Antonina Maksimova

Antonina Mikhailovna Maksimova (25.10.1916, Tula — 7.10.1986, Moscow); her mother was a housewife and her father worked at the Tula Arms Factory. She had two brothers, both of whom went on to become engineers. From a young age, she dreamed of a career in acting; she performed in amateur productions and was an excellent singer, dancer, and reciter. After finishing school, she was accepted into drama school at first attempt. In 1938, she graduated from the State Institute of Theatre Arts (GITIS). Whilst studying at GITIS, she made her film debut and, in the latter half of the 1930s, she rose to widespread fame following leading roles in the films Dawns of Paris, in which she played the French revolutionary Catherine Millard, and The Sailors, where she portrayed Senior Lieutenant Galina Zorina, commander of a seaplane squadron. From 1938, she was an actress at the Moscow Comedy Theatre. From 1940, she worked at the Saratov Drama Theatre named after Karl Marx; her roles included Katya in The Barbarians; Katerina in In the Steppes of Ukraine; and Smelskaya in Talents and Admirers. Between 1941 and 1943, she served in the Great Patriotic War as a radio operator. She was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd Class (1985). From 1943 to 1946, she was an actress with the 1st Front Theatre of the All-Russian Theatre Society (VTO); her roles included Liza in Wait for Me; Varya in Frol Skobelev; Maria in The Taming of the Tamer. In 1946, she performed with the drama collective…