100+ Greatest Actors of All Time (Russia)
List activity
12K views
• 38 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
112 people
- Actor
- Writer
Innokenti Smoktunovsky (birth name Smoktunovich) was born in Siberian village of Tatianovka near Tomsk in 1925. There were some speculations that his ancestors were of Polish nobility or of Jewish ethnicity and that they were exiled to Siberia for participating in the January Uprising of 1863. But, according to Smoktunovsky's own words, his ancestors were Belarusian peasants who were sent to Siberia after his grand-grandfather - a guard in the Bialowieza Forest - shot a wisent without permission. His father was killed in WWII. Smoktunovsky was drafted in the Red Army during WWII and was seized by the Nazis as a POW. He was on the road to a concentration camp, but managed to escape from the Nazis. He joined the partisans and served until the end of WWII. After the war he was under suspicion as a former POW and his career was limited to Siberia.
He studied acting for one year at the drama-studio of the Krasnoyarsk Drama Theater (1946). He found employment at the Norilsk Zapolyarny Drama Theater, where his friend and partner was Georgi Zhzhyonov, among other exiled actors. Both friends later starred in 'Beregis avtomobilya (1966)', directed by Eldar Ryazanov. But his film career started with director Mikhail Romm in 'Ubiystvo na ulitse Dante (1956), and in 'Soldaty (1956)' with director 'Aleksandr Ivanov'.
Smoktunovsky was praised by Laurence Olivier for the leading role in 'Hamlet (1964)', a B&W screen version directed by Grigoriy Kozintsev. Leading roles in Tchaikovsky (1969), 'Uncle Vanya (1970)', were among the highlights in film career of this great Russian actor. He worked with Georgi Tovstonogov from 1957-72 on stage of the Bolshoi Drama Theater (BDT) in Leningrad. He later moved to Moscow, where he worked at the Maly Theater and at the Moscow Art Theater (MKHAT). Smoktunovsky wrote an autobiographical book titled "They left me alive", in which he described his survival in Siberia, in WWII, and back again in Siberia, where he started his brilliant acting career.- The preeminent Russian actor, at least in Western eyes, of the first half of the twentieth century. He became interested in the theatre as a teenager and joined the Teatr Mariinskij as a stagehand in 1918. He apprenticed with various traveling companies and therein learned ballet, pantomime, and acrobatics. He studied at the St. Petersburg (Leningrad) Theater Institute and made his stage debut in 1926. The following year, he entered films and his commanding presence soon brought him leading roles and enormous acclaim, as well as the approbation of the Soviet leadership, which elected him a deputy of the Supreme Soviet. His greatest fame world-wide came with his work in the films of Sergei Eisenstein. Following the masterpieces _Aleksandr Nevsky (1938)_ and _Ivan Groznyj I (1945)_ he was named to the Order of Lenin and made People's Artist of the USSR, respectively. He died in 1966. He should not be confused with the actor Nikolay P. Cherkasov who starred in many Russian films.
- The famous Russian actor was discovered by Andrei Tarkovsky. He was looking for an actor to play the part of Andrei Rublev for his second full-length film and accidentally found the completely unknown Solonitsyn in Chelyabinsk. He worked there as an amateur actor. After Andrei Rublev, he played main parts in many of Russia's best movies.
- Actor
- Director
- Music Department
Andrei Mironov was a Soviet comedian known for The Diamond Arm (1969)
He was born Andrei Aleksandrovich Menaker on March 8, 1941, in Moscow. His father, Aleksandr Semenovich Menaker, and his mother, Mariya Mironova, were famous actors in the Soviet Union. From 1958-1962 he studied acting at the Moscow Shchukin School. From 1962-1987 Mironov was a permanent member of the trope at the Moscow Theatre of Satire.
In 1961, while being a student of acting school, Mironov made his film debut in 'A esli eto lyubov?', by director Yuli Raizman. He became famous after his roles in My Younger Brother (1962), written by Vasiliy Aksyonov and directed by Aleksandr Zarkhi, and in '3+2' (1962), directed by Genrikh Oganisyan. Mironov did a nice performance in a supporting role in Watch Out for the Automobile (1966) (Watch Out for the Automobile 1966), by director Eldar Ryazanov. In it Mironov worked with the stellar acting ensemble, including such actors, as Innokentiy Smoktunovskiy, Oleg Efremov, Anatoliy Papanov, Georgi Zhzhyonov, Evgeniy Evstigneev, Olga Aroseva, Donatas Banionis, and others.
Andrei Mironov is best known for his brilliant performance in supporting role as Kozodoev, a sloppy tourist turned involuntary jewel-smuggler in popular comedy The Diamond Arm (1969) (The Diamond Arm 1968), by director Leonid Gaidai. After this film Mironov became a superstar in the Soviet Union. He worked with an outstanding ensemble of stars, such as Yuriy Nikulin, Anatoliy Papanov, Nina Grebeshkova, Nonna Mordyukova, and other popular Russian actors. The film became the biggest box-office hit ever in the Soviet Union with theatrical admissions over 76,000,000 in the year 1969. It still remains popular after many decades. In the 1995 national poll The Diamond Arm (1969) (The Diamond Arm 1968) was voted the best Russian-Soviet film of all time.
Andrei Mironov was among the most popular Russian actors during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. He was highly regarded for his distinguished contribution to comedy. Among his best works was his interpretation of the classic character Ostap Bender in _"12 stulev" (1977) (mini)_ (Twelve chairs 1977), by director Mark Zakharov. There his partners were Anatoliy Papanov, Rolan Bykov, Georgiy Vitsin, Oleg Tabakov, Aleksandr Abdulov, and others. Mironov also worked with Mark Zakharov in An Ordinary Miracle (1979) (An Ordinary Miracle 1978), where his partners were Aleksandr Abdulov, Irina Kupchenko, Evgeniy Leonov, Evgeniya Simonova, Yekaterina Vasilyeva, and Oleg Yankovskiy.
Andrei Mironov was designated People's Artist of Russia, and also received awards at Soviet film festivals. He had a apoplexy and collapsed during his performance on stage, in the arms of his friend and partner Aleksandr Shirvindt, just minutes before the end of the show. Mironov died of a brain hemorrhage aged 46, on August 16, 1987, only thirteen days after the death of his best film partner Anatoliy Papanov. Andrei Mironov was laid to rest in the Vagankovo Cemetery in Moscow, Russia. He was survived by his wife, actress Ekaterina Golubkina, and their daughter, actress Maria Mironova.- Actor
- Director
Yankovsky was named best actor in a 1984 reader poll by Soviet Screen for his role in "In Love Because He Wants to Be." He was awarded the State Prize in 1987 for his role in "Flying Asleep and Awake." In 1989 he received the Vasiliev State Prize for his role in "The Kreutzer Sonata." Yakovsky was given the lifetime achievement award at the 1983 All-Union Film Festival. He won the best actor NIKA in 1991, and in the same year was named People's Artist of the Soviet Union. Yankovsky was born in Kazakhstan and studied at the Slonov Theater Academy in Saratov. In 1965 he joined the Saratov Drama Theater, moving to Moscow's Lenkom Theater in 1973. He has presided over the Kinotavr Russian Open Film Festival since 1993.- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Vyacheslav Tikhonov was one of Russian cinema's best known faces, he survived hardship during the Second World War, and became renown for his portrayal of Russian aristocrats and intellectuals in several award-winning films, such as War and Peace (1965) and White Bim Black Ear (1977).
He was born Vyacheslav Vasilevich Tikhonov on February 8, 1928, in a small town of Pavlovsky Posad near Moscow, USSR (now Moscow, Russia). His father, Vasili Romanovich Tikhonov, was a technician at a local garment factory. His mother, Valentina Vyacheslavovna, was a kindergarten teacher. Tikhonov's first profession was that of a metal-worker during the Second World War. The war later became the main theme in some of his most notable film works. Young Tikhonov was obsessed with movies, his favorite actors were Nikolay Cherkasov as Aleksandr Nevsky, and Boris Babochkin as Chapaev. From 1945-1950 Tikhonov studied at the State Institute of Cinema (VGIK). He made his film debut in The Young Guard (1948) by director Sergey Gerasimov. During the filming of Molodaya Gvardiya Tikhonov met his first wife, Nonna Mordyukova. Their son, Vladimir Tikhonov, also became an actor, however, he suffered from a drug dependency and died. Vyacheslav Tikhonov met his second wife during the filming of We'll Live Till Monday (1968).
In the course of his career Tikhonov worked with some of the best Russian directors. He worked with director Stanislav Rostotskiy in five films, starting in Delo bylo v Penkove (1957). Their collaboration was especially fruitful in Dozhivem do ponedelnika (1969) and White Bim Black Ear (1977), which received an Academy Award-nomination. Before that, Tikhonov appeared in the leading role as Prince Bolkonsky in War and Peace (1965), an eight-hour epic film by actor-director Sergey Bondarchuk. In 1969 the film won the Academy Award as the best foreign-language film.
Tikhonov's most notable role on television was as Russian spy Stirlitz (Col. Maxim Isayev) in Seventeen Moments of Spring (1973), a popular TV series about a Russian intelligence agent operating in Berlin during WWII. The dual identity of Tikhonov's character is well played, and the film has won him millions of loyal fans. Tikhonov's consistent popularity made his character, Stirlitz, a hero in hundreds of jokes. After the role as Stirlitz, Tikhonov became typecast as a Soviet military character, and played heroic KGB officers and generals in several Soviet films during the 70s and 80s. In 2002 Vyacheslav Tikhonov suffered a heart attack. However, he soon recovered and returned to acting. In 2004 he played a role in a film produced by his daughter Anna Tikhonova. His last film-work was in Andersen. Zhizn bez lyubvi (2006) by director Eldar Ryazanov.
Vyacheslav Tikhonov was awarded the State Prize of the USSR and the State Prize of Russian Federation. He received numerous government awards and decorations and was designated People's Actor of the USSR (1974). Vyacheslav Tikhonov was residing in his country house in the prestigious village of Nikolina Gora, a suburb of Moscow. He died of a heart failure on the 4th of December, 2009, and was laid to rest in Novodevichy Cemetery, Moscow, Russia.- Writer
- Actor
- Director
Vasili Shukshin, one of Russian cinema's notable figures, was born Vasili Makarovich Shukshin into a peasant family on July 25, 1929, in the village of Srostki, Altai province, Siberian Russia. His father, named Makar Leontievich Shukshin, was a landlord who refused to join a collective farm and was arrested and executed in 1933. A that time Shukshin's mother, Maria Sergeevna, was 22, with two children, and she married another peasant who was soon drafted and was killed in WWII. Young Vasili Shukshin was raised by a single mother.
After WWII Shukshin studied to become a car mechanic, then served in the Navy in the Baltic Sea, then worked as a school teacher in Siberia, then went to study film directing in Moscow. He was accepted by director Mikhail Romm, who recognized Shukshin's natural talent. From 1954-1960 he studied acting and directing at Soviet State Institute of Cinematography (VGIK) in Moscow, and made his big screen debut as cameo in Quiet Flows the Don (1957) by director Sergey Gerasimov. During the 50s and 60s he starred in several popular films. Shukshin published his first short stories in 1958, during the "Thaw" that was initiated by Nikita Khrushchev. In 1964 he wrote and directed Zhivyot takoy paren (1964) and the film was critically acclaimed at XVI International Film Festival in Venice (1965). At that time Shukshin became a well-known party man in Moscow, he was romantically involved with popular poet Bella Akhmadulina. He later married actress Lidiya Fedoseeva-Shukshina, and the couple had two daughters.
In 1965 Shukshin started his new project, titled 'Stepan Razin', about the 17 century Cossac leader who led a major popular uprising against the Russian Tzar, and was brutally executed at the Red Square in Moscow. In 1967 the film 'Stepan Razin' was in development and Shukshin went on location at the Volga river where the historic uprising took place; but the Soviet authorities crashed the film for political reasons. Shukshin eventually had serious problems with alcohol and depression for several years. Only later, after the birth of his second daughter, he completely abstained from alcohol for the rest of his life. In 1969 he was designated Honorable Artist of Russia. In 1971 he was awarded the State Prize of the USSR for his outstanding acting in the leading role as Chernov in the popular film U ozera (1970) by director Sergey Gerasimov.
In 1973, Vasili Shukshin starred in what became his most popular film, Kalina krasnaya (1974), which he also wrote and directed, earning himself awards and fame. In 1974 Shukshin re-started his film project titled 'Stepan Razin' and also wrote a novel about Stepan Razin titled 'I came to let you free'. Shukshin was found dead on October 2, 1974, aboard the "Dunai" cruise-ship on the Volga river, near Kletskaya in Volgograd province, Russia. He was laid to rest in the Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow, Russia.
Shukshin's main novel 'I came to let you free' was published posthumously. His novels and short stories were translated in more than 30 languages and sold over 20 million copies across the world. A comprehensive artistic biography of Vasili Shukshin was written by Evgeni Vertlib, and published in New York, in 1990.- Actor
- Director
- Soundtrack
Born 8 November 1960 as Oleg Evgenyevich Menshikov in Serpukhov, USSR (now in Russia). His father was a military engineer and his mother was a doctor. During his childhood he attended music school where he learned to play piano and violin. Later he studied in the Mikhail Shchepkin Higher Theatre School in Moscow. His debut was the television movie Zhdu i nadeyus (1980). In the early 1990s he spent some time in London playing in the Globe Theatre. For his performance as Sergei Yesenin in When She Danced he received the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. His best known role is Mitya in the Oscar-winning historical movie Burnt by the Sun (1994). He went on to star in internationally co-produced movies, such as The Barber of Siberia (1998) and East/West (1999) as well as in adaptations of Russian literature, such as Statskiy sovetnik (2005) and Doktor Zhivago (2006). In 2005 he married actress Anastasia Chernova. He returned to the role of Mitya for two sequels: Burnt by the Sun 2 (2010) and Utomlennye solntsem 2 (2011). Since 2012 he's been the artistic director of the Yermolova Theatre in Moscow.- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
He graduated from Moscow Art Theatre and made his cinema debut in Noktyurn dlya barabana i mototsikla (1994). Since 1994 he has played a wide range of characters, such as Ivan Brilling in Azazel (2002), Irakliy in The Irony of Fate 2 (2007), Kappel in Admiral (2008), Sumarokov in High Security Vacation (2009), and Rzhevskiy in 1812. Ulanskaya ballada (2012). His notable roles in Russian miniseries include starring as Sasha Belov in Law of the Lawless (2002), Yeshua Ha-Nozri in Master i Margarita (2005), Sergei Esenin in Esenin (2005) and Vladimir Vysotsky in Vysotsky. Thank You for Being Alive (2011). He voiced the title character of Prince Vladimir animated film and several characters in the Kukly series. He is also known for his theatre role of Chichikov in Dead Souls (which won the Moskovskij Komsomolets' award). In 2006, he portrayed Alexander Pushkin, revered as the Russian language's greatest poet, in Pushkin: The Last Duel. According to the survey of ROMIR Monitoring, in Russia he was called the favourite actor of 2005.- Konstantin Lavronenko was born on 20 April 1961 in Rostov-na-Donu, Rostovskaya oblast, RSFSR, USSR [now Russia]. He is an actor, known for The Return (2003), Kajínek (2010) and Coma (2019).
- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Grigoriy Dobrygin was born on 17 February 1986 in Rybachiy, Vilyuchinsk, Kamchatskaya oblast, RSFSR, USSR [now Kamchatskiy kray, Russia]. He is an actor and producer, known for A Most Wanted Man (2014), Black Sea (2014) and An Affair (2013).- A Russian comedian who gave up a successful film career in his homeland for religious freedom and bit parts in the United States. He made 42 films in the former Soviet Union before he was allowed to leave in the early 1980's.
- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Sergei Bodrov Jr. was born on December 27th, 1971 to producer and director Sergei Bodrov. He made his film debut in his father's Prisoner of the Mountains (1996) (Prisoner of the mountains) for which he won a Nika. From then on Sergei's career began. In 1997 he played a lead role in Brother (1997) which turned him into a star and made him one of the most known and beloved Russian actors.
He followed up the role with Brat 2 (2000) in 2000. He made his directorial debut in 2001 with Sisters (2001). The movie was a hit with audiences and critics alike.
In 2002 he was supposed to direct a movie, "Messenger", for which he traveled to the Caucasus mountains. On September 20th 2002, an avalanche due to a glacier slide came down from the mountains. Bodrov and his production group are still reported missing, believed killed. He is survived by his wife and two children, a four year old daughter and a two-month old son.- Actor
- Music Department
- Composer
Vladimir Vysotsky was an iconic Russian actor, singer-songwriter and public figure, who wrote over 700 songs and gave over 2000 public and private performances as an anti-establishment singer of the 60s and 70s in the former Soviet Union. He was one of the Soviet Union's boldest and most celebrated actors who promoted individual freedom and helped lift Russian youth out of the state of apathy and fear under the Soviet dictator Brezhnev. In the movies, Vysotsky was best known as nifty detective Zheglov in The Meeting Place Cannot Be Changed (1979) by director Stanislav Govorukhin.
He was born Vladimir Semenovich Vysotsky on 25 January 1938, in Moscow, then the capital of the Soviet Union. His father, Semen Volfovich Vysotsky, was Jewish; he served in the Red Army during WWII, and was decorated for his courage rising to the rank of a Colonel. His mother, Nina Maximovna Seregina, was Russian; she worked as Russian-German interpreter. During WWII, Vladimir Vysotsky with his mother escaped from the advancing Nazis by evacuation from Moscow to Orenburg province in Siberia. After the war, the parents divorced and he was living with his father and stepmother in a Soviet Military garrison in East Germany. There, from 1947 to 1949, Vladimir Vysotsky was taking piano lessons; he also became an avid movie watcher.
