Nina Urgant

Nina Urgant was a Russian character actress known as Raya in Belorussky Station (1971) by director Andrey Smirnov.

She was born Nina Nikolayevna Urgant on 4 September 1929, in Luga, Leningrad province, Soviet Union (now Russia). Her father, Nikolai Urgant, was an officer in the Soviet Red Army who fought in WWII. Young Nina survived the Nazi occupation during the Second World War. After the war, her family moved to Leningrad (St. Petersburg). From 1948 to 1953 she studied acting under Tatiana Soynikova and Vladimir Chestnokov at the Leningrad Institute of Theatre, Music, and Cinematography, graduating in 1953 as actress. That same year she made her stage debut at the Volkov Academic Theatre in Yaroslavl, Russia. From 1955 to 1962 she was a member of the troupe at Theatre of Leninskogo Komsomola in Leningrad under directorship of Georgi Tovstonogov.

Since 1962, Nina was a permanent member and the leading actress at the Pushkin (Aleksandrinka) Drama Theatre in Leningrad (St. Petersburg). There her stage partners were such remarkable actors as Nikolay Cherkasov, Nikolai Simonov, Vasiliy Merkurev, Konstantin Skorobogatov, Yuriy Tolubeev, Aleksandr Borisov, Bruno Frejndlikh, Vladimir Chestnokov, Vladimir Erenberg, Konstantin Adashevsky, Leonid Vivyen, Olga Lebzak, Nina Mamaeva, Lidiya Shtykan, Ivan Dmitriev, Igor Gorbachyov, and other notable Russian actors. There, Nina Urgant made memorable appearances in various classic and contemporary plays, such as, Beatrice in the Shakespeare's "Much ado About Nothing" and as Ranevskaya in "Cherry Orchard" by Anton Chekhov among other plays. During her stage acting career, Nina worked under such directors, as Leonid Vivyen, Aleksandr Belinsky, Vladimir Fokin, Igor Gorbachyov and many others.

Nina Urgant was designated People's Actress of Russian Federation (1974) and was awarded the State Prize of the USSR (1976). She also received awards and decorations for her contribution to Soviet and Russian culture. Her son, Andrey Urgant, and grandson, Ivan Urgant are popular Russian actors. Nina lived in St. Petersburg, Russia.