Margarita Terekhova

Acting

Margarita Terekhova

Born 1942-08-25 · Turinsk, Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russian SFSR, USSR [now Russia]

Margarita Borisovna Terekhova (Russian: Маргари́та Бори́совна Те́рехова; born August 25, 1942 in Turinsk, Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russian SFSR) is a Soviet and Russian film and theatre actress. She was awarded the title People's Artist of Russia in 1996. From 1959 she studied at the physics and mathematics faculty at the Tashkent State University from 1959 until 1961. After that she went to Moscow and tried to get into VGIK but her application was declined. After that she enrolled to study at the school-studio of Yuri Zavadsky at the Mossovet Theatre. After her graduation in 1964 she worked for many years as an actress of the Mossovet Theatre. From 1983 to 1987 she acted in the theatre group "The Puppet Show" organized by her and Igor Talkov. Terekhova's acting debut was in 1965 in the film Hello, That's Me!. Margarita became particularly popular in the late 1970s, after the release of a costumed musical TV films The Dog in the Manger and D'Artagnan and Three Musketeers. At first she played the capricious Countess Diana de Belflor, in the second - the treacherous Milady. Leading roles followed in films made by directors including Andrei Smirnov and Ilya Averbakh (Monologue, 1972) as well as the dual-role in Andrei Tarkovsky's acclaimed Mirror (1975). And more international co-productions came after, including George Cukor's The Blue Bird (1976) and Konrad Wolf's Mama, I'm Alive (1977). Terekhova's subsequent work in film proved her high level of acting expertise but did not attain the success as her earlier work. Margarita Terekhova worked and was friends with Igor Talkov. They had a close relationship and worked for some time together at the musical theatre collective "Balaganchik". In 2005 she made her debut as a director, shooting the film The Seagull based on the work of Anton Chekhov. Since then, Terekhova has retired from acting and almost never gives interviews due to her struggle with Alzheimer's disease. She rarely appears in public and hardly ever attends public events

Acting credits

Mirror poster
7.9

A dying man in his forties recalls his childhood, his mother, the war and personal moments that tell of and juxtapose pivotal moments in Soviet history with daily life.

Mirror

1975

The Blue Bird poster
5.5

Peasant children Mytyl and Tyltyl are led on a magical quest for the fabulous Blue Bird of Happiness by the fairy Berylune. On their journey, they're accompanied by the anthropomorphized presences of a Dog, a Cat, Light, Fire, and Bread, among other entities.

The Blue Bird

1976

Everything Could Have Been Otherwise poster
7.0

Growing up in an orphanage, Florin is trying to find his mother Dorina, whom he has not seen for 15 years. His beloved Liza is very jealous of Florin's plans. Having met his mother, an already adult son is trying to understand the person who gave him life and abandoned him. But can a son forgive his mother, who deprived him of a happy childhood?

Everything Could Have Been Otherwise

1982

Trust poster
3.8

In December 1917, a Finnish delegation arrives in St. Petersburg to meet Vladimir Lenin to seek recognition of Finland's independence.

Trust

1976

In the Middle of the World poster
NR

Documentary about Arseniy Tarkovsky, poet and father of Andrei Tarkovsky.

In the Middle of the World

1990

Primary Russia poster
5.0

The film takes place in pre-Christian Russia, when Ratibor united the East Slavs into one army against the nomadic Khazars.

Primary Russia

1986

Ono poster
5.0

The bureaucratic epos on the dialogues and plots of Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin "The History of a Town". In a metaphorical and grotesque form, the film conveys the history of Russia from the calling of the Varangians until the end of the 20th century. The film traces the change of the “chiefs” of the county town of Glupov, which differ in varying degrees of tyranny and the corresponding total number of “killed” city residents. The heads of the city easily guess the former heads of the Russian state and the USSR.

Ono

1989

Mama, I’m Alive poster
4.0

In a Russian POW camp, four Germans determined to end WWII agree to pose as Red Army soldiers. Are they patriots or traitors, heroes or opportunists? Although they go to the frontlines, their new Russian comrades are initially unsure whether to trust them. Three of them then accept a mission behind German lines, but they are unprepared to fire upon their countrymen and it ends up costing the life of a Russian soldier. In the meantime, the fourth man has fallen in love with Russian radio operator Svetlana. After being criticized by the other Russians, he too agrees to participate in the mission..

Mama, I’m Alive

1977

Byelorussian Station poster
6.7

Four former soldiers reunite 25 years after the war. Last time they saw each other on the Byelorussian railway station in the summer of 1945. Now they've come together to mourn the death of a friend.

Byelorussian Station

1971

Rikki-Tikki-Tavi poster
6.5

Rikki is a young mongoose who is adopted by a human family after nearly drowning in the river. He returns the favour by protecting them from two murderous cobra.

