Yekaterina Gradova

Who is Yekaterina Gradova?

Ekaterina Gradova is a popular Russian film actress who appeared in two Soviet blockbuster films "Seventeen Moments of Spring" and "The Meeting Place Cannot Be Changed". Ekatherina Gradova played her first notable role in the beginning of 1966 in the drama Boris Yashin "Autumn Weddings". Later, she starred in films rather infrequently, preferring theater to cinema . She was an actress in the Theater of Satire till the mid-80s. Also in the Mayakovski theater Gradova played a major role in the play «Talents and Admirers», which in 1971 was filmed.

Her most significant success was the role of "pianist" Kate of Soviet spy Standartenfuhrer von Stirlitz in the Soviet blockbuster TV serial "Seventeen Moments of Spring" directed by Tatyana Lioznova. This serial was about the life of Soviet spy Maksim Isaev operating in Nazi Germany under the name Max Otto von Stirlitz, played by the leading Soviet film star Vyacheslav Tikhonov. The serial immediately brought immense popularity for the main actors. Later she acknowledged that for those who starred in the serial: "This was not just a movie, this was like a destiny". Indeed, for many years each of the stars of the serial got tremendous attention and was often invited to various conferences, asked for an interviews, etc.