Margarita Nazarova was a renowned Russian circus artist and tiger trainer. She was awarded the title of Honored Artist of the RSFSR in 1958 and People's Artist of the RSFSR in 1969.
Born in Pushkin, Leningrad Oblast, Nazarova spent her childhood in a family of a forester and a teacher. In the early 1940s, her family moved to Daugavpils, where she was kidnapped by German forces at the age of 15 during World War II.
Nazarova was forced to work in a German cabaret, where she began her career as a dancer. She was discovered by the cabaret's owner, who recognized her talent and helped her develop her skills. Nazarova's life as a night dancer began, and she eventually became a regular performer in the cabaret.
In 1945, Nazarova returned to her homeland and began working at the "Circus on Stage" in Riga, where she performed an acrobatic routine. Her first film appearance was in the 1953 film "A Chance in the Taiga," where she was part of the extras.
On the set of this film, Nazarova met dрессировщик Konstantin Konstantinovsky, who would later become her husband. In 1954, she began working as an assistant to dрессировщик Boris Eder and her future husband.
During the filming of the movie "Tamer of Tigers," renowned actress Lyudmila Kasatkina refused to film a scene in a cage with wild animals. Nazarova took on the role of Kasatkina's double, and in the film "Striped Flight," she played one of the main roles.
In her later years, Nazarova lived in Nizhny Novgorod, where she passed away on October 25, 2005, in poverty and solitude in her apartment. She was buried at the Nagornoye Cemetery in Nizhny Novgorod.
