Vera Popova

Biography

Vera Popova was a notable Russian actress of theatre and film. She was born Vera Nikolaevna Popova on August 12, 1889, in Moscow, Russia. She began her acting studies at Moscow Drama Courses of A. Adashev. From 1908 - 1910 she studied at Theatrical School of Ivan Pelttser. From 1910 - 1919 she was a member of the touring troupe led by P. Medvedev, and toured all over Russia. In 1919 she became a member of the troupe at Akvarium Theatre in Moscow. There she performed in plays under directorship of Sakhnovsky and Illarion Pevtsov. Pevtsov introduced Popova to Anatoli Ktorov who was a promising young actor, and Popova became Ktorov's partner on stage and in life. From 1920 - 1933 Popova was a permanent member of the troupe at Korsh Theatre in Moscow. There she played leading roles in classic dramas and comedies, as well as in contemporary plays, with Anatoli Ktorov as her permanent stage partner. During the 1920s and 1930s she played parts in silent films, including classic films by director Yakov Protazanov. However, Popova's beauty and noblesse were not in demand, while most Soviet films were dominated by political propaganda under the dictatorship of Joseph Stalin. From 1933 - 1964 Popova was a permanent member of the troupe at Moscow Art Theatre (MKhAT). She was described in a letter to Stanislavsky as "Excellent Popova, a tender, simple and very sincere actress" by Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko who was the founder of the Moscow Art Theatre. There Popova's stage partners were such renown Russian actors as Alla Tarasova, Mark Prudkin, Olga Androvskaya, Angelina Stepanova, Nikolay Khmelyov, Mikhail Yanshin, Aleksey Gribov, Boris Livanov, Mikhail Kedrov, Viktor Stanitsyn, Anastasiya Georgievskaya, Vasili Toporkov, Mikhail Bolduman, Pavel Massalsky, and others. Popova's acting career spanned over 50 years, until her last performances in 1964, on the stage of Moscow Art Theatre (MKhAT). There she played such roles as Ranevskaya in 'Vishnevyy sad' (aka... Cherry orchard), and Voynitskaya in 'Dyadya Vanya' (aka... Uncle Vanya) by Anton Chekhov, and Countess Lidia Ivanovna in 'Anna Karenina', an adaptation of the eponymous novel by Lev Tolstoy, among other productions of MKhAT. Vera Popova was designated People's Artist of Russia (1959), and received decorations for her contribution to the art of film and theatre. Popova died of natural causes on August 27, 1982, in Moscow, and was laid to rest near her husband Anatoli Ktorov in Vvedenskoe Cemetery in Moscow, Russia.