Nikita Yefremov bio, ethnicity, age, parents, family, girlfriend, height 2025

Biography of Nikita Yefremov

Nikita Mikhailovich Yefremov is a standout member of one of Russia's most prominent theatrical dynasties, who has taken on over a dozen stage roles and more than thirty film performances. He won the prestigious Russian theater award Golden Leaf in 2009 (for his performance as Alexander Chatsky in the play "Woe from Wit") and a nominee for the Kids' Choice Awards-2016 in the category "Favorite Russian Actor".

Childhood and family

The future actor and heir to a legendary theatrical dynasty was born on May 30, 1988 in Moscow. His father, Mikhail Yefremov, is an accomplished actor, director, and TV host who founded the youth troupe "Sovremennik-2". His grandfather, Oleg Nikolaevich Yefremov, was a legendary director and actor who headed the Moscow Art Theatre and founded the Sovremennik Theatre.

The acting dynasty of the Efremovs: Oleg, Mikhail, Nikita

Nikita's grandmother, Alla Borisovna Pokrovskaya, was a well-known actress, theater director, and teacher at the School-Studio of the Moscow Art Theatre. His grandmother's father, Nikita's great-grandfather, Boris Aleksandrovich Pokrovsky, was a teacher, journalist, and famous opera director, who has the Moscow Chamber Musical Theatre of Opera named after him. Boris's first wife, Anna Alekseevna Nekrasova (Nikita's great-grandmother), worked as a director at the Central Children's Theater.

The actor's mother, Asya Vorobyova (born Asya Robertovna Bikmuhametova), studied philology and ran the literary department at "Sovremennik-2". His maternal grandmother Flora was an economist. She left her husband and teenage daughter, fell in love with an Algerian, and moved abroad with him. The actor's grandfather, Robert Gatovich Bikmuhametov, was a distinguished scientist in the Bashkir ASSR, literary historian, and professor at Moscow State University's Philological Faculty. After the divorce, he raised his daughter on his own.

Anton Tabakov, son of famous actors Oleg Tabakov and Lyudmila Krylova, introduced Nikita's father to his future mother, Asya, who was Anton's third wife at the time. Anton asked Mikhail Yefremov to hire his beautiful wife as a literary editor, and he did not refuse. Mikhail was instantly charmed by the young woman, who inherited her striking looks from her mother and her intelligence, gentleness, and reserve from her father.

A few months later, "well-wishers" told Anton about his wife's affair and his friend's betrayal. After the scandal broke, Asya moved in with Mikhail. Soon she found out that she was pregnant and quit her job. They lived together in a common-law marriage for about two years before eventually splitting up.

We are different people. In childhood, I had a desire, like from fairy tales, to see my father that way. But he was different. That doesn't mean he's bad. He didn't like heart-to-heart conversations. On the contrary, he said that we should not engage in conversations but rather do things. I was offended. But at some point, there came an awareness and a willingness to accept him for who he is.

Nikita Yefremov about his father

Their son grew up in his grandfather's academic apartment, with his mother raising him there. When he was 7 years old, Robert Gatovich passed away. By then, Asya's mother had returned from Algeria, and the two women raised the boy together. He started using his famous father's surname at age 12 (he was born Tabakov, became Bikmukhametov after his mother's divorce, then took Yefremov).

Nikita studied at a physics and mathematics gymnasium, played sports (basketball, football), attended a music school where he learned to play the violin, sing, and play the piano.

Beyond this, he successfully took part in school productions, though he didn't seriously consider acting as a career until his final years of high school. Before that, he'd dreamed of being a trolleybus or subway driver, planned to become a football player, and later set his sights on studying at Moscow State University's Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics.

Youth and first roles

In 2005, he graduated from high school and applied to the School-Studio at the Moscow Art Theatre. No one tried to talk him out of pursuing acting. His father warned him it was a tough profession requiring constant growth, but added: "If you want to do it, go for it." And his mother advised him to apply to several acting schools to increase his chances of admission.

But the determined young man insisted he only wanted to attend the Moscow Art Theatre's school. He got in on his first try. The course was led by Konstantin Raikin, the heir of a famous dynasty of actors.

Nikita finished Moscow Art Theatre School

Good-looking and talented, he quickly caught directors' attention and started landing film roles. Alongside Ravshana Kurkova and Artem Tkachenko, he played in the short film "Medusa" directed by Alexandra Bolshakova, where he competed for the heroine's affections in a love triangle, and also appeared as Stas in the comedy TV series "My Beautiful Nanny." One of his first roles was as Ilya in the series "The Most Beautiful," where he had a romance with his co-star Anna Mikhailovskaia.

