Antonina Shuranova

Antonina Nikolaevna Shuranova was born on April 30, 1936, in Sevastopol, Crimea, USSR (now in Crimea, Ukraine). She was one of three sisters raised by a single mother. Her father, named Nikolai Shuranov, was a Navy officer; he died when she was 3 years old. Her mother moved with three daughters to Leningrad just before the beginning of the siege of Leningrad during the Second World War. The Shuranovs were lucky because they were evacuated out of Leningrad at the very beginning of the siege. They returned to Leningrad after the end of WWII. Young Shuranova was fond of art. She studied painting at children's studio at the Hermitage Museum in Leningrad (St. Petersburg). There she had her first acting experience at the Hermitage Theatre.

During the 1950's she studied at Leningrad Horticultural College; after graduation she worked at the Leningrad Department of Parks and Gardens for three years.

From 1958-1962 Shuranova studied at the Leningrad Institute of Theatre, Music, and Cinematography with professor Tatiana Soinikova, and graduated with honors as an actress.

During the 1960's and 1970's she was at the height of her film career.

From 1962-1988 she was a permanent member of the Bryantsev Theatre for Young Audience in St. Petersburg. There she worked with the renown theatrical director Zinovi Korogodsky.

Shuranova shot to fame in 1966 after her film debut as Princess Mariya opposite Anatoli Ktorov in War and Peace (1965) by director Sergey Bondarchuk.

She made a remarkable performance as Nadezhda von Mekk opposite Innokentiy Smoktunovskiy in _Chaikovskiy (1969)_.

In 1976, Shuranova left her husband, a medical doctor, and married her stage partner actor Aleksandr Khochinsky. Their home at Pokrovsky area in St. Petersburg was an informal meeting place for the St. Petersburg cultural milieu.

She was awarded the "Golden Seashell" for her role in Neokonchennaya pyesa dlya mekhanicheskogo pianino (1977). She played over 20 roles in film and television, and also played over 50 roles on stage.

Shuranova was designated the title of People's Artist of Russia (1980).

From 1995-2003 Shuranova was a permanent member of the troupe at Theatre of Satire on Vasilevsky in St. Petersburg. Her last work on stage was her remarkable performance in the role of Vassa Zheleznova in the eponymous play by Maxim Gorky.