Tatiana Doronina

Tatiana Vasil’evna Doronina (1933) is a film and theatre actress, a People’s Artist of the USSR, and the head of the Gorky MKhAT (Moscow Academic Art Theatre).

Tatiana was born in Leningrad on 12th September 1933. After the war started her family moved to the town of Danilov in the Yaroslavl Region. This is where she spent her childhood and went to school. Then the family returned to Leningrad, where she went on with her studies. When at school she was already fond of theatre. She was so eager to play on stage that after the eighth grade she secretly went to take examinations in the Moscow school-studio of MKhAT. Surprisingly, but she did pass the exams successfully and could be admitted but for her early age.

After finishing school she again resolved to enter a drama school. In order not to fail she took exams in all educational theatre institutions at once: MKhAT Studio, Shchepkin School and Shchukin Schools, and GITIS. Amazingly enough, she was admitted everywhere! But just like before she chose MKhAT Studio. There she studied under Pavel Massalsky – one of the strongest drama teachers.

In 1955 Tatiana made her film debut in The First Echelon (Pervyy eshelon) starring in duet with Oleg Yefremov.

In the same year Tatiana got married – her first husband was actor Oleg Basilashvili, who was in the same year with her. After graduation Tatiana Doronina followed her husband to Stalingrad where they played in a drama theatre. Having no good prospects to strive for there, the couple returned to Leningrad after some time. Soon they were admitted to the famous BDT (Big Drama Theatre): Tatiana was invited there, and she managed to persuade the director to employ her husband as well. Tatiana Doronina’s brilliant acting in the play Barbarians gained her great popularity and love of spectators.

After 8 years of marriage with Oleg Basilashvili she suggested divorce. Her second husband was critic Anatoly Yufit. He was a professor, head of subdepartment in the Leningrad Theatre Institute. They lived together for three years.

As a well-known theatre actress already Doronina resumed her film career. She made splendid appearance in a number of film roles, such as, for example, in the movies Elder Sister (Starshaya sestra) (1967), Three Poplars in Plyushchikha (Tri topolya na Plyushchikhe) (1967). Thanks to her dedication and inexhaustible talent Doronina already then received the title of the best actress twice.

In 1966 Tatiana got married to Edvard Radzinsky. Together they moved to Moscow the same year. There the actress began to play on stage of the Moscow Art Theatre. Soon while on screen tests for the film Once Again About Love (Yeshchyo raz pro lyubov) (1968) where Doronina starred she got to know her fourth husband – Boris Khimichev.

In 1977 Tatiana Doronina left MKhAT for Mayakovsky Theatre. In one of the stage works there she again met Boris Khimichev. After a few years of marriage with Boris she once informed him that she was going to marry another man. The star’s new husband was Robert Tokhnenko. In relations with her fifth husband Tatiana still dominated.

In 1983 Doronina returned to MKhAT. Since 1987 Tatiana Doronina has been the head of Gorky ÌKhAT. Apart from working as the theatre’s art director she is into staging and still goes on playing on stage.