Actress, People's Artist of Russia Ekaterina Zhemchuzhnaya (nee Buldyzhenko) was born on March 28, 1944 in the city of Shchekino, Tula region. Her parents were settled gypsies who participated in the song ensemble of the Tula Philharmonic.
After graduating from school, she entered the Ippolitov-Ivanov Music College. But, after studying there for several months, she took the documents and went to the Romen Theater at the invitation of the main director Semyon Barkan. She studied at Yuri Lyubimov's studio at the Romen Theater, and subsequently graduated from the correspondence department of the acting department at GITIS.
After graduating from the studio at the Romen Theater, she worked in the song and dance ensemble of the Vladimir Gypsies under the direction of Nikolai Zhemchuzhny, and then returned to the theater again.
The entire creative path of Ekaterina Zhemchuzhnaya as a dramatic actress is inextricably linked with the Romen Theater. The most striking theatrical works of the actress were the plays “We are Gypsies” staged by Ivan Roma-Lebedev and Nikolai Slichenko, “Witchcraft Love” by Georgy Zhemchuzhny, “The Dancer — Daughter of Tents” by Ivan Roma-Lebedev. In the first two, as well as in the production of “Hello, Pushkin” by Arnold Gessen and Ivan Rom-Lebedev, the actress still appears on the stage of the Romen Theater today.
The artist made her film debut in 1970, in the film “About Friends and Comrades,” playing an unnamed gypsy at a flea market. Then the name of the actress was not indicated in the credits. The actress became famous for the TV movie “Eternal Call” (1973-1983), where she played Zoritsa, the lover of the main character Polikarp Kruzhilin.
After the works “The Camp Goes to Heaven” (1976) and “Sailors Have No Questions” (1981), the actress played the gypsy Karma in Tatiana Lioznova’s film “Carnival” (1981). In subsequent years, she starred in Sergei Nikonenko's melodrama «Gypsy Happiness» (1981), Gerald Bezhanov's comedy «Where is the Nophelet?» (1987), in Grigory Kokhan's drama «Gypsy Aza» (1987).
In the 1990s, she starred in such films as “Crazy Lori”, “Women’s Prison” (both 1991), “Heads and Tails” (1995), “Queen Margot” (1996).
The project that brought Ekaterina Zhemchuzhnaya gained fame on television thanks to Elena Tsyplakova’s series “Carmelita. Gypsy Passion” (2009-2010). After him, the actress began to be regularly invited to participate in multi-part projects. Among them are “The Taste of Pomegranate” (2011), “Veronica. The Fugitive” (2013), “Casanova’s Favorite Women” (2014), “If you are not with me” (2014), “The Secret of the Idol” (2016), “Relatives » (2018).
Ekaterina Zhemchuzhnaya often performs in concerts with a special program based on romances and gypsy songs.
People's Artist of Russia (1999).
Awarded the Order of Friendship (2007), a medal of the order «For services to the Fatherland» II degree (2020).
Ekaterina Zhemchuzhnaya was married to Georgy Zhemchuzhny (1945-2021), director of the Romen Theater. In their marriage, they had a daughter, Olga, who became an artist and serves at the Romen Theater.
The material was prepared on the basis of information and open sources