Biographie
Tamara Syomina is a distinguished Soviet and Russian actress, honored as a People's Artist of the RSFSR. She was born into the family of Pyotr Bokhonov, a tank platoon commander. During Tamara's childhood, the Great Patriotic War began tragically, with her father killed in action. In 1942, her mother, Tamara Vasilyevna, was evacuated with her two young children and later stayed with their grandparents in Bryansk, where Tamara attended school. In 1946, Tamara Vasilyevna met Pyotr Syomin, who adopted the children and became a loving father and true friend. As a sign of gratitude, Tamara took his surname. The family soon relocated to Kaluga, where Tamara continued her schooling until the eighth grade. Eager to pursue higher education, she enrolled in a school for working youth, where she served as a student, librarian, and secretary. She was fortunate to have excellent teachers, including Bulat Okudzhava, who taught literature. Although her mentors encouraged her toward a teaching career, Tamara aspired to something else. She initially enrolled at the Kaluga Pedagogical Institute but soon left for Moscow to follow her dream of acting. She graduated from the All-Union State Institute of Cinematography in 1961, studying under Olga Pyzhova. Tamara quickly became involved in film, appearing in student projects during her first year. She acted in A. Sakharov's eccentric comedy "Man Overboard," worked with the young, already renowned Marlen Khutsiev in "Dva Fyodora" (1958) during her second year, and delivered a compelling dramatic performance in Villen Azarov's "Vsyo nachinayetsya s dorogi" (1960) in her third year. While at VGIK, most instructors predicted a successful career for Syomina in comedy, but she rose to prominence as a dramatic actress. Director Mikhail Shvejtser discovered her talent, casting her as Katya Maslova in the film "Voskreseniye" (1960). For this role, Syomina was named Best Actress in 1961 by readers of "Soviet Screen" magazine. The film achieved international acclaim, and in 1962, at the XV International Film Festival in Locarno, Syomina received the FIPRESCI prize for Best Actress. She also earned the Best Actress award at the Mar del Plata Film Festival in Argentina. In the following years, Syomina starred in three more films portraying women with dramatic destinies: "Bezottsovshchina" (1977) by Vladimir Shamshurin, "Traktir na Pyatnitskoy" (1978) by Aleksandr Faintsimmer, and "Mater chelovecheskaya" (1975) by Leonid Golovnya.