Upon returning to Moscow in the fall of 1949, he settled on Bolshoi Karetny, and went to the all-boys school No 186, from which he graduated in 1955. While at school, he attended the drama class of V. Bogomolov, an actor of the Moscow Art Theatre. From 1956 to 1960, he studied acting under Pavel Massalsky and Boris Vershilov at the Moscow Art Theatre Studio, graduating in 1960 as actor. He briefly worked at Moscow Pushkin Drama, then joined the troupe at the Taganka Theatre. Vysotsky made his film debut in Sverstnitsy (1959).
In 1961, in Leningrad, during filming of 713 prosit posadku (1962) Vladimir Vysotsky met actress Lyudmila Abramova who became his wife and mother of his two sons Arkady Vysotsky (born 1962) and Nikita Vysotskiy (born 1964). He was later married to the French-Russian actress Marina Vlady. During the 70s, he toured all over the former USSR and also made stage appearances in France, USA, Germany, Hungary, Poland, and Yugoslavia.
Breaking all traditions, Vysotsky appeared as Hamlet with the guitar in the Shakespare's play directed by Yuriy Lyubimov. Vysotsky's Hamlet, dressed as a contemporary young man and playing his guitar, shook the Moscow establishment by overthrowing the traditional interpretation of the Shakespearean character. Vysotsky's shows was always sold out, and tickets to his performances were the most demanded "currency" in Moscow.
His opposition to Soviet authorities resulted in periodic bans of his songs. In 1968 Vysotsky wrote an open letter to the leading Soviet newspaper "Pravda" asking for fairness and equal rights; he requested that the official ban on his songs shall be lifted. That same year the first official recording of Vysotsky's songs from the film Vertikal (1966) was released on Melodia label and quickly became the best-selling record in the Soviet Union. However, the Soviet authorities stubbornly suppressed Vysotsky's film and music career, causing him much moral pain and suffering.
During the late 60s and 70s Vysotsky had problems with drugs and alcohol and suffered of a severe heart disorder which sent him into cardiac arrests on several occasions. In one case, his wife, Marina Vlady, noticed that he collapsed at home and saved his life by calling an ambulance, so he was hospitalized. He died while asleep at his home in Moscow, on 25 July, 1980. His death caused a considerable mourning in Russia. Thousands lined up to attend his funeral at Vagankovskoe Cemetery in Moscow. His numerous fans across Russia and the world continue the tradition of memorial concerts and gatherings on the 25th of July every year. His flower-adorned grave is a site of pilgrimage for his fans.
Vladimir Vysotsky's remarkable voice and style has been a lasting influence on many of Russia's actors and musicians. Though he was ostracized by the Soviet officialdom, he achieved remarkable fame during his lifetime, and remains a towering figure in Russian popular culture. Among his most notable followers and devotees are Mikhail Boyarskiy and Yuriy Shevchuk.- Writer
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Yuriy Yakovlev was born on 26 June 1922 in Petrograd, RSFSR [now St. Petersburg, Russia]. He was a writer, known for Vsyudu yest nebo (1968), Grandads-Robbers (1972) and Ploshchad Vosstaniya (1986). He died on 29 December 1995 in Moscow, Russia.- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Mikhail Ulyanov was a notable Russian actor and director, who was also an important Soviet political figure, Member of the Central Committe of the Communist Party, Co-Chairman, with Kirill Lavrov, of Theatrical Union of the USSR, and the leader of Vakhtangov Theatre in Moscow, Russia.
He was born Mikhail Aleksandrovich Ulyanov, on November 20, 1927, in the village of Bergamak, Omsk province, Soviet Union. His father, Aleksandr Andreevich Ulyanov, was Chairman of a Soviet collective farm, then Mayor of the town of Tara, Russia. His mother, Elizaveta Mikhailovna Ulyanova, was a homemaker. Young Mikhail Ulyanov enjoyed a rather privileged life during his childhood and youth, because of his father's position in the Soviet Communist Party. Eventually, Ulyanov himself joined the Soviet Communist Party, a move that helped his career. His name was similar to that of the founder of the Soviet Communist Party, Ulyanov-Lenin, a fact that helped Ulyanov to get to play the character of Lenin, the most lucrative stage and film character in the former Soviet Union.
From 1946 - 1950 Ulyanov studied acting at Shchukin Theatrical School of Vakhtangov Theatre in Moscow, under Boris Zakhava, graduating in 1950 as an actor. Since 1950 until his death in 2007, Ulyanov was a permanent member of the troupe at Vakhtangov Drama Theatre. There his stage partners were such actors as Vasiliy Lanovoy, Ruben Simonov, Mikhail Astangov, Boris Zakhava, Varvara Popova, Yuliya Borisova, Lyudmila Maksakova, Lyudmila Tselikovskaya, Marianna Vertinskaya, Nina Ruslanova, Irina Kupchenko, Natalya Tenyakova, Nikolai Plotnikov, Yuriy Yakovlev, Vladimir Etush, Vyacheslav Shalevich, Andrei Abrikosov, Grigori Abrikosov, Boris Babochkin, Nikolai Gritsenko, Nikolai Timofeyev, Aleksandr Grave, Evgeniy Karelskikh, Sergey Makovetskiy, and other notable Russian actors.
In 1987, Mikhail Ulyanov became artistic director of the Vakhtangov Theatre in Moscow. During the course of his career, Ulyanov was closely watched by the Communist Party and also by Ekaterina Furtseva, the most powerful woman in the 1960s - 1970s Soviet Union as Minister of Culture, she ordered Ulyanov to "keep playing Lenin and other role-models" for the Soviet people. Eventually Ulyanov became known for his portrayal of exemplary communists, Soviet-era heroes, and other characters typical of the Soviet propaganda on stage and in film. Ulyanov played the character of Marshal Georgi Zhukov in several Soviet war films. Although, he never met the legendary Marshal Zhukov, Ulyanov became the officially approved impersonator of the famous Soviet military leader. Ulyanov's facial expression closely resembled that of Marshal Georgi Zhukov, so Ulyanov's face was used as a model for the monument to Zhukov in Moscow.
With the official recognition in the roles as Lenin and Zhukov, Ulyanov was granted more flexibility in his artistic choices, he enjoyed the privilege of playing several roles that opened the true range of his acting talent. In 1970 Ulyanov played one of his best roles ever as General Charnota, a White Russian émigré, in Beg (1971), an epic film by directors Alov and Naumov. In 1979, a few years after the death of actor-director Vasiliy Shukshin, Ulyanov directed a stage production of Shukshin's unfinished project "Ya prishel dat vam volyu" (aka.. I came to let you free). In that production, Ulyanov played the leading role as Stepan Razin, Russian historic hero of the 17 century, who was the Cossac leader of a major popular uprising against the Russian Tzar, and was brutally executed by the Russian government at the Red Square in Moscow.
During the political changes in the 1980s Soviet Union, Ulyanov was critical of dramatic social shifts caused by "perestroika" and "glasnost" initiated by Mikhail Gorbachev. However, Ulyanov continued playing the character of V. I. Lenin in numerous productions on stage and on Soviet National television. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, he expressed his disappointment with the drastic socio-economic changes and cultural chaos in the post-Soviet Russia. He played a number of patriotic, violent and controversial characters in several films made during the post-Soviet era. During the 2000s, Ulyanov used his star power to help his less fortunate colleagues in Russian Theatrical Union. He also supported the politics of Russian President.
From 1976 - 1990, Ulyanov served as Permanent Member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the USSR. In the course of his acting career spanning over 50 years, Ulyanov received numerous Soviet and Russian awards and decorations, such as the Order of Lenin (twice), Order of October Revolution, and was awarded Lenin's Prize and State Prize of the USSR. He died of a heart failure on March 26, 2007, in Moscow, and was laid to rest in Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow, Russia.- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Aleksei Vladimirovich Batalov was born on November 20, 1928, into the family of famous Russian theatrical actor Vladimir Batalov. He was born in the city of Vladimir, near Moscow, where his grandmother was the Doctor General at the Vladimir city hospital. His parents, Vladimir Petrovich Batalov and Nina Antonovna Olshevskaya, were both actors of the Moscow Art Theatre (MKhAT), under the directorship of Konstantin Stanislavski and Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko. His uncle, named Nikolay Batalov, was a distinguished film actor.
The Batalov family lived in the actor's apartments building at the Moscow Art Theatre. There young Aleksei got early exposure to the acting profession. He then moved with his mother to the home of her second husband writer Viktor Ardov, who was the neighbor of Osip Mandelstam. Young Batalov became a good friend of poet Anna Akhmatova who stayed in his room during her many visits to Moscow. Later, in the 1960's, Aleksei Batalov painted an oil portrait of Anna Akhmatova. Writers Mikhail A. Bulgakov, Mikhail Zoschenko, Boris Pasternak were among the closest friends of the Batalov's family, being also the colleagues of his stepfather Viktor Ardov.
In 1945, upon his return from evacuation in Tatarstan, Aleksei Batalov made his film debut as a cameo in 'Zoya'. He studied acting professionally at the Moscow Art Theatre's Acting Studio-School of Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko from which he graduated in 1950, as an actor. That same year he was drafted in the Red Army and worked as an actor with the Central Theatre of the Soviet Army from 1950-1953. He then returned to the Moscow Art Theatre and was a permanent member of the troupe through 1957.
Batalov shot to fame with his role in 'Bolshaya Semya' (The Big Family 1954) directed by 'Iosif Kheifets'. For that role he won the Best Actor award at the Cannes Film Festival, which he shared with his partners Sergei Lukyanov, Boris Andreyev, Nikolai Gritsenko, Pavel Kadochnikov, and others; the whole ensemble of actors and actresses were awarded for that film at Cannes, in 1955.
Aleksei Batalov received more international acclaim for his memorable acting opposite Tatyana Samoylova in The Cranes Are Flying (1957) (aka.. The Cranes Are Flying) for which director Mikhail Kalatozov won the Golden Palm at Cannes, in 1958. Batalov won the Jussi Diploma of Merit (1962) for the supporting role in 'Dama s sobachkoi' (aka.. The Lady with the Dog), a story by Anton Chekhov directed by Iosif Kheifits. Batalov also worked with Kheifits in 'V gorode S.' (In the Town of S.), another story by Anton Chekhov. Alrksei Batalov himself directed three films; 'Shinel' (1960) on the story by Nikolay Gogol, 'Tri tolstyaka' (1966) by Yuriy Olesha, and 'Igrok' (1973) (aka.. The Gambler), an adaptation of the eponymous book by Fyodor Dostoevsky.
Aleksei Batalov earned the State Prize of the USSR for a strong and difficult leading role in '9 dney odnogo goda' (1961), for which director Mikhail Romm won Crystal Globe. Batalov's performance in the leading role of a Russian intellectual in 'Beg' (1970) based on the play by Mikhail A. Bulgakov, was somewhat overshadowed by the brilliant duo of his film partners Mikhail Ulyanov and Evgeniy Evstigneev. However, after a few years of his hiatus, Batalov made a successful comeback in 'Moskva slezam ne verit' (1979), which won an Oscar for the Best Foreign Language Film (1981).
In addition to his numerous international awards Batalov was honored with the title of the People's Artist of the USSR (1976). He was decorated and received many Soviet and Russian awards from the state. Batalov was the Dean of the Actors Studio at the Moscow State Film Institute (VGIK) from 1975 to 2005. He taught over 20 acting seminars in the USA and Canada. He also made notable works for the Moscow Radio.
Aleksei Batalov resided and worked in Moscow, Russia, where he died on June 14, 2017.- Actor
- Director
Pyotr Mamonov was born on 14 April 1951 in Moscow, RSFSR, USSR [now Russia]. He was an actor and director, known for The Island (2006), Shapito-shou: Lyubov i druzhba (2011) and Taxi Blues (1990). He was married to Olga Ivanovna Mamonova and ???. He died on 15 July 2021 in Kommunarka, Moscow, Russia.- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Rolan Bykov was born on 12 November 1929 in Kiev, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Ukraine]. He was an actor and director, known for Chuchelo (1984), Aybolit-66 (1967) and Andrei Rublev (1966). He was married to Elena Sanaeva. He died on 6 October 1998 in Moscow, Russia.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Vladimir Lvovich Mashkov was born in Tula, to Natalia, a puppet theatre director, and Lev Mashkov, an actor. He worked for Oleg Tabakov's theatre where he performed in Alexander Galich's "My Big Land", Neil Simon's "Biloxy Blues", Nickolai Gogol's "The Inspector General", Jean-Batiste Moliere's "Don Juan", and other plays. As a director, he staged "A Star Hour By Local Time", "Passions For Bumbarash", "The Death-Defying Act" and Bertolt Brecht's "The Threepenny Opera".- Sergei Makovetsky is a popular Russian actor best known for his leading roles in Duska (2007) by director Jos Stelling and in 12 (2007) by director Nikita Mikhalkov.
He was born Sergei Vasilevich Makovetsky on June 13, 1958, in Darnitsa, a suburb of Kiev, Soviet Union (now Kyiv, Ukraine). He was raised by a single mother, was a good swimmer and water polo player and candidate to Soviet National Team, but his mother strongly objected his sports career. After failing to enter the Kiev Theatrical College, he worked as a stage decorator for one year, then moved to Moscow in his pursuit of an acting career. In Moscow Makovetsky was rejected by several acting schools, then he was drafted in the Soviet Army, but he managed to fool the Army doctors by using his acting skills to show symptoms of serious illnesses. Eventually his persistence and determination paid off, and his natural talent was recognized. From 1977 - 1980 he studied acting at the Shchukin Theatrical School of Vakhtangov Theatre in Moscow, graduating as an actor in 1980 from the class of Alla Kazanskaya.
Since 1980 Makovetsky has been member of the troupe at Vakhtangov Theatre in Moscow. There his stage partners were such actors as Mikhail Ulyanov, Vasiliy Lanovoy, Yuliya Borisova, Lyudmila Maksakova, Alla Kazanskaya, Irina Kupchenko, Lyudmila Tselikovskaya, Mariya Aronova, Marianna Vertinskaya, Elena Dobronravova, Yuriy Yakovlev, Vladimir Etush, Vyacheslav Shalevich, Nikolai Timofeyev, Aleksandr Grave, Vladimir Simonov, Vladimir Koval, Viktor Zozulin, Evgeniy Karelskikh, Aleksandr Koznov, Vladimir Vdovichenkov, Mikhail Vaskov, Andrei Zaretsky, Nonna Grishaeva, Mariya Aronova, Elena Sotnikova, Anna Dubrovskaya, Olga Tumaykina, Maksim Sukhanov, and Viktor Dobronravov, among others.
His most memorable stage performances included such roles as Iago in the Shakespeare's 'Othello' (1980s), as Gorodnichy in 'Revizor' (1990s) (aka.. Ispector general) based on the classic play by Nikolay Gogol, and as Gan-za-Lin in 'Zoikina kvartira' based on the eponymous play by Mikhail A. Bulgakov, among other plays. In 1998 Makovetsky created the title character in Molière's 'Amfitrion' and the play has been a continuous success for 9 seasons in a row. Since the 2003 premiere of 'Chaika', Makovetsky has been delivering critically acclaimed performances as Trigorin opposite Lyudmila Maksakova and Yuriy Yakovlev. He also appeared in several stage productions by director Roman Viktyuk.
Sergei Makovetsky was designated People's Actor of Russia, and received numerous awards for his works on stage and in films. He is one of the highest paid actors in today's Russia. Sergei Makovetsky is living and working in Moscow, Russia. - Actor
- Director
- Producer
Konstantin Khabenskiy is a Russian actor known in the West for his working the horror flicks Night Watch (2004) and Day Watch (2006). He is also co-starring opposite Angelina Jolie in Wanted (2008).
He was born Konstantin Yurevich Khabenskiy on January 11, 1972, in Leningrad, USSR (now St. Petersburg, Russia). His father, Yuri Aronovich Khabenskiy, and his mother, Tatiana Gennadievna (nee Nikulina), were hydrological engineers. Young Konstantin studied electronics at the Leningrad Technical School of Aviation Electronics and Automatics. He dropped out after three years of studies after deciding that electronics was not for him.
He then played guitar on Leningrad's famous main street, Nevsky Prospekt, as a struggling street musician, and also worked as stage technician at the Theater-Studio "Subbota". From 1990 to 1995 he studied acting at the St. Peterburg Institute of Theater, Music and Cinematography, renamed in 1991 when the city of Leningrad was renamed St. Petersburg. There his classmates were [link=nm0691717 Andrey Zibrov, and Mikhail Trukhin. In 1995, Konstantin graduated from the class of Veniamin Filshtinsky, as an actor. He had a five-month stint at the Raikin Theater of Satire in Moscow, but could not obtain any serious work there, so he returned to St. Petersburg.
Konstantin made his film debut in Na kogo Bog poschlet (1994). He shot to fame in Russia after co-starring in Uboynaya sila (2000), a popular series about crime in St. Petersburg, Russia. He ascended to international fame with the leading role as Anton Gorodetsky in the popular Russian vampire franchise, Night Watch (2004), and the second installment, Day Watch (2006), both by director Timur Bekmambetov and based on the books by Sergey Lukyanenko. He further advanced his film career appearing as Exterminatior in the horror film Wanted (2008).
