Her first husband M. Starodub, an unlucky actor and poet, often called the actress terrible and mediocre.
Svetlana Kryuchkova heard this phrase so often from her closest person that she almost believed in its truth. However, her strong character, her father’s military upbringing and the dream of becoming an actress prevailed. She has become an outstanding personality, and now it is difficult to find a person in our country who does not know who Svetlana Kryuchkova is; her biography and personal life are interesting to many people.
Svetlana Nikolaevna Kryuchkova was born in Chisinau on June 22, 1950. Svetlana Kryuchkova’s parents met during the harsh war years. The actress’s mother had Pomeranian roots, and her father was a native of a small village in southwestern Belarus. Like most northerners, Svetlana’s mother was not too emotional, but at the same time a very kind and creative person. And Svetlana still speaks about her father with deep respect.
The actress’s father participated in the war with Finland and went through the entire Great Patriotic War. He retired during the Khrushchev “thaw”. He introduced military rules at home, so the children were afraid of him, but they respected him very much. Svetlana Nikolaevna recalls that it was common in their family to be woken up by their father at night to answer the lessons they had learned. The actress herself claims that it is from her father that she has a persistent and strong character, a habit of writing everything down and not repeating anything twice.
The Kryuchkovs lived in the very center of Chisinau in a small one-story building with “conveniences” on the street. But neighborly relations in those days were completely different: they often set a large table in the yard, ate dinner together, discussed news, sang, and read poetry.
Actress Svetlana Kryuchkova “started” there, in a small courtyard in Chisinau, because she often performed in front of her neighbors. Svetlana always remembers that time and those people with sadness and gratitude, because many of her characters have real prototypes among former neighbors. For example, the colorful character Aunt Dog in the TV series “Liquidation”.
Childhood and youth
People's Artist of the RSFSR Svetlana Nikolaevna Kryuchkova was born in Chisinau in the family of a counterintelligence officer, Major Smersh. My mother worked there, in the personnel department. The officer's daughter never dreamed of becoming an actress. She dreamed of the romantic profession of a geologist or thought of devoting her life to books, becoming a philologist.
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Svetlana Kryuchkova in her youth
The future actress was red-haired, and children teased her in the yard. She felt unbearably lonely, but at the same time she was never embarrassed to publicly read poetry and then sing. Sveta joined the school ensemble and even became a soloist.
After graduating from school in Chisinau, Kryuchkova came to Moscow to storm the theater university. In the first year, the girl entered the Shchepkinsky School, where she “cut short” in the entrance finals. In the second year, failure befell her in the exams at Shchukinskoye. And at the Moscow Art Theater School they took a closer look at the applicant and gave her a chance to become an artist. Here Sveta took the course of Vasily Markov.
Theater and films
In her 4th year, Svetlana received her first film role, which immediately made her a star. The young actress played Nelly Ledneva in the film “Big Change” by Alexei Korenev.
The completion of the filming of “The Big Break” coincided with the end of the Moscow Art Theater School. The star graduate was invited by 5 Moscow theaters at once. But Kryuchkova’s theatrical biography, of course, began with the Moscow Art Theater. The actress appeared on the famous stage for two seasons.
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Svetlana Kryuchkova and her roles
Svetlana’s Moscow theater life was turned upside down by love. The actress left everything and went to Leningrad to see the future famous Soviet cinematographer, winner of the USSR State Prize, Yuri Veksler.
In Leningrad, Svetlana soon gave birth to a son and entered service at the Bolshoi Drama Theater, where she still plays. The first job that Georgy Tovstonogov offered to Kryuchkova was the role of the schoolgirl Lyuba in the play “Faryatyev’s Fantasies.”
Kryuchkova played Aksinya in Mikhail Sholokhov's "Quiet Flows the Don", Vasilisa in Maxim Gorky's drama "At the Lower Depths", Ranevskaya in Anton Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard" and many other serious dramatic roles.
