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- Director
- Producer
- Writer
Trying to marry his passion for cars and cameras, AJ began shooting automotive videos with his high school friends. His work caught the attention of local car dealerships, and at age 22 he left his job at Apple to pursue filmmaking full-time. He founded Advent Films, and quickly became a trusted shooter for elite vehicle manufacturers like Ferrari, McLaren, Aston Martin, Porsche, Tesla Motors, and many more.
At 27 AJ was accepted into the DGA as one of the Guild's youngest directors. Known for dynamic angles and an unforgiving attention to detail, his portfolio now includes a wide variety of award-winning photo and video work for many of the world's most prestigious brands and ad agencies.- Aaron Bailey was born on 20 February 1971 in Placentia, California, USA.
- Additional Crew
- Actress
- Art Department
Blend an infectious sense of humor with equal parts curiosity and character and what do you get? An ambitious young actress named Abby Rose Mark. From her first kindergarten role as the cat in The Little Red Hen to later performances as the mom in Ramona Quimby or as Adelaide in Home on the Mornin' Train, Irish-American Abby's captivating smile and bright blue eyes make it clear why casting agents selected her to audition at Looking Glass, The Goodman and Steppenwolf Theatres.
A singer and a dancer, Abby has trained at the Actor's Training Center, Piven Theater, Voice at Music Institute of Chicago, Northwestern University Piano, and at Dance Center Evanston and Giordano Dance Center. Some of her favorite classes were the Musical Theater Scene Study workshop at the Actor's Training Center with esteemed casting director Janet Louer who cast herin such diverse scene roles as Hodel in Fiddler on the Roof and Maria in West Side Story.
Abby's acting inspirations are Audrey Hepburn, Rachel McAdams and Meryl Streep. Her dream roles include a spot in CSI, Criminal Minds, or a horror film.
Guardian to three cats, Abby loves to write, and is interested in fashion. Her bubbly personality and talent for quickly memorizing even complex scripts help her deliver a consistently unique performance.- Director
- Actor
- Writer
Abdelkrim Baba Aissa was born on 20 February 1949 in Béjaïa, Algeria. He is a director and actor, known for Under the Ashes (1990), El Anka (1981) and Omar Gatlato (1977).- Abelina, who actually goes by Sabrina, was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA. From 2012 to 2016, Sabrina worked for the Walt Disney Co. in the Entertainment department bringing beloved Disney characters to life. Sabrina now regularly does various voice over work and creates comedy sketches. She is temporarily non-union.
- Was born on February 20, 1990 in Bombay (Mumbai), India. Abhi grew up primarily in Pittsburgh where he attended the prestigious Shadyside Academy. He played competitive hockey while all along underplaying his abilities as a saxophonist. In middle school he began receiving awards and recognition as an accomplished saxophonist. He later moved with his family to the west coast where he attended The Webb Schools and began acting in his school's productions. After graduating from Webb, he attended USC his Freshman year, but then took an indefinite leave of absence to actively pursue a career as an actor. Plays the saxophone, tennis and ice-hockey.
- Producer
- Director
- Soundtrack
Abraham Quintanilla Jr. was born on 20 February 1939 in Freeport, Texas, USA. He is a producer and director, known for Selena (1997), Love Bites (1993) and All Star Cast: Viviras Selena (1997). He has been married to Marcella Quintanilla since 8 June 1963. They have three children.- Acacia Parks was born on 20 February 1982 in Hollywood, California, USA.
- Achim Oster was born on 20 February 1914 in Dresden.
- Actor
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Adam Kovic was born on 20 February 1985 in Los Angeles County, California, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Critical Flaw (2009), Inside Gaming Animated (2014) and Funhaus (2015).- Producer
- Director
- Writer
Director, producer, scriptwriter. Adam Marko-Nord has a background in animation and has directed and produced commercials for global brands. Adam is also an author who has published books and in magazines on animation, film history and tech. He has studied at the Stockholm College of Fine arts, Stockholm University, the European Film College and North by Northwest. Born in Stockholm, Sweden.- Adam Schreiber was born on 20 February 1962 in Galveston, Texas, USA.
- Actress
- Director
- Writer
Adelheid van der Most was born on 20 February 1936 in Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands. She was an actress and director, known for De overval (1962), Het onvruchtbare huwelijk (1965) and The Last Blitzkrieg (1959). She died on 12 April 1974 in Wassenaar, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands.- Adolf Rijkens was born on 20 February 1899 in Batavia, Batavia, Dutch East Indies [now Jakarta, Indonesia]. He was an actor, known for Het bloedig dogma (1960). He died on 18 November 1996 in Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands.