From 1996 to 2003 Konstantin was a member of the troupe at the St. Petersburg Theater of Lensovet. There he worked together with his former classmates Mikhail Porechenkov, Mikhail Trukhin, and Andrey Zibrov, under the directorship of Yuri Butusov. In 2003 Khabenskiy and Porechenkov were invited by Oleg Tabakov to work with the world famous Moscow Arts Theater (MXAT). There Konstantin played the leading role in"White guard", a classic play by Mikhail A. Bulgakov. He also appeared as Claudius in a Russian adaptation of Shakespeare's "Hamlet",directed by Yuri Butusov. Konstantin also made appearances on stage at the St. Petersburg Theatre of Lensovet in the leading role in a contemporary play 'V ozhidanii Godo', and as Kaligula in a Russian adaptation of the play by Albert Camus.
Outside of his acting profession, Konstantin Khabenskiy enjoys a Russian-style rural life in his country home near Moscow. He moved back to Russia after a few years of living in Los Angeles. He was married to radio-journalist Anastasiya Khabenskaya from January 12, 2000, until her untimely death at age 35 from a brain tumor on December 3, 2008. He has one son by her, Ivan Konstantinovich, who was born in Moscow on September 25, 2007. In 2013 he married actress Olga Litvinova and June 3, 2016 she gave birth to their daughter.
Konstantin Khabenskiy was designated Honorable Actor of Russia (2006) and also received numerous awards and decorations for his works on stage and in the movies. He has homes in both Russian capitals: Moscow and St. Petersburg.- Actor
- Producer
Aleksey Guskov was born on May 20, 1958 in Brzeg, Poland. Best known to the Western public for starring in Golden Globe nominated French film "Concert" 2009, Aleksei Guskov played more than 70 roles in cinema and TV. He gained an enormous popularity in Russia after the broadcast of a series titled "The Border; Taiga's Romance" (2001). Russians also admire his role in "The Garbage Man," (2002), a philosophical saga about a former killer who works as a waste collector in a small provincial town. In 2011 Guskov played the role of Maco in "Italian movies" directed by Italian Matteo Pellegrini. In 2013 he has been selected to play the Pope John Paul II in a new Italian TV fiction film "The secret life of Pope Wojtyla". He is also starring in French movies "L'Idéal" by Frédéric Beigbeder and "Polina" by Angelin Preljocaj and Valérie Müller.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Valeri Zolotukhin, one of Russian cinema's most popular faces, who was disabled in his childhood and had to walk with crutches, is now a renown actor, singer, and writer.
He was born Valeri Sergeevich Zolotukhin on June 21, 1941, in Bystry Istok village, Altai region, Russia. His father was chairman of a local collective farm; a powerful man in that remote Siberian region. His mother was a homemaker. At the age of 7 Zolotukhin fell out of window and suffered a severe trauma. He had to wear a cast and used crutches for several years, but he was dreaming of becoming an actor, because he was inspired by touring drama troupe. Upon his graduation from the village school, Zolotukhin went straight to Moscow. In spite of being lame he was admitted to the Department of Musical Comedy at the Moscow Theatre Institute (GITIS). While being a student he made his name as a singer of popular folk songs. His songs, peppered with risqué vernacular lyrics and funny jokes, soon made him one of the most popular singers in Russia. Zolotukhin married his girlfriend from the acting class, Nina Shatskaya, on the Valentine's Day, February 14, 1963. That same year he graduated from the Department of Musical Comedy of the Moscow Theatre Institute (GITIS).
Zolotukhin was hired by Yuriy Lyubimov almost simultaneously with the famous singer-songwriter Vladimir Vysotskiy and the two actors became best friends. From 1964 Zolotukhin has been a permanent member of the legendary troupe at the Taganka Theatre, working mostly with the famous director Yuriy Lyubimov. His stage works include leading roles in such plays as 'Medeya', 'Marat i Markiz de Sad', 'Dobry chelovek is Sezuana', 'Tsena', 'Teatrlny roman', 'Faust', 'Pavel Pervy', 'Vladimir Vysotsky'. Zolotukhin shines on stage and in film as an actor of multifaceted talent and great versatility. He is particularly proud of his works in 'Sharashka', written by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, and in 'Zhivago', based on the novel by Boris Pasternak.
Valeri Zolotukhin was once asked by the Taganka director Yuriy Lyubimov to play the role of Hamlet instead of Vladimir Vysotskiy, who was very busy with concert tours and traveling abroad. Zolotukhin had several rehearsals as Hamlet, and he was confronted by Vysotsky, "Valery, if you ever play Hamlet, I'll leave this theatre on the day of your premiere. I'll leave and go to the worst theatre." Hamlet was a dream role for any actor. Finally Vysotsky won. Zolotukhin generously stepped aside and never played Hamlet. Later Vysotsky summarized: "Zolotukhin is aware that he is the best. That's why he is never jealous."
He shot to fame after starring in popular films 'Khozyain taygi' (1968) and 'Interventsiya' (1969), where his film partner was Vladimir Vysotskiy. Zolotukhin was best known for the leading role in 'Bumbarash' (TV 1971). His latest film works are the role of father-vampire in 'Nochnoi Dozor' (The Night Watch, 2004) and its sequel 'Dnevnoi Dozor' (The Day Watch, 2006). He also played a small, but beautifully performed role as Bosoy in the popular TV-series _Master i Margarita (2005)_ based on the eponymous novel by Mikhail A. Bulgakov and directed by Vladimir Bortko. Zolotukhin created his character in a masterful interplay with a stellar ensemble of actors; such as Oleg Basilashvili, Aleksandr Abdulov, Kirill Lavrov, Anna Kovalchuk, Aleksandr Galibin, Sergey Bezrukov, Aleksandr Filippenko, Valentin Gaft, Vladislav Galkin, Aleksandr Bashirov, and other Russian film stars.
Zolotukhin recently published a two-volume edition of his memoirs. He presented many revelations and unusually candid observations in his well-written memoirs; sincere, sharp, generous and insightful comments about his career and about some of his stage and film partners. This included such stars as Vladimir Vysotskiy, Venyamin Smekhov, Leonid Filatov, Anatoli Efros, Yuriy Lyubimov, and many other Russian celebrities. He was the closest friend of the famous singer-songwriter Vladimir Vysotskiy, who was arguably the biggest star in the 60's and 70's Russia. Zolotukhin was asked to say the last word when Russia buried Vysotsky.
In 2011, after resignation of Lyubimov, Valery Zolotukhin was appointed artistic director of the Taganka company. He was designated People's Actor of Russia in 1987 and received numerous awards for his film and theatre performances. In the course of his acting career he appeared in more than 40 feature films, 20 TV works, and played over 60 roles on stage. Valeri Zolotukhin is a proud father of three sons. He is living and working in Moscow, Russia.- Actor
- Editorial Department
Aleksey Serebryakov is a Soviet and Russian theater and film actor, People's Artist of the Russian Federation.
Aleksey was born in Moscow. His mother was a doctor, father was an aircraft engineer. Aleksey studied at a music school in the bayan class and once got into a photo for a report about an educational institution, which was published in the 'Evening Moscow' newspaper. The photo caught the eye of an assistant director who was looking for a boy who looked like the actor Vadim Spiridonov, and Aleksey got into the film Otets i syn (1980), and then into the TV series Vechnyy zov (1973). Then he played the main role of Vladimir Kovalev in the film Alye pogony (1980).
In 1981, Serebryakov worked as an actor at the Syzran Drama Theater named after Aleksei Tolstoy, after he could not enter the Boris Shchukin Theater Institute. In 1986 he graduated from the State Institute of Theater Arts of Anatoli Lunacharsky (workshop of Oleg Tabakov). In 1986-1991, he was an actor at the Studio Theater under the direction of Oleg Tabakov.
In 2000, Serebryakov played crime boss Oleg Zvantsev, nicknamed 'Lawyer' in the series Banditskiy Peterburg: Advokat (2000). The next major work, which caused a wide resonance, was the main role of the battalion commander Vasiliy Tverdokhlebov in the 2004 series Shtrafbat (2004). It can be said that at that moment Serebryakov finally gained a reputation as a person who brilliantly plays ambiguous characters in ambiguous films.
He played the main role in the social drama Leviathan (2014), which was released worldwide in 2014. For this acting work, for the second time in the history of Russian cinema, he was nominated for the European Film Academy Award.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
An accomplished stage actor who, fresh from the theater academy, joined the chosen few of Oleg Tabakov's respected studio theater in 1990, Yevgeny Mironov first appeared on the silver screen in Alexander Kaidanovsky's 1988 film "The Kerosene Salesman's Wife." He went on to pay Prince Myshkin in the popular television series based on Dostoyevksy's "The Idiot." One of the leading Russian stars, Yevgeny Mironov received a Kinotavr award for best parts and a NIKA for best actor in 1994. He was honored with the Kumir prize in 1997. In addition to receiving the Russian State Prize, Mironov has been named both a Distinguished Artist of Russia and a People's Artist of Russia. A graduate of MKhAT, Mironov has been performing with Oleg Tabakov's theater since 1990.- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Sergei Bondarchuk was one of the most important Russian filmmakers, best known for directing an Academy Award-winning film epic War and Peace (1965), based on the book by Lev Tolstoy, in which he also starred as Pierre Bezukhov.
He was born Sergei Fedorovich Bondarchuk on September, 25, 1920, in the village of Belozerka, Kherson province, Ukraine, Russian Federation (now Belozerka, Ukraine). He was brought up in Southern Ukraine, then in Azov and Taganrog, Southern Russia. Young Bondarchuk was fond of theatre and books by such authors as Anton Chekhov and Lev Tolstoy. He made his stage debut in 1937, on the stage of the Chekhov Drama Theatre in the city of Taganrog, then studied acting at Rostov Theatrical School. In 1942 his studies were interrupted by the Nazi invasion during WWII. Bondarchuk was recruited in the Red Army and served for four years until he was discharged in 1946. From 1946 - 1948 he attended the State Institute of Cinematography in Moscow (VGIK), graduating as an actor from the class of Sergey Gerasimov. In 1948 he made his film debut in Povest o nastoyashchem cheloveke (1948) then co-starred in The Young Guard (1948).
For his portrayal of the title character in Taras Shevchenko (1951) he was awarded the State Stalin's Prize of the USSR, and was designated People's Artist of the USSR, becoming the youngest actor ever to receive such honor. Then he starred in the internationally renowned adaptation of the Shakespeare's Othello (1956), in the title role opposite Irina Skobtseva as Desdemona. Bondarchuk expressed his own experience as a soldier of WWII when he starred in The Destiny of a Man (1959), a war drama based on the eponymous story by Mikhail Sholokhov, which was also Bondarchuk's directorial debut that earned him the prestigious Lenin's Prize of the USSR in 1960.
Bondarchuk shot to international fame with War and Peace (1965), a powerful adaptation of the eponymous masterpiece by Lev Tolstoy. The 7-hour-long film epic won the 1969 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, and brought Bondarchuk a reputation of one of the finest directors of his generation. The most expensive project in film history, War and Peace (1965) was produced over seven years, from 1961 to 1968, at an estimated cost of $100,000,000 (over $800,000,000 adjusted for inflation in 2010). The film set several records, such as involving over three hundred professional actors from several countries and also tens of thousands extras from the Red Army in filming of the 3rd two-hour-long episode about the historic Battle of Borodino against the Napoleon's invasion, making it the largest battle scene ever filmed. Bondarchuk also made history by introducing several remote-controlled cameras that were moving on 300 meter long wires above the scene of the battlefield. Having earned international acclaim for War and Peace (1965), he starred in the epic The Battle of Neretva (1969) with fellow Russian, Yul Brynner, and Orson Welles, whom he would direct the following year.
By the late 1960s Bondarchuk was one of the most awarded actor and director in the Soviet Union. However, he was still not a member of the Soviet Communist Party, a fact that brought attention from the Soviet leadership under Leonid Brezhnev. Soon Bondarchuk received an official recommendation to join the Soviet Communist Party, an offer that nobody in the Soviet Union could refuse without risking a career. At that time he was humorously comparing his situation with the historic Hollywood trials of filmmakers during the 50s. Bondarchuk was able to avoid the Communist Party in his earlier career, but things changed in the Soviet Union under Brezhnev, so in 1970, he accepted the trade-off and joined the Soviet Communist Party for the sake of protecting his film career. In 1971 he was elected Chairman of the Union of Filmmakers, a semi-government post in the Soviet system of politically controlled culture. Eventually he evolved into a politically controlled figure and turned to making such politically charged films as Red Bells (1982) and other such films. Later, during the liberalization of the Soviet Union under Mikhail Gorbachev, Bondarchuk was seen as a symbol of conservatism in Soviet cinema, so in 1986 he was voted out of the office.
Bondarchuk was the first Russian director to make a big budget international co-production with the financial backing of Italian producer Dino De Laurentiis, such as Waterloo (1970), a Russian-Italian co-production vividly reconstructing the final battle of the Napoleonic Wars. This was his first English-language production, but several Soviet actors were cast, e.g. Sergo Zakariadze and Oleg Vidov. In this film, Orson Welles, his co-star in The Battle of Neretva (1969) made a cameo as the old King Louis XVII of France. But this time Bondarchuk was unable to control the advances of Rod Steiger, and the film was a commercial flop in Europe and America, albeit it gained the favor of critics.
After his dismissal from the office of Chairman of the Union of Cinematographers he started filming Tikhiy Don (2006) based on the eponymous novel by the Nobel Prize winner Mikhail Sholokhov, with Rupert Everett as the lead. At the end of filming, just before post-production, Bondarchuk learned about some unfavorable details in his contract, causing a bitter dispute with the producers over the rights to the film and bringing much pain to the last two years of his life. Amidst this legal battle the production was stopped and the film was stored in a bank vault, and remained unedited and undubbed for nearly fourteen years. The production was completed by Russian television company "First Channel", and aired in November 2006.
In his career that spanned over five decades, Sergei Bondarchuk had credits as actor, director, writer, and co-producer in a wide range of films. He suffered a heart attack and died on October 20, 1994, and was laid to rest in Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow, Russia, next to such Russian luminaries as Anton Chekhov and Mikhail A. Bulgakov. His death caused a considerable mourning in Russia. Bondarchuk was survived by his second wife, actress Irina Skobtseva and their children, actress Alyona Bondarchuk, and actor/director Fedor Bondarchuk, and actress Natalya Bondarchuk, his daughter with his first wife, actress Inna Makarova.
As a tribute to Sergei Bondarchuk, his son, Fedor Bondarchuk called him "a father and my teacher," and dedicated his directorial debut, 9th Company (2005), set in war-torn Afghanistan, whereas Sergei's directorial debut was set in WWII.- Actor
- Director
- Producer
Nikita Mikhalkov is the son of the famous communist poet Sergey Mikhalkov, who wrote the lyrics of the Soviet national anthem and had strong connections to the Communist Party. Nikita Mikhalkov's mother, Natalya Petrovna Konchalovskaya, was also a poet and daughter of famous painter Pyotr Petrovich Konchalovsky and his wife Olga Vasilievna Surikova, and by her the great granddaughter of another great painter Vasily Surikov. And then last, but not least, Nikita Mikhalkov is the brother of Andrey Konchalovskiy, also a distinguished film director who, unlike Nikita, has worked in the USA.
Not only did Mikhalkov direct the Academy Award-winning film "Burnt by the Sun" but he is also well-known as a versatile actor, having appeared in over 40 films, including the role of the Russian Tsar Alexander III in his own "The Barber of Siberia" (1998).
Mikhalkov has an impressively long list of wins at the most prestigious film festivals, like Cannes, Venice, Moscow or Karlovy Vary.
Following his movie's Oscar win for Best Foreign Language Film, Nikita Mikhalkov won a parliamentary seat in the then Prime Minister Victor Chernomyrdin's party.
He is always in the spotlight, especially in Moscow, where he resides.- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Boris Babochkin was internationally recognized star of Russian cinema who played the title role in the classic film Chapaev (1934) and later played a sharp anti-communist character on stage in Moscow, for which he was ostracized and censored by the Soviet Communist Party.
He was born Boris Andreevich Babochkin on January 18, 1904, in the city of Saratov on Volga river in Russia. In 1920 he moved to Moscow and enrolled in the Drama School of Michael Chekhov. Babochkin admired Michael Chekhov, but soon he left Chekhov's school for "Molodye Mastera" studio, directed by Illarion Pevtsov. There, with his elder brother Vitaly Babochkin, he worked his first professional season on stage in 1921. In the following six years Boris Babochkin played seasonal gigs on stage with various troupes in Moscow and Saratov, then Samarkand and Bishkek in Central Asia, and then in Voronesh, then in Mogilev in Belarus, and in Berdichev in Ukraine. From 1927 to 1940 he lived and worked in Leningrad. There he made his film debut in 1927. In 1934 he played the leading role in Chapaev (1934), a classic film that brought him global fame and local jealousy. He played leading roles at the Leningrad State Puskin Drama Theater and at the Bolshoi Drama Theater under directorship of his friend Aleksei Dikij. In 1937 Aleksei Dikij was arrested and imprisoned in the Gulag camps. Babochkin was hurt, but stepped in as artistic director of the Bolshoi Drama Theater (BDT) in Leningrad.
