Tatyana Ustinova - biography, photo, personal life, news, films and books 2021

Biography

Tatyana Vitalievna Ustinova is a Russian writer, author of detective works, host of the television programs “Hour of Judgment” and “My Hero”.

Tatyana was born on April 21, 1968 in the village of Kratovo near Moscow in the family of an aviation engineer. The father worked at a local aircraft manufacturing plant, the mother was raising two daughters - the eldest Tatyana and the youngest Inna. It was the mother who instilled in the children an interest in literature.

Writer Tatyana Ustinova

At preschool age, Tatyana could already recite by heart the plot of any work of art from the bibliography of Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, and Dumas. At the age of 7, the girl went to school with a linguistic focus. Over time, Tatiana’s range of interests became clear: history and literature. But after finishing her tenth year, the girl, at the request of her grandmother, entered the physics department of Moscow State University.

Tatyana Ustinova in childhood

After receiving a diploma of higher education, Tatyana, on the recommendation of her sister, becomes an employee of the All-Russian State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company. The duties of the young specialist included translation of the English-language programs “60 Minutes”, “Rescue 911”, “Posner and Donahue” into Russian. In 1997, Tatyana was entrusted with editing the Russian programs “First Hand”, “Man and the Law” and “Health”.

Tatyana Ustinova with her sister

In addition to working on television, for three years the girl worked in the press center of Russian President B. Yeltsin, and then for a year she served as a PR manager at the Chamber of Commerce of the Russian Federation. But the default was followed by mass layoffs, and Tatyana found herself out of work. The crisis forced Ustinova to start a writing career. Such a bold decision influenced Tatyana Vitalievna’s life, immediately changing her creative biography.

Early years, childhood and family of Tatyana Ustinova

Our today's heroine was born on April 21, 1968 in a family of Moscow engineers. As the Russian writer herself recalls, her love for literature and reading was passed on to her from her mother, who herself almost never let go of a book.

Lying on the sofa for a long time, Tatyana Ustinova’s mother read aloud to her a variety of works - “Onegin”, “The Three Musketeers”, “The Notes of Sherlock Holmes” and many others. Little Tanya listened to them and constantly asked questions that interested her regarding what caused this or that step or action of the main character. In response to them, the mother of our today’s heroine usually snorted with displeasure. Since it was not always possible to answer the questions posed more or less clearly.

However, despite this, the future writer still really loved spending time with her mother and even once admitted in an interview that her favorite time in those years was someone’s sick leave (usually hers or her mother’s). Comparable to this blessed time were only those days when Tanya and her younger sister, together with their parents, went somewhere into the city. On such days, the whole family usually visited museums and children's theaters. Perhaps it was during such periods that a love for art first began to appear in the soul of the future famous writer.

But she didn’t like kindergarten and school at all. The thing is that due to her great height, the future celebrity often became the object of ridicule from her peers. However, despite this, the girl graduated from a school with in-depth study of the English language with honors.

After this there was a period of study at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, which, according to the writer herself, was a complete waste of time. The thing is that her assessments have always been very contrasting. She received A's in English and literary essays, but time after time she failed core subjects - physics, mathematics, etc. and so on. During this period, she, in fact, came to the understanding that she would never work in her profession.

After graduating from university, our today’s heroine was in complete confusion for some time. There was nowhere to work, and therefore the confusion very soon turned into mild depression. However, the younger sister, who at that time was already working at VGTRK, came to the rescue very soon. So, Tatyana Ustinova received the position of secretary on television. But she did not work in this capacity for long. Just seven months later, her then-boss invited the young girl to work on translating American television programs. Tatyana agreed and very soon began working on creating adapted versions of the projects “Rescue 911”, “60 Minutes” and some others.

Soon Ustinova began working at VGTRK as a permanent translator, and after that she received the position of editor. It was during this period that our today's heroine began writing her first novels.

