Stefaniya Stanyuta

Stefanija Michajłaŭna Staniuta (Стэфанія Міхайлаўна Станюта; 30 April 1905 – 6 November 2000) was a Belarus–Soviet theater and movie actress. She was awarded as the 1988 People's Artist of the USSR.

Stefanija was born on April 30, 1905, in Minsk in the family of the famous Belarusian artist Michaś Staniuta. As a child, she happened to attend the official meeting of Tsar Nicholas II with the Belarusian people.

She studied at the parish school, then at the Minsk Women's Government Gymnasium. In 1926 she graduated from the Belarusan Drama Studio under the Moscow Art Theater (class of Valentin Smyshliayev and Sofia Giatsyntova).

Since 1932 and until the end of her life Stefanija Staniuta worked at the Janka Kupala National Academic Theatre in Minsk. In total she played about 200 roles, including in movies from 1958 onward.

Selected filmography

 * 1958 – Red Leaves as episode
 * 1964 – Letters to the Living as episode
 * 1966 – I'm Going to Look For as episode
 * 1969 – I, Francysk Skaryna as Abbess
 * 1974 – Adventures in a City that does not Exist as Aunt Polly
 * 1976 – The Troubled Month of Veresen as Serafima
 * 1977 – About the Little Red Riding Hood as 1st evil old woman
 * 1983 – Farewell as Darja
 * 1983 – White Dew as Kisialikha
 * 1985 – Mama, I'm Alive as Domna Fialipaŭna, a teacher in a partisan detachment
 * 1985 – Do Not Marry, Girls as Granny
 * 1991 – Tsar Ivan the Terrible as Anufrievna
 * 1995 – The Game of Imagination as Granny in a hat
 * 2001 – Holiday Romance as episode

Awards and decorations
Her major awards and decorations include:
 * People's Artist of the Byelorussian SSR (1957)
 * People's Artist of the USSR (1988)
 * Byelorussin SSR State Prize (1982) for theatrical performance
 * Two Order of the Red Banner of Labour (1980, 1985)
 * Order of Friendship of Peoples (1977)
 * Order of the Badge of Honour (1955)
 * Medal "For Distinguished Labour" (1955)
 * Jubilee Medal "In Commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin" (1969)
 * Medal "For the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945"
 * Medal "For Valiant Labour in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945"
 * Medal "Veteran of Labour" (1975)
 * Francysk Skaryna Medal (1995)
 * Crystal Paulinka Prize (1992; inaugural recipient) of Belarusian Union of Theater Workers