Yunger E.V. (1910-1999), actress

Categories / Art/Music, Theatre/Personalia
YUNGER Elena Vladimirovna (1910 - 1999, St. Petersburg), actress, People's Artist of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (1950). In 1925-30, she studied at the Leningrad Institute for Art History, at the studio of the Leningrad Academic Drama Theatre (see Alexandrinsky Theatre), and at Y.A. Zavadsky's Moscow Studio, none of which she graduated from. In 1930, she worked at the Young Spectators' Theatre of Sverdlovsk, in 1930-31 at the Blue Blouse Moscow Theatre, and in 1931-33 at the Moscow Realistic Theatre. In 1934 she acted under the guidance of N.P. Akimov at the Experimental Workshop, which functioned as a part of the Leningrad Music-Hall; she moved on to the Leningrad Academic Drama Theatre in 1935, and the Comedy Theatre in 1936-99. Yunger flowered once she started working with her husband, director Akimov. Yunger's acting reflected many traits of the Akimov Theatre - perfect technique, elegance, and irony combined with lyricism - all of which was exemplified by the roles Diana in The Dog in the Manger, Leonarda in The Widow from Valencia by Lope de Vega, Viola in Twelfth Night by W. Shakespeare, Princess in The Shadow by E.L. Schwarz. Yunger's other famous roles include Lady Teazle in The School for Scandal by R. Sheridan, Fred in Dangerous Corner by J.B. Priestley, Grandmother in Trees Die Standing Tall by A. Casona, and Mrs.Campbell in Dear Liar J. by Kilty. A more dramatic aspect emerged in the last period of Yunger's creative life, and she played three title roles in Silhouettes of Paris, based on plays by J. Cocteau, F. Sagan and A. Roussin, and Sarah Bernhardt in the play Sarah Bernhardt by J. Murrel. She appeared in some productions of the Experimental Theatre (1987 and 1994), and Harlequin Theatre (1997). She also performed on radio and television. She began acting in films in 1934, playing Anna in Cinderella, Julia in The Gadfly, and Sofia Kovalevskaya in the film of the same name. She spent some time translating from French, English, and German, and published three books of her own memoirs, Beautiful Traits of My Friends (Leningrad, 1975), All this was... (Moscow., 1990), Northern Runes (St. Petersburg, 1998). She was awarded the Golden Soffit Prize (1995) and the Tsarskoe Selo Prize (1998). She lived at 4 Petrovskaya Embankment from 1968 until 1999, and was buried at Literatorskie Mostky.

References: Мгновения с Е. В. Юнгер: Воспоминания о Е. Юнгер. СПб., 2000.

A. A. Kirillov. Akimov Nikolay Pavlovich
Casona Alejandro (real name Rodriguez Alvarez)
Cocteau Jean
Kilty Jerome
Lope de Vega Carpio (Lope Felix de)
Murrel John (David)
Priestley John Boynton
Roussin Achile
Sagan Francoise
Schwarz Evgeny Lvovich
Shakespeare William
Sheridan Richard Brinsley
Yunger Elena Vladimirovna
Zavadsky Yury Alexandrovich
Petrovskaya Embankment/Saint Petersburg, city, house 4
Мгновения с Е. В. Юнгер: Воспоминания о Е. Юнгер. СПб., 2000 Institute of Art History
Music Hall
Alexandrinsky Theatre
Akimov Comedy Theatre
Literatorskie (Literary) Mostki, the museum-necropolis