Actress Lyudmila Solodenko. Biography

It became known about the death of theater and film actress, pop singer Lyudmila Solodenko. She passed away at the age of 77. The audience remembered her for her vivid cameo roles in the films "Kin-dza-dza!", "TASS is authorized to declare ...", "The Star and the Death of Joaquin Murieta" and others. Her difficult fate and dramatic personal story have always attracted the attention of the public. About the life of the actress, who was called "the main black star of Soviet cinema," in the Izvestia article.

Early years and origins

Lyudmila Mikhailovna Solodenko was born on September 4, 1946 (according to other sources — in 1949) in Odessa. Her birth was the result of a short romance between a Soviet Komsomol member and a Cuban sailor named Alejandro. Lyudmila's mother was officially married to a Soviet citizen at that time, but she dared to go to a foreigner and live with him out of wedlock. After Alejandro left for his homeland, the woman and her child were evicted from the apartment to the basement.

After his mother's death, Solodenko was placed in an orphanage for children born to foreigners. Dance teacher Vassa Stepanovna, a former student of Isadora Duncan, took the girl away for the weekend, knocked out enhanced nutrition and instilled a love of art.

It was Vassa Stepanovna who sent Lyudmila to Moscow to enroll in the All-Russian Creative Workshop of Pop Art, where the girl studied side by side with Yuri Bogatyrev and Lyubov Polishchuk.

Musical career

The talented black vocalist was noticed by the famous jazz musician Eddie Rosner, who was selecting a soloist for his orchestra. He came up with an exotic pseudonym for her, Lona Long, and introduced her to the public as a foreigner. The artist performed in Indian and African costumes, sang in non-native languages, memorizing texts in Russian transcription. The performances were sold out, but she was paid pennies, and eventually Lyudmila left the band.

Film career

Lyudmila Solodenko made her film debut in 1972 in the action film Chronicles of the Night, where she played a flight attendant. She was invited to play the roles of episodic, but very bright heroines. She starred in dozens of films, including "The Eighth Wonder of the World" (1981), "The Star and the Death of Joaquin Murieta" (1982), where she played the role of Diana's girlfriend, "The Comic Lover, or The Love Affairs of Sir John Falstaff" (1983), "The Last Visit" (1984)

In the cult detective story "TASS is authorized to declare..." (1984), Solodenko played a doctor at a police station, entering into a dialogue with Yuri Solomin in the frame. The actress performed her most famous role — the woman at the Ferris wheel, who threw sand — in the legendary tragicomedy by George Danelia "Kin-dza-dza!" (1986).

In 1989, she starred in the comedy "Bindyuzhnik and the King" (a young lady in a brothel), followed by "The Price of Treasure" (1992), "Special Purpose Resort" (2003), "The Joys and Sorrows of a Little Lord" (2003), "The Hunter" (2006). In total, the actress has more than 30 works in her filmography, but she was never entrusted with the main roles.

Personal life

Lyudmila Solodenko was married to Mikhail Lavrov. The couple had a son, Andrey, who became a famous actor, starring in more than 3,000 episodes of the TV series "Sled". The actress has two grandchildren. The most dramatic page of the actress' personal life was her affair with American singer and actor Dean Reed, an idol of the Soviet public. They met in May 1986 while recording a concert together in the GDR. Lyudmila confessed that it was true love, and she was even ready to go with him to the USA, leaving her family. But the fear of losing everything—her home, her job, her loved ones—stopped her. Reed tragically died in the same year, 1986.

Recent years

For the past two decades, Lyudmila Solodenko has led a secluded lifestyle, rarely appeared in public and did not act in films. In September 2024, she appeared on television for the first time in a long time, where, together with her son Andrei Lavrov, she told the story of her life.

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