Childhood and early years
Yulia's parents divorced when she was very young. However, soon Yulia’s mother Svetlana married a second time. In her second marriage, Yulia's sister Inna was born.
The stepfather of the future actress Alexander was a military man, so the family often moved from place to place. Julia managed to live in Yerevan, Tbilisi and Baku. In the capital of Azerbaijan, she graduated from school (No. 9), which was already the seventh for the girl.
After school, Yulia entered the acting department of the Belarusian State Academy of Arts, from which she graduated in 1995. The actress received her second higher education at the London Academy of Musical and Dramatic Art.
Theater career
In the early 90s, the girl got a job at the Yanka Kupala National Academic Theater. There she played in such productions as “The Bald Singer” (based on Eugene Ionesco), “Look Back in Anger” (based on John Osborne), “Nameless Star” (based on Mikhail Sebastian) and “Love is a Golden Book” (based on Alexei Tolstoy) .
Already in the early 2000s, Vysotskaya moved to the Mossovet Theater. There she appeared in Chekhov's The Seagull, Uncle Vanya and Three Sisters. The actress also managed to collaborate with the Moscow Drama Theater on Malaya Bronnaya (“Miss Julie” by August Strindberg), the Georgiy Tovstonogov Bolshoi Drama Theater (“Oedipus at Colonus”) and the Maxim Gorky Moscow Art Theater (“Scenes from a Married Life”).
Film career
Vysotskaya's debut as a film actress took place in 1992. She starred in the Russian-Belarusian drama “To Go and Never Return” by Nikolai Knyazev. Afterwards she starred with Garnik Arazyan in “Bewitched” and with Mikhail Ptashuk in the melodrama “The Game of Imagination”.
In 1996, the actress went to Sochi to the Kinotavr festival. Ptashuk’s film was not successful, but Yulia met Andrei Konchalovsky. Having left with him for London, she entered a local prestigious theater university there, and during her studies there she took a break from her acting career.
Julia's return to the silver screen took place only in 2002. Then two films with her participation were released at once. One of them was the drama “Max” by the Dutchman Menno Meyes, which tells about the early years of Adolf Hitler. Another film was “House of Fools,” which was directed by Konchalovsky.
The director also cast his wife in the next film. In the historical drama The Lion in Winter, based on the play by James Goldman, she played Alice, the sister of King Philip II Augustus of France.
The director’s wife also starred in her husband’s films such as “Gloss”, “The Seagull”, “The Nutcracker and the Rat King”, “Paradise”, “Sin” and “Dear Comrades”. The last film, which tells about the defeat of the popular demonstration of 1962, which took place in the city of Novocherkassk, has not yet been released. Its premiere is scheduled for 2020, but there is no exact information about the date yet.
Vysotskaya also collaborated with other directors. She starred with Andrei Proshkin in “A Soldier’s Decameron” and with Valeria Gai Germanika in “The Mental Wolf.” But the actress is almost never seen in TV series: the exception was the mini-series “The Queen’s First Rule” by Vyacheslav Krishtofovich.
Over the years of working with her director husband, the actress has accumulated an impressive number of awards. For “House of Fools” she received the first Golden Eagle in her life, and at the same time the award of the Vivat, Russian Cinema festival.
Konchalovsky’s wife received the next Golden Eagle for the film “Paradise.” She was also awarded “Nika” and awards at festivals in Gijon (Spain) and Munich (Germany) for this film. Her last award was the awarding of the title of Honored Artist of Russia in 2018.
Eternal struggle. How Yulia Vysotskaya fights for her marriage and her daughter’s life
Julia Vysotskaya
It's hard to believe that Yulia Vysotskaya turns 47 on August 16, because she looks much younger than her age. The secret of the actress's beauty is exercise, healthy food, and sometimes weeks of fasting. One can envy the host’s self-control; she remains a perfectionist in all areas of life.
The artist has been married to Andrei Konchalovsky for 22 years, and the spouses have long been perceived as a single whole. Many envy the harmonious couple and wonder how they manage to stay together for so long, without being separated either at work or at home. But marriage is hard work between two people, which cannot rest solely on love. And of course, individual efforts have to be made in moments of crisis. In relation to Vysotskaya and Konchalovsky, they started talking about this in 2013, when their daughter Masha was in a terrible accident.
The girl was put into a superficial coma, then it became known about the slow progress in her condition, but no details were reported. Until now, the parents are hiding information about Maria’s whereabouts from the press. How did the stars manage to move on after the misfortune and did the tragedy of their daughter affect their marriage?