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Director
- Editor
Adri Sola was born on 20 February 1995 in Granada, Spain. He is a director and editor, known for Woman (2018), Mujer del agua (2024) and Tigrilla (2018).- Additional Crew
- Actor
- Executive
Adrian Lamo is a Boston-born threat analyst and security enthusiast. His former high-profile computer intrusions and involvement with the Wikileaks investigation have been cited in thousands of news articles, numerous television segments, several films, an opera, a theatrical play, and scores of books.
After pleading guilty to hacking The New York Times and Microsoft Lamo embarked on a career using his talents for good in critical infrastructure and national security areas.
In 2010, Lamo informed the authorities about the alleged plot of an online acquaintance to carry out the largest classified material breach in the history of U.S. espionage, by identifying accused wiki-spy Bradley Manning and triggering Manning's arrest. The material was successfully released by Wikileaks months later, but authorities had time to mitigate the damage it would go on to cause.
Lamo's opinion is often sought when events take a hacker-related turn. He was a serial guest on erstwhile TechTV's The Screen Savers (and later on The New Screen Savers), and the featured prominently in the documentary film "Hackers Wanted" narrated by Kevin Spacey . He also featured heavily in Alex Gibney's "We Steal Secrets" and various other documentaries. His work has been cited in scores of books and magazines, been the subject of a theatrical production and an opera, and he has consulted on various book & film productions. He has been on Good Morning America, CNN, Al-Jazeera, Univision, TechTV with Leo Laporte and Kevin Rose, The New TechTV, NHK, BBC, CBS, Fox, and other visual media. He takes a limited number of public speaking engagements.
He began writing for The American River Current, his college paper, and has also been published in Network World, Mobile Magazine, PenTest Magazine, 2600 Magazine, PandoDaily, Forbes, Newsweek, The Guardian, Huffington Post, and other publications. His writing on Quora.com often receives millions of views per month.
Critics have derided Lamo as publicity-motivated and have ascribed him a variety of ulterior motives, charges which he has consistently declined to "dignify".
Lamo has publicly stated that his criminal career is behind him, and assists ProjectVIGILANT & other entities in fighting netcentric (cyber) crime and state-sponsored hacking.- Adrian Taheri, was born in Gothenburg, Sweden. He moved to Stockholm at the age of 5 where he was raised. At 18 he started pursuing a career in acting when he attended Calle Flygare Theatre School. For years Adrian worked with theatre in most of the, both big and small, stages around Stockholm until he relocated to Los Angeles, California in 2016 to attend the New York Film Academy. He is now residing in Los Angeles working with film.
- Editor
- Writer
Adriana Komives was born on 20 February 1964 in São Paulo, Brésil. Adriana was an editor and writer, known for Sri Landaise (2022), The New Adventures of Lassie (2014) and Blanchisserie de France (2014). Adriana died on 8 April 2022 in Paris, France.- Agri Augshkap was born on 20 February 1925. He was an actor, known for Poltava (1969), 'Shtrikhi k portretu V. I. Lenina' (1967) and Pomnish zapakh sireni... (1992). He died on 21 April 2006 in Moscow, Russia.
- Ahlam Al Greetly was born on 20 February 1948 in Egypt. She was an actress, known for Wad' Amny (2017), Cairo: Kabul (2021) and 8% (2013). She was married to Sharin Mohammed Hussein. She died on 28 February 2021 in Cairo, Egypt.
- Director
- Writer
- Actor
Akira Ishida was born on 20 February 1980 in Osaka, Japan. He is a director and writer, known for Fool Japan: The ABCs of Tetsudon (2014), Tetsudon: Fool Wars - Battlefront Japan (2016) and Tetsudon: Rated T for Fools, Idiots & Dummies (2019).- Actress
- Producer
- Manager
Akofa Edjeani has been critically acclaimed as Ghana's ace actress. A graduate of the school of Performing Arts, University of Ghana, Legon where she studied Theatre Arts (Drama). She is a multi award-winning actress and holds a certificate in PR, Marketing and advertising from the Ghana Institute of Journalism (1995). She has been acting professionally (Stage, TV and Film) since 1987 and became a household name from playing "Annette" in the popular "Jagger Pee" TV series in the late 1980's and again in "Ultimate Paradise" in the 1990's. Akofa is also a producer as well as the proprietress of "Fali's Hot Pot", an eatery in Kanda, Accra. The short film she produced, "Not My Daughter" (a film about female genital mutilation), won Best Short Film award at the African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) in 2008 and was selected for INPUT in South Africa that same year. It also won an award from WAI Ghana (Women Arts Institute). "I Sing of A Well", the movie she starred in and produced as well, won 3 awards and the Best Jury Award from AMAA in 2010 and also an award from BATFA at the Pan African Film Festivals in Los Angeles. She was a juror at the semi-final judging for the 2009 International Emmy Awards (Asia/Africa/Middle East). A recipient of the GPA Awards (Global Professional Achievers) Ghana, she is also an alumina of the International Visitor Leadership Program (USA). Akofa is set to take Ghanaian Film production and acting to another level as she seeks to project African culture and excellence to the international world and to bridge the gap between culture and development.- Al Burnett was born on 20 February 1906 in Mile End Old Town, London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Sweet Beat (1959), Café Continental (1947) and Rooftop Rendezvous (1948). He died on 19 April 1973 in City of London, London, England, UK.