Literature

Tatyana Ustinova's first book, “Personal Angel,” was published in 1999 and immediately sold out in large numbers. Thanks to the successful debut of the writer, the Eksmo publishing house entered into a long-term contract with Ustinova. Following the first novel, the books “Chronicle of Vile Times”, “Vices and Their Admirers”, “Divorce and Maiden Name” are sent to print.

Books by Tatyana Ustinova

In 2003, 8 more detective stories by Ustinova were published, among which the most popular were “My Personal Enemy”, “Big Evil and Small Dirty Things”, “Close People”, “One Shadow for Two”. The heroes of Tatyana Ustinova's books are recognizable, their problems are close to a large circle of readers.

Tatiana Ustinova's haircut

For the heroes of some novels, the writer chooses recognizable prototypes. The image of TV presenter Arina Sharapova can be seen in the detective story “Goddess of Prime Time”; the features of the pioneer of Russian web design Artemy Lebedev are similar to the portrait of the hero of the book “Spare Instinct”. Having met the former vice-governor of the Krasnoyarsk Territory Lyudmila Selivanova, Tatyana Ustinova, impressed by her personality, created the work “The Queen’s First Rule”.

In her works, Tatyana Vitalievna combines a love story with a detective investigation, which is why Ustinova’s books have so many fans. In total, 42 books were published from the pen of Tatyana Ustinova. The writer collaborates with the Eksmo publishing house. Detective stories are published in series of 3-4 books: “Russian bestseller”, “Crime story”, “Panther”, “Angel detective”.

In the collection of publications you can also find a large series “Tatyana Ustinova. The first among the best,” which includes 14 of the author’s best detective stories, including the novels “Where We Are Not,” “Somewhere at the End of the World,” “Immediately After the Creation of the World,” “Seventh Heaven.”

Tatyana Ustinova in a bookstore

In 2010, in collaboration with lawyer and human rights activist Pavel Astakhov, Tatyana Ustinova created the mini-series “I am a Judge.” The writing tandem was established after Pavel and Tatyana worked for several years on the judicial talk show “Hour of Judgment,” which was broadcast on the REN TV channel.

No series

Ark of Mark

Inexperienced athletes decide to go on a ski trip. They chose not the easiest route - along the Polar Urals. Travel becomes a real test for them. They are completely exhausted by difficult weather conditions and excessive physical exertion. In addition, throughout the 10 days of the hike, various minor troubles happen to them.

In one breath!

The main character of the novel is a girl, a little clumsy, with a strange haircut, glasses, and even with a strange name. She has a humanitarian mindset, and all men are simply crazy about her. Even the attractive and brutal oligarch fell in love. And why all? Yes, because men need a woman, first of all, to be a good person, but everything else is secondary...

One Hundred Years' Journey

Dmitry Ivanovich Shakhovsky receives a call from an old friend while at a meeting in the city duma. Colonel Nikonenko of the Investigative Committee turns to him for help. The brutal murder of museum director Pavel Lomeiko took place. Ancient documents and an antique cup were found near the scab. One of the letters is dated 1906.

One shadow for two

Martha has been in love for a very long time. Her heart was broken by the talented architect Danilov, the unloved son of famous parents. The man has a cold heart and a complex character, so he never noticed the girl’s feelings. Martha has already come to terms with her unrequited love, but suddenly she gets a chance to help her beloved.

Chronicle of vile times

Fate brought together businessman Kirill and girl Nastya, the granddaughter of a murdered pensioner. Who needed to kill a harmless old woman? Why, moreover, do it in a ridiculous way - by accidentally dropping a hairdryer into her bath? It is also unclear on what means the poor pensioner lived. The businessman was puzzled by these questions after meeting Anastasia.

Hotel of last resort

It seems to Nadezhda that there will never be happiness in her life again. Everything she loved was destroyed in an instant. Her husband stopped loving her and said that he wanted to separate from her. In addition, problems arose at work. The President of America is supposed to stay at the hotel where she works. Suddenly, the girl arouses suspicion from the head of the security service, who checks all employees.

