Russian actress Valentina Talyzina, 90, died on June 21. Talyzina graduated from the Russian Academy of Theater Arts, and joined the Mossovet Theater. Making her film debut in 1963, she went on to appear in over 100 films and TV shows. One of her biggest hits was 1968’s spy drama Road to Saturn; she aged from star to character actress, costarring as the lead’s grandmother in the TV series Lines of Fate, winning a Golden Eagle Award as Best Television Actress in 2004. Talyzina continued working until recently, appearing in the 2023 TV series Leto v Gorode; she also continued performing onstage, as well as giving one-woman poetry readings. She raised eyebrows recently by praising Putin (which is the safe thing to do in Russia) and bad-mouthing both Ukraine and Volodymyr Zelenskyy (“An actor! I can’t stand him.”), throwing in a little anti-semitism as a cherry on top. For her loyalty—and of course her acting talent—she was awarded the People's Artist of the RSFSR, the Order of Honor, and the Order of Friendship.
