18 January 1936 - 21 December 2001
Honored Artisque of the RSFSR (1960).
Born in Leningrad. She graduated from the A. Vaganova Ballet School in 1953. From this year to 1977 she was in the troupe of the Leningrad Theatre named after Kirov (now the Mariinsky Theatre). She was a bright characteristic dancer of the Leningrad stage. The classical rigor of the form was combined in the art of the ballerina with a subtle sense of the style of national dance.
The wife of the poet-parodyist Alexander Ivanov. When Ivanov became a TV presenter of the program “Around laughter”, Olga Leonidovna Zabotkina had to leave the stage, move to Moscow and become her husband’s secretary. She followed his image, advised him to change his hair, chose costumes, edited lyrics... and did not miss a single recording of “Around Laughing”. And at all feasts, friendly gatherings, birthdays and other festivities she was present invariably. Tom had a bitter need: Alexander Ivanov drank hard. .
Olya was a “gray cardinal” in the family, recalls Ivanov’s colleague in the satirical workshop Arkady Arkanov. She was smart, beautiful, reserved, strict. In short, St. Petersburg ballerina! In addition, Olya starred in the movies: she is still remembered for the role of Katya Tatarinova from the film “Two Captains”. After the wedding, she left the stage and took over the organization of Sasha affairs. At the same time, she always proudly emphasized: “I am the wife of Alexander Alexandrovich Ivanov.” I understood the importance of his fame. And at the everyday level, she ruled absolutely everything: in particular, Sasha’s demonstrative asceticism in clothes and behavior was undoubtedly dictated by her. Olya survived the blockade - this herself explained her principled thrift, or more harshly, stinginess. In short, Sasha never shook ... Expensive shops were avoided. Concert costumes were sewn by tailors of Litfond, strictly in line, but with great discounts. If you could go by metro for five kopecks, and not a taxi for three rubles — went to the subway. . .
Alexander Alexandrovich and Olga Leonidovna built a good two-room cooperative apartment in a prestigious house near the metro station "Airport". She had everything that was necessary for life, but without chic. But anyway, they loved each other very much. And their pets: endless cats, dogs, birds – the plague of many childless couples.
She outlived her husband by several years. The last few years she was very sick, almost did not go outside, did not invite anyone to her. “I don’t want you to see me like that,” she answered friends on the phone. She died in Moscow on December 24, 2001. By the will of the deceased, her ashes were brought to St. Petersburg from Moscow. Buried in the Smolensk cemetery.
For many viewers, she is remembered for her work in the cinema.