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Maria Kalinina

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In this name that follows East Slavic naming customs, the patronymic is Fedorovna and the family name is Kalinina.
Maria "Masha" Fedorovna Kalinina
Мария Фёдоровна Калинина
Kalinina winning Moscow Beauty '88
Born1971 (age 54–55)
Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
OccupationsModel, actress, yoga instructor
Known forWinner of Moscow Beauty '88 pageant
Spouse
Valery Sigal
​
(m. 2012)​
Modeling information
Height176 cm (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in)

Maria "Masha" Fedorovna Kalinina (Russian: Мария Фёдоровна Калинина, born 1971) is a Russian-American model, actress, and yoga instructor.

At the age of 16, Kalinina became famous for winning "Moscow Beauty (Russian: Московская красавица)", often called "Miss Moscow", the first beauty contest held in the capital of the Soviet Union. After winning, she toured Europe, modeling, appearing on television, recording a French language record, and playing in an Italian film. In 1990, Kalinina moved to the United States, where she became an actress in minor roles, and married a fellow emigrant. Her role as the villainess in the 2006 horror film Stay Alive affected her enough that she gave up dark roles and became a vegetarian and a yoga instructor; she taught yoga classes in the US, Russia, and internationally.

Early life

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Maria "Masha" Fedorovna Kalinina[1] was born in Moscow, in September 1971.[2] She was an only child, her father was a doctor and her mother a hotel administrator at Intourist.[3][4][5] On her father's side she is a descendant of politician and diplomat Prince Boris Alekseevich Kurakin via Prince Fiodor Alekseevich Kurakin [ru],[3] and on her mother's side from Tyumen merchant Vasily Sobennikov and vice admiral and explorer Vasily Golovnin.[5]

Kalinina first modeled at the age of 14, for advertising posters and calendars.[5] She says she applied to model for Vyacheslav Zaitsev, but was turned down for being too short, 176 cm (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in), when he wanted 180 cm (5 ft 11 in).[6][7]

Moscow Beauty '88

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Runner-up Oksana Fandera at the Moscow Beauty '88 contest

The Perestroika liberalization movement within the Soviet Union of the late 1980s allowed the country's first beauty pageants. "Miss Irkutsk" and "Miss Odessa" were held in 1987, "Vilnius Beauty" and "Miss Riga" in the spring of 1988.[8] However, the Moscow contest, "Moscow Beauty [ru] (Russian: Московская красавица) 1988", colloquially referred to as "Miss Moscow",[2] attracted the most attention, and would at times later be referred to as the Soviet Union's first official beauty pageant.[9][5][10] It was organized by the Soviet newspaper Moskovskij Komsomolets and German fashion magazine Burda Moden.[8] Months before the contest, thousands of applicants stretched in a queue from the Park Kultury metro station to the Gorky Park administrative building where the selection of the contestants was held.[8][9]

The final judging was a three-day event, held at the Luzhniki Palace of Sports, from June 10 through 12, with 12,000 spectators attending in person, and millions more watching via television.[11][2] 12 judges included musician Muslim Magomayev, actress Anastasiya Vertinskaya, and author Yuri Polyakov;[12] comedy was provided by Mikhail Zadornov.[11] Changing rooms for contestants were uncomfortable, there was only cold water for washing, and announcements of who was to advance to each next round – from top 36 to top 18, and finally to top six – were made to the home telephone number of the contestants at one in the morning.[5]

Kalinina was 16 years old, the youngest contestant of the top 36.[11][2] She had yet to finish high school,[7] her final exams were the day after the contest.[11] Her talent demonstrations included sewing a dress in 20 minutes, and an aerobics workout;[3] she also strutted across the stage in a Betty Boop parody, bending over and flipping up her skirt to reveal a thong bikini while saying "Whoop!".[8]

When the contestants were reduced to six finalists, the judges reviewed their internal passports in conference. One of the finalists, Oksana Fandera, turned out to be from Odesa, so unsuitable to be the first Moscow Beauty. She later became a famed Soviet and Russian actress.[13] Another, Elena Durneva, had an undesirable last name (Дурнева – similar to the Russian words for stupid, bad, or foolish); she also later became an actress, and a presenter on the 2×2 Russian television channel.[14] Yet another had a husband and child. A fourth was too vampish, so not qualifying to represent the common Moscow woman. Kalinina was awarded the title for being pretty, yet typical, having an acceptable name, a sense of humor, and a winning smile.[8][12][5]