- Actor
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Alan Hull was born on 20 February 1945 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, UK. He was an actor, known for The Kenny Everett Video Show (1978), Top of the Pops (1964) and Second City Firsts (1973). He died on 17 November 1995 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, UK.- Actor
- Executive
Born in Biella (Italy) on February 20th 1950. After graduating in Modern Literature with a thesis on History and Criticism of Film at the University of Torino, he began his collaboration with the A.I.A.C.E. (the Italian association of Friends of Art-House Films), for which he served as president from 1977 to 1989.
From 1980 to 1983 he was the film critic for the daily newspaper "La Gazzetta del Popolo", and since 1982 he is a member of the Journalists Guild. He has collaborated with many daylies and magazines (Città, La Stampa, Essai, Altro Cinema, Bianco & Nero, Cineforum), television and radio programs as CinemaScoop (RAI 3), La lampada di Aladino (RAI - DSE), Hollywood Party (Radio3 RAI).
In 1985, he co-directed a documentary, Cineasti del Nord-Ovest (Filmmakers from the North-West) for RAI 3. In 1982 he began his collaboration with the Festival Internazionale Cinema Giovani (now Torino Film Festival), first as Head of the Press Office (1982), then as Secretary General and Programmer from 1984 to 1988. From 1989 to 1998, he served as Director of the same festival.
From December 1998 to April 2002 he was the Director of the Venice International Film Festival. From 2002 to 2006 he served as co-director of "RING! Festival of Film Criticism" in Alessandria. In 2002, he started to work as a consultant for the Museo Nazionale del Cinema in Torino. Since June 2004 till December 2016 he was its Director.
From 2008 till 2016, he was the President of the Advisory Board of the TorinoFilmLab. In 2010, he served as a jury member for the main competition of the Cannes Film Festival (Tim Burton, President of the Jury). Since 2012, he is again the Director of the Venice International Film Festival.- Alberto Sacramento was born on 20 February 1920 in Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico. He was an actor, known for Aventuras de la pandilla (1959), Cartas marcadas (1948) and Fíjate qué suave (1948). He was married to Guadalupe Aguirre. He died on 12 February 1968 in Mexico, D.F., Mexico.
- Director
- Producer
Alberto Stegeman was born on 20 February 1971 in Almelo, Overijssel, Netherlands. He is a director and producer, known for Undercover in Nederland (2005), Onopgeloste zaken (2014) and Stegeman op de Bres (2016).- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Alejandro Bellame Palacios (Caracas, Venezuela). Is an Italian-Venezuelan writer, producer and director. Graduated from Social Communication at UCAB 1986. He has performed as Director and Scriptwriter in different long and short documentaries for the last 30 years. He made screenplay and direction workshops with Jaime Chavarri, Jacque Spagne, Senel Paz y Jean-Claude Carrière.
For three years, he was President of the National authors association of Venezuela (ANAC for its words in Spanish), whereby he worked in the draft of the new National Cinematography Law passed in 2005. He had also taught Cinema Direction at UCAB and National School of Cinema (Caracas, Venezuela)
He wrote, produced and directed the short film Fosa Común, 2001 Fosa común (1998) which was awarded in international festivals, namely: Dresden, Trieste, Bahia and La Habana; as well as with National Awards such as ANAC, CONAC CNAC's quality awards. His first long feature film El Tinte de la Fama, 2008 El tinte de La Fama (2008) was Venezuela's entry submission for Academy Awards "Best foreign film" category, as well it was his second long feature film El Rumor de las Piedras, 2011, The Rumble of the Stones (2011) which also received several awards in international films festivals.
