Valentina Kovel

Valentina Pavlovna Kovel was born on January 23, 1923, in Petrograd (now St. Petersburg), Russia. She survived of the Siege of Leningrad during the Second World War. In 1946 she graduated from the Leningrad Institute of Theatre, Music, and Cinematography. From 1946-1956 she was an actress of Puskin Drama Theatre in Leningrad. Kovel made her film debut in 1957, in Don Quxote, by director Grigoriy Kozintsev. From 1966-1997 Valentina Kovel was a permanent member of the legendary troupe of Bolshoi Drama Theatre (BDT) under directorship of Georgi Tovstonogov. Kovel worked with Tovstonogov for 23 years. After the death of Tovstonogov, Kovel continued her work with an outstanding ensemble of actors at BDT. Among Kovel's best known stage works are her roles in "Kholstomer" (Story of a Horse) by Lev Tolstoy, "Khanuma", and "Revizor" (Inspector-General) by Nikolay Gogol. Valentina Kovel had a remarkable acting career on stage. She was honored with the title of People's Artist of the USSR. She received numerous awards and decorations for his works on stage and in film. Her filmography included 16 roles, she also played over 100 roles on stage. She was married to actor Vadim Medvedev. Valentina Kovel died on November 15, 1997, in St. Petersburg, Russia.