Elena Tsyplakova is a multifaceted Soviet and Russian theater and film actress, director, and Honored Artist of the Russian Federation, bestowed with this prestigious title in 1996, and later elevated to the esteemed rank of People's Artist of the Russian Federation in 2013.
Born into a family of graphic artists in Leningrad, Elena's childhood was marked by a passion for figure skating, swimming, and pentathlon, and she began her acting career in films under the direction of Dinara Asanova while still a schoolgirl.
The 1975 film Ne bolit golova u dyatla was a significant milestone in Elena's career, as her role as Irina Fyodorova brought her widespread recognition. Subsequently, she received numerous offers for film projects, and her collaboration with Dinara Asanova continued in the 1977 film Klyuch bez prava peredachi, where she played a schoolgirl once more.
In 1979, Elena appeared in Pavel Lyubimov's Shkolnyy vals, where she took on the lead role of Zosya Knushevitskaya, earning widespread acclaim from audiences. She also made a memorable appearance in the super popular film D'artagnan and Three Musketeers, playing the role of the maid Katie.
Elena's academic pursuits led her to graduate from the acting department of the State Institute of Theater Arts named after Anatoli Lunacharsky in 1978 and the acting department of VGIK, workshop of Lev Kulidzhanov and Tatyana Lioznova, in 1979. She further honed her craft by graduating from the directing department of VGIK, workshop of Aleksandr Alov and Vladimir Naumov, in 1985.
After making her directorial debut in the 1988 film Grazhdanin ubegayuschiy, Karen Shakhnazarov invited Elena to join his creative association 'Start', where she shot her first full-length film, Kamyshovyy ray, in 1989.