During his second year in 2006, the up-and-coming actor landed one of the leading roles as Tema in the youth adventure film "Insatiable." At that time, he also played the role of a violinist who falls in love with a blind florist (Natalya Naumova) in the detective series "The Hijacking."

As a student, he really shone on the theatrical stage. In 2007, the premiere of the choreographic performance "Stravinsky. Games" took place at the Mikhail Baryshnikov Arts Center in New York, in which he participated. The production featured student pieces set to the famous composer's music, offering a fresh interpretation of his ballet "The Rite of Spring."

A year later, the actor played the young caballero Don Juan in the play "Silence is Golden," based on the play by the Spanish writer Pedro Calderon. And in 2009, he was awarded the prestigious "Golden Leaf" theater award for his role as Chatsky in the production of Alexander Griboyedov's play "Woe from Wit."

In the same period, in the melodrama "The Passenger", directed by Stanislav Govorukhin based on the story by Konstantin Stanyukovich, the actor played the naval officer Vorontsov.

After graduating from the school-studio in 2009, the promising young actor received several job offers and chose "Sovremennik" - a natural fit. His debut on the stage of the theater founded by his grandfather was the role of one of the main characters, Gottfried, in the play "Three Comrades" based on the novel by Erich Maria Remarque. This production explored themes of the lost generation and war, focusing on timeless values like friendship, loyalty, and devotion - themes that still resonate with audiences today. Later, Nikita could be seen in such plays as "Gorbunov and Gorchakov", "Seryozha", "Decameron".

Further career

The rising star shot to fame at 23 in 2011, with the release of the multi-part film "Ballad of a Bomber," based on the eponymous book by Mikhail Veller, based on real events. The young man played the key role of pilot Andrey, who made over a hundred combat flights.

A still from the movie The Ballad of a Bomber

Nature blessed Nikita with more than just acting talent, striking looks, and magnetic stage presence that captivates audiences – he also has a compelling voice. This opened doors for him to branch into voiceover and dubbing work. He voiced Ivan in the animated feature "Ivan Tsarevich and the Grey Wolf", "Ivan Tsarevich and the Grey Wolf," and later tackled the lead role of Charlie in the American-Romanian romantic film "Charlie Countryman," originally played by Hollywood star Shia LaBeouf.

In 2012, seven projects featuring Yefremov Jr. were released. Among them was the sitcom "The '80s," that brought back nostalgic memories for viewers. Yefremov played the role of Galdin, a nonconformist student and leader of the group "Fanny Kaplan." The show proved so popular it continued for three more seasons.

In 2013, Nikita played the key role of talented actor Igor in the dramatic film "Rehearsals", which was included in the program of the Moscow International Film Festival and the Russian Film Festival in Tbilisi. He also joined the star-studded cast of the drama "Thaw" with Yevgeny Tsyganov, Anna Chipovskaya, and Victoria Isakova, where he portrayed his own grandfather, Oleg Yefremov.

In 2014, audiences saw the beloved actor in "The Duel," the third installment of the multi-part TV series "Kuprin," adapted from classic Russian literature. He delivered one of his finest performances as Sub-Lieutenant Romashov, who served alongside Kuprin and fell for the enchanting Shurochka, wife of Lieutenant Nikolayev.

During the same period, in the eight-episode historical film "Grigory R.", the actor transformed into Grand Duke Dmitry, a cousin of Nicholas II. The series explored the events surrounding the life and tragic death of the enigmatic "prophet" Rasputin.

2015 saw the premiere of the youth drama series "Londongrad" premiered, following former St. Petersburg resident and Oxford graduate Mikhail Kulikov, played by Nikita. His character runs a one-of-a-kind agency solving problems for Russians in Britain's capital – everything from tracking down a wealthy businessman's runaway daughter, Alisa, to securing premium Chelsea FC tickets.

The drama series "Quiet Flows the Don" then hit screens, chronicling the lives of Don Cossacks in the early 20th century. The actor played the role of Korshunov, a friend of the main character Melekhov, learning to ride horses and master basic saber techniques during filming.

In 2016, the actor appeared in Karen Shakhnazarov's film "Anna Karenina", where he played the role of General Serpuhovskoy, a friend of Vronsky, as well as the historical film about the 1733-1743 geographical northern expedition, "The Commander of the Polar Star" by Vladimir Kott, where he portrayed the image of the legendary polar explorer Semyon Chelyuskin.

In 2017, Yefremov's notable work included the detective melodrama "Excellent Student," exploring daily life in the Northern capital's criminal investigation unit. He appeared in it in the role of operative Oleg, who unexpectedly captures the heart of lead character Maria, a forensic specialist. Interestingly, Maria's role was played by the actor's ex-wife, Yana Gladkikh, and after the release of the mini-series, rumors began to circulate about the possible resumption of their relationship.

