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- Music Department
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Adolphe Charles Adam was born on July 24, 1803 in Paris, France. His father was Jean Louis Adam, the acclaimed concert pianist and professor of piano at the Paris Conservatory. Adolph Adam enrolled in the Paris Conservatory against his father's will in 1817. There he studied piano, and from 1821 also studied composition under Francois Boieldieu.
Adam is credited for developing a genre of the 'opera-comique', a French opera with extended recitative, a spoken dialog, not necessarily comic. The development of such a genre was welcomed by many professional actors, who did not possess opera-quality voices. Among his important operas are "Pierre et Catherine" (1829), "Danilowa" (1830), "Le Chalet" (1834), "Le Brasseur de preston" (1838), "Regine, ou Les Deux Nuits" (1839), "Le Rose de Peronne" (1841), "Lambert Simnel" (1843). "Richard en Palestine" (1844), "Cagliastro" (1844), "Le Toreador, ou L'Accord parfait" (1849), "La Paupee de Nuremberg" (1852), "Le Roi des Halles" (1853), 'La Muleter de Tolede" (1854), and "Falstaff" (1856), among many of his other operas.
Adolphe Adam is best known for his classic ballets "Faust" (1832), "Giselle" (1840), and "Le Corsaire" (1848). The most popular of his ballets "Giselle" was written on the plot by 'Theophile Gautier' and the libretto by Saint-Georges. During the turbulent times in the 19th century France this exquisite ballet had less publicity than it deserved and completely passed out of the European repertory. "Giselle" was revived by Sergei Diaghilev in 1910. It became the hit of the season thanks to the lavishly opulent production with the stage design by Alexandre Benois and choreography by Mikhail Fokin for "Seasons Russes" in Paris. Since it's revival by Sergei Diaghilev Giselle was performed by Anna Pavlova, Tamara Karsavina' , Galina Ulanova, Alicia Markova, Margot Fonteyn and Natalia Makarova. The role of Gizelle is one of the most sought-after roles in ballet.
Adam was elected the Member of Institute. After the death of his father, Adam was made the professor of composition ar the Paris Conservatory in 1848. He was the most important force behind the attempt of establishing a National Theatre in Paris. His effort was motivated by his idea of a venue for young composers and actors, where they could show their works to the public. During the turbulent times after the revolution of 1848 he funded the National Theatre himself. After a few seasons of financial struggles the National Theatre was closed leaving Adam in serious debt. Adam died on May 3, 1856 in Paris.
His Christmas song "Cantique de Noel" (O, Holy Night), composed in 1850, became one of the most performed and recorded piece of music.- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Alan Arkin was an Academy Award-winning American actor who was also an acclaimed director, producer, author, singer and composer.
He was born Alan Wolf Arkin on March 26, 1934, in Brooklyn, New York. His family were Jewish emigrants from Russia and Germany. In 1946, the Arkins moved from Brooklyn to Los Angeles, California. His father, David I. Arkin, was an artist and writer, who worked as a teacher, and lost his job for merely refusing to answer questions about his political affiliation during the 1950s Red Scare. His father challenged the politically biased dismissal and eventually prevailed, but unfortunately it was after his death. His mother, Beatrice (Wortis) Arkin, a teacher, shared his father's views. Young Arkin was fond of music and acting, he was taking various acting classes from the age of 10. He attended Franklin High School, in Los Angeles, then Los Angeles City College from 1951 - 1953, and Bennington College in Vermont from 1953 - 1954. He sang in a college folk-band, and was involved in a drama class. He dropped out of college to form the folk music group The Tarriers, in which Arkin was the lead singer and played guitar. He co-wrote the 1956 hit "The Banana Boat Song" - a Jamaican calypso folk song, which became better known as Harry Belafonte's popular version, and reached #4 on the Billboard chart. At that time Arkin was a struggling young actor who played bit parts on television and on stage, and made a living as a delivery boy, repairman, pot washer and baby sitter. From 1958 - 1968 he performed and recorded with the children's folk group, The Babysitters. He has also recorded an entire album for the Elektra label titled "Folksongs - Once Over Lightly."