In 1940 Babochkin moved back to Moscow. During the WWII he made several trips to Leningrad, besieged by the Nazis, where he supported the defenders of the city and lifted their spirits with his performances. In 1952 Babochkin became the artistic director of the Moscow Pushkin Drama Theater. There he invited Aleksei Dikij to direct "Shadows" (a play by Saltykov-Shchedrin). In "Shadows" Babochkin played one of his best roles ever - Klaverov, a corrupt career politician, resembling of a typical Soviet bureaucrat. For that work Babochkin was viciously attacked in the main Soviet newspaper "Pravda" by none other than Ekaterina Furtseva, who was then a Mayor of Moscow and later was made Soviet Minister of Culture and eventually committed suicide. Furtseva became enraged with Babochkin's satirical portrayal of a Soviet bureaucrat with allusions to the Soviet leadership. She banned the play, and restricted the world famous actor, Babochkin, from public performances and kept him virtually unemployed for three years until he was finally forced to repent to the Communist Party. Official Soviet censorship spared no effort in taming the famous actor and manipulating his star power by limiting him to playing only positive, boring, exemplary Soviet characters. The rare exception was his last role in Begstvo mistera Mak-Kinli (1975) for which he was awarded the State Prize. From 1955 up until his death in 1975 Babochkin was permanent member of the troupe at Maly Theatre in Moscow. From 1946 - 1975 he also taught an acting class at State Film Institute (VGIK), where he became a professor in 1966. In his acting career spanning over 55 years, Babochkin played over 200 roles on stage. He played over 25 roles in movies and on television, but Chapaev (1934) remained the unsurpassed highlight of his film career.
Boris Babochkin was the youngest actor designated People's Artist of Russia (1935). He was three times awarded the State Prize of the USSR (1941, 1951, and 1977 posthumously). He was married to Ekaterina Mikhailovna Babochkina, and the couple had two daughters, Natalia and Tatiana. Boris Babochkin died of a heart attack while driving his "Volga" on July 17, 1975, in Moscow, and was laid to rest in Novodevichy Convent Cemetery in Moscow, Russia.- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Nikolay Burlyaev is a Soviet and Russian actor. He was born into a family of actors, Burlyayev started his career in film and theatre when he was still a child. He is best known for his title role in Andrei Tarkovsky's Ivan's Childhood (1962). He worked with Tarkovsky again four years later, as Boriska in Andrei Rublev.
Burlyayev films include Wartime Romance (1983) and Lermontov (1986), where he played the lead.
Since 1991 Burlyayev has been the founder and director of the annual Zolotoi Vityaz (Golden Knight) Moscow Film Festival of Slavic and Orthodox Peoples, and since 1996 he has been the founder and chairman of the International Association of Cinematographers of Slavic and Orthodox Peoples.
He is married to actress and film director Natalya Bondarchuk.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Andrey Smirnov was born on 12 March 1941 in Moscow, RSFSR, USSR [now Russia]. He is an actor and producer, known for Zhila-byla odna baba (2011), A Frenchman (2019) and Dnevnik ego zheny (2000).- Andrey Myagkov, one of Russia's most familiar faces and a leading actor of the Moscow Art Theatre (MXAT) who starred in the 1970's comedy The Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath! (1976), made a comeback in the sequel The Irony of Fate 2 (2007).
He was born Andrey Vasilevich Myagkov on July 8, 1938, in Leningrad, Russia, USSR (now St. Petersburg, Russia). His father, Vasiliy Myagkov, was a professor at the Polytechnical Academy. Young Andrey was fond of theatre and was involved in the drama club at his high school. However, he focused on the study of chemistry and attended the Leningrad Institute of Technology, graduating in 1960 as a chemical engineer. His first job was as a research engineer at the Leningrad State Institute of Plastics, although at the same time he continued playing on stage as an amateur actor.
In 1961 he was admitted to the acting school of the Moscow Art Theatre (MXAT) in Leningrad. Then he moved to Moscow and studied at the Theatrical School of the Moscow Art Theatre (MXAT), graduating in 1965 as an actor. At that time he married actress Anastasiya Voznesenskaya. From 1965 to 1977 he was a member of the troupe at the Sovremennik Theatre in Moscow. There his stage partners were such actors as Oleg Efremov, Evgeniy Evstigneev, Galina Volchek, Stanislav Lyubshin, Anatoliy Romashin, Alla Pokrovskaya, Oleg Tabakov, Oleg Dal, Igor Kvasha, Valentin Gaft, and other notable Russian actors.
In 1977 he became a member of the troupe at the Moscow Art Theatre (MXAT). There he made his stage debut in the leading role as Zilov in "Utinaya okhota" ("Duck Hunting") by Aleksandr Vampilov, and eventually established himself as a leading actor in other stage productions at the MXAT. His stage partners there were such actors as Innokentiy Smoktunovskiy, Yekaterina Vasilyeva, Tatyana Doronina, Oleg Efremov, Evgeniy Evstigneev, Oleg Tabakov, Aleksandr Kalyagin, Andrei Popov, and other notable Russian actors. Since the split of the troupe in 1987, he has been a member of the Chekhov Moscow Art Theatre (Chekhov MXAT), named after Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. His stage partners there have been such notable Russian actors as Alla Pokrovskaya, Natalya Rogozhkina, Anastasiya Voznesenskaya, Irina Miroshnichenko, Iya Savvina, Stanislav Lyubshin, Vyacheslav Nevinnyy, Evgeniy Kindinov, Viktor Sergachyov, and Vladimir Kashpur, among others.
He made his film debut in the leading role as a dentist in Pokhozhdeniya zubnogo vracha (1965), by director Elem Klimov. He established himself with such roles as the monk Alyosha in The Brothers Karamazov (1969), then as Khlebnikov, an obsessed chess grandmaster, in Grossmeyster (1973) where he had several scenes with Lyudmila Kasatkina, Anatoly Solonitsyn, Mikhail Kozakov, Petr Shelokhonov, and other notable Russian actors.. He shot to fame in the Soviet Union with the leading role as Zhenya in The Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath! (1976), by director Eldar Ryazanov. His fruitful collaboration with Ryazanov continued in Office Romance (1977), The Garage (1980), and A Cruel Romance (1984). Andrey has played over 50 roles in film and on television. He declined offers to play in such modern Russian films as Night Watch (2004) and The Turkish Gambit (2005). However, he made a comeback reprising his most famous role as Zhenya opposite Barbara Brylska in The Irony of Fate 2 (2007), a sequel to the Soviet comedy The Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath! (1976).
In 1989, he made his directorial debut with a stage production of "Spokoynoy nochi, Mama" ("Good Night, Mama") at the Moscow Art Theatre (MXAT). In 2002 he directed the MXAT production of "Retro", a nostalgic play about three middle-aged women courting one man; the play earned him wide public acclaim, although evoking sharp criticism from some contemporary Moscow critics. His last directorial work for the Moscow Art Theatre was a 2006 production of "Osenniy charlston" ("Autumn Charleston") based on the play "The Cemetery Club" by American playwright Ivan Menchell.
He was awarded the State Prize of the USSR in 1977, the Brothers Vasiliev State Prize in 1979, was designated a People's Artist of Russia in 1986, and also received several other significant awards and nominations. Outside of his acting profession, Andrey Myagkov painted portraits, and his paintings are owned by Mikhail Gorbachev and Galina Volchek, among others.
Andrey Vasilevich Myagkov died on 18 February 2021 in Moscow and was laid to rest in Troekurovskoe Cemetery in Moscow, Russia. - Nikolai Petrovich Batalov was born on December 6, 1899, in Moscow, Russia, into the family of a clerk. From 1910-1915 he studied at the Moscow Mercantile School named after the Czar Aleksander III. His interest in theatre and literature was supported by his grandmother, who encouraged his voracious reading. In 1916, he started his acting career at the Moscow Art Theatre under Konstantin Stanislavski and Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko. At the same time he worked at the MKhAT-2, where his partner and artistic director was Michael Chekhov. Nikolai Batalov's first stage work was the role of 'Petia-the bookbinder' in the play 'Zelenoe Koltso' (The Green Ring 1916) by Zinaida Gippius. His best remembered stage work was the title role in the Moscow Art Theatre's classic production 'Zhenitba Figaro', where Susanna was brilliantly played by his wife Olga Androvskaya.
He made his film debut in silent film as Gusev in Aelita, the Queen of Mars (1924) directed by Yakov Protazanov, then as Pavel Vlasov in Mother (1926) directed by Vsevolod Pudovkin, an adaptation of the eponymous book by Maxim Gorky. His leading role in the notable silent film-comedy 'Tretya meshchanskaya' (1927) by writer-director Abram Room had a significant critical and public success. At that time Batalov suffered from the onset of progressive form of tuberculosis, which interrupted his stage career, but he still worked in film. His best known film role was Nikolai Sergeiev in Road to Life (1931) directed by the Latvian writer/director Nikolai Ekk, who won the Most Convincing Director Award at the Venice Film Festival (1932). The film was produced under the leadership of Osip Brik, who introduced Nikolay Batalov to the prototype of his film character, the head of the real Russian juvenile correction colony Pogrebinsky. After this role Nikolay Batalov was awarded and received the title of the Honorable Actor of Russia in 1933.
Nikolai Batlov was suffering from the progressive form of tuberculosis. The disease limited his mobility and affected his acting career in the mid 1930s. He was undergoing the best treatment available then; he was sent to convalesce at the Russian Black Sea resort for patients with tuberculosis, but doctors still recommended that he should be treated in Europe, where tuberculosis was treated with better results. The rigid Soviet system did not allow Batalov to go abroad for the foreign medical help. He died on November 19, 1937, in Moscow.
Batalov was married to actress Olga Androvskaya (nee Schulz). She was the leading actress of the Moscow Art Theatre and also a stage partner of Batalov, and a distinguished film actress. They had a daughter, Svetlana Nikolaevna Batalova, who also became an actress of the Moscow Art Theatre (MKhAT). - Actor
- Soundtrack
Oleg Valerianovich Basilashvili was born on September 26, 1934, in Moscow, USSR. His father, named Valerian Basilashvili, was a director of the Moscow Polytechnical College. His mother, named Irina Ilyinskaya, was a teacher of linguistics.
His father made up a story that his grandfather was a Colonel in the Imperial Army of the Tsar Nicholas II, then married a Polish lady, and settled down, becoming a policeman. He also fabricated a story that grandfather once arrested a dangerous criminal, named Dzhugashvili, who was really Joseph Stalin. In reality Basilashvili's maternal grandfather was a Russian orthodox priest and an architect, who participated in the construction of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow. During the Second World War young Oleg Basilashvili was evacuated from Moscow to the Transcaucasian republic of Georgia. There went to a primary school and lived with his paternal grandfather until the end of WWII.
In 1956 Oleg Basilashvili graduated from the Acting School of the Moscow Art Theatre. He made his film debut as a young groom in 'Nevesta' (The Bride, 1956) by director Grigori Nikulin, based on a story by Anton Chekhov. At that time together with his first wife, Tatyana Doronina, Basilashvili joined the troupe at the Bolshoi Drama Theatre (BDT) in St. Petersburg (then Leningrad) under the leadership of the legendary director Georgi Tovstonogov. Since 1959 Basilashvili has been a permanent member of the troupe at the BDT in St. Petersburg. There his stage partners were such stars as Kirill Lavrov, Tatyana Doronina, Alisa Freyndlikh, Lyudmila Makarova, Svetlana Kryuchkova, Zinaida Sharko, Valentina Kovel, Innokentiy Smoktunovskiy, Sergey Yurskiy, and many other remarkable Russian actors. Basilashvili's most memorable stage works were in 'Gore ot Uma' by the playwright Aleksandr Griboyedov, 'Uncle Vanya', a play by Anton Chekhov, 'Kholstomer', based on story by Lev Tolstoy, 'Na Dne', a play by Maxim Gorky, and other classic plays, directed by Georgi Tovstonogov at the BDT in St. Petersburg.
Oleg Basilashvili has been one of the favorite actors of film director Eldar Ryazanov. They collaborated in such popular films as Sluzhebny Roman (1977), Vokzal Dlya Dvoikh (1982), Nebesa obetovannye (1991), and Predskazanie (1993), which became significant box-office hits. His film partners were Alisa Freyndlikh, Lyudmila Gurchenko, Nikita Mikhalkov, Nonna Mordyukova, Evgeniy Leonov, Natalya Gundareva, and many other Russian film actors.
One of his most famous film works was made in collaboration with director Georgiy Daneliya in a remarkable film Autumn Marathon (1979). The film is a cross-genre comedy and melodrama with a bitter humor and satire of the Soviet life. In it Basilashvili plays a man in his mid-life crisis, who is torn between two nice women, his wife and his mistress, and all three of them become entangled in the game of lies and personal demands, being at the same time strangled by the stagnant Soviet reality. Basilashvili co-created a memorable acting ensemble with such actors, as Natalya Gundareva, Evgeniy Leonov, Marina Neyolova, and Nikolay Kryuchkov. The film became a Soviet classic, and director Georgiy Daneliya was awarded at International film festivals in Berlin and San Sebastian.
Oleg Basilashvili made a comeback with an impressive performance in the role of Woland in Master i Margarita (2005), an adaptation of the eponymous novel of Mikhail A. Bulgakov by director Vladimir Bortko. In his own words, Basilashvili played the character of Woland in resemblance of an authoritarian and manipulative bureaucrat, alluding to a Soviet-era dictator. Basilashvili created a powerful interplay with a stellar ensemble of actors, such as Aleksandr Abdulov, Kirill Lavrov, Anna Kovalchuk, Aleksandr Galibin, and other notable Russian actors.
Oleg Basilashvili received the title of People's Artist of the USSR. He was awarded the State Prize of the Soviet Union and was decorated by the Russian government. Basilashvili was elected the representative of Leningrad (St. Petersburg) in 1990. He was a supporter of president Boris Yeltsin and a member of the parliamentary group of democratic representatives. Oleg Basilashvili was a proponent of returning the original name to the city of St. Petersburg. He quit politics after 2000, and focused on his acting career.
Basilashvili is currently residing in St. Petersburg, Russia, with his second wife, Galina Mshanskaya, who is a popular TV show hostess.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Vladimir Menshov was a Russian director and actor, noted for his depiction of the Russian everyman and working class life in his films. Born on September, 17, 1937 in Baku (then USSR, now the territory of Azerbaijan), like many Russian directors and actors Menshov studied at the state film school VGIK. Although his filmography as an actor is superior to that as director (actually confined to only five movies), he will be remembered most of all for his second film as director, Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears (1980), one of the most popular and beloved films in Russia, starring his wife Vera Alentova. The film brought him international recognition and the Oscar for the Best Foreign Film. Menshov did not attend the Academy Awards ceremony personally because he could not leave the country due to some problems of political nature, and the prize statuette was accepted by the USSR Commissioner to the U.S. The film itself is a moving story of three girlfriends who arrive in Moscow in search for a better life. A great melodrama in the first place, on a close analysis, the film can be seen as a biography of a whole generation since in the late 1970s, young people who abandoned their provincial towns with no opportunities for good jobs and strove to settle in the Russian capital.
In 1999, the 20th anniversary of the film's original release was celebrated at a series of events around Russia. Another film, an immensely popular comedy of manners Love and Doves (1985), was about a rural farmer peasant falling in love with a glamor urban lady. It ensured that his career continued to glitter. In the decade that followed he refrained from directing and in his rare interviews was very critical of the cinema industry. In 1995 he made Shirli-myrli (1995) - a very long extravaganza satirizing practically every aspect of cultural and political life in Russia. The film showed that these "off the job" years had not affected his talent. Zavist bogov (2000) - a nostalgic drama - demonstrated his longing for the Soviet era life style. Although criticized by some for "being too simple", Menshov was affectionately loved by ordinary cinema-goers who saw him as one of a very few directors capable of creating a perfect comedy or drama out of a down-to-earth situation.- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Leonid Bykov was born on 12 December 1928 in Znamenskoye, Donetsk Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Ukraine]. He was an actor and director, known for Only Old Men Are Going to Battle (1974), Little Hare (1965) and Aty-baty, shli soldaty... (1977). He died on 11 April 1979 in Kiev Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Ukraine].- Actor
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Mikhail Boyarskiy was born on 26 December 1949 in Leningrad, RSFSR, USSR [now St. Petersburg, Russia]. He is an actor, known for Ma-ma (1976), The Return of the Musketeers, or The Treasures of Cardinal Mazarin (2009) and D'artagnan and Three Musketeers (1979). He has been married to Larisa Luppian since 1975. They have two children.- Actor
- Director
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Oleg Tabakov was a renown Russian actor, director, and public figure, who played over 100 roles in film and on TV. He is best known for his roles as Count Nikita Rostov in War and Peace (1965) by Sergey Bondarchuk, and as Oblomov in the eponymous film by Nikita Mikhalkov.
He was born Oleg Pavlovich Tabakov on August 17, 1935, in Saratov, Russia, USSR. His father, Pavel Kondratevich Tabakov, and his mother, Maria Andreevna Berezovskaya, were medical doctors in Saratov. His parents separated during the Second World War, and young Tabakov was brought up by his single mother and grandmother. He attended the all-boys school in Saratov, and was active in the drama class. From 1950-1953 he studied acting at the Saratov House of Pioneers under the legendary acting coach Natalia Iosifivna Sukhostav.
In 1953, Tabakov moved to Moscow and entered the Moscow Art Theatre (MKhAT) School of Acting. He attended the class of Vasili Toporkov, graduating in 1957 as an actor. He made his film debut as Sasha in Sasha vstupayet v zhizn (1957) by director Mikhail Shvejtser, in 1956. That same year he became the youngest of the six founding members of Sovremennik Theatre under the directorship of Oleg Efremov. From 1957 - 1983, he was member of Sovremennik. There he played leading roles in such productions as 'Goly Korol' (aka.. Naked King), 'Tri Zhelaniya' (aka.. Three Wishes), 'Obyknovennaya istoriya' (aka.. Ordinary story) and other contemporary Russian plays. From 1970 - 1976 Tabakov was General Manager of Sovremennik, he promoted Galina Volchek to Principal Director of the company.