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Svetlana Kryuchkova in the film “Big Change”
Svetlana Kryuchkova is an actress outside her role. Her talent is capable of playing roles of any dramatic complexity and psychological depth. After the romantic Nelly Ledneva in “The Big Break,” she reincarnated as the hapless Agafya Tikhonovna in “Marriage,” and then as the mysterious Elsa Barrymore in “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.”
Together with the great Nonna Mordyukova, Svetlana Kryuchkova played the subtle tragicomedy “Kin.” The script was written specifically for Mordyukova by Viktor Merezhko, and directed by Nikita Mikhalkov.
In 1994, Svetlana was again lucky enough to work with Mikhalkov: she starred in his famous film “Burnt by the Sun.” Her work was highly appreciated, and in 1995 the actress received a prize at the Constellation Film Festival for best female cameo role.
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Svetlana Kryuchkova and Oleg Borisov in the play “Quiet Don”
Kryuchkova played Empress Catherine the Second twice. Especially for this role, the actress learned to speak Russian with a German accent. One of the most characteristic images of a celebrity was the role of the wife of the General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev, Victoria Petrovna.
Kryuchkova also embodied the psychologically difficult and multi-layered character of Sasha Savelyev’s grandmother Nina Antonovna in the film “Bury Me Behind the Baseboard” based on the novel by Pavel Sanaev.
Viewers consider the series “Liquidation” to be a bright page in the artist’s filmography. Svetlana played the role of a Jewish mother, Aunt Pesi. The film was created in Odessa, scenes with Kryuchkova were filmed in one of the city courtyards, the atmosphere of which reminded the performer of her distant childhood.
Biography
One of the most popular actresses of Soviet theater and cinema, who is not lost in Russian cinema, was born in the capital of Moldova. Svetlana inherited her love for art from her mother, who, although she worked in one of the statistical departments, loved to sing and play the guitar. My father, a former NKVD investigator, was of a tougher nature. He raised his children (besides Sveta, there were also a brother and sister in the family) with iron discipline. I could get them out of bed in the middle of the night and ask them about their lessons learned for tomorrow.
Personal life
Svetlana's first husband was the poet and actor Mikhail Starodub. They studied together at the Moscow Art Theater School and met in their youth at one of the noisy student parties in the dormitory where Svetlana lived. The newlyweds dreamed of a strong family, children and a happy old age together. But the personal life of the artists did not work out; this marriage did not last even a year.
Published by Svetlana Kryuchkova Thursday, March 22, 2018
Svetlana Kryuchkova with her second husband Yuri Veksler and son
The husband called Svetlana a mediocre actress, and also “scary as a stove.” The last straw was my husband’s jealousy, and professional jealousy at that. Starodub auditioned for the role of the main character of the film “Big Change” Grigory Ganzhi, but he was not accepted.
For the second time, the actress married the famous Soviet cinematographer Yuri Veksler, a Jew by nationality. They worked together on the set of the film “Eldest Son”. As Kryuchkova admitted in an interview, it was love at first sight. According to her, Yura played a huge role in her spiritual and creative development. Having fallen in love, the determined woman left Moscow, the Moscow Art Theater and moved to her beloved in Leningrad.
They lived in a civil marriage for six years, until Svetlana became pregnant. In the 5th month, Svetlana almost lost her husband: Wexler had a heart attack, and the man himself needed help. Kryuchkova managed, according to doctors, the impossible: she managed to give birth to a healthy baby and marry her husband.
Published by Svetlana Kryuchkova Monday, November 7, 2011
Svetlana Kryuchkova with her son
The son was named Dmitry, today he lives in France. The man is married to a French woman, Cherif Lise Margaret, and they have already made Kryuchkova a grandmother twice. In 2010, grandson Anton was born, and in 2016, granddaughter Polina.
Veksler and Kryuchkova lived together for 14 years, but due to the constant claims of her wife, Svetlana could not stand it and agreed to a divorce. Yuri did not live even a year and a half after separating from his wife. By the time he passed away, Svetlana already had another man, but the actress could not contain her emotions about the untimely loss.