In 1957 Arkin made his first big screen appearance as a lead singer with The Tarriers in Calypso Heat Wave (1957). Then he made his Off-Broadway debut as a singer in "Heloise" (1958). Next year he joined the Compass Theatre in St. Louis, Missouri. There he caught the eye of stage director Bob Sills and became the original member of the "Second City" troupe in Chicago. In 1961 Arkin made his Broadway debut in musical "From the Second City", for which he wrote lyrics and sketches, then starred as David Kolowitz in the Broadway comedy "Enter Laughing" (1963), for which he won a Tony Award. He starred in a Broadway musical "From the Second City production, then returned to Broadway as Harry Berlin in "Luv" (1964). Arkin made his directorial debut with an Off-Broadway hit called "Eh?" (1966), which introduced the young actor, named Dustin Hoffman. He won a Drama Desk Award for his direction of the Off-Broadway production of "Little Murders" (1969), and another Drama Desk Award for "The White House Murder Case" (1970). He also directed the original version of Neil Simon's hilarious smash, "The Sunshine Boys" (1972), which ran over 500 performances.
Arkin earned his first Academy Award nomination as Best Actor for his feature acting debut in a comedy The Russians Are Coming the Russians Are Coming (1966), by director Norman Jewison, co-starring as Lt. Rozanov, a Soviet submariner who is mistaken for a spy after his boat accidentally wrecks aground in New England. Arkin demonstrated his dramatic range as the psychopathic killer Roat in suspense film Wait Until Dark (1967), opposite Audrey Hepburn. He reinvented himself as the sensitive deaf-mute in The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (1968), for which he received his second Academy Award Nomination as Best Actor in the Leading role. He followed with what remained his best known role as Captain Yossarian in Catch-22 (1970), directed by Mike Nichols and based on the eponymous anti-war novel by Joseph Heller. In it Arkin arguably gave his strongest performance, however, his career suffered because the film initially did not live up to expectations. After a few years of directorial work on television, Arkin made a comeback with an impressive portrayal of doctor Sigmund Freud in The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (1976). In the early 1980s he acted in three movies that were family affairs, written by his wife, Barbara Dana, and co-starring his son, Adam Arkin.
During the 1990s he turned out several notable performances, such as a bitter former baseball player in TNT's Cooperstown (1993), and as a hilarious psychiatrist opposite John Cusack in Grosse Pointe Blank (1997). He won raves for his portrayal of a divorced father who struggles to keep his kids enrolled in the Beverly Hills school system in Slums of Beverly Hills (1998). Arkin gave a brilliant performance opposite Robin Williams in Jakob the Liar (1999), a film about the Nazi occupation of Poland. He also returned to the New York stage co-starring with his son, Tony Arkin and Elaine May in "Power Plays", which he also co-authored. His most recent comeback as a heroin-snorting, sex-crazed, foul-mouthed grandfather in Little Miss Sunshine (2006), earned him his third Academy Award nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role, and his first Academy Award.
Alan Arkin had been a modern Renaissance man. In addition to his achievements as an actor, director, and producer, he made his mark as a singer-songwriter with his popular-song compositions "Banana Boat Song", "Cuddle Bug," "That's Me," and "Best Time of the Year." Arkin also authored several books, including science-fiction and some children's stories, such as "The Clearing", "The Lemming Condition" and "Cassie Loves Beethoven" among his other publications. He was a father of three sons, Adam Arkin, Matthew Arkin, and Anthony Arkin, and a grandfather of Molly Arkin.
Alan Arkin was a strong supporter of an organic way of living and also a proponent for preservation of the environment and natural habitat. He avoided the show-biz-milieu and was known as an actor who does not really care about prestigious awards, but values having a good job and being acknowledged by his peers. In Arkin's own words he wanted to "Stay home for three months. Living as quietly as humanly possible." Arkin was given an Indian name, Grey Wolf, by his Native American friends in New Mexico.