The myth of the ideal man

The surgeon Sergei, an exemplary family man and a wonderful father, was killed. What connected him with the pharmacist Klava, who grew up in an orphanage? She not only had no family, but also no money. Why were they under constant surveillance? Will Major Andrei Larionov be able to unravel the strange case? Why was the surgeon killed and how to save Klava?

Life, according to rumors, is one!

An ordinary business trip to St. Petersburg for Gleb Zvonitsky turned into an unexpected meeting. Previously, the guy worked as the head of security for the governor of the Beloyarsk Territory, who had a daughter, Katya. The guy later quit. Over time, Zvonitsky learned that the governor had been killed. And now, after many years, Gleb meets a matured Katya in St. Petersburg, who asks him for help. As it turns out, someone wants to kill her...

Big evil and small dirty tricks

An ordinary alumni meeting, everything goes according to plan and nothing foreshadows trouble. Suddenly, right on the school threshold, they shoot at Marusya, one of the graduates. This seems strange to everyone. Who could be interested in killing a simple girl? One of the graduates, Minister Potapov, decides that he was the target. Together with Marusya they begin an investigation into a strange crime. Suddenly a spark flies between them.

Queen's first rule

The Queen should never be afraid. Politician Inna Seliverstova has learned this main rule forever. But it is not always possible to control your emotions, especially when you find yourself in a difficult and dangerous situation. A murder was committed, Governor Mukhin became the victim. Later his widow is also killed. Inna herself is in danger, so she has to personally take on the investigation of this case. Continue →

Film adaptations

In film and television, film adaptations of Tatyana Ustinova’s works have been repeatedly created, the first of which was the series “Always Say Always,” released in 2003 for showing on the Rossiya-1 TV channel. For creating the script for the television film, Tatyana Vitalievna received the TEFI Award in 2004. She also participated in this film as an episode actress. The main roles in the film were played by Maria Poroshina and Daniil Strakhov.

Screenwriter Tatyana Ustinova

In 2005, seven films based on Ustinova’s books were released. In the series “Goddess of Prime Time” the main roles went to Olga Lomonosova and Alexander Dyachenko, in the film “Close People” - Sergei Gorobchenko and Natalia Lesnikovskaya. Irina Pegova and Sergei Chonishvili played in the crime drama “Girlfriend for Special Purpose”.

In the 2006 film “Seventh Heaven,” which was created with the participation of the STS channel, the main roles were played by Alexander Lazarev Jr. and Olga Sutulova. In the same year, STS hosted a screening of the four-part detective story “Spare Instinct,” in which Russian cinema stars appeared: Anna Banshchikova, Maxim Averin, Elizaveta Boyarskaya, Alena Bondarchuk and Nikita Vysotsky. In the film “The Queen's First Rule,” the image of the main character was created by Julia Vysotskaya.

Julia Vysotskaya on the set of the film “The Queen’s First Rule”

The casts of other series based on Tatyana Ustinova’s stories this year were no less stellar. Tatyana Arntgolts and Kirill Pletnev were invited to work in the mystical film “The Phantom House in Dowry”, and Elena Obolenskaya, Yan Tsapnik and Maria Shukshina were invited to work in the detective story “Sacvoyage with a Bright Future”. Lyubov Tolkalina and Sergei Zhigunov played in the film “My General,” and Vladislav Galkin and Glafira Tarkhanova played in the series “Vices and Their Fans.”

Glafira Tarkhanova and Vladislav Galkin on the set of the film “Vices and Their Fans”

In 2008, he released two detective dramas, “The Genius of Empty Space” and “Five Steps on the Clouds.” In 2009, the film “Dirty Work” was shot for the NTV channel, in which Vladislav Galkin played one of his last roles.