Rikki-Tikki-Tavi

1976

No Peace for Me in Love poster
NR

Based on the plays and sonnets of Shakespeare.

No Peace for Me in Love

1980

Journey to the Mother poster
3.0

Maxim is a young Muscovite who journeys from Russia to the south of France to visit his mother in her home amidst the lofty mountains of Montagne Sainte-Victoire. He finds her in poor health and is overwhelmed with grief when she abruptly passes away. In the throes of mourning, he reconnects with his French half-sister Marie Louise, whom he hardly saw. Despite the language barrier and accustomed estrangement, the pair grows closer through their shared sense of loss.

Journey to the Mother

2014

The Forbidden Fruit poster
7.0

The film depicts the incredible metamorphosis of a clerk whose sense of identity and pride are reawakened by an unexpected development.

The Forbidden Fruit

1994

Monologue poster
5.7

Professor Sretenski is a scientist and director of a research center in Russia. He is separated from his wife and lives alone. His daughter, who lives with the mother, comes to his home and stays with him for a period, leaving her daughter with him. He raises his granddaughter, feeling a great affection for her.

Monologue

1973

Diamonds for the Dictatorship of the Proletariat poster
4.2

In 1921, the Cheka became aware that gold and jewelry were stolen from the treasury of Gokhran, and that a special organization was involved in transporting the stolen to Estonia. Scout Maksim Isayev is sent to this country. He establishes that the cipher of the Soviet embassy Olenetskaya works for the German resident Nolmar, with whom employees of Gokhran Kozlovskaya and an appraiser Yakov Shelekhes are associated. As a result of the provocation, Isayev was arrested. In the prison cell, he finds himself together with the famous Russian writer Nikandrov, who could not find himself in post-revolutionary Russia and went abroad. Released soon by the efforts of his comrades, Isayev continues the struggle for the fate of Nikandrov — for his return to his homeland.

Diamonds for the Dictatorship of the Proletariat

1976

The Wave Runner poster
5.4

A pianist named Garvey, while traveling on a tour, gets off the train to buy cigarettes, and learns from a salesgirl that the cities imagined by Grin really exist. Forgetting about his tour, he goes to one of these cities, where he meets the captain of “The Waverunner”…

The Wave Runner

1967

Sacrifices of Andrei Tarkovsky poster
NR

Dedicated to the 80th anniversary of Andrei Tarkovsky. The film uses unique materials related to the years Tarkovsky spent in Italy, personal accounts of friends and professionals, the shooting locations of his films, to what degree his works reflects his personal life. The film brings us closer to the man to whom contemporary filmmaking owes so much.

Sacrifices of Andrei Tarkovsky

2012

Hello, It's Me! poster
6.3

In post-war Armenia, physicist Artyom buries himself in work, haunted by the loss of his wife in WWII, unable to let go of the past. Meanwhile, young Tanya refuses to accept her stepfather, still waiting for her real father, missing in action for years. Their parallel journeys explore memory, loss, and the weight of history—both personal and national. As Artyom grapples with the dilemma of remembering versus forgetting, the film becomes a meditation on identity, time, and the inescapable pull of the past. Partially based on the life of prominent Soviet-Armenian scientist Artem Alikhanyan, Hello, It’s Me! is a deeply reflective exploration of history’s grip on both individuals and nations.

Hello, It's Me!

1966

Marta the Pious Woman poster
6.2

Two poor Spanish students set off in search of happiness in Madrid. Here they decide to make their fortune by marrying girls from noble families. But one of them, Marta, is promised by her father to a rich elderly nobleman.

Marta the Pious Woman

1980

One Day in the Life of Andrei Arsenevich poster
7.5

Chris Marker’s portrait of Russian filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky documents the director at work on his final film, The Sacrifice, during the last year of his life. Interweaving behind-the-scenes footage with excerpts from Tarkovsky’s earlier works, Marker crafts a moving reflection on the artist’s vision, methods, and enduring legacy.

One Day in the Life of Andrei Arsenevich

1999

Daylight Train poster
6.4

Two old friends living in Moscow and St. Petersburg are hoping to get their children married.

Daylight Train

1976

Let's Get Married poster
6.7

Two middle age people decided to get married. Will it become serious?

Let's Get Married

1982

Green Goat Fire poster
10.0

One day in the life of a young man named Nikita on his birthday. He is turning twenty-five. At night, Nikita dreams about his childhood, his father, his brother, and his grandmother's gift—a figurine of a goat glowing green. In the morning, it's the usual whirlwind of life, with prostitutes, conversations about eating beets, the dangers of radiation, and various esoteric theories.

Green Goat Fire

1990

The Fourth poster
5.5

American journalist gets a sensational material but is afraid to publish it...

The Fourth

1972

Behind the camera