Alan Arkin died in California on June 29, 2023 at the age of 89. He is survived by his three sons - Adam, Matthew, and Anthony Dana Arkin, and with Dana, Alan Arkin is survived by third wife, Suzanne Newlander Arkin, whom he married in 1999.- Music Department
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Alban Maria Johannes Berg was born on February 9, 1885, in Vienna, Austria. He was the third of four children in the upper-class family of Conrad Berg and his wife Johanna, nee Braun. He was trained for a career in accounting, but his father died in 1900, causing him a depression and the onset of asthma. He started composing music, and moved with his mother to their estate near the Palace of Schonbrunn. Young Berg was stimulated by the cultural milieu in Vienna, where Gustav Mahler, Richard Strauss, and rising Arnold Schönberg were extending aesthetic boundaries with their music.
Berg became a student of Arnold Schönberg in 1904, having little formal education. His intellect was open and free of any dogma. His artistic freedom was complemented with the twelve-tone (dodecafonic) system, discovered and professed by his teacher. Lessons were free, Berg was the special apprentice, just like Schoenberg was to Mahler. In 1907 his music had first public performance. Berg composed five piano sonatas and 'Seven Early Songs' under the tutelage of Schoenberg. Lessons ended in 1911, when Schoenberg's teacher Mahler died, and Schoenberg moved from Vienna to Berlin. At that time Berg married Helene Nahowski. In 1913 Berg invited his teacher to conduct the performance of his newly composed "Altenberger Lieder". The concert was interrupted by the rioting public. Schoenbrg, who traveled from Berlin for the occasion, was somewhat critical of the music of his pupil. Still the teacher and his apprentice maintained their special ties.
Berg interrupted composition during his military service in WWI. But his creative thinking never stopped. His impressions from the play 'Wozzeck', by Georg Buchner, seen in Vienna in 1914, inspired Berg on making it into an opera. He wrote sketches for several years, until the work was completed in 1921. It's three parts were premiered in Frankfurt in 1924, under the baton of Hermann Scherchen. In 1925 the whole opera was premiered at the Berlin State Opera under Erich Kleiber. In 1927 Berg made a trip to Leningrad, Russia for the successful performance of 'Wozzeck' by the Leningrad Opera. It had several performances at the Mariinsky (former Imperial) Opera House, the best Russian opera company. 'Wozzeck' was in the Marrinsky repertoire after the 'Love for Three Oranges' by Sergei Prokofiev, with both composers in attendance. Both operas were soon banned by the rigid Soviet censorship. In 1930 'Wozzeck' had it's premiere at the Vienna State Opera, a success, and in 1931 it had the American premiere in Philadelphia.
Berg's second opera 'Lulu' was strongly condemned by the Nazi ideologists after it's Symphonic premiere in Berliner Staatsoper under Erich Kleiber in November of 1934. Two months later Erich Kleiber emigrated. Berg's music was banned in Germany and even the favorable critics were officially condemned. Berg interrupted his work on the opera, and composed the Violin Concerto, dedicated to Alma Mahler's daughter. He died of blood poisoning, caused by the insect bite, on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1935. The Nazi control extended to Austria after the "Anschluss" in 1938 and brought the ban on all music from the 'New Viennese School'.- Writer
- Additional Crew
Albert Camus was born on November 7, 1913, in Mondovi, Algeria. His parents were Spanish-French-Algerian (pied noir) colonists. His father, Lucien, died in the Battle of Marne (1914) during WWI. His mother, named Catherine Helene Sintes was of Spanish origin, she was a deaf mute due to a stroke, but she was able to read lips and worked as a cleaning lady, providing for her son, who loved her to tears.
Camus studied at Algiers Lycee from 1923-32, then at the University of Algiers, from where he graduated in 1936 with a degree in philosophy. While a student he joined the French Communist Party in 1934, but in 1936 he joined the 'Le Parti du Peuple Algerien' and was denounced by communists as 'Trotskyite'. He was seriously influenced by the writings of 'Andre Malraux', 'Andre Gide' and Plotinus' theory of the "One", which became Camus' graduation thesis (1936).