Since 1970s Tabakov had been teaching young actors at his master-class. Many of his students became successful professionals on stage as well as in film industry. His teaching credentials included workshops and productions at the Paris Conservatoire, the British American Drama Academy, Akademie Der Künst in Hamburg, the Max Reinhardt Seminar in Vienna, Carnegie Mellon, The Juilliard School, New York University, Florida State University, The University of Delaware, and Harvard University.
In 1978 Tabakov and his students opened the "Tabakerka" Theatre in downtown Moscow. There Tabakov produced and directed several successful plays, such as 'Vesnoi ya vernus k tebe' (aka.. I'll be back in Spring), 'Proschay Maugli' (aka.. farewell to Maugli), and 'Belosnezhka i sem gnomov' (aka.. Snowhite and seven dwarfs). However, regardless of success with public and steady critical acclaim, the Soviet officials did not authorize Tabakov's new theatre, and his company dissolved by 1982. At that time Tabakov was depressed and transferred to MKhAT. There he played one of his best stage roles, Salieri, in the popular play 'Amadeus' under directorship of Oleg Efremov. Over the course of his acting career Tabakov appeared in about 150 roles, he also directed over 30 international stage productions.
During the 1990s, Oleg Tabakov was a strong supporter of democratic reforms and freedom in the new Russia. He made public speeches and was involved in many public events facilitating the cultural transformation of arts and theatres in Russia. Having himself experienced the Soviet control and suppression during his creative career, Tabakov became one of the leading proponents of cultural reforms in Russia. His efforts came to fruition in the revival of the Moscow Art Theatre under his leadership, as well as his participation in numerous cultural and political events in Russia. Over the course of his life and career, Oleg Tabakov rose to become one of the living symbols of artistic freedom in Russia. However, during the last years of life, Tabakov had shown public support of the ruling regime of Russia, supposedly out of the desire to help his students and the actors of his theatre.
Since 2000, after the death of his friend Oleg Efremov, Tabakov had been Artistic Director of Moscow Art Theatre named after A. Chekhov. He was also the Artistic Director of "Tabakerka" Theatre, and the leading actor in both companies. He was awarded the USSR State Prize for the Arts, the Russian State Prize for the Arts, and other national and international awards and decorations from Hungary, France, Poland, and the USSR. Oleg Tabakov was designated People's Actor of the USSR and Russia (1980s), and was decorated with the Order of Merit of Fatherland II degree, by the Russian president Vladimir Putin (2005).
Oleg Tabakov has been married twice. His first son, Anton Tabakov, is an actor and also a successful night-club owner in Moscow. Since 1996, Oleg Tabakov had been married to actress Marina Zudina and the couple had two children, son, Pavel (b. 1996), and daughter, Maria (b. 2006). Oleg Tabakov was hospitalized in the late November of 2017. His condition worsened gradually, ending in his death on 12th of March, 2018.- Vladimir Fogel was born in 1902 in Moscow, Russian Empire [now Russia]. He was an actor, known for By the Law (1926), The Adventures of the Three Reporters (1926) and Chess Fever (1925). He died on 8 June 1929 in Moscow, Russian SFSR, USSR [now Russia].
- Actor
- Producer
Aleksey Petrenko was born on 26 March 1938 in Chemer, Chernigov Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Chernihiv Oblast, Ukraine]. He was an actor and producer, known for 12 (2007), Skaz pro to, kak tsar Pyotr arapa zhenil (1976) and Kollektsioner (2001). He was married to Azima Abdumaminova, Alla Petrenko and Galina Kozhukhova-Petrenko. He died on 22 February 2017 in Moscow, Russia.- Actor
- Additional Crew
Nikolay Dobrynin was born on 17 August 1963 in Taganrog, Rostovskaya oblast, RSFSR, USSR [now Russia]. He is an actor, known for Russkiy regtaym (1993), Svaty (2008) and Gromozeka (2011).- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Yuri Nikulin was a Russian film actor, comedian, mime, and circus clown who was also Artistic Director of Moscow Circus and popular TV show host.
He was born Yuri Vladimirovich Nikulin on December 18, 1921, in the town of Demidov, Smolensk province, Central Russia. His father, Vladimir Andreevich Nikulin, was a writer and director who worked for theater and circus. Yuri Nikulin inherited his fathers talents and had a dream of becoming an actor. The Second World War changed his plans as he was drafted in the Soviet Army in 1939 and served in a tank unit until 1946. After the war he came out a changed man. He could not get in any Soviet acting school for a few years, until he went to the Moscow Circus. There he was admitted after presenting a pantomime as a clown. He graduated from the Circus School in 1950, and started his acting career as a clown at the Moscow State Circus.
Yuri Nikulin became best known for his roles in the comedies from director Leonid Gaidai. Their collaboration from 1961 to 1971 was one of the most productive actor-director partnerships in the history of Russian film. Their comedies were the highest-grossing box office hits ever in Russia and the former Soviet Union with the admissions of 222,800,000 in the first 15 months. The Diamond Arm (1969) was the #1 top grossing Russian box office hit ever with theatrical admissions over 76,700,000 in the Soviet Union in 1969. In a 1995 national poll in Russia, The Diamond Arm (1969), starring Yuri Nikulin was voted the best Russian comedy ever.
Nikulin's effortless style and precise delivery, as well as his mastery of timing and his hilarious masks made him an outstanding comedian, arguably the best Russian comedian ever. Nikulin showed his range in a variety of genres from slapstick comedy to romance and war drama. His most popular film partners were Georgiy Vitsin, Evgeniy Morgunov, Natalya Varley, Rolan Bykov, Anatoliy Papanov, Sergey Filippov, Mikhail Pugovkin, Aleksandr Demyanenko, Leonid Kuravlyov, Andrey Mironov, Evgeniy Evstigneev, Vasiliy Shukshin, Vyacheslav Tikhonov, Sergey Bondarchuk, Nikolay Burlyaev, Viktor Pavlov, Boris Novikov, Vladimir Etush, Saveliy Kramarov, Nikolay Grinko, and many other notable Russian actors.
Yuri Nikulin received popular and critical acclaim for his leading and supporting roles in such films as 'Andrei Rublev' (1961) by director Andrei Tarkovsky, They Fought for Their Country (1975) by director Sergey Bondarchuk, 'Stariki-razboyniki' (1971) by director Eldar Ryazanov, 'Chuchelo' (1983) by director Rolan Bykov, 'Kogda derevya byli bolshimi' (1961) by director Lev Kulidzhanov, '12 stulev' by director Leonid Gaidai, 'Dvadtsat dney bez voiny' (1976) by director Aleksey German, and many other memorable works in film. Nikulin's recording of the theme song from The Diamond Arm (1969), especially his delivery of such lines as "We care less" and "We are fearless" made it a popular hit in the 60s and 70s Soviet Union.
Nikulin was among very few comedians who could continue laughing in the face of the Soviet system without any fear of being punished. Even the toughest hard-liners knew that without his humor the everyday life of many millions would be totally unbearable. His genuine talent endured the country's worst times with a smile. He could make people smile anytime and anywhere; even after the collapse of the Soviet Union, when the bloody communism was replaced with the no less bloody Russian capitalism. During the 1990s Nikulin hosted 'Bely Popugai' (aka.. White Parrot), a hilarious TV show where he gathered the crème de la crème of Russian comedians.
The Moscow State Circus on Tsvetnoi Bulevard was the main workplace for Yuri Nikulin, where he had a career spanning about 50 years. He was awarded the honorable title of the National Artist and received numerous decorations for his achievements as an actor. Yuri Nikulin died after an open heart surgery, on August 21, 1997, in Moscow, and was laid to rest in the Novodevichy Monastery Cemetery, among the tombs of Anton Chekhov, Mikhail A. Bulgakov, Nikolay Gogol, Nikita Khrushchev, Sergey Bondarchuk, Anatoliy Papanov, and other Russian culture luminaries and historic figures.- Actor
- Director
Sergey Puskepalis was born on 15 April 1966 in Kursk, Kurskaya oblast, RSFSR, USSR [now Russia]. He was an actor and director, known for Prostye veshchi (2007), Metro (2013) and How I Ended This Summer (2010). He died on 20 September 2022 in Rostov district of the Yaroslavl region, Russia.- Actor
- Director
Panin was rocketed to fame by the hit television detective show "Kamenskaya." In 2000, he had lead roles in both Valery Akhadov's "Don't Offend the Women" and Pavel Lugin's "Wedding," as well as Alexander Atanesyan's action thriller "24 Hours." He won the best actor prize at the Golden Ram film festival for his part in "Wedding." Panin made his first screen appearance in the movie "Straightway," but it was his performances in Maxim Pezhemsky's "Mama, Don't Cry" and Denis Yevstigneev's "Mama" that brought the actor renown.
Before becoming a screen regular, he was a stage actor at the Minusinsky theater, where he worked after graduating from the Culture Institute in Kemerovo. Although he had initially planned to attend the Culinary Institute, Panin went on to further his education as an actor, graduating from Moscow's legendary MKhAT in 1991 and taking up residence at the MKhAT Chekhov theater with his wife, Natalya Rogozhina. His stage work includes "Three Sisters" (Soleny), "The Miserly Knight," "Marriage," "Deadly Number," and a private production of "Winter." Panin often acts in Oleg Tabakov's productions.- Producer
- Actor
- Director
Founder and co-founder of Art Pictures Studio production company, general producer of NMG Studio company, Chairman of the Directors Board of Lenfilm Production Studio, founder of Industry Film and Television School. Directed two successful domestic war dramas: "The 9th Company" (2005) that was based on real-life battle during the Soviet-Afghan war became the first Russian film with $25 million box-office and was awarded by the National Academy of Cinema Arts; "Stalingrad" (2013) became one of the highest-grossing films in Russian history and gained over $67 million worldwide. Moreover, "Stalingrad" was the first Russian movie released in IMAX format. One of the latest Fedor Bondarchuk's projects, sci-fi blockbuster "Attraction" (also released in IMAX format), became one of the top grossing Russian films and earned over one billion rubles in Russia and CIS. Over 4 million viewers watched "Attraction" in cinema, the movie also became the leader on streaming services after its online release . The follow-up of this ambitious story, "Invasion", came out in theaters in January 2020 and grossed over 900 million rubles in cinemas (with more than 2 million audience). Another Fedor Bondarchuk's latest project was his first TV-series "Psycho" - a dramatic story about a modern psychotherapist. Russian NMG Studio and Renta Videostudio were producing.
Fedor Bondarchuk's Art Pictures Studio Production Company has been working on national and international markets over 25 years and is considered to be one of the leaders in Russian film industry. Art Pictures Studio production projects include such Russian box-office hits as "Ice" (directed by Oleg Trofim), "Heat" (directed by Rezo Gigineishvili), "Soulless " and "Soulless-2" (directed by Roman Prygunov) and many others. Films produced by APS have earned over $200 million in movie theaters and won over 50 Russian and International awards. More than 80 countries purchased the rights to distribute APS projects. The "Ice" sequel -"Ice 2" (directed by Zhora Kryzhovnikov) premiered February 2020 and grossed more than 1,5 billion rubles. Over 5 million people have seen "Ice 2" in cinemas. Art Pictures Studio's new movie - sci-fi thriller "Sputnik" where Fedor Bondarchuk played a colonel Semiradov (directed by Egor Abramenko) was also a huge hit. The project was viewed more than 1 million times after just one month of online-streaming in Russia. It also became Number 1 in American iTunes (the "Horror" category) right after its USA release. "Sputnik"'s Rotten Tomatoes score is almost 90% - it is the first time when a Russian project is rated this high. In September of 2021 APS released its first documentary "Bondarchuk.Battle" focusing on a figure of Academy Award-winning director Sergei Bondarchuk. Helming the project are journalists Anton Jelnov and Denis Kataev with Ilya Belov as a director. Fedor Bondarchuk was producing.
Fedor Bondarchuk is one of the founders and producers of Art Pictures Vision Company which specializes in TV production. Art Pictures Vision portfolio includes such popular TV projects as "The Year of Culture" (TNT channel), "90's. Funny and loud!", "Psychologirls" (STS channel). In 2019 APV projects premiered on Amazon Prime streaming service: sports drama "Junior League" (STS), spy thriller "Sleepers" (TV 1st channel) and a horror movie "The day after" became available for foreign subscribers. The latter also had a release in Japan - both on TV screens and online. Among current APV projects are road-movie type of comedy "Let's go!" (STS) and sports comedy "Lanky Girls" (STS), a detective period piece An Hour before the Dawn"(NTV and more tv), a story about a Russian moto sport team "Kamaz Master" - "KAMAZ. Extreme Racing" (Premiere), and a comedy " Parents Commitee" (STS).
In 2017 Fedor Bondarchuk and producers of "Vodorod" Production Company Mikhail Vrubel and Alexander Andryushchenko, joined by National Media Group, founded Industry Film and Television School. The mission of the School is to form a new generation of professionals in Russian film industry. At present Industry Film and Television School offers more than 20 various training programs from filmmaking and cinematography up to VFX production. Among the members of School's advisory board and training staff are professionals of Russian film and TV industries as well as successful and talented Russian filmmakers. In the three years of its existence School produced a lot of student's short films that later got into the programs of such significant film festivals as "Kinotavr", "Motion", "In one word" (Korotche), MIFF and many others.
Fedor Bondarchuk is also known as one of the most popular and sought-after actors of Russian cinema. He played more than 70 roles in movies and TV projects of various genres. Fyodor Bondarchuk is the two-time winner of the awards of Golden Eagle: for a leading n role in a movie "Two days" by Avdotya Smirnova (2012) and for a leading role in the famous comedy "Ghost" produced by Alexander Voitinsky (2015). He is also a well-known TV host. He's been hosting his own TV show "Cinema in Details" on STS channel since 2005. Fedor Bondarchuk repeatedly became the winner of the TEFI, Nika, Golden Eagle and Blockbuster awards and won a lot of other prizes.
Fedor Bondarchuk is the Chairman of Trustees Board of Open Russian Film Festival "Kinotavr", the member of "Nika" Russian Academy of Cinema Arts and Sciences, the member of "Golden Eagle" National Academy of Cinema Arts and Sciences of Russia. At the end of 2018 he was awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky for his contribution in the development of national culture and arts. Also at the end of 2018, in accordance with the Decree by the President of Russia, Fedor Bondarchuk entered the Presidential Board of Culture and Arts. In 2019 he received the National Grand Prix "Media Manager of Russia".
Fedor Bondarchuk was born on May 9th, 1967 in Moscow, in the family of director Sergei Fedorovich Bondarchuk and actress Irina Konstantinovna Skobtseva. He graduated from the directing department of VGIK University (Yuri Ozerov's workshop) in 1992. He began his career in 1990 as a director of music videos with famous Russian musicians. In 1993 he debuted in cinema with a short film "I Love" featuring a star performance by the famous actress Lyudmila Gurchenko. A war drama "The 9th Company" (2005) based on real-life events during Soviet-Afgan war is his full-length major debut.- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Arkady Isaakovich Raykin was born on October 24, 1911, in Riga, Russian Empire (now Riga, Latvia). His father, named Isaak Raykin, worked at the Riga sea port. In 1922 his family moved to Petrograd (now St. Petersburg, Russia). There young Raykin took his first acting lessons at the local drama club. In 1935 he graduated from Leningrad Theater and Film Institute, where his classmate was actor Georgi Zhzhyonov. Raykin began his acting career at Leningrad Theater of Young Workers (TRAM). At that time Raykin also began his film career by playing small roles, often uncredited.
His great acting talent unfolded in stand-up comedy. His hallmark momentalism, his razor-sharp wit, and a free-spirited humor won him the love of millions. In 1939 Raykin became the winner of the 1st National All-Soviet Competition of Comedians, where he performed two numbers, a parody of Charlie Chaplin and "Mishka" (Little Bear). In 1939 he became one of the founders of Leningrad Theater of Estrada and Miniature Comedy. During the Second World War, Arkady Raykin made numerous performances for the Red Army soldiers, who were fighting the Nazis on the front-line. In 1942, during the siege of Leningrad, Raykin became the Artistic Director of Leningrad Theater of Miniatures. His witty performances helped to lift the spirits of the survivors in Leningrad, while the city was besieged by the Nazis. Raykin was decorated for his courage and for the numerous stage performances he made during the war.
Arkady Raykin was the undisputed leader among comedians in the Soviet Union. He was often called a Russian Chaplin. Raykin had a special way of using comedy to ridicule the Soviet communism by satirizing the inefficient bureaucracy and absurdity of the Soviet system. Despite the politically sensitive performances and despite his being a Jew, Arkady Raykin was lionized both popularly and officially. He performed to consistently "sold out" audiences and toured all over the former USSR and abroad for over 50 years. In 1982 he moved his theatre company from Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) to Moscow. There he opened the State Theatre of Miniatures which is now Arkady Raykin Satyricon Theatre, run by his son, actor Konstantin Raykin.
