Maria Valeshnaya – biography, personal life, photos, news, films, Instagram, husband, Kirill Zhandarov 2021

Childhood and youth

The biography of Maria Valeshna contains many moves. The actress, Aquarius by zodiac sign, was born in the cold city of Vorkuta, but spent all her childhood years traveling: Novosibirsk, Kostroma, Kirov. The fact is that my parents were theater artists, toured the country, and often changed their place of residence due to the transition from one theater to another.

Now Valeshna’s mother Galina Melnik permanently lives in Kirov and is still a member of the local drama theater troupe. Her husband Alexander Kirikov, Maria's stepfather, died. He started working in the theater as the head of the musical department. The artist played the saxophone, guitar, accordion, piano, and percussion instruments beautifully. Later he joined the acting troupe.

Maria’s own father, Yuri, a native of the Northern capital, worked as an investigator and prosecutor. Young Valeshnaya spent her summer holidays in her father’s homeland, communicating with her grandmother and aunt.

In addition to Maria, her two cousins were raised in the family. Galina took custody of them after the death of her brother’s wife and the girls’ mother. One of them also mastered the acting profession, the other became a financier.

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Maria Valeshnaya in childhood
Maria learned at an early age what the behind-the-scenes life of an artist is like. She watched her parents' rehearsals, watched performances, and as a teenager she began appearing on stage herself. Despite this, Masha initially planned to enter an aviation institute. The girl even applied there, but they didn’t accept her because of her weight—at the time she graduated from school, she weighed 76 kg.

After the failure, the mother suggested that her daughter try out for a theater school. But there was no success in the entrance exams to GITIS and the Moscow Art Theater School: Valeshnaya did not score the required number of points.

In the Northern capital, she was luckier: the applicant brilliantly passed the tests at the St. Petersburg State Academy of Theater Arts, where Grigory Kozlov became her artistic director. It is interesting that Valeshna’s classmate was Polina Sidikhina, the daughter of Evgeniy Sidikhina. Immediately after graduating from university, the actress joined the troupe of the new Workshop Theater and performed key roles in such productions as A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Idiot, The Dawns Here Are Quiet and many others.

Raised by the theater

Masha was born in cold Vorkuta, but all her childhood years were spent in constant moving - Novosibirsk, Kirov, Kostroma... And all this because of the profession of her parents - dad (Alexander Kirikov) and mother (Galina Melnik) the girls were theater actors and often changed their place of residence, getting a job in one theater or another.

While most of her peers went to kindergarten, Masha spent time behind the scenes of the theater, watching her parents' rehearsals and performances. As Maria later admitted, she grew up in the theater. As a teenager, she began to be offered small roles on the professional theater stage, and the girl happily responded to such offers.

When the time came to make a choice of future profession, there was no doubt - only as an actress. Having received a certificate of secondary education, Maria went to St. Petersburg, where she became a student at the Academy of Theater Arts the first time. She studied on the course of Grigory Kozlov, and her classmate was another rising star of Russian cinema - Polina Sidikhina.

Having successfully defended her diploma project, Maria Valeshnaya received an invitation from the new Workshop Theater and soon began appearing on stage in productions:

"Idiot";
"A dream in a summer night";
“The dawns here are quiet”;
"Two evenings in a fun house";
"Cat house".

Movies

Maria Valeshnaya first appeared on the television screen during her student years. She starred in one of the episodes of the popular detective series “Streets of Broken Lanterns”, playing an insidious criminal, and also took part in the work on the adventure film “B.O.M.Z.”, the historical drama “Ivan the Terrible” and the crime film “Task Force” "

And later, after graduating from theater school, the actress was again invited to “Streets of Broken Lanterns,” where this time Maria was transformed into one of the main characters - senior lieutenant Olga Ushakova. She got into the cast without casting. The artistic director of the project, after watching film material from the series “Cops”, where Valeshnaya had previously played, offered her the role.

At the same time, the actress starred in another crime series, “State Protection.” It's funny that for two years she regularly switched from the image of a police officer to the former criminal Taisiya Zlatogradova.

Maria Valeshnaya in the series “Streets of Broken Lanterns”

Maria has the average female size - enthusiasts estimate that her height is 173 cm and her weight is about 50 kg. Therefore, according to fans, the celebrity regularly gets roles in melodramas, where she plays the role of a woman similar to movie spectators, with whom Russian women can easily associate themselves and with whom, because of this, they want to empathize even more.

In 2011, the actress played the main role of weather forecaster Maria Olkhovskaya in the crime melodrama “My Last First Love.” Also very interesting during this period were the heroines of Valeshna in the melodrama “An Exception to the Rule” and the detective story “Such Work.”

In 2015, the actress appeared in another striking leading role. Valeshnaya played Zhanna Isakova in the Russian-Ukrainian melodrama “The Verdict of an Ideal Couple.” Maria's heroine is the happy wife of a successful businessman, whose life collapses overnight when the woman finds out that her newborn son is seriously ill and needs a heart transplant.

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Maria Valeshnaya in a swimsuit
Then the artist played the main female role in the fantastic tragicomedy “What the French Are Silent About” based on the novel of the same name by Vladimir Kornev. The action took place in St. Petersburg during the White Nights. The main character Tillim Papaleksiev (Kirill Varaksa) is faced with mystical events. The young man gains magical power, which allows the hero to achieve what he wants. Napoleon had the same power, which is why the film got its name associated with the French.

