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Irina Kupchenko is a Russian actress renowned for her portrayal of Lisa in Andrei Konchalovsky's 1969 film A Nest of Gentry.
Born Irina Petrovna Kupchenko on March 1, 1948, in Vienna, Austria, her father, Petr Kupchenko, was a Soviet Army officer stationed there, and her mother was an English teacher. Although her real birthday was February 29, 1948, her parents registered it as March 1. Kupchenko grew up in Kiev, Ukraine, where she studied languages at Kiev University before moving to Moscow. From 1967 to 1970, she trained in acting under M. Ter-Zakharova at the Shchukin Theatrical School affiliated with the Vakhtangov Theatre, graduating in 1970.
Kupchenko rose to fame with her debut role as Lisa in A Nest of Gentry (1969), directed by Andrei Konchalovsky. She built an impressive film career working with Konchalovsky and other notable directors such as Ilya Averbakh, Yuli Raizman, Vadim Abdrashitov, Eldar Ryazanov, and Nikita Mikhalkov. From the 1970s through the 1990s, she was among the most popular actresses in the former Soviet Union, sharing the screen with prominent actors including Innokentiy Smoktunovskiy, Mikhail Ulyanov, Aleksey Batalov, Vasili Lanovoy, Sergey Bondarchuk, Oleg Yankovsky, and Aleksandr Zbruev.
Since 1970, Kupchenko has been a member of the Vakhtangov Theatre troupe in Moscow. There, she has performed alongside distinguished actors such as Mikhail Ulyanov, Vasiliy Lanovoy, Yuliya Borisova, Lyudmila Maksakova, Lyudmila Tselikovskaya, Marianna Vertinskaya, Nina Ruslanova, Elena Dobronravova, Nikolai Plotnikov, Yuriy Yakovlev, Vladimir Etush, Vyacheslav Shalevich, Andrei Abrikosov, Grigori Abrikosov, Nikolai Gritsenko, Nikolai Timofeyev, Aleksandr Grave, Evgeni Fedorov, Vladimir Koval, Viktor Zozulin, Evgeniy Karelskikh, Aleksandr Koznov, Vladimir Vdovichenkov, Sergey Makovetskiy, Mikhail Vaskov, Mariya Aronova, Elena Sotnikova, Anna Dubrovskaya, Olga Tumaykina, Aleksei Kuznetsov, and Viktor Dobronravov, among others.
Her most memorable stage roles include Octavia in Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra (1970s), Dolly in Anna Karenina (1970s), and Lady Anna in Shakespeare's Richard III. In 1994, she originated the role of Clodia Pulcher in Martovskie Idy (The Ides of March), adapted from Thornton Wilder's novel. Since the 2001 premiere of Cyrano de Bergerac, Kupchenko has received critical acclaim for her performance as Roxana opposite Maksim Sukhanov. She also appears in the production Svobodnaya lyubov (Free Love) at La'Teatr in Moscow.
Irina Kupchenko holds the title of People's Artist of Russia and has served as a professor of acting at the Shchukin Theatrical School of the Vakhtangov Theatre. She is married to actor Vasiliy Lanovoy, and they have two sons. The family resides in Moscow, Russia.