CAREER IN FILM AND TELEVISION
Yulia Vysotskaya dreamed of becoming an artist since childhood
Yulia was born in Novocherkassk, Rostov region, but since her stepfather was a military man, she did not stay in the city for long. Vysotskaya spent her entire childhood on the move; she changed seven schools in Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. But no matter what locality the girl ended up in, she always told her classmates about one dream - to become an actress. When a creative studio opened at the Russian Drama Theater in Baku, the future artist immediately went to audition.
“I was aware of the matter and the next day I asked how everything went,” Vysotskaya’s teacher told StarHit. “You know, Elsa Yunusovna, everyone was asked for so long, asked to sing, dance, but they took me almost right away,” Yulia said upset. To which I replied: “They just immediately saw your abilities. Rejoice!
The aspiring actress was not known for her self-confidence: she was afraid to enter Moscow institutes after school, so she applied to the Belarusian Academy of Arts in Minsk. Having graduated from the university with flying colors, Vysotskaya received an invitation to the local theater, but according to the law, she could only be hired if she had citizenship of the country. Fellow student Anatoly Kot helped the girl resolve bureaucratic issues.
“To obtain citizenship, the easiest way was to marry someone from Minsk. We knew each other well and were friends. And I didn’t see a problem in helping her,” explained the Cat.
After the film “House of Fools,” the artist’s career took off
A fictitious marriage opened the way for Julia to the theater stage, and soon she was already playing Mona in “The Nameless Star” and Alison in the play “Look Back in Anger.” But her first film roles did not bring popularity to the actress: the films “To Go and Never Return,” “Bewitched” and “A Game of Imagination” passed the audience by.
Vysotskaya’s career skyrocketed after her participation in Andrei Konchalovsky’s film “House of Fools.” For her portrayal of the crazy Zhanna, the artist won the prize “For Best Actress” at the festival “Vivat, Cinema of Russia!” Since then, the star has mainly starred in Konchalovsky’s films: “Gloss”, “Paradise”, “Sin”. In addition, since 2004, Yulia moved to the Mossovet Theater.
How does Yulia Vysotskaya earn money?
Vysotskaya’s talents were not limited to the acting profession: the star launched the culinary show “Eating at Home!”, wrote several books with recipes, and opened a chain of restaurants. Promoting proper nutrition became a part of the artist’s life: her experts gave lectures on healthy food, and special gastronomic tours to European countries appeared. Julia's fit figure is the best advertisement for a healthy lifestyle for fans.
AN UNSUCCESSFUL ROMANCE AND MEETING WITH THE MAIN MAN IN LIFE
A fictitious marriage with Anatoly Kot opened the way for Yulia to the theater stage
Although after graduating from university, Vysotskaya married Anatoly Kot for Belarusian citizenship, her romantic relationship connected her not with him, but with the artist Igor Sidorenko. The lovers were together for six years, but many believed that Igor was not Julia’s match: the aspiring actor often drank the bottle, which became a reason for scandals. Sidorenko’s fate was sad: after breaking up with his chosen one, he went on a drinking binge, then tried to arrange his professional and personal life - he got married and became a father. However, old addictions made themselves felt...
“One day Igor found himself at some kind of drinking party in his native Molodechno. There he was fatally hit on the head with a stone. The criminal was never found,” said actress Anna Sirotina.
Yulia Vysotskaya did not come to the funeral of her ex-fiancé
The tragedy occurred a couple of years after Yulia’s breakup with Sidorenko, but she did not attend the funeral of her former chosen one. It was rumored that the actress chose to forget about the past as soon as she met Andrei Konchalovsky.
The actress fell in love with Andrei Konchalovsky at first sight
The venerable director had a huge list of women; at the time he met Vysotskaya at Kinotavr in 1996, he was married for the fourth time, to announcer Irina Martynova. However, later both the playwright and the actress admitted: they were seized by love at first sight. Unable to tear themselves away from each other, that same evening the director and actress went to dinner at a restaurant, and a few days later they flew to Turkey for vacation.
It became obvious that this was not just a holiday romance, and events were developing rapidly: a joint work trip to the UK, a hasty divorce from Martynova, Yulia’s pregnancy... Vysotskaya came to the registry office in jeans, no festive ceremony followed, and was it even important? The only thing that confused the bride's relatives was the big age difference with the director - 36 years. Andrei Sergeevich noted that the actress’s grandfather even cried when he learned that his granddaughter was not marrying Yegor Konchalovsky.