After Kalinina won, she was showered with long-stemmed roses; the falling flowers hit her and knocked off her crown.[11][15] Her prizes included a trip to Austria, a cruise on the Adriatic Sea, a television, and many cosmetics from the Soviet and Western contest sponsors.[11][15] She also got a one year contract with Burda Moden, at the low salary of 110 rubles per month;[5] Kalinina had anticipated it would be as a fashion model, but it was mainly a desk job.[8]

Europe

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After winning, Kalinina wrote a book about the contest, Me, Miss Moscow: The Diary of a Beauty Queen, and traveled in Europe.[3][16] The first chapters of her book were serialized in Russian magazine Студенческий меридиан (Student Meridian [ru]) under the title Из дневника королевы (From the Diary of a Queen) in early 1991.[17][18][19][20] Kalinina appeared on a 1988 episode of German television show Wetten, dass..?.[21] She modeled for French fashion designers,[22][23] and voiced a French record, Fais moi l’amour (literally Make Love to Me, but usually translated Love Me), in 1989,[24] and in 1990, she acted in an Italian comedy film, Occhio alla perestrojka [it; ru; lt] (Watch out for Perestroika),[3][16] and appeared on the cover of Belgian almanac Snoecks.[25]

Also in 1989, Kalinina was photographed by Lord Patrick Lichfield for the cover of the 1990 Unipart British automotive calendar, appearing in a white fur coat and hat.[26] She was offered 500,000 pounds or 51 million rubles to pose nude for the calendar but refused; when the calendar was printed with a similar model appearing nude inside, Kalinina sued and won an apology.[27][5]

United States

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In the fall of 1990, Kalinina came to the United States as the guest of American businessman Paul Tatum; only as a friend, not a romantic partner.[3][10] She met US president George H. W. Bush, and California US Representative Christopher Cox at a meeting of Republicans in Washington.[3] She remained living in the US,[1] and tried for an acting career, taking acting classes and acquiring representation by public relations firm Hill & Knowlton.[4] Kalinina represented the Soviet Union on a special International Star Search 1991 episode of the television show Star Search.[28][29] She refused offers to pose nude for magazines Penthouse and Playboy,[3] and called a press conference to deny allegations of an affair with President of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev that were made in Bild-Zeitung, a Hamburg newspaper.[30][31][4]

In 1996, and in 1998, she met with future US president Donald Trump, then owner of the Miss Universe beauty pageant.[32] In 2020, Volume V of the redacted Senate Intelligence Committee report on Russian interference in the 2016 United States presidential election reported speculation that Trump had an affair with "a former Miss Moscow" in 1996,[33][34] which international news sources explicitly connected with Kalinina.[35][36][37][38] Kalinina, in interviews, stated that Trump had feelings for her, but denied any affair.[39] She says he asked her to abandon her boyfriend, to which she replied that then he should leave his wife, and they parted as friends.[40][5]

In 2002, Kalinina met Valery Sigal, an immigrant from Kyiv to Los Angeles, younger by three years; at first he was her fitness instructor, then they lived together for 10 years, then married.[39][41][5]

Kalinina says she lived comfortably in the US via acting in dramatic and commercial roles, though she did not like that her dramatic roles were invariably of villains, killers, addicts, and other unbalanced people.[1][41] In 2006, Kalinina appeared in what would be her largest American film role, as the villainess, the resurrected Countess Elizabeth Bathory, in the horror film Stay Alive.[42] The film was critically panned.[42][43] Kalinina herself decided not to play dark roles any more. She says that after performing killing and torture on screen, she needed to cleanse herself.[44]

Yoga

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In 2006, Kalinina took up yoga and meditation, became a vegetarian, stopped wearing fur, or leather, or items made with feathers.[41] She regularly attended a Hindu temple dedicated to Krishna,[41] but said her study of Indian philosophy helped her understand her Christian faith, which she did not intend to give up.[45] She began teaching yoga classes, and often visited Russia to do so.[41] She became active in animal rights.[6]