In 2014 and 2015, the TVC channel premiered four detective series, two of which – “In One Breath” and “Uncut Pages” – were created based on works that brought the author the main prizes of the “Electronic Book” competition. In total, 38 television films were shot based on the plots of Tatyana Ustinova’s novels, the scripts for which were created with the participation of the author himself.

Personal life

In 1983, the wedding of two students Tatyana and Evgeniy Ustinov took place. The newlyweds were studying at Moscow State University at that moment. According to Tatyana, at first she did not have strong feelings for her husband, which did not prevent her from becoming a mother twice. With a difference of 10 years, two sons were born into the family - Mikhail and Timofey.

Tatyana Ustinova with her husband

When Ustinova began her writing career, her marriage was on the verge of collapse; Tatyana and Evgeniy even lived separately for some time. But soon the relationship improved, and a new period began in the Ustinovs’ married life.

Tatyana Ustinova - books and biography

About the author – Tatyana Ustinova

Tatyana Ustinova is rightly called the first among the best. From her pen came 24 detective stories, most of which were filmed, under titles of the same name as the novels. The total circulation of the books has already exceeded 25 million copies, and the author herself has received numerous awards.

Biography

Tatyana Ustinova was born on April 21, 1968 in the Russian village of Kratovo. Little Tanya was addicted to reading by her mother. Despite a clear inclination towards humanities, the writer graduated from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (Faculty of Aeromechanics and Flight Engineering) in 1991. She had the opportunity to work as a translator from English, as a TV show editor, and even collaborate with Boris Yeltsin’s press center. In 1998, it was reduced due to changes in the political climate in the country.

Losing her job was a hard blow for her, but she did not give up. She finally decided to do what she loved - write novels. Within a year, the first book was finished and ready for publication. Today, the writer’s bibliography includes about forty novels. According to social surveys, she is one of the most popular Russian female authors, along with Daria Dontsova and Lyudmila Ulitskaya, and her novels have an average circulation of 700 thousand copies.

In addition, she gained fame as a talented TV presenter: for some time she participated in Pavel Astakhov’s “Hour of Judgment,” and since 2015 she has been hosting the talk show “My Hero.” In 2007, Tatyana Ustinova began hosting the “Living Detective” program on Radio Russia, and in the fall of 2007, the talk show “Life as Life” premiered, where Tatyana appeared before viewers as a presenter.

Family and personal life

Tatyana Ustinova met her future husband Evgeniy during her student years. The young people got married in the early 90s and have not separated since then. This marriage produced two sons: Mikhail and Timofey. She never hid the details of her difficult relationship with her husband and is proud that they went through all the tests together.

Social activity

In 2007-2008, the writer was an active member of the Supreme Council of the liberal party Civic Force, but then decided to distance herself from politics. Today she is on the jury for the Writer of the Year award.

Awards

The author is the winner of a number of prestigious awards. One of the most notable is “TEFI” for the script for the series “Always Say “Always”” and “Electronic Letter” for winning the “Detective of the Year” nomination.

Film adaptations

More than 30 of her works have been filmed.
The most famous films are: “Goddess of Prime Time”, “Seventh Heaven”, “Girlfriend on Special Purpose”. The writer herself took part in the filming of Stanislav Govorukhin’s film “In Jazz Style,” where she actually played a successful novelist. In 2007, Channel One showed all (!) films based on the novels of Tatyana Ustinova.

Tatyana Ustinova now

Since 2015, Tatyana Ustinova has been hosting the “My Hero” program on the TVC channel. The writer's guests include famous actors, politicians, writers, directors and other public figures. Tatyana Vitalievna manages to construct a conversation in such a way that the hero appears from the side that is least known to the viewer from numerous publications in the press.

Tatyana Ustinova and Igor Nikolaev in the show “My Hero”

In addition to working on television, Ustinova continues to delight fans with new works of the detective genre. In 2021, the Eksmo publishing house released two novels, “The Universal Conspiracy. Eternal Date” and “Expect the Unexpected”, and in 2021 another new product “Selfie with Destiny” was released.