Andrei Konchalovsky: “Yulia’s grandfather cried when he found out that she was marrying me and not Yegor”
The worries of her loved ones were in vain: for the director, Julia became her lover, muse, and best friend. “I think I haven’t fully recognized Yulia yet, but I still know her from the age of five. All her states: a girl, a teenager, a girl, a young woman and, finally, the mother of my two children - they all stand before my eyes. And this knowledge is not of individual aspects of personality, but comprehensive - what I can call love today,” Konchalovsky reasoned after 20 years of marriage.
TRAGEDY OF A DAUGHTER
The couple had children Maria and Peter
Unfortunately, this perfect love story was not without tragic events. The couple had children Maria and Peter, and until 2013, the news about the heirs of the stars was exclusively good. The news came like a bolt from the blue that Andrei Konchalovsky and his daughter had been in an accident.
In France, the director's rented Mercedes drifted into the oncoming lane and collided head-on with another car. Konchalovsky was not injured, but 14-year-old Masha, who did not fasten her seat belt, received a serious head injury. The girl was rushed to a hospital in Marseille and placed in a medically induced coma.
There were conflicting rumors about Maria's well-being, and her parents did their best to protect her from the attention of the press. “The coma condition is ambiguous and progresses differently for everyone. There are times when she is with me, there are times when I don’t understand anything. It seems like something is happening that we are very happy about. We are waiting for a repeat, but there is none. But something else happens. Everything is going...slowly,” the actress briefly commented on the situation two years after the accident.
In 2013, Masha got into a terrible accident
Is it worth clarifying that the family’s life was split into “before” and “after” the accident? Not only the worldview of the spouses changed, but also their relationship with the outside world: it was not possible to share personal drama, so many friends dropped out. But Nikita Mikhalkov showed himself in the best way: in the first months he did not leave his niece’s bed, skillfully finding words of support for Konchalovsky and Vysotskaya.
Yulia Vysotskaya openly spoke about her daughter’s condition
People experience tragedies in different ways: for some, troubles can unite them, while others can be separated forever on the sides of the barricades. Haters suspected that Julia potentially blames her husband, who was driving the car, for what happened to her daughter. However, Vysotskaya proved that this was a fallacy. “Do I blame him? “He is a unique person,” the artist reasoned. “He’s not even a wise man, but rather a wise soul.” I hear and understand him well. He influences me a lot. If there was another man nearby, perhaps I would have behaved differently. There is no place here for senseless reproaches and the search for guilt.”
Love helps spouses move forward and believe in the best
Several years passed, and fans noticed that the couple began to go out together less often. The conclusion suggested itself: misfortune has broken the stars, a crisis has ripened in the family, perhaps the couple is on the verge of divorce. As if to spite the haters, the lovers went on a trip to Munich, and in January 2019 they got married.
Hope for a miracle? Why did Konchalovsky and Vysotskaya get married?
Of course, there were those who considered the sacrament held at the Trinity Cathedral in Pskov a desperate attempt to rehabilitate a crumbling marriage, but the couple made it clear that they were of little concern about other people’s opinions. The director and actress created their own, separate world, in which there is no place for envious people and spiteful critics, and long ago they set their main priorities in life. “My goal is for my daughter to recover,” Konchalovsky emphasized in the Posner program. “This is the essence of my life and Yulina’s. And this faith is inexorable."
Based on materials from WomanHit, EG.ru.
Photo: Dominique Charriau/Getty Images, Legion-Media, personal archive, press service archive, still from the film “House of Fools”
Recipes from the actress
Konchalovsky's wife is known not only for her film roles, but also for her culinary talents. Back in 2003, Yulia Vysotskaya’s original program “Eating at Home” appeared on television.
“Eating at Home” is broadcast on NTV to this day. In addition, “Breakfast with Yulia Vysotskaya” is airing on NTV. Her presence on NTV was not limited to this: at one time the programs “Vysotskaya Life” and “Wait for Me” were broadcast.
The actress’s successes in the culinary field were appreciated. In 2008, Yulia Vysotskaya was made the gastronomic curator of the Russian evening during the World Economic Forum in London. Television successes were also awarded with two TEFI statuettes (in 2007 and 2014) for the “Eating at Home” program itself, as well as three - as the best “host of the morning program.”
