Maria Anikanova was born in a sports family. Her grandmother and grandfather are famous Soviet skaters Ivan and Maria Anikanovs; mother, Irina Lyulyakova, and aunt - figure skaters. Maria's father is Viktor Ivanovich Anikanov, the permanent physician of the USSR and Russian national teams in figure skating since 1971. Maria until the age of 16 seriously engaged in dancing on ice, first skating in the group of Tatyana Tarasova with Samvel Gezalyan, and then with Gennady Akkerman with Peter Chernyshev . Master of Sports of the USSR in figure skating (sports rank was awarded at 16 years). Debuts in the cinema - at the age of 18 in the film by Sergei Solovyov's "House under the starry sky" (1991). In 1995 she graduated from the theatrical school of B. Shchukin. From the same year Anikanova works in the theater "Contemporary". The fame to the actress brought roles in the series "Two Fates 2" and "Everything Mixed in the House." Maria also played the role of Alexandra in the series "Woman Without a Past". On April 20, 2014, by the decree of the Russian President Maria Anikanova was awarded the honorary title "Honored Artist of the Russian Federation".