Biography

Varvara Shmykova is a Russian-born, Berlin-based actress working internationally across film, television, theatre and opera. Born in Moscow, she graduated from the Moscow Art Theatre School and first gained recognition through her work in independent cinema and contemporary theatre.

Her film credits include Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Loveless (2017), winner of the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival and nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, as well as Kirill Serebrennikov’s Petrov’s Flu (2021) and Tchaikovsky’s Wife (2022), both selected for the main competition at Cannes.

Her recent screen work includes Minotaur (2026), directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev, and Matröshki, directed by Alina Yklymova. She also performs internationally in theatre and opera, including collaborations with Kirill Serebrennikov such as Don Giovanni / Requiem at the Komische Oper Berlin and Der Schneesturm, which premiered at the Salzburg Festival as a co-production with Schauspielhaus Düsseldorf.

She has also been featured in international fashion and culture publications, including Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Purplehaze Magazine, and RBC Style.
- IMDb mini biography by: Daniil Radlov