Nikita Yefremov in the TV series Excellent Student

In 2018, the actor joined the cast of Kirill Serebrennikov's musical film "Leto" about Viktor Tsoi. Yefremov played musician Bob (based on Boris Grebenshchikov), who helped Tsoi record his debut album. The film was well received by the audience at Cannes and received an award for the best soundtrack.

Fans could then catch Nikita in Alexander Gordon's ironic comedy "Uncle Sasha," which premiered at Kinotavr, and in 2019's tragedy "VMayakovsky," where he portrayed Futurism founder David Burliuk.

The busy actor kept his momentum going with several projects in 2020. In April, the premiere of the 8-part drama "Safe Connections" by Konstantin Bogomolov took place, exploring how people's lives shifted during COVID-19 lockdown. In particular, Kolya, played by Nikita, and his lover Masha (Maria Shumakova) end up quarantining in the same apartment with their actual spouses and finally have time to confront what they'd been avoiding.

On the set of the TV series Safe Connections

The actor stayed busy with projects throughout 2020. In April, the premiere of the 8-part drama "Safe Connections" by Konstantin Bogomolov took place, exploring how people's lives shifted during COVID-19 lockdown. In particular, Kolya, played by Nikita, and his lover Masha (Maria Shumakova) end up quarantining in the same apartment with their actual spouses and finally have time to confront what they'd been avoiding.

Nikita Yefremov and Yulia Snigir on the set of The Good Man

In 2021, the thriller "Dormitory" based on the novel by Alexei Ivanov was released in cinemas, with Roman Vasyanov as the director and the actor once again embodying one of the key characters. The action takes place in a student dormitory in Sverdlovsk in the early 80s. When a student commits suicide, it devastates Nikita's character Ivan, a musician and troublemaker, and the tight group of friends start turning on each other.

The personal life of Nikita Yefremov

Yefremov's love life has been quite eventful. At 17, he began dating Anna Mikhaylovskaya, whom he met while filming "The Most Beautiful."

He then spent about a year with Elena Dudina, one of the most beautiful girls in his class at the Moscow Art Theatre School. But she couldn't hold onto the charming, social actor for long. Soon he was dating another classmate, Anna Chipovskaya.

Next came Nina, daughter of sports commentator Viktor Gusev. But by his 23rd birthday, he was with a girl named Anna, whom he called his future wife.

However, in 2014 he married someone completely different - Yana Gladkikh, a theater colleague. They didn't just have a civil ceremony - they also had a church wedding. But even that couldn't save their marriage - they split after just a year. In interviews from that time, the actor admitted he was fatalistic and later called himself a "terrible egocentric."

He revealed that when he got married, he pictured marriage like something from a glossy magazine and wanted to prove to his divorced parents that relationships could work differently. It didn't work out. According to the actor, he and Yana had boundary issues: "Either I wanted her to be too much mine, or she did."

In the spring of 2019, the actor started dating television presenter and photo model Maria Ivakova. They vacationed together in the Maldives, were guests at the wedding of Regina Todorenko and Vlad Topalov in Sorrento, and also appeared at the Glamour magazine awards and were unexpectedly named "Couple of the Year."

Maria, like Nikita, was previously married. Her ex-husband, one of the co-owners of the construction holding company "Ingeocom-Trust" Ernest Rudyak, left her an apartment in the center of the capital, where the actor and TV presenter settled.

When friends asked about wedding plans, Nikita would say he "rushed once already." He believes men mature enough for marriage around 35-40 years old. Maria said she was happy to wait and found "When's the wedding?" questions far more annoying:

Nikita is honest with me and himself, and that's cool. Everything will happen in time and for the better, and I live with that mindset. It bothers me more that it's considered acceptable to ask such tactless questions.

In November 2021, the couple parted ways. "Our dance with Masha has ended. We part with respect and love for the journey we shared. Thank you!" he wrote on his Instagram. In his free time, Nikita loves jamming with friends and playing rock music. He's also into adult animated shows with dark humor like "Rick and Morty," which started as a twisted parody of "Back to the Future" characters.

In summer 2020, Nikita's father caused a fatal car crash while driving drunk. Mikhail Yefremov crashed into a car, and the driver of that car died in the hospital that same night. The actor was sentenced to 8 years in prison. It took Nikita six months before he could speak about his feelings: "I could've ended up like him. Under different circumstances, the same thing could've happened to me. Anyone who drinks could find themselves in that situation."

Nikita Yefremov Now

On March 31, 2023, the drama "Tetris" hit Apple's streaming service, with Nikita playing Soviet engineer Alexey Pajitnov, who created the 20th century's most popular video game. Game designer Hank Rogers, who helped Pajitnov obtain a license to sell Tetris in the United States, was played by Taron Egerton.

Tetris. Trailer

Photos: Nikita Yefremov