Arkady Raykin was designated the title of People's Artist of the USSR (1968), was awarded the State Lenin Prize (1980), and also received the highest civilian award in the Soviet Union, the Hero of Socialist Labour (1981). He died of a heart failure on December 20, 1987, in Moscow, and was laid to rest in the Novodevichye Cemetery in Moscow, Russia.- Born July 12, 1963 in Moscow in the family of theatrical figure Yuri Domogarov. As a child, the future actor studied music, in parallel with the general education he studied at a music school. In 1984 he graduated from the Schepkin Theater School (course leader - Viktor Ivanovich Korshunov). From 1984 to 1985 he served at the Maly Theater in Moscow. From 1985 to 1995 - an actor at the Central Academic Theater of the Soviet Army (since 1993 - the Central Academic Theater of the Russian Army) . Since 1995 he has been an actor at the Mossovet State Academic Theater. He played on this stage Marat in the play "My Poor Marat", Cyrano in the play "Cyrano DEA Bergerac ", Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in the musical play "The Strange Story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" (Russian version of the Broadway musical "Jekyll and Hyde") where he performed complex vocal parts. He also took part in productions of other theaters: the title roles in the performances "Nijinsky, the Crazy God Clown" at the Moscow Drama Theater on Malaya Bronnaya and "Macbeth" at the Bogatella Theater in Krakow, Poland. As a guest artist in 2019-2020 he worked at the Gorky Moscow Art Theater. He engaged in the trilogy of Andrei Konchalovsky, plays Astrov in the play "Uncle Vanya", Vershinin in the play "Three Sisters" and Gaev in the play "The Cherry Orchard". On September 13, 2020, the premiere of the play "Richard III" directed by Nina Chusova, where Alexander Domogarov played the legendary title role. He has starred in more than 20 films and TV series in Russia and Europe. He has been acting in films since 1984, making his debut in the film "Inheritance" directed by Georgy Natanson. He became famous for the role of Pavel Gorin in the historical adventure film "Midshipmen III"(1992) by Svetlana Druzhinina. In 1996, he landed the part of a noble, handsome Count Bussy D'Ambois in the popular Russian TV series, Grafinya de Monsoro (1997), based on a novel by Alexandre Dumas. The part brought him all-Russian fame. The detective-adventure series franchises "Turetsky's March" (2000-2007) and "Gangster Petersburg" (2000-2007) are no less successful. A historical epic, With Fire and Sword (1999) filmed by a cult Polish director Jerzy Hoffman where Alexander portrays a dashing Cossack chieftain Bohun, won him international acclaim. In Poland, the actor also starred in the television series "Crime Wave" (2003-2008) and "Blood from the blood" (2012-2015), in the films "One June Night", directed by Andrzej Wajda, and The Battle of Warsaw. 1920" (2011) directed by Jerzy Hoffmann , and in Sweden - in the film" The Diver" (2001) directed by Eric Gustavson.
- Konstantin Raykin was born on 8 July 1950 in Leningrad, RSFSR, USSR [now St. Petersburg, Russia]. He is an actor, known for Much Ado About Nothing (1973), Truffaldino iz Bergamo (1977) and Neudacha Puaro (2002). He has been married to Elena Butenko since 1987. They have one child. He was previously married to Gulya Salakhova.
- Daniil Strakhov was born on 2 March 1976 in Moscow, Russian SFSR, USSR [now Russia]. He is an actor, known for Peregon (2006), Isaev (2009) and My iz budushchego (2008). He has been married to Mariya Leonova since 2000.
- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Gifted actor and dancer Valery Nikolaev has choreographed five productions at the Chekhov MKhAT theater. He choreographed the musical "My Fair Lady" (Moscow, 2000), as well. In 1997 he traveled to Hollywood in 1997 to play in Phillip Noyce's "The Saint." Nikolaev graduated from MKhAT, where he studied under the eminent Oleg Tabakov. It was during his studies with Tabakov that he met his future wife, Irina Apeksimova. After graduation, Nikolaev performed with the Chekhov MKhAT theater. Nikolaev is a serious dancer who excels at rock and tap. He trained at a university in Florida, where he received a certificate in tap dancing.- Actor
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Evegeni Leonov was a Russian actor best known for leading roles in comedies, such as Kin-dza-dza! (1986) and Gentlemen of Fortune (1971).
He was born Evgeni Pavlovich Leonov on September 2, 1926, in Moscow, Russia, USSR (now Moscow, Russia). He was the second son in the family. His father, Pavel Vasilevich Leonov, was an aviation engineer, his mother, Anna Il'inichna was a homemaker. Young Evgeni Leonov had a dream of becoming a pilot like the famous aviator Valeri Chkalov. During the Second World War his school studies were interrupted by invasion of the Nazi Armies. Leonov became a metal-worker after he completed only seven years of secondary school. Leonov worked in the aviation industry and studied at Moscow Aviation Technical School, named after S. Ordzhonikidze. There he started amateur acting at students club.
One day in 1943, Leonov decided to become a professional actor. He borrowed a coat from his brother and went to the Moscow State Theatre Studio. There he took an entrance exam: he presented monologues from Anton Chekhov and Mikhail Zoschenko to the State Commission of 25 professionals, including Andrei Goncharov and Rostislav Zakharov, the renown director from the Bolshoi Theater. After finishing the prepared monologues Leonov was asked to perform something else. "Something else is even worse", he replied. His words caused an explosion of laughter. The State Commission saw his great potential, and Leonov became a student at the drama class of the Moscow State Theatre Studio. There his teachers were Rostislav Zakharov and Andrei Goncharov. He continued his day job as an industrial worker, and studied acting at nights, graduating in 1947, as actor.
Leonov became a member of the Moscow Dzerzhinsky Borough Theatre, which was renamed the Stanislavsky Theatre in 1948. He had no serious roles for two years and struggled through working extras at the Mosfilm. In 1949 Leonov played his first cameo roles in 'Karandash na ldu' and 'Schastlivy reis'. His first big work in movies was the supporting role in 'Delo Rumyantseva' (1955). In the course of his film career Leonov played a dazzling variety of leading and supporting roles in more than 60 films. Leonov is best remembered for his roles in popular films from directors Vladimir Fetin, Leonid Gaidai, Mark Zakharov, and Georgiy Daneliya. He was twice awarded the State Prize of the USSR, was designated People's Actor of USSR (1978) and received numerous decorations for his film roles and for his stage works.
Evgeni Leonov was among the leading comedians in Russian cinema of the Soviet era. He was best known for his roles in such films as Striped Trip (1961), Gentlemen of Fortune (1971), Kin-dza-dza! (1986), Mimino (1977), and _Osenniy marafon (1979). Leonov also demonstrated remarkable range in dramas and period films, such as Belorussky Station (1971) and Tchaikovsky (1970). He was the voice of Vinnie the Pooh in the eponymous Russian cartoon. His happy face and a sincere smile was a guarantee for success of a film or a stage play. Leonov's stage career, spanning more than 50 years, really took off in 1954, with the role of Lariosik in 'Dni Turbinykh', a play by Mikhail A. Bulgakov. From 1974 - 1994 Leonov was a permanent member of the troupe at Moscow Lenkom Theatre under the directorship of Mark Zakharov. There his stage partners were such actors as Inna Churikova, Leonid Bronevoy, Oleg Yankovskiy, Aleksandr Abdulov, Nikolay Karachentsov, Aleksandr Zbruev, Aleksandra Zakharova, Tatyana Kravchenko, Aleksandr Lazarev, Dmitriy Pevtsov, and other notable Russian actors. Leonov gave a remarkable performance in the leading role as Tevye in 'Pominalnaya Molitva', an adaptation of Tevye the Milkman story by Sholom Aleichem, which was the last role of this great Russian actor.
Outside of his entertainment career, Evgeni Leonov was fond of fine art; he developed a passion for collecting Russian landscape paintings and graphics, as well as Russian period furniture and antiques. His home in Moscow looked like a museum of Russian art. He enjoyed treating his friends and guests to the highlights of his private collection. Leonov, a gourmet connoisseur, was famous for his remarkable hospitality and shared his passion with many friends and guests. He was married to Vanda Vladimirovna Stoilova, and the couple's son, Andrey Leonov, also became an actor. Evgeni Leonov died of a heart attack on January 29, 1994, in Moscow, and was laid to rest in the Novodevichy Convent Cemetery in Moscow, Russia.- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Aleksandr Abdulov, one of Russian cinema's best known sex symbols and was one of the most celebrated Russian film stars.
He was born Aleksandr Gavrilovich Abdulov on May 29, 1953, in Tobolsk, Siberian Russia, into the family of a theatre director from Fergana, Uzbekistan. His father, named Gavriil Abdulov was a wounded veteran of the Second World War decorated for his courage at the front-line tank battles against the Nazis. Abdulov's mother was a make-up artist at several Russian theatres. Young Abdulov grew up in Uzbekistan, where he finished high school and also became the Master of Sports in fencing. He was admitted to a local college where he had the chance of becoming a sports coach.
His dream of becoming an actor was almost ruined when he failed the admission tests at the Moscow State Institute of Theatrical Arts (GITIS). He could not go back to Uzbekistan so he stayed in various gloomy dorms in Moscow, working hard labor jobs at railway stations just to survive. He then studied acting at GITIS, made very little money working as an extra, and still was a hard laborer in order to pay for his living in Moscow. In 1975 he graduated from GITIS and was hired by the Lenkom Theatre director Mark Zakharov.
Abdulov revealed the full range of his talent in popular films An Ordinary Miracle (1979) and S lyubimymi ne rasstavaytes (1980). The public adored Abdulov and he became the first big sex-symbol in the former USSR. Millions of his pictures has been decorating homes and student dorms in every big and small town of the former Soviet Union. The public loved Abdulov - the actor and the man - for his sincere talent and for his devotion to his ideas.
He played his best roles under the direction of Mark Zakharov in such films as 'Obyknovennoe Chudo (1978), 'Tot samyi Munchgausen (1979), 'Formula Lyubvi' (1984), and Ubit drakona (1988). His best film partners were Oleg Yankovskiy, Evgeniy Leonov, Vyacheslav Tikhonov, Evgeniy Evstigneev, Leonid Bronevoy, Andrey Mironov, Irina Kupchenko, Leonid Yarmolnik, Semyon Farada, Aleksandr Zbruev, Sergey Nikonenko, Irina Alfyorova and others. This ensemble of fine actors and directors evolved into a special and uniquely Russian milieu, where Abdulov's multifaceted talent was supported by other actors.
His range and nuanced acting reached a new level in the films made in the late 1980s and 1990s. Abdulov created powerful roles in a tandem with the masterful Innokentiy Smoktunovskiy in the innovative film 'Geniy' (1991) by director Viktor Sergeev. At that time, Abdulov also received a Nika Award nomination for supporting role in Sukiny deti (1991) by director Leonid Filatov. Abdulov made two equally interesting works in collaboration with director Sergey Solovyov in 'Chyornaya roza - emblema pechali, krasnaya roza - emblema lyubvi' (1989) and in 'Dom pod zvyozdnym nebom' (1991). Both works were awarded, acclaimed by critics, and loved by the public.
Abdulov showed his gift for transformation in the devilish character Korov'ev in 'Master i Margarita' (2005), a TV-series from director Vladimir Bortko based on the eponymous book by Mikhail A. Bulgakov. Abdulov's energy helped the film making him the most lively nerve in the group of 'super stars' (some say super old stars). His acting became more classic and restrained in the traditionally Russian period-film 'Anna Karenina' (2005) based on the eponymous novel by Lev Tolstoy from director Sergey Solovyov. Later Abdulov worked with director Aleksandr Buravskiy in the epic film Leningrad (2009), about the historic siege during the Second World War; where his acting partners were Gabriel Byrne, Mira Sorvino, Kirill Lavrov, Mikhail Efremov, Donatas Banionis and other notable actors.
Aleksandr Abdulov was designated People's Artist of Russia. He received numerous awards and nominations for his performances in film and on stage. He was a permanent member of the troupe at Lenkom Theatre in Moscow. He also directed several films as well as stage productions. Aleksandr Abdulov died of lung cancer, on January 3, 2008, and was laid to rest in Vagankovskoe cemetery in Moscow, Russia.- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Valentin Gaft was born on 2 September 1935 in Moscow, RSFSR, USSR [now Russia]. He was an actor and producer, known for 12 (2007), Piry Valtasara, ili noch so Stalinym (1989) and Master i Margarita (2005). He was married to Olga Ostroumova, Inna Eliseeva and Elena Izorgina. He died on 12 December 2020 in Odintsovskiy rayon Moskovskaya oblast, Russia.- In 1999 Maksim graduated from high school - 2. V. Tikhonov in Saratov with a silver medal. Back in school years thought of admission to medical school, but by the end of the school changed his mind and decided to enter the Faculty of Law, Volga Region Academy of Public Service. P. Stolypin. But the case led him to the theater department. District Ball medalists led Vladimir Smirnov, a student of V. Ermakova. The evening held a variety of games and competitions and Smirnov noticed Maksim, Valentina gave the phone and urged to try forces in the theater department. Maksim gave the entrance examination once in two universities: the Academy of Civil Service and in the theater department of the Saratov Conservatory. As a result, he was accepted to study at the theater, and at once on the second year.
His first major role was Nijinsky in the graduation performance "Clown of God."
In 2002, Maksim Matveyev graduated from the theater department of the Saratov State Conservatory. Sobinov (V. Ermakova course). In 2006 - Moscow Art Theatre School (course of I. Zolotovitsky and S. Zemtsov). At the end of the school-studio he was accepted into the troupe of Moscow Art Theatre. Anton Chekhov, where he made his debut in the play "The Piemonte Beast", playing the role of a knight there Zhofreya. He has an extensive list of leading roles on the Moscow Art Theatre stage: The Drunks - Laurence; The Last Sacrifice - Dulchin; The Karamazovs - Perkhotin, Miusov, Expert, Professor, Pathologist; An Ideal Husband. A Comedy - actor
Appolon Murzavetsky, Wolves and Sheep and Yevgeny Ivanovich Irtenev,The Devil in the In the Moscow Theatre managed by O. Tabakov - Actor
- Producer
Egor Beroev was born on 9 October 1977 in Moscow, RSFSR, USSR [now Russia]. He is an actor and producer, known for The Turkish Gambit (2005), August 8 (2012) and Waiting for the Sea (2012). He has been married to Kseniya Alfyorova since November 2001. They have one child.- Actor
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Evgeniy Aleksandrovich Evstigneev was born on October 9, 1926, in Gorky, Russia, USSR (now Nizhni Novgorod, Russia). His father, Aleksandr Mikhailovich Evstigneev, was a metal worker. His mother, Maria Ivanovna (nee Chernysheva), was an industrial metal-miller. Young Evstigneev also worked as an industrial metal-worker in the city of Gorky.
In 1946 Evstigneev made an effort to enter the Gorky Theatrical School. There he was criticized by one of the examiners and was rejected with a comment: "We do not need short, balding actor.s" He had to return to his industrial job. However, he was able to express his creativity through music performances. Evstigneev was fond of American jazz music: he played drums with a local jazz-band in the city of Gorky. There he was scouted by Vitali Lebsky, director of Gorky Theatrical School. Vitali Lebsky immediately noticed Evstigneev's bright smile and musical virtuosity, and was impressed with Evstigneev's radiant personality and stage presence. Lebsky admitted Evstigneev to his acting class without an entrance exams. From 1946-1951 Evstigneev studied acting and graduated from the Gorky Theatrical school in 1951. From 1951-1954 he worked with the Vladimir City Drama Theatre.
In 1954 Evstigneev came to Moscow in his pursuit of an acting career. At that time the cultural revival known as the "Thaw" was initiated by Nikita Khrushchev, which opened many new opportunities for talented people. From 1954-1956 Evstigneev studied at School of Acting of the legendary Moscow Art Theatre (MKhAT). There he became involved with the Moscow intellectual and artistic milieu. In 1955 Evstigneev joined Oleg Efremov, Oleg Tabakov, Igor Kvasha, Galina Volchek, and other student-actors to start an independent theatre company, named 'Studio of Young Actors'. In 1956, upon their graduation, Evstigneev and his fellow actors became co-founders of their own theatre company in Moscow which became known as "Sovremennik". In 1957 he married actress Galina Volchek, their son Denis Evstigneev was born in 1961.
Evstigneev shot to fame after he starred as Comrade Dynin in 'Dobro pozhalovat, ili postoronnim vkhod vospreshchen' (Welcome, or No Trespassing 1964) by director Elem Klimov. He made remarkable performances in films from such directors, as Grigoriy Chukhray, Eldar Ryazanov, Mikhail Shvejtser, Aleksandr Alov, Vladimir Naumov, Karen Shakhnazarov, Leonid Filatov, Stanislav Govorukhin, Vladimir Bortko, Yuriy Kara, and other Russian film directors. From 1971-1992 he was a permanent member of the troupe of Moscow Art Theatre (MKhAT). His stage partners were Anastasiya Georgievskaya, Oleg Efremov, Sergey Yurskiy, Aleksandr Kalyagin, Viktor Sergachyov, Evgeniy Kindinov, Boris Shcherbakov, and other notable Russian actors.
Evgeni Evstigneev was awarded the State Prize of the USSR (1974) for his theatrical work. He was designated People's Artist of the USSR (1983) and received numerous awards and recognitions for his acting works in film and on stage. Evstigneev suffered from a chronic heart condition and complications from a heart attack. He died while undergoing preparation for a heart surgery on March 4, 1992, in London, England, and was laid to rest in the Novodevichy Convent Cemetery in Moscow, Russia.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Danila Valeryevich Kozlovsky is a Russian stage and screen actor. He was born in Moscow, USSR. From a very young age he was into music, dancing and playing football (soccer). He has two brothers, an elder Egor and a younger Ivan.
