Dariya Mikhaylova

Dariya Mikhaylova was born on February 22, 1965, in Moscow. Her acting career began at the tender age of 10 with her debut in the film "Blue Portrait." In 1985, she graduated from the esteemed Boris Shchukin Theatre Institute, studying under T.K. Koptseva. Following her training, she performed at the Evgeny Vakhтангов Theatre and the Sovremennik Theatre, and she is currently an actress at the School of Modern Plays. Additionally, Mikhaylova teaches acting at the Boris Shchukin Theatre Institute. She also directed the play "Case No…" inspired by Fyodor Dostoevsky's novel "The Brothers Karamazov."

After finishing school, Mikhaylova aimed to enroll in VGIK. By that point, she had already appeared in eight films, giving her a sense of experience. Initially, her entrance into VGIK appeared promising as she navigated a rigorous selection process. However, during the final examinations, she encountered the renowned instructor Sergei Bondarchuk, whose presence left her paralyzed with fear. She recalls feeling completely overwhelmed and subsequently not being accepted. Disheartened, she took her documents and successfully applied to the Shchukin Institute, joining T.K. Koptseva's course.

Throughout her studies, Mikhaylova starred in several films, primarily in melodramatic roles. In Boris Savchenko's "Even Before the War," she portrayed Raya Kolotovkina, a girl who finds love in a remote Siberian village after her parents' death. She also gained recognition for her role as Dasha, a student enamored with a much older art expert in the melodrama "Seraphim Polubess and Other Inhabitants of the Earth," as well as in the psychological family drama "Time Off from Saturday to Monday," directed by Igor Talankin.