- Born
- Died
- Birth nameVera Nikolaevna Pashennaya
- Vera Pashennaya was a notable actress of traditional Russian drama
based at the Maly Theatre in Moscow.
She was born on September 19, 1887, in Moscow, Russia, daughter of the
classical actor Nikolai Roshchin-Insarov. From 1904 - 1907 she studied
acting with A. Lensky at the Moscow Theatrical School. In 1907 she
became permanent member of the troupe at the Maly Theatre. There she
shone in such classical roles as Portia in 'Julius Ceasar', Anna
Andreevna in 'Revizor' (aka .. Inspector General) by
Nikolay Gogol, Lyubov Yarovaya in the
eponymous play by Konstantin Trenyov,
and Kabanikha in 'Groza' (aka.. The Storm) by
'Aleksandr Ostrovsky'.
Eventually Vera Pashennaya took over all of the leading roles in
Russian classical dramas, previously played by Ermolova, and thus she
preserved the continuity of the legend of Ermolova and the tradition of
Maly Theatre. Since the 1920s, Pashennaya was the leading actress of
Maly Theatre. She worked on stage with such actors as Olga Sadovskaya,
Nikolai Annenkov, A. Yablochkina,
Varvara Massalitinova,
Varvara Ryzhova,
Yevdokiya Turchaninova,
Yelena Gogoleva,
Varvara Obukhova,
Yelena Shatrova,
Elina Bystritskaya,
Rufina Nifontova,
Tatyana Eremeeva, Aleksandr Yuzhin,
Aleksandr Ostuzhev,
Vladimir Davydov,
Sergei Aidarov,
Stepan Kuznetsov,
Prov Sadovsky, Boris Ravenskikh,
Boris Babochkin,
Mikhail Zharov,
Mikhail Tsaryov,
Igor Ilyinsky,
Pavel Olenev,
Mikhail Sadovsky,
Konstantin Zubov,
Viktor Khokhryakov,
Vsevolod Aksyonov,
Nikolai Ryzhov,
Evgeniy Vesnik,
Viktor Korshunov,
Evgeniy Samoylov,
Yuriy Solomin, and many other notable
Russian actors.
Pashennaya's stage performances were admired by such contemporaries as
Vsevolod Meyerhold,
Konstantin Stanislavski, and
Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko,
among many others. During the 1920s she was invited by
Konstantin Stanislavski and
worked with the Moscow Art Theatre on several international tours,
including the tour of the United States. There she performed leading
roles in plays by Alexander Ostrovsky. Pashennaya was regarded for her
mastery of Russian language, impeccable diction and powerful delivery.
She had a rare strong voice ranging from lower masculine basso to high
and sharp feminine tones; she was known for playing hilarious jokes
using her deep masculine voice to mimic voices of well known men while
she was in the ladies rooms.
From 1918 - 1962, Pashennaya taught acting at the Theatrical School of
Maly Theatre. She was one of the founding members of the Student's
Theatrical Studio in 1924, which eventually merged with Shchepkin
Theatrical School of Maly Theatre. There her students were such actors
as Yuriy Solomin, and many other notable
Russian actors. She was designated People's Actor of the USSR (1937),
was awarded the State Stalin's Prize (1943) and the State Lenin's Prize
(1961). She died on October 28, 1962, and was laid to rest in
Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow, Russia.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Steve Shelokhonov
- SpouseVladimir Feodorovich Gribunin
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