They first met on the set of "The Chairman," where Varvara Alexandrovna played a certain Samokhina - an old woman from the village who constantly provoked the young chairman of the collective farm, Yegor Trubnikov. However, her most famous work came from her collaborations with Alexander Rou. In "Morozko," she played a blind old woman whom Ivan carried on his back throughout the entire forest to her home. In the fairy tale "Varvara-Krasa, Dlinnaya Kosa," Popova portrayed Stepanida, the nanny.
Disappearance and Later Life
Just as in the case of the theater, Varvara Popova unexpectedly disappeared from the cinema screens. Her bright image remained captured in only a few films. In 1975, Popova appeared before the audience for the last time in the television film "I Have a Lion" directed by Konstantin Bromberg. The Vakhtangov Theater museum states that Varvara Alexandrovna passed away in 1989 at the age of nearly 90. Her life during those years, her activities, and her social interactions remain unknown. She remained an enigma until the end.
