Biography
Mariya Kuznetsova is a Soviet and Russian actress of theatre and film. She was born on 17 February 1950 in Leningrad. In 1975 she graduated from the acting faculty of the Leningrad Institute of Theatre, Music and Cinematography (course of I. O. Gorbachev) and has worked at the Alexandrinsky Theatre since that year, appearing in more than seventy roles.
Kuznetsova began screen work in episodic roles for Leningrad Television in 1977 and later appeared in films produced at Lenfilm from 1995. She is known for her performances as Krupskaya in Taurus (2001), Catherine the Great in Russian Ark (2002) and madam Zhanna in The Italian (2005).
She received the Nika Award for Best Actress in 2002 for her role in Taurus and was named Honoured Artist of Russia in 2005. She has also provided voice dubbing for numerous international films.
