What Happened to Mikhail Yefremov's Wives and Lovers

From a very young age, Mikhail Yefremov«s fame far outstripped him personally. First, there was talk about the stellar achievements of his father, which were also expected of him. Then came the tender sighs about his love adventures, a penchant for which, according to his female classmates, he also inherited from Oleg Yefremov. But with each new marriage of the actor, all the talk turned into cautious whispers that Yefremov was not every girl»s dream and that falling under his charm risked ending up not in a fairy tale but in a nightmare.

Elena Golyanova

Mikhail Yefremov«s first official wife was aspiring actress Elena Golyanova. He met her during his student years at the Moscow Art Theatre School. Their marriage turned out to be the shortest in the actor»s life, lasting only a couple of months.

Elena came to Moscow from Nizhny Novgorod; she needed a Moscow residence permit to exchange her apartment in her hometown for one in the capital.

— I asked all my classmates who could marry me temporarily for the apartment exchange. Everyone stayed silent. Misha couldn«t stand that everyone chickened out and declared: »I«ll marry you.» That«s how I exchanged the apartment, and after that we divorced, — Elena said in one of her interviews.

According to one version, the marriage was purely friendly, but according to another, Elena did have feelings for Mikhail. Charismatic, charming, from a wealthy family of the famous actor Oleg Yefremov—he attracted the attention of many women.

— In college, he instantly gained a reputation as a guy with incredible charisma and energy, who girls were crazy about, — shared actress and classmate Irina Tsivina.

After studies, in 1987, Mikhail Yefremov together with his classmates created the theater «Sovremennik-2», where Elena Golyanova was also invited to perform. However, by then, any romance, even if it had ever been in the air, was out of the question, as Mikhail had met his new love.

Asya Vorobyeva

Mikhail«s second choice was Asya Vorobyeva (real name Asiyat Bikmukhametova), a philologist by education. The girl was married to the son of Oleg Tabakov—Anton. He, out of old friendship, asked Yefremov to hire her as a literary editor at »Sovremennik-2«, and Mikhail agreed.

As soon as Asya stepped over the threshold of the theater, Yefremov forgot about friendship and began actively courting the girl, showering her with flowers and expensive gifts. A workplace romance developed between the young people. Asya left her husband, and a few months later she found out she was pregnant with Yefremov«s child. Despite the birth of their son Nikita in 1988, Mikhail never married Asya, and shortly after the baby»s arrival, their relationship ended altogether. In the actor«s circle, alcohol is cited as the reason for the breakup.

— Mishka said he tried alcohol as early as age 12, — explains Elena Golyanova. — Yefremov has a complex character: when sober, he«s delightful, but once he drinks—he gets bold, full of energy that needs an outlet, he immediately wants to go somewhere, to confront people.

Director Valery Sergeev notes that due to Yefremov«s desire to carouse and confront, many of his companions suffered, including Asya.

— He got all his wives hooked on drinking, — says Valery Sergeev. — Asya Vorobyeva suffered a lot from him and ran away.

After the breakup, the upbringing of little Nikita was handled by his mother and grandfather. Only when he was 12 years old did Mikhail acknowledge him and give him his surname.

A full relationship with his father was established only when Nikita grew up. Today, he successfully continues the acting dynasty.

Yevgenia Dobrovolskaya

While still in a relationship with Asya, Mikhail fell in love with Yevgenia Dobrovolskaya. He had known the actress since their student days, but romantic feelings connected them much later.

In 1988, Mikhail was looking for an actress for his production and remembered Yevgenia. Working in the theater, Mikhail pursued Yevgenia for two years before she reciprocated. They married in 1990, and their marriage lasted about seven years. However, family life was far from idyllic.

— Misha could even throw a stool; I dodged, but I could retaliate, — the actress recalls.

The relationship wasn«t saved even by the birth of their son Nikolai in 1991. Yefremov, as after the birth of his first child, wasn»t inspired by the thought of diapers and sleepless nights and instead disappeared into work.

According to close ones, the main reason for the family discord—alcohol. For a long time, Yefremov didn«t drink at all, but when he started again, the relationship turned into torment. Yevgenia grew tired of trying to save the family for the child»s sake and parted ways with Yefremov by the end of 1996.

— Misha—is wonderful, talented, but it«s impossible to live with him, — Dobrovolskaya said. — We were both nervous and impulsive, with very difficult characters. And over the years, we just grew tired of each other. I always ended relationships if I caught myself rejoicing when the door closed behind my husband.

Their son Nikolai, who also became an actor, followed in his father«s footsteps not only in career choice; with age, he also developed alcohol problems. In 2023, under the influence of alcohol, he fell out of a window, as he later said: »Accidentally.« The young man underwent a craniotomy, and after that, he almost stopped leaving home and no longer acts in films.

At the end of 2023, another shock occurred in Dobrovolskaya«s life. She found out she had an aggressive form of stomach cancer that had already metastasized to the brain. After a course of chemotherapy, the actress lived for another two years and died of heart failure in January 2025.

