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Lyudmila Maksakova is a Russian actress known for her work in film and theater, and a member of the Vakhtangov Theatre in Moscow.
Born Lyudmila Vasilevna Maksakova on September 26, 1940, in Moscow, then part of the Soviet Union, she is the daughter of Mariya Maksakova, a Bolshoi Theatre singer originally named Maria Sidorova. Her father's identity remains unknown. Her mother adopted the surname Maksakova from her first husband, Max Karlovich Maksakov (born Maximilian Shvartz), an Austrian opera singer. Mariya’s second husband was Yakov Davtyan, a Soviet ambassador to Poland who was executed by the KGB during Stalin's regime in 1938. Raised by her single mother, Lyudmila studied cello, singing, and learned French from a native French tutor.
Between 1957 and 1961, Maksakova trained in acting under Vladimir Etush at the Shchukin Theatrical School affiliated with Vakhtangov Theatre in Moscow, graduating in 1961. She debuted in film as Nina in Grigoriy Chukhray’s 1965 movie There Lived an Old Man and an Old Woman. Throughout the 1960s to 1990s, she maintained a steady film career, collaborating with directors such as Iosif Kheifits, Igor Talankin, and Pyotr Todorovskiy.
Since 1961, Maksakova has been a permanent member of the Vakhtangov Theatre troupe in Moscow, sharing the stage with notable actors including Mikhail Ulyanov, Vasiliy Lanovoy, Yuliya Borisova, Vladimir Etush, Ruben Simonov, Boris Zakhava, Mikhail Astangov, Varvara Popova, Alla Kazanskaya, Irina Kupchenko, Lyudmila Tselikovskaya, Mariya Aronova, Marianna Vertinskaya, Elena Dobronravova, Inna Alabina, Yuriy Yakovlev, Andrei Abrikosov, Grigori Abrikosov, Vyacheslav Shalevich, Nikolai Timofeyev, Nikolai Gritsenko, Aleksandr Grave, Sergey Makovetskiy, Vladimir Simonov, Vladimir Koval, Viktor Zozulin, Evgeniy Karelskikh, Aleksandr Koznov, Vladimir Vdovichenkov, Andrey Zaretskiy, Mikhail Vaskov, Elena Sotnikova, Anna Dubrovskaya, Olga Tumaykina, Maksim Sukhanov, among others.
Her most acclaimed stage roles include Anna Karenina in the 1983 adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s novel directed by Roman Viktyuk, Lady Anna in Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra during the 1970s, Adelma in Vakhtangov’s production of Carlo Gozzi’s Princess Turandot, and Anna Andreevna in the 1990s production of Nikolay Gogol’s Revizor (The Inspector General). In 1995, she received the State Prize of Russia for her portrayal of Korenkina in Pyotr Fomenko’s Bez viny vinovatye (Innocent as Charged). In 1996, Maksakova starred as the Countess in Pushkin’s Pikovaya dama (The Queen of Spades), a production that ran successfully for twelve consecutive seasons. Since the 2003 premiere of Anton Chekhov’s Chaika (The Seagull), she has earned critical acclaim for her role as Irina Arkadina, performing alongside Sergey Makovetskiy and Yuriy Yakovlev.
Maksakova was honored as People's Artist of Russia in 1980, received the Stanislavski Prize in 1996, and has accumulated numerous awards and honors for her contributions to stage and film. She also serves as a professor of acting at the Shchukin Theatrical School at Vakhtangov Theatre. Maksakova is married to German businessman Peter Igenbergs; they have a daughter named Maria (born 1977). From her first marriage to artist Lev Zbarsky, she has a son named Maxim. She continues to live and work in Moscow, Russia.
