Mariya Prizvan-Sokolova,Maria Aleksandrovna Prizvan-Sokolova was born on April 1, 1909, in Russia. She studied art and acting at the State Artistic Studio in Leningrad and graduated in 1931 as an actress. From 1931-2001 Prizvan-Sokolova was a permanent member of the legendary troupe of Bolshoi Drama Theatre (BDT) in St. Petersburg (Leningrad).