Tatiana Samoilova

About Tatiana Samoilova

Tatiana Samoilova was a Russian/Soviet actress who gained international fame in the 1950s and 60s through her roles in the Soviet films The Cranes Are Flying, Letter Never Sent and Anna Karinena. She received a number of awards for her performances, including a special mention at the Cannes Film Festival for The Cranes Are Flying. 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.

While on tour promoting The Cranes Are Flying, Samoilova met Pablo Picasso who boldly predicted "tomorrow you will be driving in a car through Hollywood". 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.

Her beauty and screen presence led some to nickname her "the Soviet Audrey Hepburn," to whom she did bear a passing resemblance.