Actress. A veteran of more than 30 films, she shall be remembered as a star of both the Russian screen and stage. Raised in Voronezh, she earned a 1958 journalism degree from Moscow State University while participating in some school drama productions. Despite a complete lack of formal theatrical training Iya was cast in the lead role of Anna Sergevna in what was to be probably her best known movie, 1960’s “The Lady With the Dog”, a filmed version of one of Anton Chekhov’s short stories. Her other noted screen credits included the title lead of 1966’s romance drama “The Story of Asya Klyachina”, Dolly in the 1967 “Anna Karenina”, one of several tellings of Tolstoy’s classic tale, and Anikeyeva in 1979’s comedy “The Garage”. Iya was a regular on the Moscow stage for 50 years and was a member of the Moscow Art Theatre from 1977 on; in a lighter vein, she was known to two generations of Russian children as the voice of Piglet from three “Winnie-the-Pooh” shorts made in the late 1960s. Much honored, she was designated People’s Artist of the Soviet Union in 1990 and also received the Cristal Turandot Award and the State Prize of the Russian Federation. A respected film scholar, Iya produced a number of academic articles; she made her final silver screen appearance in 2007 and was last seen on stage a few months prior to her demise. At her death a number of her films were available on DVD. (bio by: Bob Hufford)