His third long-feature film Dirección Opuesta, based on the book novel from venezuelan writer Eduardo Sánchez Rugeles Blue Label / Etiqueta Azul, is on production.- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Producer
- Director
Alejandro Ramirez was born on 20 February 1979 in Mexico, Distrito Federal, Mexico. He is an assistant director and producer, known for Todos hemos pecado (2009), La moral en turno (2005) and El amor perfecto (2007).- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Aleksandr Gordon was born on 20 February 1964 in Obninsk, RSFSR, USSR [now Obninsk, Russia]. He is an actor and director, known for Uncle Sasha (2018), Brothel Lights (2011) and Pastukh svoikh korov (2002). He has been married to Nozanin Abdulvasieva since 2014. They have two children. He was previously married to Nina Shchipilova, Ekaterina Gordon and Mariya Berdnikova.- Aleksandr Vlasov was born on 20 February 1922 in Petrograd [now St. Petersburg], Russia. He was a writer, known for Sluchaynyy adres (1973), Myatezhnaya zastava (1967) and Nas chetvero (1972). He died on 29 August 1992.
- Aleksei Kosygin was the youngest Mayor of Leningrad and the longest serving Prime Minister of the Soviet Union from 1964 to 1980. He was one of the most lasting high ranking Russian officials whose government career spanned over 40 years from the rule of the Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, to Nikita Khrushchev, and Leonid Brezhnev. Unlike many Soviet politicians, Kosygin was an intellectual truly caring for the wellbeing of working people.
He was born Aleksei Nikolaevich Kosygin on February 20, 1904, in St. Petersburg, Russia, and was baptized at the St. Sampsonievsky Cathedral in St. Petersburg. His mother died when Kosygin was a child. His father, Nikolai Kosygin, was a skilled technician at Lessner plant whose income afforded a middle-class lifestyle and better education for his children in the capital of Tsar's Russia, St. Petersburg. However, after the communist revolution of 1917, young Kosygin chose the side of Red proletariat in the Russian Civil war. In 1919 he joined the Labor Army led by Trotsky, then joined the Soviet communist party in 1921, and obtained recommendations to St. Petersburg (Leningrad) School of Commerce, from which he graduated in 1924.
In 1924 Kosygin founded a small British-Russian joint-venture specializing in digging and selling Siberian gold. His business was successful until 1927, when he returned to St. Petersburg (then named Leningrad) for family reasons. From 1930 to 1935 he studied at Leningrad Institute of Textile Industry graduating as Engineer. At that time Kosygin impressed his colleagues by his ability to memorize large volumes of data and by his accuracy in mathematical calculations which he did without using any computing device. Kosygin's intellectual power was highly appreciated and he soon was appointed Chair of Leningrad City Department of Industry, then, at age 34, was made Mayor of Leningrad in 1938, becoming the youngest ever mayor of this big city. His ability to find solutions in impossible situations became known to Joseph Stalin, so in January of 1939 Kosygin was taken to Moscow and appointed Vice-Chairman of the Soviet Govermnent of USSR. But his extraordinary abilities soon brought him back to where he was born, because native his city, St. Petersburg-Leningrad became the first target of Hitler's attack in the Eastern Front of WWII.
In the Summer of 1941, the Nazi Wermacht and the Finnish Army encircled Leningrad (St. Petersburg), the city of 3,5 million, the fourth largest city in Europe and the main industrial center of Russia which produced 11% of national economy. All roads south of Leningrad were severed by the Nazis, and all roads north of Leningrad were cut by the Finnish Army by September 1941. Defenders and civilians of besieged Leningrad were doomed, because there was no food and energy, all rats, pets and birds were eaten, unprecedented starvation led to cannibalism... German and Finnish Armies made the encirclement of Leningrad impenetrable from all directions, so civilian population was dying at the rate of four to six thousand people daily.
Kosygin designed and managed the «Road of Life» to besieged Leningrad over the ice on Lake Ladoga, including several roads for trucks and several underwater pipelines and power-lines. During the end of 1941 and all of 1942, Kosygin organized evacuation of civilians from Leningrad and brought food and supplies to the city from the mainland. He was the mastermind behind evacuating over half-a-million industrial workers with major industries that were crucial for the war against Hitler's military power. The construction and operation of the «Road of Life» was done under heavy artillery bombardments and air-strikes by Luftwaffe, but Kosygin completed the «Road of Life» which supplied the Leningrad civilians and defenders with food, ammunition and fuel. The «Road of Life» worked through the end of the deadly siege that lasted nine hundred days. Under Kosygin's management, over one-and-a-half million civilian population were evacuated from Leningrad during the siege. By the end of the siege the three-million city had only half-a-million civilians left, while the rest were evacuated, or dead.