He was rejected from the French army because of tuberculosis, which he contracted in the 1930's. His first marriage to Simone Hie, a morphine addict, ended due to infidelity from both of them. In 1940 Camus married a pianist and mathematician Francine Faure, whom he loved and patiently tolerated her affair with the actress María Casares. Camus and Francine Faure had twins born in 1945.
During the Second World War Camus was a writer for 'Paris-Soir' magazine. He was in Paris during the Wermacht occupation, and witnessed the execution of the French communist and anti-fascist activist Gabriel Peri by firearm, which turned Camus' mind against Nazi Germany. He moved to Bordeaux, where he finished his early works, 'The Stranger' and 'The Myth of Sisyphus', which opens with his famous statement about the philosophical question of suicide, and deals with the absurdity of existence in the meaningless struggle.
Camus joined the French Resistance cell 'Combat' and edited the eponymous paper under the pseudonym 'Beauchard'. He reported on the fighting when Allies liberated Paris in 1944. Camus continued his work for 'Combat' until 1947, and through this work he became acquainted with Jean-Paul Sartre. For a couple of years Camus was a member of Sartre's circle at the Cafe de Flore on the Boulevard St. Germain, but Camus' criticism of communist doctrine soon alienated Sartre. He highly regarded Franz Kafka and William Faulkner, whose 'Requiem for a Nun' he adopted into a play.
Camus' lectures about French existentialism brought him on a 3-month tour of the United States and Canada in 1946, where he spoke at several universities. He lectured for 3 months in Brazil, Argentina and Chile in 1949, where he became sick and almost suicidal. The return of his tuberculosis forced Camus into seclusion from 1949-1951. It was during those 2 years that he crystallized his analysis of rebels and revolutions and published 'The Rebel'. The book clearly formulates his rejection of communism as well as any violent activity under various Utopian masks of 'social justice'.
Albert Camus' desire for clarity and meaning in the world that offers nothing, but chaos, resulted in his work on the idea of absurdism. It was incorporated in many of his works from 'The Myth of Sisyphus' (1942), 'The Plaque' (1947), 'The Rebel' (1951), and other works. Camus' ideas resulted from his philosophic analysis of the diverse list of sources from 'Epicurus' to Fyodor Dostoevsky, Friedrich Nietzsche, and 'Andre Breton', as well as his own experiences in the war and his studies.
His greatest work 'The Fall' (1956) presents the monologues of a self-proclaimed 'judge penitent' Clamence, whose character alludes to Zarathustra from Friedrich Nietzsche and Grand Inquisitor from the 'Karamasov Brothers' of Fyodor Dostoevsky. Camus challenges the reader with the dilemma of accepting the absurdity of our existence and/or learning how to deal with it as well as with the unpredictable consequences from doing something about it.
Camus was the proponent of the idea of human rights. He resigned from UNESCO in 1952 in protest of the UN acceptance of Spain under 'Edgar Franco 'El General''. He protested against the Soviet crush upon the East Berlin workers in 1953, and against the Soviet repressions in Hungary in 1956. He was a steady supporter of pacifism and was in opposition to capital punishment. In 1957 Camus was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.
He was killed in a car accident on January 4, 1960, in the small town of Villeblevin, France, in the car driven by his publisher and close friend Michel Gallimard, who also died in the accident.- Actor
- Music Department
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Albert Schweitzer was born on January 14, 1875, in Kaysersberg, near Strasbourg, Elsass-Lothringen, Germany (now in Alsace, France). His father and both grandfathers were pastors and organists. His family had been devoted to education, religion and music for generations.
Schweitzer took music lessons from his grandfather, a church organist. He spoke German and French in his bilingual Alsace family, and later added English to his studies. From 1893-1899 he studied philosophy and theology at the University of Strasbourg, University of Berlin and the Sorbonne. In 1899 he completed a doctorate dissertation on the philosophy of Immanuel Kant. From 1905-1912 he studied medicine in Strasbourg and Paris, and received his MD degree in tropical medicine and surgery in 1912.
