Famous Ukrainian people

One of the prominent figures from Ukraine is the artist Maria Prymachenko. She was born on January 17, 1908, in the village of Bolotnya, Kyiv region, and passed away on March 14, 1997, in Kyiv. Prymachenko is known for her unique and vibrant style of folk art, which gained international recognition.

Her work often depicted scenes from Ukrainian folklore, mythology, and daily life, characterized by bold colors, intricate patterns, and a sense of whimsy. Despite having no formal artistic training, Prymachenko's talent was widely celebrated, and her artwork has been exhibited around the world.

Prymachenko's art is considered a prime example of Ukrainian folk art and has inspired many artists and admirers. Her legacy continues to be celebrated in Ukraine and beyond, showcasing the rich cultural heritage of the country.

Olha Kobylianska, a Ukrainian writer, was born on November 27, 1863, in the village of Hlobyne, which was then part of the Russian Empire and is now located in Ukraine. She was born into a family of landowners and a land engineer.

After her father's death when Olha was only 14, she, along with her mother and sisters, moved to Kyiv. It was here that she received her education and began her literary career. Olha studied languages, including French, German, and Polish, but her main language was Ukrainian.

In 1884, she married a Kyiv publicist and political activist, Ivan Kobyliansky, from whom she later separated. After the divorce, she lived in Poltava, Lviv, and Chernihiv, engaging in literary work.

Kobylianska became known for her works that reflected social issues, psychological conflicts, and relationships between people. Some of her famous works include "Zemlya" (The Land) (a novel), "Liudyna" (The Human) (a short story), "V porutsi" (In the Bonds) (a short story), "Tania" (a short story), among others.

After the start of the Soviet occupation, Kobylianska ceased her public activities. She died in 1942 in Ukraine during the German-Soviet War. Her death is believed to have been either suicide or involving the NKVD.

Bohdan Sylvestrovych Stupka is a Soviet and Ukrainian theater and film actor, laureate of the Shevchenko Prize, People's Artist of the Ukrainian SSR, People's Artist of the USSR, Hero of Ukraine. Knight of the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise IV, V degree, Order of Merit I, II degree, Order of Merit to Poland. Laureate of the Oleksandr Dovzhenko State Prize and the USSR State Prize. Honorary citizen of Kyiv. The founder of the acting dynasty, in which his son Ostap and grandson Dmytro continued his work. On May 1, 1961, Stupka graduated from the acting studio at the Maria Zankovetska Lviv Academic Drama Theater and worked in this theater until 1978. He spent 17 years in the theater of Zankovetska Stupka. His creative mentor was the director and teacher Serhiy Danchenko, who in 1978 headed the Kyiv Ivan Franko Academic Drama Theater. In the same year, at the invitation of his mentor, B. Stupka moved to this theater. In total, during this theatrical period of his life, Stupka embodied more than 50 diverse roles, he was King Lear from the play of the same name based on Shakespeare, Mykola Zadorozhny from "Stolen Happiness", and even King Oedipus. During his career, the actor played more than 100 roles in the cinema.

He worked with film directors Otar Ioseliani, Krzysztof Zanussi, Jerzy Hoffmann, Regis Varnier, Yuriy Illenko, Kira Muratova, Serhii Bondarchuk, Volodymyr Bortko, Pavlo Chuhrai, Dmytro Meskhiev.

Debut in the cinema — in Yuri Ilyenko's film "The White Bird with a Black Mark" (1971), the role of Orest Dzvonar. Ivan Mykolaichuk applied for this role, but since it was the role of a UPA fighter (that is, a negative one in Soviet times), the authorities did not want Mykolaichuk to play it. They approved Stupka, who had a negative image after the theatrical role of Richard III. But his interpretation of the image turned out to be very successful and this role is still one of the best in the actor's list.

B. Stupka's list of roles includes many historical figures: hetmans Ivan Bryukhovetsky ("The Black Council"), Ivan Mazepa ("Prayer for Hetman Mazepa"), Bohdan Khmelnytsky ("By Fire and Sword"), as well as Genghis Khan ("The Secret of Genghis Khan"). , Oleksandr Kerensky ("Red Bells"), Boris Godunov ("Kremlin Secrets"), Ostap Vyshnya ("From the Life of Ostap Vyshnya").

In 2006, Tigran Keosayan's film "Hare over the Abyss" was released, where Stupka played General Secretary Bezhnev. Starred in Roman Kachanov's Russian comedy detective film "Take Tarantina". In 2007, he performed the main role in the ambiguously perceived film by Volodymyr Bortko "Taras Bulba".

He was the president of the Kyiv International Film Festival "Molodist", the Berdyansk International Film Festival "Brigantina" and the Kyiv International Film Festival. From 2001 to the last days, he was the artistic director of the Ivan Franko National Academic Drama Theater in Kyiv. He was also the artistic director of the acting course at KNUTKiT named after I. K. Karpenko-Karyo (2006—2010). During 1999–2001, he was the Minister of Culture and Arts of Ukraine in the government of Viktor Yushchenko, or, as he himself called his not very long work in this position, "Minister of Cultural Defense." "I come to the theater for an ordinary rehearsal, and I feel some tension among the other actors - for some reason they decided that now I should be treated in a special way", - Stupka recalled the short period of his work in the ministry without much joy.

The famous Ukrainian poet Lina Vasylivna Kostenko was born in the teachers' family. Since 1936 she lived in Kyiv. Lina Kostenko got education in the Kyiv Pedagogical Institute. And in 1956 she graduated from the Moscow Literary Institute. Lina Kostenko belongs to the generation that is usually called "the children of the war". That is why the problems of war and peace are very often raised in her works.

The Chornobyl tragedy did not leave Lina Kostenko careless. The new topic became interesting for her — the problem of ecology. But the majority of Lina Kostenko's works are dedicated to the historical life of Ukraine.

The most famous Lina Kostenko's creation is the novel in verses "Marusya Chury". In the centre of the novel is the image of legendary Marusya Chury — the poet and the author of many Ukrainian folk songs. The action takes place in the period of the liberation war of the Ukrainian people that was headed by Bogdan Khmelnitsky. Lina Kostenko depicted the tragic love story of Marusya and Grits Bobrenko.

Being devoted to national traditions Lina Kostenko proves the immortal spiritual values of the Ukrainian people.

There area lots of famous and talented people in Ukraine.

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