Ksenia Kachalina

Mikhail Yefremov«s fourth marriage was with actress Ksenia Kachalina. Their romance began on the set of the series »The Romanovs: An Imperial Family« (0+). Ksenia, who had previously experienced the loss of a newborn daughter from her first husband—musician Alexei Paperny, found support in Yefremov.

In 2000, the couple married, and they had a daughter, Anna-Maria. However, their family happiness lasted only four years. Ksenia«s career declined, and she, along with her husband, became addicted to alcohol, and later also to banned substances.

After the divorce, Ksenia moved with her daughter to Goa, where she spent her last money on her addiction. According to Anna-Maria, her mother stopped caring for her and could hit her at any moment, which is why Yefremov«s daughter still can»t look at Ksenia calmly.

— Her face no longer evokes fear or any urge to shrink, taking up as little space as possible. But I still flinch… I sigh and repeat to myself: not my future, not my present, I won«t become like that, I don»t have to communicate, — Anna-Maria wrote in her blog.

Mikhail eventually took the daughter and obtained sole custody of her. Until 2020, Yefremov continued to help his ex-wife and send her money, but after he was detained, Ksenia was left with only a five-thousand-ruble allowance from the Union of Cinematographers, which the actress spends on wine the very first day.

Ksenia«s once-spacious apartment, which Mikhail left her after the divorce, gradually turned into a dump. Previously, it was cleaned by a housekeeper paid for by Yefremov; now Kachalina chooses to live surrounded by piles of trash and dirty things rather than clean up.

— She doesn«t have the habit of taking out the trash bin but likes to place it right by the door, — Mikhail Yefremov»s sister said on the show «Stars Aligned» (16+).

Despite her dire situation, Ksenia still remembers her ex-husband with love.

— Yefremov is truly a brilliant actor, a brilliant partner, and a brilliant person. He is truly the most beloved, the most handsome, and the smartest, — says Mikhail«s ex-wife about him.

Sofia Kruglikova

The fifth companion, with whom Mikhail had the longest relationship, was Sofia Kruglikova. They met in the early 2000s at an actors« cafe. After the first meeting, they kept running into each other over coffee, and Mikhail began persistently asking her to marry him. She, being married to a successful French programmer, didn»t take the actor«s advances and words seriously but still agreed each time, considering it a joke.

However, Mikhail managed to charm her, and Sofia chose Yefremov, destroying her previous marriage. In 2002, the couple married. They had three children in total: in 2005—daughter Vera, two years later—Nadezhda, and three years after that—son Boris.

Yefremov believed that Sofia—was the love of his life. In 2016, he married her in a church ceremony to confirm his feelings. For Sofia, this ritual was sacred. She patiently accepted all her husband«s flaws and weaknesses.

— Before Yefremov, I had a French husband with whom I lived in Paris. He didn«t drink, gave flowers every day, ran for croissants in the mornings. And I left him, came back to Russia, and married Yefremov! I chose this fun with Yefremov myself and live in this fun! — Sofia replied bitterly to any questions.

She forgave arguments, alcohol abuse, infidelities. She supported her husband after the fatal car accident in 2020 and waited for him from prison for four years.

In July 2025, rumors emerged: Sofia«s strength had run out, and the couple split after 23 years of marriage. It was whispered that the last straw was revelations about Mikhail»s «prison romance.»

However, in September, it turned out that the couple had managed to overcome the relationship crisis, and the news of the divorce was untrue. According to the actor«s close circle, he continues to live with his wife in their Moscow apartment, and Sofia—is practically the only close person he communicates with.

— He doesn«t want any feasts or friendly gatherings now. He stopped communicating with friends, sits like a hermit in the apartment. He handles all work negotiations personally; he has no team, — noted producer Yevgeny Morozov.

Daria Belousova

All the fuss and talk about the couple«s separation didn»t come out of nowhere. Even being behind bars couldn«t stop Mikhail Yefremov from new romantic pursuits. Actress Daria Belousova from the Sovremennik theater was listed among the actor»s new passions. She visited him in the Belgorod colony, where she spent three days with Mikhail in a special block—a kind of prison «hotel» with a shower, kitchen, and bed. Moreover, they even left a note for neighbors with paired autographs, after which talks of their romance began.

After this happened, some began calling her the actor«s young mistress, while others, including Mikhail»s first wife, saw the visit as merely a friendly gesture.

— The man is 61 years old; unlikely there are romances there. Just some friends could have come humanely. I would have come if I had mustered the courage. Misha is dear to many people in a human way. Perhaps it«s some kind of soulful relationship. But unlikely anything else, — believes Elena Golyanova.

Daria and Mikhail have known each other since 2004, when the actress started working at the Sovremennik theater. As speculated online, Daria«s visit wasn»t just a sign of support, and they recall that talks of their romance first started back in 2019. At that time, Daria divorced her husband Shamil Khamatov, with whom she had been together for eight years, and Yefremov was deeply grieving his mother«s death and drinking heavily.

The couple was often seen together, and it was whispered that they even rented an apartment in Moscow on Kazarmenny, from where Yefremov was taken for questioning after the accident. But all these talks, as well as the alleged romance after Mikhail was released on parole, neither Yefremov nor Belousova comment on.