Sabira Maikanova

Born Jan. 1, 1914, in Kzyl-Orda. Soviet Kazakh actress, People’s Artist of the USSR (1970). Member of the CPSU since 1941.

Maikanova has been a member of the company of the M. Auezov Kazakh Theater of Drama in Alma-Ata since 1932. Among her best roles are Koklan in Auezov’s Koblandy, Zeinep in Mukanov’s Chokan Valikhanov, Tolgonai in The Maternal Field, an adaptation of Aitmatov’s work, Kabanikha in Ostrovskii’s The Storm, the title role in Trenev’s Liubov’ larovaia, Ekaterina Ivanovna in Afinogenov’s Mother of Her Children, Evdokiia Ivanovna in Kapler’s Lenin in 1918, and Tkhan’ in The Star of Vietnam by Kupriianov. Her success has been in portraying the roles of women of strong and willful character. Maikanova has been awarded the State Prize of the Kazakh SSR (1967), the Order of the Red Banner of Labor, and various medals.