By 2008, Kalinina was fully a vegan, a certified Kundalini yoga instructor from the IKYTA school of Yogi Bhajan, and a member of the VITA [ru] Russian animal rights organization.[46] In 2008, Kalinina became an honorary president of the Krasa Rossii beauty pageant, and taught yoga classes to the contestants.[47]

Kalinina held yoga classes in Santa Monica,[48] and Moscow,[7] and travelling sessions in Turkey, India, and Bali.[49][50][51]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Карпенко, Елена Сергеевна (22 May 2008). "Маша Калинина прилетела в Москву" [Masha Kalinina flew in to Moscow]. Vechernyaya Moskva (in Russian). Archived from the original on 9 April 2026. Retrieved 3 April 2026.
  2. ^ a b c d "Miss Moscow picked in first beauty contest – UPI Archives". UPI. 12 June 1988. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Smith, Lynn (12 October 1990). "Miss Moscow Shatters Stereotypes During Visit". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
  4. ^ a b c Becklund, Laurie (17 May 1991). "Nyet, Nyet : Soviet Beauty Queen Denies Allegations of Affair With Gorbachev". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Burleva, Ekaterina (24 July 2024). "Правнучка тюменского купца стала первой мисс СССР: невероятная история девушки, очаровавшей Трампа" [The Great-Granddaughter of a Tyumen Merchant Becomes the First Miss USSR: The Incredible Story of the Young Woman Who Charmed Trump]. 72.ру (in Russian). Archived from the original on 15 August 2024. Retrieved 22 March 2026. Also available as Burleva, Ekaterina (29 July 2024). "Первая мисс СССР, которая стала лучшей подружкой Трампа: невероятная история правнучки купца и французского аристократа" [The First Miss USSR Who Became Trump’s Best Friend: The Incredible Story of the Great-Granddaughter of a Merchant and a French Aristocrat]. НГС.ру (in Russian). Archived from the original on 29 July 2024. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
  6. ^ a b Тагирова, Ирина (23 May 2008). "Маша Калинина: «Я в прошлом не копаюсь»" [Masha Kalinina: "I Don't Dwell on the Past"]. Argumenty i Fakty. Archived from the original on 5 May 2017. Retrieved 14 April 2026.
  7. ^ a b c "Маша Калинина: Корона советской империи" [Masha Kalinina: The Crown of the Soviet Empire]. Журнал «Интервью: Люди и события» (in Russian). 21 March 2011. Archived from the original on 21 January 2026.
  8. ^ a b c d e f Ilic, Melanie; Miklóssy, Katalin (25 July 2014). Competition in Socialist Society (PDF). Routledge. pp. 159–175. ISBN 9781138573741.
  9. ^ a b "Даты" [Dates]. Ogoniok (in Russian). No. 23. Kommersant. 17 June 2013. p. 53. Archived from the original on 17 June 2013. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
  10. ^ a b Smith, Lynn (21 October 1990). "Distant Relations Suddenly Feel Close". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 3 April 2026.
  11. ^ a b c d e f Brumley, Bryan (14 June 1988). "Reforms make pageant possible in Soviet Union". Belleville News-Democrat. Associated Press. p. 19. Retrieved 24 March 2026. Also available, slightly truncated, as "Spectators Gasp at List of Prizes : Svelte 16-Year-Old First 'Miss Moscow'". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. 13 June 1988. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
  12. ^ a b Moskalenko, Andrei (26 February 2002). "Марина Парусникова: «Это как же надо относиться к собственной нации, чтобы подозревать всех молодых россиянок, выезжающих за границу?»" [Marina Parusnikova: "What kind of attitude must one have toward one's own nation to view every young Russian woman traveling abroad with suspicion?"]. Иностранец (Inostranets). Archived from the original on 12 May 2005.
  13. ^ Maria Lemesheva (10 November 2017). "Оксана Фандера: "Просто поднимите жалюзи"" [Oksana Fandera: "Just Raise the Blinds"]. The Hollywood Reporter (Russian edition). Archived from the original on 15 October 2017.
  14. ^ "Елена Дурнева – биография, новости, личная жизнь, фото" [Elena Durneva — Biography, News, Personal Life, Photos]. stuki-druki.com (in Russian). Retrieved 24 March 2026.
