Lyubov Sokolova

Liubov Sergeevna Sokolova (Lyubov Sokolova) was born on July 31, 1921, in Ivanovo-Voznesensk, USSR. Her father was an artisan furniture maker, and her mother was a saleswoman. Young Sokolova was fascinated with acting and became involved in the drama class at her school. Her first public performance was in 1937, she played a man's role of Onegin in the drama by Alexander Pushkin. In 1940 she became a student at the Gertsen Institute in Leningrad (St. Petersburg), and was also looking for an acting job. In the fall of 1940, Sokolova passed a rigorous acting test with her performance of Nina's monologue from 'Chaika' (The Seagull), by Anton Chekhov. She was admitted to the Leningrad Institute of Theatre and Cinematography, where she became a student of Sergey Gerasimov. She also became happily married to her fellow actor Georgi Arapovsky, and her life and career looked good. In 1941, during the Second World War, Leningrad was besieged by the Nazis, causing starvation and death of most o