In 1996, at the age of 11, Danila, following his brothers, went to a special navy school preparing students for the Military Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 2002 he graduated from the school, but eventually acting won him. However, he does not think that the years spent at the navy school were wasted.- Igor Petrenko is a Russian theater and film actor.
Igor was born in Potsdam, where served his father - a Soviet military colonel, candidate of chemical sciences. Mother was a translator from English. When Igor was three years old, the family returned to Moscow. As a child, his main hobby was sports.
In 2000 Petrenko graduated from the Mikhail Shchepkin Higher Theater School and was accepted into the troupe of the Malyy Theater in Moscow.
In 2001, he made his debut in the film Uslovnyy refleks (2001) directed by Ildar Islamgulov. The next acting experience - a role in the television series Moskovskye okna (2001) directed by Aleksandr Aravin - brought his first popularity. He became famous after the release of the military drama The Star (2002) directed by Nikolay Lebedev. Critics and audiences noticed his work in the feature film Karmen (2003) and in the film Voditel dlya Very (2004) directed by Pavel Chukhray. - Yaroslav Boyko was born on 14 May 1968 in Kiev, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Ukraine]. He is an actor, known for Anna Karenina (2009), V avguste 44-go (2001) and Drongo (2002).
- Viktor Sukhorukov was born on 10 November 1951 in Orekhovo-Zuevo, RSFSR, USSR [now Orekhovo-Zuevo, Russia]. He is an actor, known for Brat 2 (2000), The Island (2006) and Brother (1997).
- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Aleksandr Shirvindt was born on 19 July 1934 in Moscow, Russian SFSR, USSR [now Russia]. He was an actor and director, known for Twelve Chairs (1977), Chao! (1977) and Bezumnyy den ili zhenitba Figaro (1974). He was married to Natalya Nikolaevna Belousova . He died on 15 March 2024 in Moscow, Russia.- Aleksandr Sergeevich Demyanenko was born on May 30, 1937, in Ekaterinburg (Sverdlovsk), Russia. His father, named Sergei Demyanenko, was an actor in Moscow, but moved to live in Sverdlovsk in the 1930's. Young Aleksandr Demyanenko was spending much time with his father at his acting class. From the age of 9 to15 he went to Sverdlovsk Music School and studied singing and piano. He failed his entry exams at the Moscow Art Theatre in 1954, and became a student at the Law School of the Sverdlovsk University. From there Demyanenko escaped in less than a year.
In 1955, Demyanenko successfully passed all acting tests and became a student at the Moscow Thatre Institute, GITIS. There he was cast for his first film work, a supporting role in 'Veter' (1958), a film by directors Aleksandr Alov and Vladimir Naumov. Demyanenko graduated from the Moscow Theatre Institute (GITIS) in 1959, and worked as an actor at the Moscow Theatre of Mayakovsky under the directorship of Andrei Goncharov. He still did not have a place to live in Moscow, and was unsettled.
At that time Demyanenko played more roles in the films produced at the Lenfilm Studion in St. Petersburg (then Leningrad). There he was invited to have a permanent job as an actor with the Lenfilm Studio. The offer included an apartment. In 1961, Demyanenko moved to Leningrad, settled in a nice apartment and eventually built his 'Dacha' at the resort of Sosnovo, near Finland. He later married an assistant director from the Lenfilm Studios. He had no interest in going back to Moscow, and actually turned down many offers from the Moscow theatres and film studios.
Demyanenko shot to fame after he played the leading role of 'Shurik' in 'Operatsiya Y i drugie priklyucheniya Shurika' (1965), a popular comedy by director Leonid Gaidai. His next work with Leonid Gaidai in the comedy 'Kavkazskaya Plennitsa' (1966) was even more popular. It became a huge Soviet blockbuster. Gaidai made a well-crafted film where everything works just right. Natalya Varley with the team of four men - Demyanenko as 'Shurik', and his brilliant partners Yuriy Nikulin, Georgiy Vitsin, and Evgeniy Morgunov, created a memorable acting ensemble.
Demyanenko made a nice work in one of the best comedies from Leonid Gaidai, 'Ivan Vasilievich: Back to the Future'. In this film Demyanenko's character 'Shurik' builds a working Time Machine that throws a pair of Soviet jerks into the 16-th century Moscow under the Czar Ivan the Terrible. At the same time the Czar Ivan the Terrible goes into the year 1973 in the Soviet time Moscow. 'Shurik', played by Demyaneko, became a special character, that connected three comedies, directed by Leonid Gaidai.
His tremendous popularity in the character of 'Shurik' came at a painful price. Demyanenko was called 'Shurik' everywhere. That image got stuck in the public perception of actor Demyanenko. He was avoided by most film directors, because of his extreme popularity in the image of 'Shurik'. At that time he suffered from alcohol dependency. He also had a heart attack, which was not treated properly at that time. He briefly worked on stage at the Akimov Theatre of Comedy. He also went back to Lenfilm Studios, where he made voice-overs in more than 100 Russian and foreign films.
During his last years, from 1995-1999, Aleksandr Demyanenko worked on stage at the St. Petersburg Theatre 'Priyut Komedianta'. He died on August 22, 1999, of a heart failure, in St. Petersburg, Russia. - Leonid Kuravlyov made his first appearance in a movie while he was still a student. In 1959 he played in the film There Will Be No Leave Today (1959) by his classmate Andrei Tarkovsky. In 1960, he played the role of a sailor Kamushkin in a historical movie Michman Panin (1960) directed by Mikhail Shvejtser. Simultaneously, Kuravlyov acted in Vasiliy Shukshin's degree work Iz Lebyazhego soobshchayut (1960). That same year, Kuravlyov graduated from VGIK and joined the Theater Studio of Film Actors. From that moment on, Leonid Kuravlyov played a few leading parts and incidental characters in a few movies. In 1961, Kuravlyov starred in a famous Soviet melodrama When the Trees Were Tall (1962) with Yuriy Nikulin playing the leading part. Actor and film director Vasiliy Shukshin is considered to have been the one to widely introduce Leonid Kuravlyov to the general public. In 1964, he shot two films - Zhivyot takoy paren (1964) and Vash syn i brat (1966) - both starring Leonid Kuravlyov. Vasiliy Shukshin liked Kuravlyov's acting in these two movies so much that he would constantly offer him different roles in many of his projects. Kuravlyov, however, turned down each one of them because he did not wish to play clichéd characters.
The role of Shura Balaganov in Mikhail Shvejtser's comedy The Golden Calf (1968) based on Ilya Ilf and Yevgeni Petrov's eponymous book was the next step in Leonid Kuravlyov's acting career, in which he managed to create an unforgettable sparkling image of a naive petty thief. Kuravlyov's other notable films of this period include one of the first Soviet horror movies Viy (1967) adaptation of Nikolay Gogol's novell directed by Georgiy Kropachyov, where he played young seminarist Khoma Brutus, and a psychological melodrama Nepodsuden (1969) directed by Vladimir Krasnopolskiy and Valeriy Uskov, where he played the negative character Sorokin.
In the early 1970s, Leonid Kuravlyov would star in three to four films a year. He managed to play completely opposite characters like Robinson Crusoe in Stanislav Govorukhin's Robinson Crusoe (1973), Nazi officer Kurt Eismann in Seventeen Moments of Spring (1973), and Lavr Mironych in Pyotr Todorovskiy's Poslednyaya zhertva (1976).
Even though Kuravlyov is very good at playing serious dramatic roles, he is still best known and mostly loved for his comic appearances in movies like Leonid Gaidai's Ivan Vasilyevich Changes His Profession (1973), where Kuravlyov played a thief named George Miloslavsky, who accidentally got teleported to the times of Ivan the Terrible. Interestingly enough, Andrey Mironov also tried out for this role, but Leonid Gaidai decided in Kuravlyov's favor.
In 1975, Leonid Kuravlyov starred in one his most famous comedies Afonya (1975), directed by Georgiy Daneliya. Kuravlyov played a very atypical character - a plumber named Afonya Borshchyov, who takes bribes, often gets into trouble, abuses alcohol, quarrels with his superiors at work, and doesn't really know what to do with his life. And then suddenly, one of his neighborhood "female clients" falls in love with him... About 62,2 mln. people went to see Afonya during its first year on cinema screens, making it an unconditional Soviet box-office leader of 1975.
In 1979, Leonid Kuravlyov played a very short role of a thief named Kopchyoniy in Stanislav Govorukhin's cult series The Meeting Place Cannot Be Changed (1979). The actor masterfully created an accomplished and amazingly credible image of an experienced criminal in just a matter of minutes.
During the 1980s, Leonid Kuravlyov starred in a number of memorable movies, such as Damy priglashayut kavalerov (1981), Ishchite zhenshchinu (1983), Demidovy (1983), TASS upolnomochen zayavit... (1984), Samaya obayatelnaya i privlekatelnaya (1985), Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson: The Twentieth Century Approaches (1987) and many others.
The 1990s were not the best times for the Russian cinema in general and most of the released movies were mediocre and low-grade. During this period, many actors were forced to star in low-quality films just to make ends meet, and Leonid Kuravlyov was not an exception. Perhaps, his role in a movie called Lady Into Lassie (1995) is the only one worth mentioning.
In 2002 he starred in Russian mini-TV series Law of the Lawless (2002) as an MVD general. In 2009 he played the Nobleman in Disney's first Russian-only release, Kniga masterov (2009). - Actor
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Nikolay Karachentsov was one of the most popular Russian actors, known for his intense dramatic roles. His mother was a ballet dancer. As a child, Nikolay's favorite activity was reading - he read even by nights, disguised under a blanket with a flashlight. He became popular in 1974 after playing starring in "Til" drama at Lenkom theatre. He was well-known for his incredible will and ability to work 18-20 hours a day; "I can't do my job another way", he said. His son Andrey studied at the Institute of International Relationships in Moscow.- Actor
- Additional Crew
Vasili Lanovoy was a notable Russian actor best known as Captain Grey in Alye parusa (1961) and as Anatol Kuragin in War and Peace (1965).
He was born Vasili Semenovich Lanovoy on January 16, 1934, in Moscow, Russia, USSR. His parents were Ukrainian peasants from Odessa region. They escaped from death in the famine of 1931 and survived by moving to Moscow. At the age of 7, Lanovoy went to visit his relatives near Odessa, but there he was caught by the advancing Nazi Armies during the Second World War. Young Lanovoy was abused by the Nazis who fired machine guns above his head to scare him, so he stammered for several years as a consequence. However, he had a dream of being an actor, regardless of his stammer and his heavy Ukrainian accent. He attended the acting class of Sergei Lvovich Stein at Moscow ZIL club, and made his stage debut in a play by Lev Kassil.
Young Lanovoy was torn between two professions, acting and journalism, and entered to study both. In 1953, at age 18, while a Journalism student of Moscow University, he was cast in Problem Child (1954), making his film debut. From 1953 - 1957 he studied acting at Shchukin Theatrical School of Vakhtangov Theatre in Moscow. There his classmate was Tatyana Samoylova, and they married in 1955, and later became co-stars in Anna Karenina (1967) by director Aleksandr Zarkhi. He also appeared as Anatol Kuragin in War and Peace (1965) by director Sergey Bondarchuk.
Since 1957 Vasili Lanovoy has been member of Vakhtangov Theatre in Moscow. There his stage partners were such actors as Mikhail Ulyanov, Ruben Simonov, Boris Zakhava, Mikhail Astangov, Varvara Popova, Irina Kupchenko, Natalya Tenyakova, Yuliya Borisova, Lyudmila Maksakova, Lyudmila Tselikovskaya, Marianna Vertinskaya, Nina Ruslanova, Nikolai Plotnikov, Yuriy Yakovlev, Vladimir Etush, Vyacheslav Shalevich, Andrei Abrikosov, Grigori Abrikosov, Boris Babochkin, Nikolai Gritsenko, Nikolai Timofeyev, Aleksandr Grave, Evgeniy Karelskikh, Sergey Makovetskiy, and Ruben Simonov, among others. His most memorable stage performances were as Protasov in 'Deti Solntsa' (1968), as Oktavian in 'Antony and Cleopatra' (1975), and the title role in 'Kasanova' (1985). Since taking the role as Prince Calaf in 1963, Lanovoy has been delivering acclaimed performances in the legendary Vakhtangov's production of Carlo Gozzi's comedy 'Princess Turandot'.
Vasili Lanovoy was designated People's Actor of the USSR, was awarded Lenin's Prize (1980), and received numerous awards and decorations for his works on stage and in film. Outside of his acting profession Lanovoy was fond of classical music and Ukrainian songs together with his friends and family. In his 70s and 80s, he was maintaining a good physical form through sports and pesco-vegetarian diet. He was married three times, and had two sons with actress Irina Kupchenko. Lanovoy was prominent member of the Communist Party of USSR and Russia, he also supported president Putin and Moscow mayor Sobyanin in their re-elections. He died of Covid-19 complications 12 days after his 87th birthday, on the 28th of January 2021 in Moscow, Russia.- He made his stage and screen debut in mid 1970's as schoolboy. In 1982-1984 Yefremov served in Soviet Army. In 1987 he graduated from the Moscow Art Theatre School.
Yefremov was married four times, has six children. His first wife was the editor Asya Vorobieva, their son Nikita Efremov is a Sovremennik Theatre actor. His second wife was the actress Evgeniya Dobrovolskaya, their son Nikolay Efremov is also an actor. His third wife was actress Kseniya Kachalina, they have a daughter Anna Mariya. His fourth wife is audio engineer Sofiya Kruglikova, they have daughters Vera and Nadezhda, and son Bori.
From 2009 on Yefremov presents Channel One show Zhdi Menya (1998), dedicated to search of long lost relatives and friends.
In 2010's he collaborated Dmitry Bykov over their project "Citizen Poet" (a pun on Nikolai Nekrasov's poem "Poet and Citizen"). Yefremov reads poems, written by Bykov, which are usually satirical comments on the contemporary Russian society, politics and culture. Each poem parodies the style of a famous poet of the past, e.g. Pushkin, Nekrasov, Kipling, among others. It was originally broadcast on Dozhd TV channel, but the original project was closed, because the poems were too critical towards Russian government. Currently, the show is hosted in audio format by Echo of Moscow radio station. - In school Dmitri Isayev was keen on sports, but chose the violin after all. He studied in the Rimski-Korsakoff musical school. Since being 14 years-old he played violin in Yuri Tomashevsky's "Comedian's Refuge" theatre. Isayev entered the theatre school on the second try. In 1996 he graduated from the Saint Petersburg State Theatre Arts Academy. After that he worked in the "Comedian's Refuge" theatre and Komissarjevsky Theatre. At the same time, he worked as a fitness trainer, masseur, even shop director, took part in various projects related to dances and songs, were an assistant director for dubbing-in and cinema scoring. His first role as a film actor - little Mozart playing violin.
- Anton Khabarov was born on 11 January 1981 in Balashikha, Moskovskaya oblast, RSFSR, USSR [now Russia]. He is an actor, known for Kazanova (2020), Zakrytaya shkola (2011) and Slava (2015). He is married to Elena Dmovskaya. They have two children.
- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Vitali Solomin was a Russian film actor, best known for his portrayal of Doctor Watson in the 1980s Soviet-Russian series about Sherlock Holmes.
He was born Vitali Mefodievich Solomin on December 12, 1941, in Chita, Siberian Russia, USSR. His father, Mefodi Viktorovich, was a cellist and violinist, his mother, Zinaida Ananievna, was a mezzo-soprano; both parents taught classical music at the House of Pioneers in Chita. In 1959, after graduating from Chita high school, young Vitali Solomin followed his elder brother, Yuriy Solomin and moved to Moscow. From 1959 to 1964 he attended Shchepkin Theatrical School of Maly Theatre, and studied acting under Nikolai Annenkov, graduating in 1964 as an actor. That same year he became permanent member of the troupe at the Academic Maly Theatre in Moscow. Over the course of his career, Vitali Solomin played a variety of characters on stage and in film and TV. His complex personality caused much tensions in his relations with his brother, as well as with his two wives. On one occasion, Vitalin Solomin had legal problems for breaking in someone's home in Moscow and beating the homeowner in the face. From 1988 - 1990 Vitali Solomin was member of the troupe at Theatre Mossoveta, but he eventually returned to Maly Theatre.
Vitali Solomin shot to fame in the role as Kirill in Starshaya sestra (1967), then he starred in such epic films as Dauriya (1972) and Siberiade (1979). He played an autobiographical character in Zimnyaya vishnya (1985) and the sequel TV series titled Zimnyaya vishnya 2 and 3. Vitali Solomin was designated People's Actor of Russia, and received numerous awards for his work. He died of a stroke on May 27, 2002 in Moscow, Russia.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Armen Dzhigarkhanyan was awarded the Armenian Republican State Prize in 1975 for "Triangle" and again in 1979 for "Snow in Mourning." He was named People's Artist of the Soviet Union in 1985. Dzhigarkhanyan began his acting career in 1955 at the Russian Stanislavsky Theatre in Yerevan, and in 1967 moved to the Lenkom Theatre in Moscow. In 1969 he joined the Mayakovsky Academic Theatre. Born in Yerevan, Armenia, Dzhigarkhanyan worked as assistant cameraman at Armenfilm studios in 1953-1954.- Leonid Bronevoy, one of Russian cinema's most famous faces who survived the traumatic experience under dictatorship of Stalin during his childhood, is now a film star and a hero in popular jokes.