  15. ^ a b Marlow, Shirley (14 June 1988). "There She Is . . . Miss Moscow?". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
  16. ^ a b "MISS MOSCOW KEEPS BUSY BY ACTING, SINGING, WRITING". Orlando Sentinel. 15 October 1990. Retrieved 22 March 2026.
  17. ^ Kalinina, Masha (January 1991). "Маша Калинина: странный, но удивительный мир" [Masha Kalinina: Strange but amazing world] (PDF). Student Meridian. No. 1. pp. 75–78. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 March 2024.
  18. ^ Kalinina, Masha (February 1991). "Маша Калинина: странный, но удивительный мир" [Masha Kalinina: Strange but amazing world] (PDF). Student Meridian. No. 2. pp. 67–71. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 March 2024.
  19. ^ Kalinina, Masha (March 1991). "Маша Калинина: странный, но удивительный мир" [Masha Kalinina: Strange but amazing world] (PDF). Student Meridian. No. 3. pp. 17–20. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 March 2024.
  20. ^ Kalinina, Masha (April 1991). "Маша Калинина: странный, но удивительный мир" [Masha Kalinina: Strange but amazing world] (PDF). Student Meridian. No. 4. pp. 61–65. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 March 2024.
  21. ^ "Thomas Gottschalk: Das waren seine krassesten Outfits" [Thomas Gottschalk: His Most Outrageous Outfits]. Prisma (in German). 16 January 2026. Retrieved 22 March 2026.
  22. ^ "High Fashion". The Courier-News. Associated Press. 23 January 1989. p. 2. Retrieved 19 March 2026. Masha Kalinina, last year's Miss Moscow, models a watergreen wild-silk suit at a Paris preview yesterday of the 1989 Spring-Summer Hauto Couture collection designed by Madame Carven
  23. ^ "Miss Moscow". The Toronto Star. Associated Press. 29 January 1989. p. 44. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
  24. ^ "Encyclopédisque – Disque : Fais moi l'amour" [Encyclopédisque – Record: Make Love to Me]. www.encyclopedisque.fr (in French). Retrieved 18 March 2026.
  25. ^ "Snoecks covers". Snoecks. Archived from the original on 20 February 2012.
  26. ^ "Moscow Beauty Plays Her Part". Ayrshire Post. 6 October 1989. p. 82. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
  27. ^ Samartsev, Maksim (21 December 2022). "Грандиозный скандал с главной красавицей СССР: чтобы увидеть ее голой, англичане пошли на грязный обман" [Massive Scandal Involving the USSR’s Reigning Beauty: To See Her Naked, the British Resorted to a Dirty Trick]. sport24.ru (in Russian). Archived from the original on 24 March 2026.
  28. ^ "McMahon takes search to global heights". The Times-News. 5 March 1991. p. 22. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
  29. ^ Swertlow, Frank (30 October 1992). "Sun comes up for McMahon after 'Tonight Show' ends". San Antonio Express-News. New York Times Service. p. 31. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
  30. ^ Harvey, Steve (1 May 1991). "Does Kitty Kelley know about this?Bild Zeitung,..." Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 3 April 2026.
  31. ^ Harvey, Steve (16 May 1991). "As international gossips know, a Hamburg newspaper..." Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 3 April 2026. Also available as Harvey, Steve (16 May 1991). "Only in L.A." Los Angeles Times. p. 525. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
  32. ^ "Дональд Трамп". Kommersant (in Russian). No. 80. 7 May 1998. p. 8. Archived from the original on 24 July 2025. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
  33. ^ Schmidt, Michael S. (19 August 2020). "Trump and Miss Moscow: Report Examines Possible Compromises in Russia Trips". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 19 August 2020. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
  34. ^ Blake, Aaron (21 August 2020). "Five provocative nuggets from the Senate intel report on Trump and Russia". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 23 August 2020. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
  35. ^ Mueller-Töwe, Jonas (30 August 2020). "Miss Moskau, Donald Trump – und die Frage der Erpressbarkeit" [Miss Moscow, Donald Trump—and the Question of Blackmail Vulnerability]. T-online (in German). Retrieved 23 March 2026.
