Stefaniya Stanyuta

Stefanija Michajłaŭna Staniuta (; 30 April 1905 – 6 November 2000) was a Soviet and Belarusian stage and film actress. She was awarded the People's Artist of the USSR title in 1988.

Biography Staniuta was born in Minsk, in the family of the famous Belarusian artist Michaś Staniuta. As a child, she happened to attend the official meeting of Tsar Nicholas II with the Belarusian people.

She studied at the parish school, then at the Minsk Women's Government Gymnasium. In 1926 she graduated from the Belarusan Drama Studio under the Moscow Art Theatre (class of Valentin Smyshlyaev and Sofya Giatsintova).

Since 1932 and until the end of her life Staniuta worked at the Janka Kupala National Academic Theatre in Minsk. In total she played about 200 roles, including in movies from 1958 onward.

Filmography 1958 – Red Leaves as episode 1964 – Letters to the Living as episode 1966 – I'm Going to Look For as episode 1969 – I, Francysk Skaryna as Abbess 1974 – Adventures in a City that does not Exist as Aunt Polly 1976 – The Troubled Month of Veresen as Serafima 1977 – About the Little Red Riding Hood as 1st evil old woman 1981 – Farewell as Darya 1983 – White Dew as Granny Marya "Kiselikha", Mishka Kisel's mother 1985 – Mama, I'm Alive as Domna Fialipaŭna, a teacher in a partisan detachment 1985 – Do Not Marry, Girls as Granny Khelendeyka 1991 – Tsar Ivan the Terrible as Anufriyevna 1995 – The Game of Imagination as Granny in a hat 2001 – Holiday Romance as episode

Awards and honours Honored Artist of the Byelorussian SSR (1944) People's Artist of the Byelorussian SSR (1957) People's Artist of the USSR (28 April 1988) State Prize of the Byelorussian SSR (1982) – for stage work Two Orders of the Red Banner of Labour (1980, 1985) Order of Friendship of Peoples (1977) Order of the Badge of Honour (1955) Medal "For Distinguished Labour" (20 June 1940) Jubilee Medal "In Commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin" (1969) Medal "For the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" Medal "For Valiant Labour in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" Medal "Veteran of Labour" (1975) Francysk Skaryna Medal (1995) Crystal Paulinka Prize (1992; inaugural recipient) of Belarusian Union of Theater Workers