Biography
Kira Golovko is a Russian actress affiliated with the Moscow Art Theatre (MKhAT).
Born Kira Nikolaevna Ivanova on March 11, 1919, in Essentuki, Stavropol province, Russia, she studied Russian literature at the Moscow Institute of Philosophy, Literature, and Arts from 1936 to 1937. In 1938, Golovko made her stage debut as Milk in Maurice Maeterlinck's 'Sinyaya ptitsa' (The Blue Bird).
From 1938 onward, Golovko was a permanent member of the Moscow Art Theatre troupe. She performed alongside renowned Russian actors such as Olga Knipper-Chekhova, Ivan Moskvin, Nikolay Khmelyov, Alla Tarasova, Anatoli Ktorov, Olga Androvskaya, Angelina Stepanova, Anastasiya Georgievskaya, Mikhail Yanshin, Aleksey Gribov, Boris Livanov, Mikhail Kedrov, Viktor Stanitsyn, Vasili Toporkov, Mark Prudkin, Pavel Massalsky, and others. Golovko earned acclaim for her roles in Anton Chekhov's classics, including Olga in 'Tri Sestry' (The Three Sisters), and portrayed various characters in other productions. She also notably played Dolly in 'Anna Karenina,' adapted from Leo Tolstoy's novel, Natasha in Maxim Gorky's 'Na dne' (The Lower Depths), and took on the title role in 'Maria Stuart.'
Throughout her career, Golovko appeared in 44 plays at the Moscow Art Theatre. She collaborated with successive generations of MKhAT actors such as Oleg Efremov, Tatyana Doronina, Evgeniy Evstigneev, Innokentiy Smoktunovskiy, Oleg Tabakov, Kristina Babushkina, Alla Pokrovskaya, Olga Barnet, Tatyana Lavrova, Iya Savvina, Nina Gulyaeva, Elena Panova, Darya Moroz, Olga Litvinova, Natalya Rogozhkina, Ekaterina Semyonova, Olga Yakovleva, Raisa Maksimova, Irina Miroshnichenko, Evgeniya Dobrovolskaya, Anastasiya Voznesenskaya, Andrey Myagkov, Stanislav Lyubshin, Vladimir Kashpur, Vladlen Davydov, Viktor Sergachyov, Vyacheslav Nevinnyy, Evgeniy Kindinov, Vladimir Krasnov, Sergei Desnitsky, Dmitriy Nazarov, Sergey Sazontev, Avangard Leontev, Igor Vasilev, Igor Vernik, Sergei Sosnovsky, Mikhail Porechenkov, Konstantin Khabenskiy, Valeri Khlevinsky, Aleksei Agapov, Valeriy Troshin, Mikhail Trukhin, Eduard Chekmazov, Aleksey Kravchenko, and Evgeniy Mironov. In the 2000s, she appeared as Milonova in Aleksandr Ostrovskiy's 'Les' (The Forest) and as Assunta alongside Irina Miroshnichenko in Tennessee Williams' 'Tatuirovannaya Roza' (The Rose Tattoo), directed by Roman Viktyuk.
Kira Golovko was honored as People's Actress of Russia in 1957, received the Stalin Prize in 1947, and earned numerous awards from Soviet and Russian authorities. She currently resides in Moscow, Russia.
