Children of famous artists who spent their childhood behind the scenes usually follow in their parents' footsteps. However, this is not always the case. The exception is Elena Ulyanova, daughter of M. Ulyanov and A. Parfanyak. Despite the fact that her parents are one of the most famous Soviet artists, the girl chose a different profession. Why did she make such a choice and what came of it in the end?
Star mom Elena Ulyanova - Alla Parfanyak
Elena Mikhailovna Ulyanova (photo below) was almost always in the circle of prominent people.
The first among them was her mother - Honored Artist of the RSFSR, Alla Petrovna Parfanyak. This amazing beauty and talent, the actress, after her first movie role (Valya Petrova from “Heavenly Squeegee”), became a popular favorite.
In the years 1940-1950. Alla Petrovna was looked after by the most famous men of the country: Alexander Vertinsky, Leonid Utesov, Mark Bernes and Nikolai Kryuchkov. For some time, the beauty met with Bernes, but later married Nikolai Kryuchkov. Soon, the couple had a son, named after his father - Kolya.
It seemed that the life of Alla Parfanyak was completely arranged - what more could you want, but acquaintance with an unknown young Siberian Misha Ulyanov turned everything upside down.
Famous father - Mikhail Ulyanov
The future performer of the role of Marshal Zhukov was the owner of these masculine qualities: solidity, perseverance, industriousness and nobility. After studying at the studio at the Omsk Regional Drama Theater, he went to conquer the white stone capital.
With no money or connections, the young talent was able to enter the Shchukin school, and after graduation he was enrolled in the Theater. Vakhtangov.
Here he met the young actress Alla Parfanyak, who was then the wife of Nikolai Kryuchkov, the well-known throughout the USSR. Falling in love with a beautiful actress, the Siberian nugget began to care for her, and an unexpectedly sleek beauty from a professor's family responded to his feelings.
Soon after this, Parfanyak filed for official divorce and married Mikhail Ulyanov, and in December 1959 their daughter Lenochka was born.
Elena Ulyanova, daughter of Mikhail Ulyanov: biography of childhood
After the divorce, Kryuchkov left a small two-room apartment for his wife and son. Here the young family of Ulyanov and Parfanyak spent the first years. After the birth of Elena Ulyanova, a maternal grandmother moved to them to look after the baby and her older brother Kolya. In addition, in order to manage to work in the theater, the couple hired a housekeeper. So they lived for several years - six of them in a tiny two-room apartment on Ostuzheva street.
Despite the fact that Alla Parfanyak did not want to quit work in the theater, due to the poor health of her daughter (Elena Ulyanova had problems with her kidneys from early childhood), she had to give up her career and become an ordinary housewife. This decision was given to her with difficulty, but she loved children and her husband more than anything else.
Over time, the career of Mikhail Ulyanov in the theater went uphill, then he began to act in films, receive awards, and soon the family acquired an apartment in a good area.
Despite his disastrous employment on the set, Mikhail Alexandrovich devoted much time to his only daughter. According to eyewitnesses, when he first saw her, he burst into tears of happiness. In subsequent years, the artist always found time to chat with Helen, and spared nothing for her.
Despite the all-Union fame, the Lena family lived very modestly, while the girl was given to study at the then prestigious French special school. However, after a couple of years, Elena Ulyanova showed her character and transferred to the 11th grade school for working youth on her own. Here, with her, the offspring of many stars studied - Anton Tabakov, Evgeny Lungin, Denis Evstegneev and others.
Mikhail Ulyanov himself has always been categorically against his daughter entering a theater university. Therefore, from childhood, Elena Ulyanova fenced off the theater from her parents. She rarely went to rehearsals, but when she graduated from high school, she dreamed of continuing the acting Ulyanov-Parfanyak dynasty. Then her father convinced her to abandon this plan and choose another specialty.
Study and subsequent career
The profession, which became interested in the young daughter of Mikhail Ulyanov, also belonged to the creative section - Elena became a graphic artist, having graduated from the Printing Institute. As she later admitted in an interview, this specialization was not her choice. So, Lena from childhood, despite her abilities, did not particularly like to draw. However, her father sent his child to an art school, and then to the institute. Mikhail Alexandrovich hoped that, having such a specialty, his daughter could always earn a living, and was not mistaken.
After a few years of study, Elena Mikhailovna began to show herself as a very talented artist. Although it was not easy to break through the publishing world, she was able to achieve a lot, not using her father’s name, but with her work and perseverance.