From the age of 9 Schweitzer started regular performances of organ music in his father's church and continued his organ recitals until the age of 89. In 1905 he wrote a biography of Johann Sebastian Bach, in French, then he rewrote and updated the Bach book--in German--in 1908, the version considered definitive. Schweitzer also published a book on organ building and playing in 1906. He was involved in the restoration of many valuable historic organs worldwide, including construction of the organ at his hospital in Lambarene, where he played music for his patients. He was described as the doctor who returns health to ill people and music to old organs. Albert Schweitzer made notable organ recordings of Bach's music in the 1940s and 1950s. Schweitzer based his interpretation on his profound knowledge of personality, education, religious and social life of Bach.
In 1905 he began his medical studies at the University of Strasbourg, because he decided to go to Africa as a medical doctor rather than a pastor. His medical knowledge was in urgent need during an epidemic of sleeping sickness there. In 1913 he obtained his MD degree, but was turned down by the Paris Missionary Society because his very liberal views of Christ's teachings did not conform to the Society's orthodox beliefs. Schweitzer and his wife went to Lambarene, French Equatorial Africa (now Gabon), and started a hospital in a tent, gradually adding rooms for special cases of sleeping sickness, leprosy, paediatrics and surgery. After his release from French internment Schweitzer practiced medicine in Strasbourg from 1918-1923. In 1924 he returned to his hospital in Lambarene, which was to be restored after years of decay during his absence. There his medical practice included paediatrics, infectious diseases and epidemiology, as well as surgery and traumatology. His versatility in medicine helped to save many thousands of lives. Schweitzer donated his royalties from public performances and book publications to the hospital, which expanded to 500 beds by the 1950s. "Everyone must have his 'Lambarene'", said Schweitzer.
Schweitzer gained great reputation for writing "The Quest of the Historical Jesus" (1906). He was acclaimed for his two concise books on in 1905-1908. In 1917 Schweitzer and his wife were arrested by the French administration in Africa for being Germans, and sent to a French internment camp at the St. Remy mental institution. There Schweitzer was kept at the same room where Vincent Van Gogh lived before his suicide. The Schweitzers were prisoners of war until the end of the First World War in 1918. After his release Schweitzer gave a major speech about his "Reverence for Life" (1920). He spent six years in Europe and published "The Decay and the Restoration of Civilization" (1923) and "Civilization and Ethics" (1923), which he drafted during his captivity in St. Remy.
Schweitzer saved lives by his medical work, by writing and teaching and by advocating for peace and nuclear control. He admittedly followed the similar line as that of the Russian humanitarian and writer Lev Tolstoy. As the founder of a free public hospital, a writer and humanitarian, Schweitzer became the leading proponent of accessible medicine for all. He was also involved in the foundation of the Goethe Institute. From 1952 until his death Schweitzer worked against nuclear weapons together with Albert Einstein and Bertrand Russell. On December 10, 1953, Schweitzer was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He donated his prize money to build a leprosy clinic in Lambarene. In 1957 Schweitzer co-founded The Committee for a sane Nuclear Policy.
As it was told, many girls adored Schweitzer, but Helene Bresslau offered him thoughtful partnership and practicality instead of flattery. Schweitzer and Helen began their relationship in 1898, as students. In many hundreds of their letters they only once used the word "love". Schweitzer called his medical work "the religion of love, actually put into practice." The disapproval, conservatism and shallowness of many Christian friends and even his own father did not stop him from his career change to medicine in 1905. Only Helene Bresslau understood him. In 1912 Schweitzer married her before they went to Equatorial Africa. It was a passionate, profound joining of souls. She trained as a nurse and became his assistant in medical work, in writing and in international public service. Their daughter, Rhena, was born in 1919, she later became the lab analyst at her father's hospital in Africa. His cousin Anne-Marie Schweitzer was the mother of Jean-Paul Sartre, who called Schweitzer 'Uncle Al'.
