Person Biography:
Glikeriya Bogdanova-Chesnokova was a renowned Russian comedienne, dancer, and singer born on May 16, 1904, in Russia (then the Russian Empire). Her parents had mixed Ukrainian and Siberian Cossack ancestry. She attended Gymnasium in St. Petersburg, where she developed a passion for theatre and arts, with her mother arranging regular visits to the Mariinsky Opera.
In 1917, at the age of 13, Bogdanova-Chesnokova joined the revolutionary crowd on their way to storm the Tsar's Winter Palace during the Russian Revolution. From 1919-1922, she studied acting at the Academic School of Russian Drama at Aleksandrinsky (now Pushkin) Theatre in St. Petersburg. During her studies, she was also engaged in comedy, vocal, and dance classes alongside notable actors such as Nikolay Cherkasov, Yuri Tolubeev, and others.
Bogdanova-Chesnokova made her stage debut in 1920 as Lucille in Molière's 'Le bourgeois gentilhomme' on the Aleksandrinsky stage. She became a permanent member of the troupe at Aleksandrinsky Theatre from 1920-1924 and married fellow actor Dmitri Vasilchikov, with whom she had a daughter named Lidia. The couple divorced, and she returned to St. Petersburg, where she continued her career.
From 1924-1930, Bogdanova-Chesnokova worked with her actor/director husband and a touring troupe, followed by a stint at the Kharkov State Theatre of Musical Comedy. She then returned to St. Petersburg and became a stand-up comedienne and singer from 1932-1941, working with the legendary Leonid Utyosov and his "Tea-Jazz" Big Band at the Leningrad Music Hall.
During World War II, Bogdanova-Chesnokova performed for servicemen, giving approximately three thousand concerts, often performing three or four full shows daily. She worked with a small troupe of actors, constantly moving along the front lines around Leningrad and performing at hospitals to lift the spirits of wounded veterans. On one occasion, she saved the lives of her fellow actors by driving a truck during a deadly bombing attack.
After the war, Bogdanova-Chesnokova became a permanent member of the troupe at the Musical Comedy theatre in St. Petersburg from 1945-1983. She performed in numerous stage productions, including classic musical comedies, and also appeared in films such as Tiger Girl (1955),Mister Iks (1958),and Twelve Chairs (1971).
Throughout her career, Bogdanova-Chesnokova received numerous awards and decorations, including the Order of the Red Banner. She was designated Honorable Actor of Russia (1965),People's Actor of Russia (1970),and received the State Prize of the USSR. She passed away on April 17, 1983, and was laid to rest in the Necropolis of Masters of Arts in St. Petersburg, Russia.
