Elena Yakovleva

Elena Yakovleva is a Russian film and stage actress who is best known for the leading role in Interdevochka (1989) and also as a lead on the popular Russian TV franchise "Kamenskaya". 

In 1983, while still a student, Yakovleva made her big screen debut as Lera opposite Innokenti Smoktunovsky in Dvoe pod odnim zontom: Aprelskaya skazka (1983). From 1986-1989 she was a member of the troupe at Moscow Theatre named after M.I. Ermopova, however, she was not very busy on stage. In 1989 Elena Yakovleva shot to fame with the leading role as Tatiana, a medical nurse turned prostitute because of the grim life in the Soviet Union, in Interdevochka (1989), a popular film adaptation of the eponymous book by Vladimir Kunin. She received numerous awards and nominations for the role, and was named the "Best actress" of 1990 in the Soviet Union. Elena Yakovleva became a celebrity in Russia after her portrayal of a compassionate prostitute, but she managed to overcome the drawback of her popularity and departed from being typecast as a "femme fatale" of Russian cinema. After the success of Interdevochka (1989), she showed her range and her multifaceted talent playing a string of leading and supporting roles in about 20 films. Her role as Kamenskaya, a criminal investigator in modern day Moscow, turned into a six-year gig, and brought Yakovleva a new wave of popularity, becoming her most acclaimed work on television.

From 1984 - 1986, and since 1989, Elena yakovleva has been a permanent member of the troupe at "Sovremennik" Theatre in Moscow, under directorship of Galina Volchek. There her stage partners has been such actors as Sergei Shakurov", Dina Korzun, Valentin Gaft, Inna Churikova, Sergei Garmash, Marina Neyolova, Chulpan Khamatova and other notable Russian actors.