By his outstanding feat during the Siege of Leningrad, Kosygin helped save millions of lives of civilians from Leningrad and suburbs, mainly women and children, and also helped save major industries which were successfully evacuated under his management. The 900-day-long resistance during the Siege of Leningrad was crucial for all sides of the war, especially for lifting the spirits of those fighting on many fronts against Hitler. The failure to take Leningrad was the first and largest setback for the Nazis: Leningrad resistance forced Hitler to drop his original war plan, causing the next failure to take Moscow, which altogether compromised the Nazi military power and eventually stopped Hitler from winning WWII. Kosygin was awarded the Order of Red Star and was promoted to Premier of the Russian Federation at age 38, becoming the youngest ever Russian PM. He served as Russian PM from 1943 to 1946.
After WWII, aged and paranoid Stalin resumed executions of potential political competitors: he first ordered extermination of the entire leadership of Leningrad (St. Petersburg), including the highly popular Leningrad Mayor Kuznetsov who worked with Kosygin during the heroic siege, and was a relative of Kosygin's wife. As a result of massive genocide of intellectuals in Russia, Stalin ended up with the Soviet government full of submissive and mediocre politicians whose business and economic skills were outdated and useless in the emerging global economy. Kosygin was the brightest mind. So Stalin, instead of execution, sent Kosygin on a lengthy trip to Siberia and Far East, traditional places for political exile. Several months later, Kosygin returned from Siberia more quiet and obedient than ever, and continued his work in the Soviet government under Stalin, serving as minister of finance and then as minister for light industry until Stalin's death in 1953.
Kosygin was briefly demoted during the power struggle between Nikita Khrushchev and Malenkov, but soon Khrushchev brought Kosygin back, because he needed a bright intellectual in his peasant and proletarian government. On February 23, 1956, Khrushchev denounced Joseph Stalin for his brutal purges and massive executions of innocent people. Khrushchev gave the speech behind closed doors at the 20th Congress of the Communist Party. His speech was the "new order" message to the ruling Soviet elite. Not everyone liked it, regardless of its many historic benefits. But cautious Kosygin took the side of Khrushchev. In 1957 Khrushchev with backing from Leonid Brezhnev and Marshal Georgi Zhukov defeated the Stalinist conservatives Vyacheslav Molotov, Georgi Malenkov, and Lazar Kaganovich. Then Khrushchev exiled the powerful Marshal Georgi Zhukov and became the undisputed ruler of the Soviet Union. Kosygin did not like that, but remained quiet and kept his positions. Khrushchev's speech was designed to liberate people from Stalin's brutal regime based on manipulative methods of control by fear. The speech was addressed to the Soviet leadership as well as to the people of Russia and other republics, however, the Soviet leadership decided to keep the speech secret from the people. At the same time Khrushchev's speech was available in the rest of the world. After reading the Khrushchev's speech, Moshe Dayan said that Soviet Union may disappear in 30 years, and he was off only by 5 years. Although Khrushchev was unable to see that far, he made efforts to liberate intellectuals and to clear innocent victims of Stalin's regime. In the late 1950's Khrushchev initiated the "Thaw" during the Cold War.
Kosygin again showed his wits as an early supporter of Khrushchev who was impressed with Kosygin's obvious intelligence and cool head under great pressure. Under Khrushchev, Kosygin attempted to introduce an economic reform, but his effort was frozen with the onset of "Cold war" when Khrushchev pushed the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961. Next year a severe agricultural crisis caused 'freezing' of the Soviet economy. Khrushchev's mistakes caused serious food shortages and the bloody popular uprising in Novocherkassk, in 1962. At the same time, Khrushchev showed uncivilized and undiplomatic behavior at the UN conference by insulting other delegates verbally and by banging on the table with his fists and with his shoe. He made risky political moves and later lost control during the Cuban missile crisis, when the world came to the brink of a nuclear war. Leonid Brezhnev made a deal with Kosygin and dismissed Khrushchev on October 14, 1964, after Khrushchev's vacation at the Communist Party owned Black Sea resort.
Now Kosygin and Leonid Brezhnev divided up the two posts that Khrushchev had held simultaneously. Kosygin became Premier, which put him in control of the day-to-day management of the Soviet government, while Brezhnev became Communist Party Secretary, a more authoritative and much more visible post. Kosygin's administrative abilities served him very well, and he earned a reputation abroad as being not as rigid as Brezhnev and others in the Soviet government. However, the Cold War with the United States was always causing enormous expenditures towards military buildup, particularly working towards the overthrow of pro-American governments overseas and attempting to expand Soviet influence across the world, even as conditions within the country deteriorated.