In addition, the actress added two detective stories to her filmography. She played senior police lieutenant Elvira Ivolgina in the series “When I Quit Drinking” about a heavily drinking, lonely investigator, to whom death comes in a dream in the form of a pensioner he knows.

In addition, Maria Valeshnaya appeared as a fashion model in two episodes of “Investigator Tikhonov,” film adaptations of detective novels by Arkady and Georgy Vayner “A Visit to the Minotaur,” “Vertical Race,” “Medicine Against Fear,” and others.

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Maria Valeshnaya and her husband Kirill Zhandarov
In 2021, the actress played the main role in the 4-episode melodrama “Choosing Destiny.” Her heroine Natalya has been happily married to Victor (Sergey Kolos) for 10 years. They plan, but cannot have children. The husband and his relatives blame Natalia and her health exclusively for this. The marriage falls apart, the woman does not forgive her husband’s betrayal, at the same time she loses her job and finds herself in a desperate situation.

Fate gives her a second chance, but immediately takes it away, and only her faithful friend Alexander (Kirill Zhandarov), who has been in love with the heroine since school, is constantly ready to help. He is always there, and the man’s help is so timely that both Natalya and the TV viewers begin to doubt whether Sasha is the culprit of the heroine’s misfortunes.

In 2021, the actress appeared in the melodramatic series “Girls Don’t Give Up.” The film tells the story of a group of cheerful and never despondent friends who understand each other perfectly, and are always ready to support each other with a kind word and come to the rescue.

Another film this year is the Ukrainian melodrama “Shadow of Love”, in which the Russian performer appeared in the image of the main character Rina. A woman is faced with her husband’s betrayal, and then finds out that he has a child growing up in another family. Later, the artist’s repertoire included the main role in the TV series “Crime Journalist.” Maria's company on the set was Ilya Noskov and Alexander Pashkov.

Maria Valeshnaya now

In 2021, the actress played the main role in the four-part melodrama “Choosing Destiny.” The actress's character Natalya has been happily married to Victor (Sergei Kolos) for ten years. They plan, but cannot have a child. The husband and her husband's family blame Natalia and her health exclusively for this. The marriage is falling apart, the woman does not forgive her husband’s betrayal, and at the same time Natalya loses her job and finds herself in a desperate situation.

Maria Valeshnaya in the film “Choosing Destiny”

Fate gives the woman a second chance, but immediately takes it away, and only her faithful friend Alexander (Kirill Zhandarov), who has been in love with the heroine since school, is constantly ready to help. Alexander is always nearby and the man’s help is so timely that both Natalya and TV viewers begin to doubt whether Sasha is the culprit of the heroine’s misfortunes.

In 2021, the actress will appear in the melodramatic series “Girls Don’t Give Up.” The film tells the story of a group of cheerful and never despondent friends who understand each other perfectly, and are always ready to support each other with a kind word and even come to the rescue.

Personal life

As the actress said in an interview, while studying at the theater institute, she met with Sergei Alimpiev. Their romance did not lead to a more serious relationship; the couple separated after completing their studies. Later, they often appeared in joint projects and appeared on the theater stage in the production “Idiot. Return. Four scenes from the life of Lev Nikolaevich Myshkin” were filmed in commercials.

If Valeshna’s creative biography still promises to develop and be filled with new projects, then on the “family front” the actress has already formed and built everything. Maria has a wonderful husband - she is happily married to her colleague Kirill Zhandarov, the star of the films “Once Upon a New Year” and “The Milkmaid from Khatsapetovka.”

Valeshnaya and Zhandarov met on the set, and at first they had a friendly relationship. The actor’s heart was busy then. He was married to Nadezhda Tolubeeva, whom he met at the theater academy. After the divorce, the artist courted Maria for a year, and they went to the movies and cafes with their mutual friend Elena Radevich. But after working together on the film “Road to Emptiness,” their friendship grew into a more serious feeling.

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Maria Valeshnaya with her husband and son
At first, the lovers lived in a de facto marriage, and in 2013 they got married. Today Valeshnaya’s personal life is harmonious and rich, because now the actress is not only a beloved wife, but also a happy mother: on September 19, 2013, Kirill Zhandarov and his wife had a son, whom it was decided to name Valery, in honor of his paternal grandfather. And at home the boy’s parents call him Valero in the Italian manner. Grandmothers actively help in raising the child; also, due to the time-consuming profession, Maria resorts to the services of a nanny, in whose role she invites her cousin.

An account is maintained on Instagram under the name Maria Valeshna. The page is regularly updated with new photos of the actress and her family members. Often, Kirill Zhandarov’s wife posts designer photographs in which she shows off her figure. The celebrity's model parameters allow her to show off in a swimsuit and revealing outfits.

Filmography

2009 – “Bum”
2009-2011 – “Streets of Broken Lights”
2010-2013 – “State protection”
2011 – “My last first love”
2011-2012 – “Katerina”
2012 – “Road into Emptiness”
2012 – “An exception to the rule”
2015 – “The Verdict of the Perfect Couple”
2016 – “Investigator Tikhonov”
2016 – “What the French are silent about”
2016 – “When I stop drinking”
2017 – “Choosing fate”
2018 – “Girls Don’t Give Up”
2018 – “Melnik”
2018 – “Stop Remembering”
2018 – “Family Secret”
2018 – “Shadow of Love”
2019 – “Crime journalist”
2019 – “Moms of Champions”
2019 – “On Repeat”