However, Julia shares her recipes not only through TV. For eight years, the actress was the editor-in-chief of the culinary magazine KhlebSol.
Julia and her husband developed the “Eat at Home” brand in several directions at once. In addition to the TV show, the culinary social network and the first culinary TV channel had this name.
Julia willingly shares her thoughts on the kitchen in her books, of which there are already more than four dozen. The first of them was “Eating at home. Recipes by Yulia Vysotskaya,” published in 2006.
The actress does not shy away from social networks. In September 2018, she launched two shows on her YouTube channel: “#sweet and salty” and “I like it!”
The actress and her husband also have two restaurants. The first was “Yornik”, and the second was “Food Embassy by Julia Vysotskaya”, Wikipedia indicates. Also today in Moscow there are three culinary studios belonging to her.
Culinary and writing talent of Yulia Vysotskaya
And yet, the peak of her popularity came in 2003, when Yulia Vysotskaya showed herself as the host of the programs “Breakfast with Yulia Vysotskaya” and “Eating at Home!” In these projects, the actress revealed another of her talents – culinary.
In 2006, the presenter pleased her fans with her first cookbook, “Eating at Home. Recipes by Yulia Vysotskaya.” A whole series of books with a total circulation of more than 1.5 million copies was published under this name. In 2009, she became the founder of a glossy publication about recipes and healthy food. In the same year, her program “Eating at Home!” was awarded the sign “Approved by Russian environmentalists”. Two years earlier, the program was awarded the TEFI prize.
The actress devoted her writing talent not only to tasty and healthy food, publishing in 2007 the book “Gloss”, which was based on the work of the same name by A. Konchalovsky. According to the author, her work was supposed to be light reading, brightening up leisure time, a trip on the subway or waiting time in a beauty salon.
After opening her own restaurant in Moscow in 2011, the artist founded a new project, “Culinary Travels with Yulia Vysotskaya,” dedicated to visiting master classes.
Personal life of Yulia Vysotskaya
In the biography of Yulia Vysotskaya, there were formally two marriages. The first one was fictitious. Her husband was Anatoly Kot, with whom she studied on the same course. They got married because Yulia needed Belarusian citizenship to work in the Yanka Kupala Theater. Julia still maintains friendly relations with the Cat.
The second husband of Yulia Vysotskaya was film director Andrei Konchalovsky. The actress met the main man of her life in 1996 in Sochi at the Kinotavr festival. In her marriage to Konchalovsky, Yulia Vysotskaya had two children. The daughter of Yulia Vysotskaya and Andrei Konchalovsky is called Maria, and her parents named their son Peter.
Yulia Vysotskaya maintains an Instagram account. Over 1 million users are subscribed to her page.
The tragedy of Maria Konchalovskaya
At the age of 14, the actress’s daughter was in an accident, which resulted in a coma for her. Now Maria is undergoing rehabilitation in Moscow. Masha's health after her injury leaves much to be desired.
The accident happened in 2013 in France, where the director was with his family. One day, Andrei Sergeevich lost control, the car flew into the oncoming lane and collided with another car.
In this accident, the girl suffered the most. Unlike her relatives, she was sent to the hospital. A trial followed, as a result of which the experts came to the conclusion that the director was not to blame for the accident, it was all about a malfunction of the car.
This was of little consolation to the Konchalovsky family: their daughter continued to remain in a coma. She stayed there for several more years, and the young patient was transported from clinic to clinic until Masha returned to her homeland, where she regained consciousness.
Her brother Peter is doing much better. Now the young man, who previously could often be seen at receptions with his parents, is preparing to enter university.
The tragedy did not separate the family
The misfortune that occurred in 2013 with the daughter of Yulia Vysotskaya shocked not only the loyal fans of the actress and TV presenter, but also the whole country - as a result of the accident, the girl fell into a coma. Her father, Andrei Konchalovsky, was driving the car, but his wife insists that she does not blame him for anything.
It is very difficult for the girl’s parents to talk about their daughter’s condition, and only sometimes they share few words with the press. A few years ago, the girl’s mother shared her joy - her daughter began to react to external stimuli (voices, sounds, light).
Today, it is difficult to find reliable and accurate information about the condition of Masha Konchalovskaya, since Yulia Vysotskaya and her husband have practically stopped answering questions about him from outsiders.
We only know that the family continues to hope for their daughter’s speedy recovery and return to normal life.
