Natalya Krachkovskaya

Natalya Krachkovskaya (1938–2016). A beloved Meritorious Artist of the Russian Federation (1998), she was born Natalia Belogortseva and grew up in a theatrical family, eventually becoming one of the most iconic comedic character actresses in Soviet and Russian cinema. She achieved massive national fame in the 1970s through her legendary collaborations with director Leonid Gaidai, specifically as the "dream woman" Madame Gritsatsuyeva in The Twelve Chairs (1971) and as the formidable Ulyana Bunsha in Ivan Vasilievich: Back to the Future (1973). Over her 50-year career, she appeared in about 90 films, often playing vibrant, energetic, and bossy supporting characters who frequently stole the scene, including memorable turns in It Can't Be!, The Pokrovsky Gate, and A Man from the Boulevard des Capucines.