Seven grandchildren of famous Soviet performers have carved out their own successful careers across Russian theatre, cinema, and music, Vechernyaya Moskva reported. While many descendants of Soviet celebrities struggle to escape the shadow of their family names, these artists achieved independent prominence on stage and screen.
Mariya Zolotukhina, 28, is the granddaughter of actors Valeriy Zolotukhin and Nina Shatskaya. Her parents worked outside the arts, with her father Denis serving as a priest and her mother managing the household. Zolotukhina originally planned to study painting at the Vasily Surikov Art Institute before deciding in high school to become an actress. Her father strongly opposed her choice to work in cinema, though he later accepted her path.
Zolotukhina graduated in 2021 from the acting faculty at the Higher School of Performing Arts, where she studied in the workshop of Konstantin Raykin. She immediately joined the Satyricon Theatre troupe. In 2023, she made her film debut as Tova Lipnitskaya, a Jewish girl in love with a partisan nicknamed Ferz, in Sergey Ursulyak's war drama The Righteous. She is currently filming Ursulyak's adaptation of War and Peace as Natasha Rostova, set for release in 2028.
Mariya Kozakova, 33, represents two acting dynasties as the paternal granddaughter of Mikhail Kozakov and maternal granddaughter of Yuriy Yakovlev. She began appearing before the camera at a young age. After high school, Kozakova entered the Boris Shchukin Theatre Institute and joined the Theatre of Satire troupe upon graduation. Her filmography includes 32 projects, such as Bad Blood, Presumption of Innocence, Shamanka, Citizen Nobody, Householder, Spasskaya, and Non-Format.
Polina Raykina and Andrey Mironov-Udalov
Polina Raykina, granddaughter of USSR People's Artist Arkadiy Raykin, pursued the stage from early childhood with full support from her parents. At age 11, she joined Alla Dukhovaya's Todes dance troupe and dubbed a character in the animated trilogy Chacha. At age 15, she passed her school examinations early and enrolled in the Boris Shchukin Theatre Institute.
Raykina initially worked at the Moscow Drama Theatre named after Stanislavsky before moving four years later to the Satyricon Theatre. She has built a screen filmography of 27 projects, including Stalingrad, Night Swallows, Fizruk, Chernobyl, Dyldy, My Invisible One, and Buratino.
Andrey Mironov-Udalov, 34, is the grandson of actor Andrey Mironov. He initially studied at the State University of Management before realizing by the end of his first year that he belonged on stage. He transferred to the Boris Shchukin Theatre Institute and appeared in Shakespearean stage plays during his studies. He served in the Vakhtangov Theatre company until 2023.
Mironov-Udalov made his screen debut in 2009 in Man from Boulevard des Capucines, followed by the melodrama Infidelity. His 12 screen credits include the series Trigger, Godunov, Golden Horde, and Moscow Romance.
Stas Piekha and Konstantin Kryukov
Stas Piekha, grandson of singer Edita Piekha, spent his early childhood accompanying his grandmother on tour across the USSR. When he was seven, she recognized his singing ability, insisted he join the Glinka Choir College of the Saint Petersburg Capella, and gave him the Piekha surname. He later graduated from the Gnessin State Musical College and launched his music career after auditioning for the television show Star Factory.
Piekha has released three studio albums, earned 11 Golden Gramophone awards, and produced numerous music videos. He had little contact with his mother Ilona Bronevitskaya as a child and struggled with drug addiction during his teenage years before choosing a healthy lifestyle.
Konstantin Kryukov is the grandson of Sergey Bondarchuk and nephew of Fyodor Bondarchuk. He spent his childhood in Switzerland due to his father's employment, attending art school there before continuing at the German embassy school in Moscow. At age 16, he graduated from the Gemological Institute of America as a certified gem expert.
Kryukov began acting at 18 as private Ruslan Petrovsky, known as Gioconda, in The 9th Company, directed by his uncle Fyodor Bondarchuk, despite having no formal acting education. He has appeared in 68 projects, playing Andrey Kurbsky in the 2020 historical drama Grozny, along with roles in What Men Do!, Open Marriage, and Mom is 17 Again. He also operates an art workshop in Prague and received the Franz Kafka Order for his painting series Thoughtforms.
Sofya Evstigneeva
Sofya Evstigneeva is the daughter of actors Maksim Razuvaev and Mariya Selyanskaya, and maternal granddaughter of actor Yevgeniy Yevstigneev. She spent her early childhood competing in ballroom dancing tournaments, winning awards without initial interest in cinema. Her interest in acting began after performing in Garik Sukachyov's play Anarchy at the Sovremennik Theatre.
Evstigneeva enrolled in the Moscow Art Theatre School and adopted her grandfather's surname as a professional pseudonym. Her 14 screen credits include The 90s. Fun and Loud, Cathedral, Kesha Must Die, and Quest.