The artist met her third husband, Alexander Molodtsov, in a bar, where she came with her friend Larisa Guzeeva. The man turned out to be 12 years younger than her. Svetlana is still happy with her chosen one. Alexander Molodtsov today is a decorative artist. In May 1990, the actress gave birth to his son, who was named Alexander.
Third husband Alexander Molodtsov: dating history, son Alexander
Alexander Molodtsov attracted the attention of the actress with his kindness. Their meeting happened completely by chance. Svetlana was with her friends in a cafe when her son unexpectedly brought a man to them, introducing him as Uncle Sasha.
Svetlana and Alexander try not to lose the romantic spirit in their marriage
Uncle Sasha soon became a member of the Kryuchkova family and the father of her unborn child. Mitya almost immediately called him dad. At the time of the birth of her second child, the woman was already 40 years old. The actress feels happy in the circle of her men; she is fully accomplished as a mother and as an actress.
Health status
In 2021, the news about the actress’s health problems shocked fans. True, the terrible thing happened much earlier - doctors diagnosed Svetlana Nikolaevna with lung cancer back in 2015. It turned out that the tumor is at the 4th stage of development. But the actress decided to tell the press about this already when she was confident in the stability of her health.
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Svetlana Kryuchkova on stage
Later, the actress admitted on the air of the program “The Fate of a Man” that the strange behavior of the cat forced her to turn to doctors. The pet lay down on the sore spot, growled terribly and tore with its claws. She also made assumptions about the causes of the fatal illness. One day, a celebrity found almost half a kilogram of mercury near her door.
When doctors made a disappointing diagnosis, the artist went to a clinic in Germany. Colleagues Nikita Mikhalkov and Evgeny Mironov provided enormous assistance - they paid for the expensive course.
After lengthy treatment abroad, Kryuchkova’s health improved. In November 2021, she attended a concert dedicated to director Eldar Ryazanov and his work. The event took place at the Moscow Philharmonic. Then the singer Zara posted a photo from the dressing room on Instagram, in which she was captured with Svetlana Kryuchkova.
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Svetlana Kryuchkova as Madame Rosa
The illness affected the appearance of the performer - at one time, with a height of 170 cm, she looked thinner. Today Kryuchkova’s weight is approaching 90 kg.
Svetlana Nikolaevna regularly undergoes medical examinations. In 2021, she had to undergo hormone therapy twice in order to remain in remission. However, the star is not discouraged and is optimistic about the future.
Svetlana Kryuchkova now
In 2021, the tour with Kryuchkova’s participation was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. With great joy, Svetlana Nikolaevna announced her appearance on stage - the start date of the tour of the Bolshoi Drama Theater named after G. A. Tovstonogov coincided with the star’s birthday.
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Svetlana Kryuchkova in the play “The Player”
The actress was involved in two performances directed by Roman Markholia.
In the production of “The Player” she played 2 roles at once - Granny and the croupier. She was also lucky enough to demonstrate her singing talent from the stage, performing the composition Mein Herz Brennt by the famous German band Rammstein.
Children of the actress
Children for Svetlana Kryuchkova are the most important thing in life. She is a crazy mother, she is ready to do anything for her sons.
Kryuchkova with her sons
Svetlana Kryuchkova’s eldest son Dmitry and his family live in France. They have two children, grandchildren of the actress Anton and Polina. The youngest son of Svetlana Kryuchkova, Alexander, lives in St. Petersburg. The children of Svetlana Kryuchkova chose music as their profession.
Eldest son Dmitry Veksler
Filmography
- 1972 — “Big Change”
- 1975 - “It can’t be!”
- 1977 — “Marriage”
- 1980 — “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson”
- 1983 — “Scarecrow”
- 1984 — “Olga and Konstantin”
- 1986 — “Courier”
- 1989 — “It”
- 1990 — “The Tsar’s Hunt”
- 1994 — “Burnt by the Sun”
- 2000 — “Old Nags”
- 2005 — “Brezhnev”
- 2007 — “Liquidation”
- 2008 — “Bury me behind the baseboard”
- 2013 — “Sherlock Holmes”