  36. ^ "Did Donald Trump have a 'brief relationship' with a former Miss Moscow?". Spectator USA. 26 August 2020. Archived from the original on 2 September 2020. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
  37. ^ Бережная, Дарья (24 July 2025). "У Дональда Трампа был роман с королевой красоты из России, — СМИ" [Donald Trump had an affair with a Russian beauty queen — Media]. ФОКУС (Focus) (in Russian). Retrieved 23 March 2026.
  38. ^ "Трампа заподозрили в романе с российской королевой красоты" [Trump Suspected of Affair with Russian Beauty Queen]. Vesti.az (in Russian). 24 July 2025. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
  39. ^ a b ГЛЫБА, Константин (20 May 2024). "Судьбы победительниц советских конкурсов красоты: Маша Калинина отказалась быть любовницей Трампа, а Мария Кежа чуть не погибла в ДТП" [The Fates of Soviet Beauty Pageant Winners: Masha Kalinina Refused to Be Trump’s Mistress, While Maria Kezha Nearly Died in a Car Accident]. Komsomolskaya Pravda (in Russian). Archived from the original on 27 May 2024. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
  40. ^ Suhanova, Irina (5 June 2020). "Как сегодня живет победительница первого советского конкурса красоты Маша Калинина" [How Masha Kalinina, winner of the first Soviet beauty contest, lives today]. Komsomolskaya Pravda. Archived from the original on 18 February 2025. Retrieved 8 March 2026.
  41. ^ a b c d e Никишина, Татьяна (15 July 2008). "Маша Калинина: «Если бы не семейная жизнь, я бы вернулась в Россию»" [Masha Kalinina: "If It Weren't for My Family Life, I Would Return to Russia"]. Salidarnasc [be; uk] (in Russian). Retrieved 24 March 2026.
  42. ^ a b Pickle, Betsy (25 March 2006). "Game over? Audiences should be so lucky". Knoxville News-Sentinel. p. 38. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
  43. ^ Shain, Jason (14 April 2006). "'Stay Alive' horrifically bad, funny". Santa Fe New Mexican. p. D003. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
  44. ^ Ивашко, Ольга (24 June 2022). "Первая красавица СССР. Как сложилась судьба Маши Калининой" [The USSR's First Beauty: What Became of Masha Kalinina?]. Argumenty i Fakty. Archived from the original on 25 June 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2026. У меня возникло полное отторжение той роли, которую я сыграла. После экранных пыток, убийств, насилия я сразу пошла в йогу, начала чистить свой организм: перешла на вегетарианское питание, чуть ли не на сыроядение. trans: I felt a complete revulsion toward the role I had played. After the on-screen torture, murders, and violence, I immediately turned to yoga and began cleansing my body—switching to a vegetarian diet, and practically to raw foodism.
  45. ^ Флерова, Элеонора (14 September 2021). "Как сложилась жизнь первой победительницы конкурса «Московская красавица» Марии Калининой" [How Life Unfolded for Maria Kalinina, the First Winner of the "Moscow Beauty" Pageant]. Express Gazeta (in Russian). Archived from the original on 22 May 2025. Retrieved 8 March 2026.
  46. ^ "Маша Калинина — этическая вегетарианка / «ВИТА» центр защиты прав животных" [Masha Kalinina – ethical vegetarian]. www.vita.org.ru (in Russian). 2008. Retrieved 3 April 2026.
  47. ^ Kamenev, Marina (1 August 2008). "A Land of Beautiful Resources". The Moscow Times. Retrieved 18 March 2026.
  48. ^ kalinina, masha. "Kundalini Yoga Classes in Los Angeles CA by Maria Kalinina". kundaliniyogausa.com. Archived from the original on 7 February 2009.
  49. ^ "Санкт Петербург : Kundalini yoga". kundaliniyogarussia.com. Archived from the original on 30 March 2012.
  50. ^ "Йога-тур в Индии с Марией Калининой". www.jv.ru (in Russian). 13 September 2010. Retrieved 3 April 2026.
  51. ^ Андреева, Лизавета (25 September 2025). "Трупы не ем. Как живет победительница первого в СССР конкурса красоты в 54" ["I Don't Eat Corpses": How the Winner of the USSR's First Beauty Pageant Lives at 54]. Argumenty i Fakty (in Russian). Archived from the original on 25 September 2025. Retrieved 14 April 2026.
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