Irina Starshenbaum

Irina Vladimirovna Starshenbaum (born 30 March 1992 in Moscow, Russia) is a prominent Russian actress whose career has rapidly ascended since her debut in 2013. After graduating from the Faculty of Media Business and Public Relations at the Moscow State University of Printing Arts, she entered the performing arts world, initially taking on minor roles before landing her breakthrough as Yuliya Lebedeva in Fyodor Bondarchuk’s science‑fiction film Attraction (2017). The performance showcased her ability to convey vulnerability and strength, earning her widespread recognition and setting the stage for a series of high‑profile projects. In the same year she appeared in Black Water as Polina, further demonstrating her versatility across genres.

In 2018, Starshenbaum delivered a compelling portrayal of Natalia Naumenko in Kirill Serebrennikov’s Leto, a film that explored the vibrant Soviet rock scene and earned critical acclaim. Her role in the blockbuster war movie T‑34 (2019) as translator Anya Yartseva garnered a TEFI award for Best Actress and a nomination for the prestigious Golden Eagle Award, cementing her status as one of Russia’s leading contemporary talents. Subsequent roles in Gold Diggers (2019), Invasion (2020), and the television series Sherlock in Russia (2020) highlighted her capacity to inhabit diverse characters, from gritty streetwise figures to sophisticated intellectuals. In 2023 she expanded her international profile with an English‑language role as Shoshana Borochov in Michael Winterbottom’s Shoshana, portraying the daughter of a seminal Zionist figure—an undertaking that required both linguistic agility and nuanced emotional depth. Beyond the screen, Starshenbaum has been vocal on social issues, joining a collective video appeal to President Putin for animal rights protection in 2018. Her personal life, including a public engagement to actor Alexander Petrov that ended in 2019, remains a subject of media interest, though she keeps her family life largely private. Of Jewish heritage, Starshenbaum continues to contribute to Russian cinema while exploring opportunities on the global stage, solidifying her reputation as a dynamic and dedicated performer.