That became his fate: they said goodbye to Vera Alentova at the Pushkin Theater.

On the stage of the Pushkin Theater, People's Artist of the Russian Federation Vera Alentova said goodbye. Relatives, friends and colleagues came to see off the legend of Russian cinema. Among them are Yulia Menshova's daughter with her husband Igor Gordin and children, Karen Shakhnazarov, Igor Ugolnikov, Konstantin Khabensky, Evgeny Mironov, Alexander Mikhailov, Maria Aronova, Alexander Pankratov—Cherny, Alexandra Ursulyak and many others. For more information, see the Izvestia report.

"A diva in every sense"

In the morning, journalists and fans of the actress gathered at the Pushkin Theater, to which Vera Alentova devoted almost 60 years. On Tverskaya Boulevard, where the posters of the repertoire usually hang, on the day of mourning, the troupe organized a photo exhibition in memory of the artist. The black-and—white photographs show Alentova in the plays "I am a Woman", "The Bachelorette Club", "Children of the Sun", "The Chocolate Soldier", "Madame Rubinstein".

Back on December 25, the day of the actress' death, a spontaneous memorial appeared at the entrance to the theater under her photo: fans carried candles, white and red roses, carnations, chrysanthemums.

Vera Alentova died at the age of 83. Alentova became ill during the farewell ceremony with actor and friend Anatoly Lobotsky at the Mayakovsky Theater. Together with him, she starred in Vladimir Menshov's film "The Envy of the Gods." The actress was urgently hospitalized right from the theater — in a state of clinical death. The doctors failed to save her.

On the stage, by the snow—white coffin, sat the closest ones: Yulia Menshova's daughter with her husband Igor Gordin, their children - Vera Alentova and Vladimir Menshov's grandchildren Andrey and Taisiya. Despite the bitter cold, the queue for the stage stretched to the end of the block and did not decrease for more than two and a half hours. Colleagues and onlookers carried armfuls of flowers. Music was playing softly in the hall.

— Vera Valentinovna was our guide, a tuning fork — not only professionally, but also humanly. An example of intelligence, delicacy, dedication to this place, his work, family and country. It seemed like it would always be like this. She was a national artist not only in rank, but also in fact," said Evgeny Pisarev, artistic director of the Pushkin Theater.

The first theatrical role of the then very young actress was Raina Petkova in the play "The Chocolate Soldier" directed by Boris Ravensky. Over 60 years of service to the stage, Alentova played more than 30 roles, appearing on stage until her last days.

Actress Victoria Isakova, who played with Alentova in the play "False Hopes", noted her rare tenderness and incredible sense of humor from the stage.

— Vera Valentinovna is a diva in every sense. We often talk about what an actress and beauty she is, but I want to say something about her fantastic sense of humor. She could make a sharp joke, sometimes even angrily, in a way that probably no one else could. The whole theater knows that I can crack up on stage and there's no stopping me. One day we were playing a play, and it happened next to her. Vera Valentinovna came up abruptly and pulled me back. Very tough. And then she went backstage and said, "My dear, I'm sorry, please, aren't you offended that I'm so rude?" And I look at her and I think: "My God, you saved me," Isakova said.

Konstantin Khabensky, Karen Shakhnazarov, Igor Ugolnikov, Alexandra Ursulyak, Evgeny Mironov, Alexander Mikhailov, Maria Aronova, Alexander Pankratov-Cherny came to say goodbye to the actress. Fans on this day remembered how they loved going to performances with Alentova and how they could endlessly watch her films.

— In the early 90s, I saw the play "Warsaw Melody" and was completely delighted. Alentova was on stage the same as she was in real life —free. It seemed like she was living there, not playing. How could you not love her? It always seemed to me that she was very kind, responsive, and not at all arrogant," a woman who came to say goodbye to the actress shared with Izvestia.

"That's how she dreamed of leaving."

Vera Alentova gained real national fame in cinema. The role of Ekaterina Tikhomirova in the film "Moscow does not believe in Tears" brought her worldwide fame. The film, shot by Vladimir Menshov, won the Oscar in 1981 as the best foreign film, and the actress herself was awarded the USSR State Prize. The image of the singer, who made her way to success in the capital by force of will and talent, turned out to be largely autobiographical and was forever loved by millions of viewers.

— This is a very vital film about a woman who has achieved everything with her own work. I've always especially liked the second episode — it shows what difficulties she goes through, how hard it is to make her way in a big city. And the most interesting thing begins when the heroine has already achieved everything and she needs to make the main choice — who to be with," a fan of the actress told Izvestia.

Throughout her life, Alentova remained a man of principle, strict towards herself and others, as her husband noted more than once. After Vladimir Menshov's departure in 2021, she grieved the loss, but continued to work, finding salvation on stage. The actress was married to the director for 59 years, almost as long as she served in the theater. Yulia Menshova has lost both her parents in the last four years. These days, she is holding on thanks to the support of her loved ones and the thought that her mother left easily, without suffering.

— That's how she dreamed of leaving — not to be a burden, but to leave quickly, in an instant. That day, I called her a taxi myself and waited for the call. Lately, it's been hard for Mom to climb the stairs without support, but when she saw the crowd of journalists, she proudly walked on her own. She just ran up those stairs like she was 20 again. That was what Mom was all about. She flew away like a bird," Yulia Menshova said from the stage.

Vera Alentova was not only an outstanding actress who starred in the beloved films "Envy of the Gods", "Shirley-Myrli", "Time of Desires" and others, but also the artistic director of the workshop at VGIK, where she taught acting. Her students also came that day to say goodbye to their teacher.

After the funeral ceremony, the coffin was carried out of the theater to prolonged applause. Vera Alentova was buried at the Novodevichy cemetery next to her husband, director Vladimir Menshov.