Klara Rumyanova

Klara Mikhailovna Rumyanova (; 8 December 1929 – 18 September 2004) was a Soviet and Russian actress, voice actress and singer. She was active from 1951 to 1999.

Her childlike and endearing voice was easily recognized by generations of Soviet people from their early childhood, because she voiced numerous Russian animated films and sang countless children's songs. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union her songs have been heard even more, because of numerous releases of compact discs and tapes of children's songs from cartoons of the Soyuzmultfilm studio. She played roles in several films.

Biography Klara Rumyanova was born on 8 December 1929 in Leningrad. In 1947, Klara moved to Moscow and on the first attempt she entered VGIK, where she studied at the course of Sergei Gerasimov and Tamara Makarova.

In childhood and adolescence, Klara had a completely different voice, a contralto. The ability to speak with her famous child-like voice she found only in her student years after a serious illness. Klara, like all the students of VGIK, toured with concerts on the Moscow Oblast and once she was very cold and almost died of croupous inflammation of the lungs. After lying in the hospital for more than a month, Klara lost her voice. The continued study at the VGIK was in jeopardy. Sergei Gerasimov showed her to a phoniatrician, but he explained that Klara has very rare vocal cords and he does not guarantee that she will be able to properly practice vocal after recovery. For half a year Gerasimov forbade Rumyanova to talk even in a whisper, and they communicated through writing. When her voice recovered, Rumyanova suddenly discovered that she could now speak in a very high voice, which came to be familiar to millions of moviegoers. In 1953, Klara graduated from VGIK and became an actress of the National Film Actors' Theatre.

As a student she started acting in film, her cinematic debut took place as an episodic role in the film The Village Doctor (1951), by the same Gerasimov. However, in the future Klara played only supporting or episodic roles, never playing the main ones. Her notable roles were in the films The Village Doctor (Lena), Resurrection (Bogodukhovskaya), Time, Forward! (Lushka) and The Twelve Chairs (Katerina Aleksandrovna). Gradually, she was less likely to be offered roles, and she practically stopped filming, which was allegedly caused by a conflict with Ivan Pyryev.

During her last years, Rumyanova was living in a complete loneliness and depression. She stopped going outside, never watched TV and never talked to anyone. She was repeatedly talking to herself: "No mother, no country, no job... What's the meaning of life?" and had thoughts about committing suicide. In 1999, Rumyanova survived through the clinical death. The artist had absolutely no money to buy a medicine or hire a nurse. Her neighbour took care of her.

Rumyanova's health was getting worse each day. She started to lose consciousness more frequently. Four days before her death, she woke up at midnight, fell down unconscious and couldn't get back up, which caused pneumonia. She lay on the floor until morning when her neighbour came in.

She died at the age of 74 on 18 September 2004 in Moscow from breast cancer. She was buried at the Donskoye Cemetery right next to her mother.

Personal life First husband (1947) — Leonid, a young pianist. The marriage with him lasted for three months and ended when Rumyanova was about to go to VGIK. Her husband gave her a choice: either him or studying at VGIK, and she chose the latter option. She also was two months pregnant, but due to prohibition of abortion in USSR, she had it in secret from her parents. As a result, Rumyanova could no longer have any children. Second husband (middle 1960s—1973) — Anatoly Chemodurov, a Soviet actor. After the marriage, Chemodurov's friend Sergei Bondarchuk offered Rumyanova a role in his movie "War and Peace". However, due to Rumyanova's aggressive behaviour during the repetitions, Bondarchuk replaced her with Antonina Shuranova. After Rumyanova started working with Soyuzmultfilm in 1960s, Chemodurov started drinking a lot, which resulted in a soon divorce. Third husband (1977–1982) — a long-distant sailor, who was very jealous. After a divorce with him, Rumyanova lived alone until her death.

Filmography

Live action

Voice acting in animation A Little Frog is Looking for His Father (1964) as Grasshopper Vovka in the Faraway Tsardom (1965) as Vasilisa the Wise / Goldfish Rikki-Tikki-Tavi (1965) as Rikki Most, Most, Most, Most (1966) as Little Crocodile / Ant Mountain of Dinosaurs (1967) as Baby Dinosaur The Little Steam Engine from Romashkov (1967) as The Little Steam Engine Junior and Karlson (1968) as Junior Adventures of Mowgli (1968–70) as Baby Elephant / Little Porcupine (Episode 2) and Wolf Cub (Episode 4) Ded Moroz and Summer (1969) as Hare / Girl Gena the Crocodile (1969) as Cheburashka Well, Just You Wait! (1969–93) as the Hare Umka (1969) as the Boy Karlson Returns (1970) as Junior Cheburashka (1971) as Cheburashka Shapoklyak (1974) as Cheburashka Little Raccoon (1974) as Little Raccoon Timka and Dimka (1975) as Timka Tyram! Hello! (1980) as The Hedgehog Maria, Mirabela (1981) as Omide (Soviet dub) Mom for a Mammoth Baby (1981) as Baby Mammoth Winter's Tale (1981) as The Hedgehog A Wonderful Barrel (1983) as The Hedgehog Cheburashka Goes to School (1983) as Cheburashka Welcome (1986) as Magpie / Lynx Laughter and Grief by the White Sea (1987) as Zhuzha the Dog Dunno on the Moon (1997) as Romashka / Minoga