Kosygin's efforts to liberalize the Soviet economy were again blocked by Brezhnev. As a result, entrepreneurial people went underground creating a parallel black market. Official economy existed on cheap slave labor and subsidies from oil and gas export. The Soviet Military-Industrial Complex was somewhat efficient due to higher wages and ruthless control by the KGB and Soviet Army. Decay was still creeping into those bastions of communism. The arms race became unaffordable by the mid 1960s. 90% of the Soviet economy was directly or indirectly working for the arms race. Stockpiling of costly weapons undermined living standards that led to a fall in the birth rate, a shortage of slave labor, and an economic degradation. The country was pushed into a dead end.
Kosygin was alone and surrounded by hard-liners, while Brezhnev played the script of Stalin pushing the Soviet Union on a collision course with the world, and eventually to self-destruction. Control by fear and intimidation was back again. People were living hopeless lives having no choice. Workers of collective farms lived without identification documents up until 1970s. Undocumented citizens at collective farms were disposable. Migrants were used as industrial slaves, for symbolic pay. Wages were set by the state and did not depend on productivity or quality. The economy was governed by the state 5-year plan. This mostly ignored the world and domestic market signals; and lacked the incentives for innovation and efficiency leaving people unmotivated. Teachers were forced to indoctrinate children of all ages from kindergartens through schools and universities. Total control and manipulation was demonstrated twice a year at annual May Day parades and Great Revolution parades on November 7. Military parades were accompanied by marching masses of industrial workers and managers, doctors and scientists, as well as teachers and students from all schools and universities. Exemplary obedient people were rewarded with better food and perks. Taming millions to obedience by fear and hunger led to a massive degradation of human rights, poor spirituality, lack of initiative and creativity, and decay of public health and vitality. The country of almost three hundred million people was stuck in stagnation, inefficiency, and apathy. Brighter students were taken into the military-industrial system, brainwashed and locked there for life with no choices. Opponents were locked in the "Gulag" prison camps, mostly in Siberia. There, millions were working various hard labor jobs in grand-scale economic projects; like the Baikal-Amur railroad (BAM).
Kosygin saw that since the Communist Revolution of 1917, people had been continually stripped of their land and property. Under Khrushchev and Brezhnev the destruction of independent farming was finalized. By the 1960s poverty and anxiety pushed masses to migrate to cities. Mass-construction of cheap panel buildings was lagging behind. Millions of families shared poor housing, hostels, and dorms in cities. Villages were deserted. Collective farms decayed. Agricultural output fell below the levels of the Tsar's age. Thousands of churches were destroyed across the Soviet Union. Spiritual life was dominated by ugly communist propaganda. People were blinded by fear and pushed to wrong values. Meaningful human virtues were replaced with fake ideals of ruthless communism. Intrusive propaganda idolized members of the Soviet Politburo, their portraits were decorating every school and factory along with countless portraits and statues of Vladimir Lenin. Political manipulations and brainwashing of population led to devaluation of human life itself. Immoral behavior became a massive problem. In 1966 Brezhnev was asked not to rehabilitate Joseph Stalin, in a letter signed by 25 distinguished intellectuals, including Andrei Sakharov and other Soviet luminaries.
Neo-Stalinist course was enforced by the Soviet leaders who were raised under Stalin and did not learn anything better than to abuse the enslaved people. Blinded leaders only tried to slow the movement to a dead end. Restrictions on travel and studies abroad blocked the people of Russia from learning of the achievements of other nations of the world. As a result, information technology and computers made in USSR by Soviet Military Industries were outdated, incompatible and obsolete. Total control by the KGB led to stagnation and inefficiency, causing the "brain drain" in science and culture when the brightest people defected and fled the Soviet gloom. In the 1970s the flow of Jewish emigration was initiated by reuniting families. The KGB caused financial and political obstacles to every emigrating person; but people were leaving at any cost.
Brezhnev's regime was aggressive inside and outside, it crushed the Prague Spring of 1968, fought the Chinese Army over a border dispute in 1969, sent Soviet Tanks and Air Force to Egypt and Syria against Israel in the 1970s, as well as in North Vietnam against the Americans. Aggressive Soviet foreign policy polarized the world. Military parades in Moscow and major Soviet centers were held twice every year demonstrating dangerous nuclear weapons and missiles to the world. Soviet communists were spending billions of dollars to support pro-Soviet revolutionary regimes and spreading the Soviet political and military presence in Third World countries. National resources were wasted on controversial foreign operations at the expense of growing domestic problems, poverty and frustration of the people of Russia.
Kosygin warned about potential disaster if the Soviet Union becomes involved in another war. In the late 60s, amidst the military conflict with China, Kosygin asked Brezhnev to step forward and make a peace deal with the Chinese leader, Mao. But Brezhnev interrupted Kosygin in front of all members of the Soviet leadership, and ended the discussion by saying it in Kosygin's face - "You shall do this yourself!" Kosygin went to China and carried extremely difficult negotiations with Chairman Mao, where the Chinese leader requested an impossible condition that "The USSR shall restore the full glory of Stalin!" However, Kosygin remained determined and persistent; he repeatedly met with the Chinese leadership, used all his diplomatic skills and eventually managed to settle the military conflict with China.
