Simon Stokes is a British theater director who has led the Royal Plymouth Theater for many years. It is unlikely that this name would have been known to the general public if Simon’s fate had not been associated with an actress whose popularity in the country has been breaking all records since Soviet times. 55-year-old Ingeborga Dapkunaite has been living in three countries for a long time: Great Britain, Russia and Lithuania. She is one of the few actresses who starred in Hollywood with Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise. So, more details.
The first marriage of the actress
Lithuanian actress and Simon Stokes met in 1991. What preceded this?
Ingeborg, who was born in 1963 in the family of a diplomat, chose the career of an actress. She became a student at the Lithuanian Conservatory, where there was a faculty of theatrical art. In her student years she met Arunas Sakalauskas, a fellow student, with whom she made her debut on the stage of the Kaunas Drama Theater. They maintained friendly relations for 2.5 years, until Arunas ventured to admit his feelings. Ingeborga laughed, reporting that she herself had long been in love with a young man. They kept their relationship secret for a long time, until colleagues noticed a spark between them.
Arunas became the first wife of Ingeborg, although their marriage was registered at a time when feelings had already subsided. They seemed to want to glue the relationship. After "Intergirls" (1989), where the actress created a memorable image of Kisuli, frenzied popularity fell upon her. Offers to be scattered from everywhere. She was noticed by the famous actor John Malkovich, playing in the play "Speech Error". He invited Ingeborg to try on the main role. The director of the play was Simon Stokes.
Fateful acquaintance
The actress went to London just for the sake of art. The husband, who could not leave the theater, was forced to let Ingeborg go, although he understood in his heart that this would lead to separation. And so it happened. After 6 months, when his star wife had a premiere in the States, he went overseas to support her. And on his return he was overtaken by a confession over the phone: "I fell in love … with another!" He was Simon Stokes.
The Lithuanian actress does not talk about her personal life, but she talks about her visit to London and the first meeting with a celebrity. All applicants for the roles were accommodated at the Waldorf Hotel, where a letter from the director was waiting for them. In it, he said that they were accommodated in one of the most expensive hotels, but they would have to eat in local cafes, for which 25 pounds were allocated. For Ingeborga and other actors from the former USSR, this was a monthly salary.
Dapkunaite passed the test, and then went to Chicago, where the rehearsal process began and where real feelings arose between her and the director.
Second marriage
Sakalauskas, the first husband, recalls how Ingeborga Dapkunaite and Simon Stokes arrived in Lithuania. At that time, he rented an apartment where there was no furniture. Something made him call Ingeborg, with whom friendly relations remained. He asked to borrow two chairs, after which he came to pick them up. For Stokes, it was amazing, he smiled. But Arunasu, the director seemed a little pathetic in appearance and too small. He did not believe that the marriage would last long.
But the couple lived together for ten years, registering their relationship in London. This was the period of Ingeborga's creative take-off. She played in performances staged by the best world directors: Cloak (Kevin Spacey), Vagina Monologues (Yves Ensler) and others. She was invited to the jury of prestigious film festivals - Cannes 2003, Berlin 2005, Mar del Plate 2005, Venice 2010. But the actress starred in Russia, and the couple often parted for a long time, which could not but affect the relationship.
Parting
The divorce took place in 2009, although, according to press reports, the last year of the couple could no longer be seen together. Simon Stokes never accompanied Ingeborg, who soon began to ascribe an affair with Emir Kusturica. The actress herself in an interview with Dmitry Gordon categorically denied this fact. She was increasingly met in the company of Dmitry Yampolsky, a lawyer who permanently resides in London. It was he who became her third husband and father of her son Alex, who was born in 2017. In February of this year, the tabloids reported the separation of the couple.
What are the reasons for the collapse of international marriage? Ingeborg is a very private person, hiding the true causes of what is happening behind his white-toothed smile. The press makes assumptions that it was the absence of children that caused the break with the legendary director. What is known about him?
