Russian actress Darya Yurgens has shared a childhood photograph on Instagram showing what she looked like during her school days. The 58-year-old screen star, best known for playing the bald prostitute Marilyn in the hit crime film Brother 2, published the image to the stories section of her account.
In the vintage picture, Yurgens posed wearing a traditional Soviet school uniform. The outfit consisted of a tailored dress, a detachable lace collar, and a ceremonial white apron adorned with ruffles. Her hair was worn down over her shoulders, with the side strands fastened away from her face using hair clips.
Standard girls' uniforms in the Soviet Union typically consisted of a dark brown dress paired with a black apron for regular classes, while ornate white aprons were reserved for festive school assemblies and holidays.
Rise to fame in Brother 2
Yurgens achieved widespread recognition across Russia following her performance in Aleksei Balabanov's 2000 cult film Brother 2. Her character, an emigre sex worker who went by the street name Marilyn, became one of the blockbuster's most memorable figures alongside lead actor Sergei Bodrov Jr. The role required the actress to shave her head, creating a stark visual contrast to the youthful schoolgirl seen in her newly shared archive photograph.
Before launching her celebrated screen and stage career, Yurgens studied dramatic arts in Saint Petersburg. She graduated in 1990 from the prestigious Leningrad State Institute of Theatre, Music and Cinematography, an institution commonly known by its acronym LGITMiK. She had originally entered the academy as an auditor after falling short of the required entrance points, but earned official placement as a regular student from her second year.
Marriages and family life
The actress was legally married twice, both times to fellow Russian actors. Her first marriage was to screen star Evgeny Dyatlov, with whom she had a son, Egor Lesnikov, before she later married actor Pyotr Zhuravlyov and lived with stuntman Sergey Velikanov. In addition to her son, she raised a daughter, Aleksandra Yurgens, whose father's identity she has chosen to keep private.
The nostalgic school picture follows earlier family milestones that Yurgens shared with her social media followers. In August, she posted a photograph alongside her son Egor, who followed his parents into the acting profession. During the same month, she published a portrait of her daughter Aleksandra to celebrate the young woman's 23rd birthday.