Kosygin was the first person awarded the newly established Order of Friendship, but Brezhnev became extremely envious and said that he wanted to have the same decoration as Kosygin's. Brezhnev was so pushy in his demand that Kosygin was deprived of his honestly earned award number one. In a strange and intricate manner, the Soviet leadership took the award number one away from Kosygin, and handed it over to Brezhnev. The award documents were also forged so that Brezhnev was registered as the recipient number one. Later, Kosygin was issued a replacement document, saying that he is the recipient number two.
In spite of the growing rift between him and Brezhnev, Kosygin again attempted to introduce an economic reform to shift the Soviet economy from heavy military production to consumer goods, thus offering a way to better living standards and human values. But he was up against the Soviet leadership dominated by Brezhnev and other WWII veterans whose poor knowledge of economy was detrimental.
However, Kosygin was persistent and determined in his country-wide management as Premier, and some of his efforts gave lasting and profitable results. His next major accomplishments during the 60s and 70s were construction of the Trans-Siberian Oil pipeline from Russia to Europe and creation of the major Russian-Italian joint venture that revolutionized the outdated Soviet automotive industry. Millions of Fiat cars, called "Lada" in Russia, brought mobility and updated lifestyle to millions of families in the Soviet Union. Kosygin's another remarkable achievement was permission for all people to use small lots of low quality lands for their private agricultural activities, known as "sadovodstvo" and "dacha" which helped millions of families survive amidst severe food shortages in the Soviet Union.
Kosygin focused his efforts on improving living standards for all people in the USSR, but Brezhnev stubbornly guarded special privileges for communists, treating non-communists as slaves. The rift between Kosygin and Brezhnev became apparent when Kosygin called for economic freedom similar to what people in Czechoslovakia and Hungary also tried to implement. Brezhnev, who crashed all hopes in Czechoslovakia by sending tanks to Prague in 1968, of which Kosygin initially opposed, then crashed upon Kosygin, so Kosygin's economic reform was aborted. In the height of the "Cold War" Kosygin was pushed aside by the hardliners in aged Soviet leadership dominated by Brezhnev and other WWII veterans.
Kosygin was the most serious opponent of the Soviet invasion in Afghanistan in December 1979. He warned the Soviet leadership against another war while the world needed peace. But Kosygin's position was not taken seriously by the top Soviet communists. Brezhnev stopped listening to Kosygin's advice and sided with hard-liners Andropov, Suslov, and Ustinov, so the Soviet Union became involved in another lengthy and costly war. As a result of the Soviet aggression in Afghanistan, the national economy was pushed into the most severe crisis. At the same time, the 1980 Moscow Olympics were boycotted by many nations. Kosygin was not hiding his frustration with the Brezhnev's leadership: he suffered from two heart attacks during the year 1980, and resigned from all government positions.
Aleksei Kosygin died on December 18, 1980, just a day before Brezhnev's 74th birthday, so Brezhnev chose to underplay Kosygin's burial in such a sloppy and negligent manner, which was later described by Brezhnev's assistants as "monstrous."
A street in St. Petersburg and a street in Moscow are named after Aleksei Kosygin. - Alexey was born in Minsk, Belarus. He graduated from the Belarussian State Academy of Arts as an actor. Worked at Tambov and Grodnenskaya Philarmonic society and at Mikhail Finberg's orchestra.
In 1991 Alexey started working at Gorky's National Russian theatre in Minsk, Belarus, where he played numerous leading roles including Podkolyosin in Marriage, Podsekalnikov in Suidice, and Sir Robert Chiltern in An Ideal Husband.
Alexey's film credits include notable roles in Chaklun and Rumba (2007) and Insight (2009). Since 2009 Alexey worked as an actor at Moscow Arts Theatre, where he played many roles including Akhov in Ostrovsky's It's not all Shrovetide for the cat, Ignatov in Tanya, Belugin in The Marriage of Belugin.
In 2017 he moved to London, where he performed in Odessa Stories by Xameleon Theatre at The Cockpit Theatre and just finished filming in Jon S. Baird's new feature film. - Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Alex DeCourville was born on 20 February 1988 in Barberton, Ohio, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Science Boy's High School Reunion (2020), Pinheads (2014) and Gemini.- Camera and Electrical Department
- Additional Crew
Alex Fraser was born on 20 February 1995 in London, England, UK. He is known for Edge of Tomorrow (2014), Wonder Woman (2017) and Black Widow (2021).- Alex Garza was born on 20 February 1988 in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. She is an actress, known for Guerra de Idolos (2017), UEPA: Un Escenario Para Amar (2015) and Tres Milagros (2018).
