In Seattle, a city in the United States, Lyubov Maykova, a celebrated theater and film actress who spoke to Soviet and Russian audiences, passed away on September 18 at the Russian Institute of Theater Arts (GITIS). The institute’s press service expressed heartfelt condolences to the actress’s family and friends. The exact cause of death had not been disclosed, and there was no public information indicating any long-term illness prior to her passing.
Debut and career milestones
Lyubov Maykova completed her studies at GITIS in 1980. In the same year she stepped into cinema, making her mark as a laboratory assistant in the Soviet classic “You Never Dreamed…,” directed by Ilya Frez. The film debuted on March 23, 1981, and drew an audience of more than 26 million, placing it among the era’s notable box office entries. A year later, the film reached audiences in New York under the title “Love and Lies.”
The young cast included 16-year-old Nikita Mikhailovsky, who was still in school, and 23-year-old GITIS alumna Tatyana Aksyuta, who later married. Several scenes required multiple takes due to Mikhailovsky’s inexperience, underscoring the challenges actors faced during production.
Maykova branched into further projects in the mid-1980s. In 1985 she appeared in Alexander Pankratov-Cerny’s film “Beauty Salon.” The following year brought a role in Eldar Ryazanov’s widely released comedy “The Forgotten Melody for the Flute.” The movie earned strong recognition and was celebrated as one of 1988’s standout releases, earning top honors at the Odessa Alternative festival with the “Golden Duke” prize.
That same period saw Maykova contributing to another project, shaping the narrative alongside key collaborators such as Vladimir Menshov and Alexander Pankratov-Cherny. Despite participating in only a handful of films, the success and impact of these titles left a lasting impression on audiences and critics alike.
Establishing a stage company
In 1986 Maykova co-founded the Small Dramatic Ensemble Theatre with fellow actors and graduates from theatre schools. The troupe staged a diverse repertoire, including Gerda in a production of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Snow Queen,” Margarita in a stage adaptation of William Shakespeare’s “Richard III,” and compelling performances as Alina and Sonya in “The Businessman,” inspired by Alexei Tolstoy. Productions such as “The Stranger,” drawn from Yuri Klepikov’s script, and “The Big Little Frog,” adapted from Lev Ustinov’s play, also featured in the troupe’s catalog.
By 1989 Maykova stepped away from the company to pursue a new direction in life. She chose to relocate internationally, emigrating to the United States and settling in Seattle, where she would reside for the remainder of her years.