Faina Ranevskaya was a brilliant actress of stage and screen, who appeared in dozens of plays and movies; perhaps the Meryl Streep of the Soviet Union.

Faina Ranevskaya had a brilliant wit, who could turn the phrase with the best of them; perhaps the Mark Twain of the Soviet Union.

And yet, Ranevskaya always played supporting characters. In a long career that spanned half a century, she never had a starring role. Her wonderful, witty quotes were never published during her lifetime. Why is that?

She was a Jew in the Soviet Union. Do you have to ask?