Irina Aktasheva was born on 6 October, 1931 in Yolatan, Turkmen SSR, USSR. She graduated acting with Sergey Gerasimov and Tamara Makarova at the All-Russian State University of Cinematography, VGIK in Moscow in 1953 where she met director Hristo Piskov, whose partner in the profession and in life she remained until the end of his days. She has worked at the Film Actors’ Theatre in Moscow (1953-1955). After their return