Tatiana Samoilova

Tatiana Yevgenyevna Samoilova (; 4 May 1934 – 4 May 2014) was a Soviet and Russian film actress best known for her lead role in The Cranes Are Flying. She received a number of awards for the film, including a special mention at the Cannes Film Festival. Samoilova had several major roles in the 1960s before largely disappearing from public life. In 1993, she was named a People's Artist of Russia. She made a comeback in the 2000s and received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2007 Moscow Film Festival.

Early life The only daughter of actor Yevgeny Samoilov (or Samojlov) and Zinaida Samoilova (née Levina), Samoilova was born in Leningrad on 4 May 1934. Soon after her birth, Samoilova's father moved the family to Moscow.

Film career After three years at the Boris Shchukin Theater, Samoilova landed the lead role of Veronika in Mikhail Kalatozov's war film The Cranes Are Flying in 1957. The film was a tremendous success, becoming the only Soviet movie to win the Palme d'Or, at the 1958 Cannes Film Festival. Samoilova received a special mention for "Most Modest and Charming Actress". The prediction nearly came true, as she received offers to work in Hollywood and other foreign film industries. However, upon returning home she learned the Soviet government would forbid her taking foreign roles because she was still a student at the time.

Samoilova made a comeback in the 2000s, appearing in a number of television programs. Her final role was in Igor Voloshin's film Nirvana (2008). In honor of her 80th birthday, Russian state television broadcast a series of programs about Samoilova on 4 May 2014. President Vladimir Putin sent his condolences upon Samoilova's death. At her funeral, movie industry insiders spoke of Samoilova's artistic gifts, but also spoke about how the Soviet government had in effect cheated her out of the fortune she should have earned. Singer and Member of Parliament Iosif Kobzon remarked, "She didn't have money. It’s shameful how cultural figures are treated."

Samoilova was survived by a brother, her son from her third marriage, and a granddaughter, who was named after her.

Filmography The Mexican (1955) as Mariya The Cranes Are Flying (1957) as Veronika Letter Never Sent (1959) as Tanya Vingt Mille Lieues sur la Terre (1960) as Natasha Alba Regia (1961) as Alba Attack and Retreat (1964) as Sonya Anna Karenina (1967) as Anna Karenina Nechayannye radosti (1970) Gorod na Kavkaze (1972 short film) as Nadezhda Okean (1974) as Masha Vozvrata net (1975) as Nastyura Shevtsova Diamonds for the Dictatorship of the Proletariat (1975) as Olenetskaya 24 Hours (2000) as Mama Moscow Saga (2004 TV Series) as the professor Far from Sunset Boulevard (2006) as Lidiya Polyakova Nirvana (2008) as Margarita Ivanovna