Tatyana Ustinova in 2021

On June 10, the TVC channel will start showing the film “There is One Life According to Rumors,” in which the main characters were played by young talented artists Eduard Trukhmenev, Ekaterina Tarasova, Olga Pavlovets and Anton Batyrev.

How Tatyana Ustinova lost weight: diet

Tatyana Ustinova lost extreme weight by completely changing her diet. A nutritionist helped her with this, delicately and without violence, correcting existing flaws in eating behavior.

The writer had to give up fast carbohydrates and everything high-calorie and sweet, fatty, fried, store-bought sauces, pickles, smoked foods, and baked goods. Such food not only provokes weight gain, but also negatively affects health. Confectionery and sausages contain trans fats, which cause obesity and increase the risk of developing atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease and other deadly ailments (more about the dangers of trans fats in this article). The amount of salt and seasonings was kept to a minimum. White rice, pasta and potatoes were also banned.
The basis of the diet was the simplest low-calorie foods: lean meat (rabbit, turkey, chicken), seafood, river and sea fish, vegetables, berries, cereals, herbs, nuts, fruits, low-fat dairy and fermented milk products. Cooking methods: boiled or steamed.
Losing weight, Ustinova ate often, but in small portions (the amount of food was reduced gradually). The number of meals reached 5 - 6. But one condition was always observed - no more than one dish at one sitting, i.e. I never ate the second and the first (one or the other). Food had to be chewed thoroughly, eaten with concentration, without being distracted by conversations, watching TV or even reading.

Approximate diet of Tatyana Ustinova

Breakfast – oatmeal or buckwheat porridge with water or steamed omelette
Second breakfast – fruit or fruit salad
Lunch – vegetable soup (can be ground in a blender or eaten like this)
Afternoon snack – nuts, fruits, a little kefir or fermented baked milk
Dinner – stewed vegetables with boiled meat

If you really want to eat before bed, a glass of kefir is allowed.

Did the writer go in for sports?

Tatyana Ustinova, who has lost weight, admits that before the diet she led a sedentary lifestyle and did not try to fight the extra pounds - she simply did not need to fit into generally accepted “standards” of beauty. But, having changed her gastronomic preferences, the TV presenter surprisingly began to find time to visit the pool and even bike rides. True, quite a bit. It’s incredible, but the “Russian Agatha Christie” practically did not play sports. The weight came off only thanks to proper nutrition.

Tatyana Ustinova lost 100 kg after going through a difficult journey. At the same time, the TV presenter admits that the support of her loved ones helped her a lot. My husband and children responded to the situation with great understanding and also gave up many harmful foods. It gave me strength. Tatyana Ustinova lost a lot of weight and got rid of most of her health problems.

As for the safety of this weight loss technique, in general it can be considered gentle. Firstly, the diet was adjusted by a nutritionist. Secondly, Tatyana Vitalievna’s menu contained everything necessary - proteins, fats and carbohydrates.

Articles about how much weight other Russian celebrities have lost are available at the following links:

How Vladimir Solovyov lost weight - minus 70 kg
How Svetlana Kartunkova lost weight - minus 61 kg
How Nadezhda Babkina lost weight - minus 36 kg
How Natalya Bochkareva lost weight - minus 20 kg
How Svetlana Khodchenkova lost weight - minus 20 kg

How Daria Dontsova lost weight: all about nutrition and sports, motivation and little tricks that help you achieve great results. Tips and recommendations from the most ironic and slender woman in our country in this article

Tatyana Ustinova lost weight: before and after photos

Today the TV presenter weighs 97 - 98 kg, but, given her tall height, she looks very organic. Tatyana doesn’t want to become skinny, but she doesn’t intend to return to her “old” gastronomic preferences. Now - only proper nutrition!