Working at the publishing house of the newspaper Argumenty i Fakty, the girl was simultaneously fond of creating author's etchings. She was often invited to exhibit her work at all-Union exhibitions, and later abroad.
Relationship with Big Brother
As mentioned above, from the first marriage, Alla Parfanyak had a son Nikolai Nikolaevich Kryuchkov. After the parents divorced, the boy stayed with his mother and stepfather.
Despite the care and attention, close relations with Mikhail Ulyanov, as well as with his own father, Nikolai did not work out. And over time, the guy moved away from his mother, especially when his half-sister, Elena Ulyanova, was born.
The biography of Nikolai Kryuchkov Jr. was extremely unsuccessful. He dreamed of emigrating from the USSR, for which he was sent to a hospital, as was then done. After Kohl, he was still able to leave for Germany, but had problems with the law and ended up in jail. Ultimately, the guy emigrated to the United States and no longer maintained contact with his family.
As for Elena, she and her brother kept apart from childhood, and after emigration they completely lost touch. The woman admitted that while her mother was alive, Kolya often asked her for money, although he was able to earn money himself. Alla Petrovna was very upset by his rampant lifestyle, so today Elena Mikhailovna does not feel particularly warm feelings for her brother.
Daughter of Mikhail Ulyanov Elena: personal life
Soon after graduating from the institute, Elena Mikhailovna met with the son of the famous Russian poet Alexei Markov, Sergei.
The young man was 5 years older than Lena, but had already traveled half the world and met such famous writers as Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Julio Cortazar, Nicolas Guillen, Paco de Lucia and Alejo Carpentier.
At the time of acquaintance, the future husband of Elena Ulyanova worked as a full-time traveling columnist for the Ogonyok magazine and conducted several literary programs. An affair broke out between Sergey and Elena, and in 1982 they got married, and after 2 years a daughter was born to them.
The baby was named in honor of the mother of Mikhail Ulyanov - Lisa. She became a joy not only for parents, but also for the famous grandfather.
However, it turned out that the girl has a congenital heart disease. Her eminent grandfather raised all communications and obtained permission from Gorbachev himself to take Lizonka abroad for treatment. After the operation, the baby began to feel better and was able to lead a full-fledged lifestyle.
Unfortunately, the union with Sergei Markov was short-lived - the couple lived together for only 8 years, after which Elena Mikhailovna Ulyanova divorced her husband.
The personal life of a woman after a divorce evolved with varying success. So, she got married two more times.
The fate of the daughter of Elena Ulyanova was very good. Lisa safely married a worthy young man and in 2007 gave birth to twins - Igor and Anastasia.
Recent years of parents of Elena Mikhailovna
Throughout her life, Elena Ulyanova was very attached to her parents, especially to her father. Therefore, when he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in the early nineties, she was very worried.
In recent years, Mikhail Ulyanov, his daughter did her best to help him and Alla Parfanyak, who was also very ill.
Elena Mikhailovna beat out places for parents in the best sanatoriums and clinics of the country, drove to the best doctors, but the condition of the artists gradually worsened.
In March 2007, Mikhail Alexandrovich was hospitalized, and a few days later he was gone. Shortly before his death, Ulyanov learned about the birth of great-grandchildren, but did not manage to see them.
Elena Ulyanova’s mother fell ill with a stroke a few months after her husband’s death and, having lain in a coma for more than a year, died peacefully without regaining consciousness.
Elena Ulyanova Foundation
Mikhail Ulyanov’s daughter knew firsthand how difficult the fate of dramatic artists in the USSR and the Russian Federation is, who, in old age, when they are no longer able to work, are forced to live on a beggarly pension. Therefore, she, in collaboration with the newspaper Argumenty i Fakty, organized a fund to help artists named after Mikhail Ulyanov.
As the head of the foundation, Elena Mikhailovna sees her paramount task in financially supporting the needy actors, abandoned by society to their fate. In addition, Ulyanova is engaged in the installation of monuments to famous artists, whose relatives can not afford it.
Under the auspices of the foundation, Elena Mikhailovna erected a monument to her father in his hometown of Tara, as well as monuments to Igor Starygin and Vyacheslav Nevinnoy.
The woman admits that recently, due to the difficult situation in the country, it has become increasingly difficult to collect donations, however, there are still generous people who support her noble undertakings.
