Varvara Massalitinova，Varvara Osipovna Massalitinova was born on July 29, 1878, in Yelets, Lipetsk province, Russian Empire (now Yelets, Russia). She began acting at an amateur theatre club in the Siberian city of Tomsk, then moved to Moscow and studied acting under A. Lensky at Moscow Theatrical school from which she graduated in 1901, as an actress.