He was born Leonid Solomonovich Bronevoy on December 17, 1928, in Kiev, Ukraine, Soviet Union (now Kiev, Ukraine). Young Bronevoy was fond of music; he was inspired by his grandfather, a fiddler, and studied violin at Kiev Conservatory School of Music, and his future looked bright. His father and uncle were high ranking officers in the secret service of NKVD (predecessor of KGB) in Kiev. His uncle was shot in his office by an unknown person. His father was arrested in 1937, and exiled for 10 years during the repressions known as the "Great Terror" under the dictatorship of Joseph Stalin. Leonid Bronevoy was a young 9-year-old boy, when he was separated from his father. Bronevoy and his mother, Bella Lvovna, were forcefully uprooted from their native city of Kiev and were exiled to the remote town of Malmysh, Kirov region in Northern Russia. During the Second World War Bronevoy was evacuated in Uzbekistan. He was not allowed to enter any school because of political prosecution of his father. However, his mother arranged that he studied acting at the Tashkent State Theatre Institute, from which he graduated in 1950 as an actor. He worked on stage at many provincial theatres in such cities as Tashkent, Irkutsk, Orenburg, Voronezh, Grozny, and in other cities of the former Soviet Union. In 1953, after the death of Stalin, Bronevoy went to Moscow. There he was auditioned by the famous actor Aleksey Gribov and was admitted to the Acting School of the Moscow Art Theatre (MKhAT), from which he graduated in 1955 as an actor.
Bronevoy became an instant celebrity after his portrayal of the notorious Gestapo Boss 'Muller' in popular TV series _"Semnadtsat mgnoveniy vesny" (1973)_. Bronevoy and his partner in that film, Vyacheslav Tikhonov, became the talk of the country of the Soviet Union. The amount of popular jokes about them and their characters in the film had soon exceeded those about Chapaev. Bronevoy's acting talent allowed him to overcome the drawback of his popularity in the character of 'Muller', the Gestapo Boss, whose image got stuck in the public perception of actor Bronevoy. He demonstrated his range and his multifaceted talent as satirical, sarcastic, dramatic and even as a fine comic actor in more than 50 roles in film and on television. He worked with such notable film directors as Venyamin Dorman, Mark Zakharov, Anatoli Efros, Semyon Aranovich and others.
Bronevoy's film partners were such stars as Aleksandr Abdulov, Oleg Basilashvili, Valentin Gaft, Rolan Bykov, Aleksandr Kalyagin, Georgi Zhzhyonov, Donatas Banionis, and other distinguished actors. From 1962-1988 he has been working together with his film partner, Lev Durov, at the Moscow Theatre Na Maloi Bronnoi. Since 1988 he has been a permanent member of the troupe at the Moscow Lenkom Theatre under directorship of Mark Zakharov. Leonid Bronevoy's stage career is spanning almost 60 years and listing over 150 stage works in several theatre companies of the former Soviet Union. He was awarded and decorated by the governments of the USSR and Russia. He was honored with titles of People's Actor of Russia and People's Actor of the USSR. He also made successful international concert tours in many countries.
Leonid Bronevoy is currently residing and working in Moscow. - Actor
- Stunts
- Soundtrack
Dmitriy Pevtsov was born on 8 July 1963 in Moscow, RSFSR, USSR [now Russia]. He is an actor, known for V kruge pervom (2006), Mat (1990) and The Turkish Gambit (2005). He has been married to Olga Drozdova since 30 December 1994. They have one child.- Andrei Ivanovich Krasko was born on August 10, 1957 in Leningrad, USSR (now St. Petersburg, Russia). His father was notable Russian actor Ivan Krasko, his mother was Kira Petrova, a schoolteacher. From 1974-1979, he studied acting at the Leningrad Institute of Theatre, Music, and Cinematography, graduating as actor in 1979. That same year, he made his film debut in 'Lichnoe Svidanie', then played bit parts in several Soviet films.
Andrei Krasko was married twice and had two children. His first marriage to a fellow student actress ended in separation after six months. Soon he was treated at a psychiatric clinic, then he was fired from a theatre company. Then, for several years, Krasko worked various jobs, such as a cemetery worker, a repairman, a car mechanic, a tailor, as he was struggling to survive and had to change many professions. He was in an 8-year hiatus before he made a comeback as a film star. Krasko shot to fame after starring in several popular television series, such as Banditskiy Peterburg: Baron (2000), 'Agent natsionalnoi bezopasnosti', and other television hits. On the big screen, he co-starred with Vladimir Mashkov and Mariya Mironova in Tycoon: A New Russian (2002), then with Sergey Makovetskiy and Marat Basharov in 72 metra (2004). He played supporting roles in such war dramas as 9th Company (2005), 'Svolochi' The Turkish Gambit (2005). His last work in film was a supporting role as Felix Korogodsky, a Russian tycoon in the popular comedy Lyubov-Morkov (2007).
Andrei Krasko eventually became a popular and reputable Russian actor. During the 2000s, his acting career was ascending. He played more than 40 roles in film and on television. Krasko also gave memorable performances on stage at St. Petersburg Theatre "Priyut Komedianta", where his show "Moskva - Petushki" was consistently sold out for two seasons. He won great respect for his acting talent as well as for his diligent effort in overcoming his personal issues and his problems with alcohol. Andrei Krasko died of a heart failure at age 48 on July 5, 2006 in Odessa, Ukraine, and was laid to rest in Komarovo cemetery in St. Peterburg, Russia. - Konstantin Kryukov was born on 7 February 1985 in Moscow, RSFSR, USSR [now Russia]. He is an actor, known for 9th Company (2005), Spasti Pushkina (2017) and Nulevoy kilometr (2007). He has been married to Alina Alekseeva since 26 May 2013. He was previously married to Evgeniya Varshavskaya.
- Andrey Chernyshev is known for Kaleydoskop (2008), Nadezhda (2002) and Diskoteka Avariya: Surovyy rap (2004).
- Actor
- Director
Yuri Solomin is an acclaimed Russian stage and film actor and director, internationally best known for his work with director Akira Kurosawa in the leading role as Arseniev in Russian-Japanese film Dersu Uzala (1975).
He was born Yuri Mefodievich Solomin on June 18, 1935, in Chita, Siberian Russia, Soviet Union. His father, Mefodi Viktorovich, was a cellist and violinist, his mother, Zinaida Ananievna, was a mezzo-soprano; both parents taught classical music at the House of Pioneers in Chita. In 1953, after graduating from Chita high school, young Yuri Solomin moved to Moscow. There he attended Shchepkin Theatrical School, studied acting under Vera Pashennaya, graduating in 1957 as an actor. That same year he became permanent member of the troupe at the Academic Maly Theatre in Moscow. Since 1988, Solomin has been Artistic Director of the Maly Theatre. He also was Russian Minister of Culture from 1990 to 1992.
Yuri Solomin played over 50 roles in films and on television, and also played about 60 roles in stage productions. He was elected president of Association of Russian Theatres, was designated People's Actor of the USSR, and received numerous awards and decorations from both the Soviet and Russian governments. He is living in Moscow, Russia.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Daniil Spivakovskiy was born on 28 August 1969 in Moscow, RSFSR, USSR [now Russia]. He is an actor, known for Moy svodnyy brat Frankenshteyn (2004), Midsummer Madness (2007) and Delo o 'Myortvykh dushakh' (2005). He is married to Svetlana ?. They have two children. He was previously married to Anna Ardova.- Actor
- Director
Maksim Averin is a Russian theater and film actor, director, TV presenter. Honored Artist of the Russian Federation.
Averin was born in Moscow. His parents worked at the Mosfilm film studio: father, Viktor Nikolaevich, was a decorator, and mother, Galina Viktorovna, was a dressmaker and costume designer. At the age of nine, Maksim began to study at the theater studio at the Cinema House.
In 1997 he graduated with honors from the acting department of the Higher Theater School named after Boris Shchukin at the State Academic Theater named after Yevgeni Vakhtangov in Moscow (artistic director of the course - Marina Panteleeva) with a degree in Drama Theater and Cinema Actor.
From 1997 to 2015, for eighteen years Averin worked in the troupe of the Russian State Theater "Satyricon" named after Arkady Raykin in Moscow under the direction of Konstantin Raykin. Since 2018 - actor of the Moscow Academic Theater of Satire.
Plays in enterprises, acts in films and on television. The actor gained wide popularity in 2008 thanks to the main role of Sergey Glukharyov in the television series Glukhar (2008).- Evgeniy Sidikhin was born on 2 October 1964 in Leningrad, RSFSR, USSR [now St. Petersburg, Russia]. He is an actor, known for Never Look Away (2018), Identity and Taksist: Krutye povoroty (2004).
- He studied in Leninakan Art College and Theatre Studio, then finished at the Acting Department of Yerevan Institute of Fine Arts and Theatre. Since 1953 he has performed in the Sundukyan Drama Theatre of Yerevan. He also directed many successful productions, best of them Maxim Gorky's "The Lower Depths". His cinema career began in 1955. His famous roles in Aybolit-66 (1967), Kidnapping, Caucasian Style (1967), Mimino (1977) earned him the reputation of one of the leading comedy actors in the Soviet Union. But that reputation sometimes overshadowed his real talent and emotional deepness which he put in such classics of Armenian cinema as Yerankyuni (1967),_Menq enq, mer sarere (1970)_, Hayrik (1973), Life Triumphs (1977), Hin oreri yerge (1982), Tango of Our Childhood (1985). Certainly he was the most famous and internationally recognized Armenian artist of the 2nd half of 20th century.
- Gennadiy Khazanov was born on 1 December 1945 in Moscow, RSFSR, USSR [now Russia]. He is an actor, known for Prikazano unichtozhit! Operatsiya «Kitayskaya shkatulka» (2009), Tikhie omuty (2000) and Kidnapping, Caucasian Style (2014). He is married to Zlata Elbaum. They have one child.
- Actor
- Producer
Leonid Yarmolnik was born on 22 January 1954 in Grodekovo, Grodekovskiy rayon, Primorskiy kray, RSFSR, USSR [now Pogranichnyy, Pogranichnyy rayon, Russia]. He is an actor and producer, known for Hard to Be a God (2013), Hipsters (2008) and Odessa (2019). He has been married to Oksana Yarmolnik since 1983. They have one child. He was previously married to Elena Valk.- Vladislav Galkin was a Russian actor known for The Master and Margarita (2005 TV mini-series) and V avguste 44-go (2001).
He was born Vladislav Sukhachev on the 25th of December, 1971, in Saint-Petersburg, Russia. His mother, filmmaker Yelena Galkina, divorced from his father, and later married popular Russian actor Boris Galkin. Eventually, he was adopted by his stepfather, Boris Galkin. He shot to fame in the Soviet Union at the age of 9, as Huckleberry Finn in the popular series Priklyucheniya Toma Soyera i Geklberri Finna (1982) by director Stanislav Govorukhin.
From 1988 - 1992 he studied acting at Shchukin School of Acting, graduating in 1992 from the class of Albert Gurov. From 1994 - 1998 he studied directing at VGIK, the Russian State Film Institute in Moscow, under Vladimir Khotinenko, graduating in 1998 as director. That same year he married his fourth wife, Darya Mikhaylova.
Thanks to his versatility, Vladislav Galkin managed to overcome the initial typecast as a regular Russian man. He demonstrated remarkable range in various leading and supporting roles, such as Sashok in popular series Dalnoboyshchiki (2001 TV series), in Diversant (2004 TV mini-series) and in Diversant 2: Konets voyny (2007). While filming 'Diversant' without a stunt, Galkin fell and broke a leg that became infected and required eleven surgeries that caused him chronic pain. After that tragedy he had to use painkillers to continue filming.
In 2009 he was arrested after a conflict at a Moscow bar where a barmen refused to serve him. Galkin pulled a pneumatic gun before a security camera and made one shot, then he engaged in a fistfight with a Russian law enforcement officer. All that was used against him in court. Galkin was sentenced to fourteen months in prison. With the help of famous attorney Genrikh Padva the sentence was commuted. Soon Galkin was filming again, but he was suffering from moral and physical pain. In December 2009 he was hospitalized with pancreatic disease and his health was in danger.
Vladislav Galkin suffered from massive bullying by Moscow media and was ostracized by some of his peers. His wife, actress Darya Mikhaylova, left him in 2009. Abandonment caused him depression and further problems with alcohol. He died of heart failure on 25th of February 2010 in his Moscow home, where his body laid unattended for two days until the law enforcement entered by breaking the front door.
Director Stanislav Govorukhin said that actor Galkin was a rare talent able to fill silence with deep special meaning. Director Vladimir Bortko stated that Galkin was a delicate and sensitive person who died because of yellow press and ruthless paparazzi.
Vladislav Galkin was laid to rest in Actors' Alley of Troekurovskoe Cemetery in Moscow, Russia. - Nodar Mgaloblishvili was born on 15 July 1931 in Tiflis, Georgian SSR, TSFSR, USSR [now Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia]. He was an actor, known for Chudesa v Reshetove (2004), Yoxlama (2007) and Glakhis naambobi (1961). He died on 26 March 2019 in Tbilisi, Georgia.
- Aleksandr Suvorov was born on 8 November 1979 in Sarov, RSFSR, USSR. He is an actor, known for The Sea Ghost, Liza (2023) and The Lucky (2013).
- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Sergey Zhigunov was born on 2 January 1963 in Rostov na Donu, RSFSR, USSR [now Russia]. He is an actor and producer, known for The Three Musketeers (2013), Koroleva Margo (1996) and The Three Musketeers (2013). He has been married to Vera Novikova since 6 October 2009. He was previously married to Vera Novikova.- Actor
- Music Department
- Producer
Dmitriy Kharatyan was born on 21 January 1960 in Almalyk, Tashkent Oblast, Uzbek SSR, USSR [now Uzbekistan]. He is an actor and producer, known for Na Deribasovskoy khoroshaya pogoda, ili Na Brayton-Bich opyat idut dozhdi (1993), Koroleva Margo (1996) and The Secret of Queen Anne or Musketeers Thirty Years After (1994). He has been married to Marina Mayko since 1996. They have one child. He was previously married to Marina.- Mikhail Mamaev was born on 13 February 1966 in Moscow, RSFSR, USSR [now Russia]. He is an actor, known for Zolotoy zapas (2012), Gardemariny III (1992) and Vivat, gardemariny! (1993).
- Yuriy Chursin was born on 11 March 1980 in Priozersk, Dzhezkazgan region, Kazakh SSR, USSR [now Kazakhstan]. He is an actor, known for Izobrazhaya zhertvu (2006), Pobeg (2010) and The Three Musketeers (2013).
- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Aleksandr Mokhov was born on 22 June 1963. He is an actor and director, known for Rybka zolotaya, Uchitel v zakone. Prodolzhenie (2010) and Taynyy gorod (2014). He is married to Irina Ogorodnik. He was previously married to Darya Kalmykova.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Sergey Garmash was born on 1 September 1958 in Kherson, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Ukraine]. He is an actor and writer, known for 12 (2007), Hipsters (2008) and The Rifleman of the Voroshilov Regiment (1999).- Sergey Kolesnikov was born on 4 January 1955 in Moscow, RSFSR, USSR [now Russia]. He was an actor, known for A Good Day to Die Hard (2013), Black Sea (2014) and Delo o 'Myortvykh dushakh' (2005). He was married to Maria Kolesnikova. He died on 29 April 2023 in Moscow, Russia.
- Ivan Kolesnikov was born on 18 March 1983 in Moscow, RSFSR, USSR [now Russia]. He is an actor, known for The End of a Beautiful Epoch (2015), Union of Salvation (2019) and Khitrovka. The Sign of Four (2023).
- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Born on June 21st, 1973 in the village of Ermakovskoye, Krasnoyarsk Territory.
He spent his school years in Lviv, Ukraine.
In the early 1990s he moved to Krasnoyarsk. He studied at the theater department of the Institute of Arts in Krasnoyarsk (1993-1994). Graduated from the Russian Academy of Theater Arts (GITIS), acting and directing department, workshop of Professor A.A. Goncharova (1997).
He worked in Moscow theaters - named after Vl. Mayakovsky, the theater named after K.S. Stanislavsky in the group of director V.V. Mirzoev.
In 1999, at the invitation of the Israeli theater "Gesher" moved to Israel.
Lives and works in Moscow and Israel.- Vyacheslav Razbegaev was born on 14 October 1965 in Moscow, RSFSR, USSR [now Russia]. He is an actor, known for Nochnoy prodavets (2005), The Guardians (2017) and Antikiller (2002).
- Actor
- Music Department
Anton Makarskiy was born on 26 November 1975. He is an actor, known for Perom i shpagoy (2007), The Return of the Musketeers, or The Treasures of Cardinal Mazarin (2009) and Okhota na geniya (2006).- Pavel Astakhov was born on 8 September 1966 in Moscow, Russia, USSR. He is an actor, known for Spartak i Kalashnikov (2002), Professionaly (2012) and Delo Astakhova (2009).
- Prokhor Dubravin was born on 18 July 1976 in Naberezhnye Chelny, Russia, USSR. He is an actor, known for Zakrytaya shkola (2011), Rud i Sem (2007) and Ya podaryu tebe rassvet (2018).
- Actor
- Sound Department
Igor Livanov was born on 15 November 1953 in Kiev, USSR [now Ukraine]. He is an actor, known for Pesa dlya passazhira (1995), The Wolves (1996) and 72 metra (2004).- Actor
- Director
- Cinematographer
Vladimir Epifantsev was born on 8 September 1971 in Moscow, RSFSR, USSR [now Russia]. He is an actor and director, known for Generation P (2011), Zhivoy (2006) and Zelyonyy slonik 2: Preslovutoye pokoleniye (2023).