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Alex Pesusich was born on 20 February 1977 in Denver, Colorado, USA. He is an actor, known for Red Riding Hood (2011), This Means War (2012) and Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004).- Producer
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Alex Rehberg was born in Boca Raton, Florida to an art curator and car salesman. He studied film production and writing from a very young age at Bak Middle School of the Arts and at Alexander W. Dreyfoos High School of the Arts before studying at Cornell University. As a kid, when he was not traveling helping curate The Beatles, MLK, The Kennedy's and other "Golden Age" of America photography exhibitions with his mom, Alex was interviewing notable figures including musician Mike McCartney, Robert F. Kennedy's campaign aide Paul Schrade, and many more. At Cornell University he continued his passion for journalism as the Multimedia Editor and Senior Editor of the Cornell Daily Sun. During his editorship for The Sun, Alex interviewed such notable figures as co-founder of Reddit Alexis Ohanian. Now, Alex is working as a development / executive producer and writer.- Alexander Alexandrov was born on 20 February 1943 in Moscow, RSFSR, USSR [now Russia].
- Alexander Gaden was born on 20 February 1873 in Newfoundland, Canada. He was an actor, known for The Skull (1914), The Daughter of the Hills (1913) and The Quality of Faith (1916). He died on 14 January 1958 in Chicago, Illinois, USA.
- Alexander Gauland was born on 20 February 1941 in Chemnitz, Saxony, Germany.
- Alexander Kautnik was born on 20 February 1904 in Ruzomberok, Austria-Hungary. He was an actor, known for Priehrada (1950), V hodine dvanástej (1959) and The Deserter and the Nomads (1968). He died on 1 February 1988 in Kosice, Czechoslovakia.
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Actor
Alexander Michael Kingen was born on February 20th, 1996 to parents Melvia and Greg Kingen in Brandon, Florida. Raised in Plant City, Florida, he has a half-brother (Matthew Vargas) and a half-sister (Adrian Mittermayer, born Adrian Lowther).
His favorite color is Yellow, he has a passion for travel, Christian Hip-Hop, animals and mountain hiking.
Alexander is also known for his love of comedy, video games, and his voluminous hair. In his spare time he enjoys playing with animals, eating, and hanging out with his wife, Arden Kingen.
He now resides in Tampa, Florida, where he attends Hillsborough Community College and manages the websites and social media for clients of his company, ARK Markets.- Alexander Pelz was born on 20 February 1953 in Coburg, Bavaria, West Germany. He is an actor, known for Storm of Love (2005), The Peppercorns (1999) and Tatort (1970).
- Alexandra Horváth was born on 20 February 1990 in Szabadszállás, Hungary. She is an actress, known for Jupiter's Moon (2017), Doktor Balaton (2020) and Neither with You (2019).
- Production Designer
- Art Department
- Art Director
Alexandra Toomey was born on 20 February 1986 in Guildford, Surrey, England, UK. Alexandra is a production designer and art director, known for Doctor Strange (2016), Beauty and the Beast (2017) and A Lonely Place to Die (2011).- Alfonso Sastre was born on 20 February 1926 in Madrid, Spain. He was a writer, known for Amanecer en Puerta Oscura (1957), At Five in the Afternoon (1960) and La noche y el alba (1958). He was married to Eva Forest. He died on 17 September 2021 in Hondarribia, Basque Country, Spain.
- Actor
- Writer
Alfred Bach was born on 20 February 1874 in Vienna, Austria-Hungary [now Austria]. He is known for Der Karneval der Toten (1919), Die Einödpfarre (1915) and Kindertränen (1916).- Alfredo da Silva was born on 20 February 1935 in Bolivia. He died on 26 January 2020 in Alexandria, Virginia, USA.
- Actor
- Writer
Ali Buhara Mete is a Turkish actor and screenwriter, born on February 20, 1983, in Istanbul. In 2012, he played the character Akif for four seasons in the Valley of the Wolves: Ambush. He played the character Berk in the movie "The Letterbox" and wrote the script in 2015. He received the best screenplay award at the 10th Kosovo Film Festival. He played the leading role in the movie "Yarim Kalan" in 2017. In 2018, he played Sultan Giyaseddin Keyhusrev in the movie "Direnis Karatay." His most widely recognized role may be Mergen in Dirilis: Ertugrul. He played a revolutionary named Nihat Aslan in the movie "Suursuz Ask.".