Elena Germanovna Kharitonova, People's Artist of Russia. After graduating in 1987 from the Mikhail Semyonovich Shchepkin Higher Theatre School (course of Y.M. Solomin), a young actress was invited to work in one of the best ensembles of the country - Samara Academic Drama Theater named after M. Gorky, where she worked for over 7 years and where she played some of the best roles of domestic foreign classical repertoire: Grushenka («The Brothers Karamazov» by F.M. Dostoyevsky), Glafira («Wolves and Sheep» by A.N. Ostrovsky), Inken Peters («Before Sunset» by G. Hauptmann), Epifania («The Millionairess» by George Bernard Shaw), Finea («The Stupid Lady» by Lope de Vega), Sophia («Woe from Wit» by A.S. Griboyedov), Lady Milford («Love and Intrigue» by Friedrich Schiller).

In 1994 Elena Kharitonova joined the ensemble of the renowned Maly Theatre (the oldest dramatic theatre in Russia), where she has served for over 20 years now. The talented and gracious Elena Kharitonova ideally portrays romantic heroines. However, she is not afraid to experiment with different styles, genres, and ideas. Elena has shown her versatility in a range of roles – gentle Maria Nagaya («Tsar Ivan the Terrible» by A.K. Tolstoy), frivolous Smelskaya («Talents and Admirers» by A.N. Ostrovsky), cranky Princess Elsa («The Snow Queen» by Evgeny Schwartz), passionate Baroness Shtral, («The Masquerade» by M.Yu.Lermontov), ambitious Marina Mnishek («Dmitry the Pretender and Vasily Shuisky» by Alexander Ostrovsky), proud and independent Lady Milford («Love and Intrigue» by Friedrich Schiller), etc.

Elena’s signature role was Princess Marguerite of Navarre from «Secrets of the Madrid Court» by Eugène Scribe, Ernest Leguvé. The role of the French princess, who is trying to rescue her brother from the Spanish captivity and build her happiness, in the meantime arranging other people’s lives, allowed Elena Kharitonova to disclose the best features of her acting talent.«Secrets of the Madrid Court» toured extensively throughout Russia and continues to delight audiences nowadays. The remarkable beauty, talent and grace of Elena won over the hearts of the audience.

In 2016, the actress first appeared on stage in the role of Blanche DuBois in «A Streetcar Named Desire» by Tennessee Williams, directed by Sergey Potapov. Elena Kharitonova does not give Blanche the right to be a fractious dreamer. These traits are a consequence of her nervous illness. The actress is brilliant at portraying the piercing pain that penetrates her character. Her Blanche is «a fallen woman with the soul of an angel», as written by Natalia Vitvitskaya in an article devoted to Kharitonova’s acting.

Elena is also a prominent voiceover artist. She has given her voice to Katherine Hepburn, Sophia Loren, Juliette Binoche, Isabelle Huppert, Meryl Streep, Glenn Close, Sharon Stone, Kate Winslet, Angelina Jolie, Trine Dyrholm, Victoria Abril.

Elena Germanovna works a lot on television and radio. She is a regular participant of the Maly Theatre’s concert programs. In addition to that, she has been teaching scenic speech at the Department of Directing at the Samara Pedagogical Institute.