Maria Samarova


Maria Alexandrovna Samarova was a Moscow-born Russian and Soviet stage actress and reader in drama, associated with the Moscow Art Theatre.
An Ivan Samarin's drama class graduate, Samarova started acting at the Shakespearean and Art and Literature Societies. In 1898 she became a founder member of the original Stanislavski troupe and had in the MAT 21 parts, most of which she was the first performer of. Among her most acclaimed works were Volokhova, Aunt Julia, Marina, Frau Vockerat, Bobylikha, Zankovskaya, Anfisa, Kvashnya, Zinaida Savishna, Khlyostova, Islayeva, Glumova.
"A.M. Samarova: in her early years a charming, slender, piquant young lady, later in her life, an overweight, venerable grand dame, extremely bold in her approach to her heroines, whom she always treated brilliantly, intelligently and with great wit... There was indeed something very weighty about her stage gift," Stanislavski remembered.