Schweitzer was a multifaceted person, a true Renessance man. He was a doctor, a pastor, a teacher, a writer, a musician, a father and husband, an international lecturer and the leading proponent of peace, all at the same time. He admired all people as brothers and sisters. His openness and helpfulness to strangers was disarming and ennobling. He was learning from simple people through his entire life, being himself patient, modest and humble. "Why are you traveling in the 4th class?" some official asked him - "Because there is no 5th class", answered Schweitzer.
His humor was legendary. His look resembled that of his friend Albert Einstein. Once on a train he was asked by two schoolgirls, "Dr. Einstein, will you give us your autograph?" He did not want to disappoint them, so he signed their autograph book: "Albert Einstein, by his friend Albert Schweitzer."
He died on September 4, 1965, in the hospital, which he founded in 1913, and was laid to rest in the ground of his hospital in Lambarene, Gabon.- Writer
- Additional Crew
Aldous Leonard Huxley was born on July 26, 1894, at Laleham in Godalming, Surrey, England. He was the third of four children. His brother Julian Huxley was a biologist known for his theories of evolution. His grandfather, named Thomas Henry Huxley, was a naturalist known as "Darwin's Bulldog." His father, named Leonard Huxley, was a writer. His mother, named Julia Arnold, was related to poet Matthew Arnold. Young Huxley graduated from the Hillside School, where his mother was supervisor. He was traumatized by the death of both his mother and sister in 1908. He then followed in the footsteps of his brothers by going to Eaton and then to Balliol College, Oxford University. At age 16 he contracted keratitis which left him practically blind for two years, and disqualified him from service in WWI. Upon his recovery he graduated with a First in English Literature, he taught English literature at Balliol College, Oxford.
Huxley's literary life began in 1915, when he joined the circle of Lady Ottoline Morell at Garsington Manor. There he met Bertrand Russell, D.H. Lawrence, T.S. Eliot, Lytton Strachey, Virginia Woolf, and Katherine Mansfield. He also met and fell in love with a Belgian refugee Maria Nys. In 1919 she became his wife, and they had a son, named Matthew. In 1920 Huxley began writing for Conde Nast at House and Garden to support his family, and later contributed to Vanity Fair and Vogue magazines. He soon established himself as a successful writer and social satirist with his novels: Crome Yellow (1921), Antic Hay (1923), Those Barren Leaves (1925, and Point Counter Point (1928). The latter novel brought him international fame and was lated included in the Modern Library list of the top 100 novels of the 20th century.
His best known novel 'Brave New World' (1932) was actually preceded by "We" (written in 1920, published in English in 1924), which was the very first anti-Utopian novel in literature, written by Yevgeni Zamyatin. Both novels describe the futurist idea of One World State, where totalitarian government manipulates people's lives by eliminating individual freedom, family, art, literature, religions and cultural diversity. Totalitarian government controls humans from their conception and regulates assisted reproduction, as well, as education, indoctrination, and also enforces the medical drug use for pacification. Huxley himself called it a "negative utopia" which was written as a parody on 'Men Like Gods' (1923), a Utopian novel by H.G. Wells, which was also preceded by writings of Yevgeni Zamyatin.
In 1937 Huxley moved to Hollywood, California, with wife Maria and a life-long friend Gerald Heard. There Huxley befriended Jiddu Krishnamurti and became one of his disciples, adopting a blend of eastern philosophical traditions with modernized mysticism. He also joined the circle of 'Swami Prabhavadanta' and became influenced by Vedanta and meditating. Huxley dramatically updated his lifestyle, become a vegetarian and practiced yoga. He also experimented with non-addictive psychedelic drugs and wrote about these experiences extensively. He even reported that his eyesight had improved for the first time in over 25 years. After the Second World War Huxley applied for the United States citizenship, but was denied for refusing to take up arms to defend the country. He remained a British Citizen for his entire life. Later in the 1950's he turned down an offer of a Knight Bachelor by the British government.
In 1955 his wife, Maria, died of breast cancer. A year later Huxley became married to Laura Archera Huxley who was herself a writer and also became his biographer. In 1960 Huxley was diagnosed with throat cancer. In his last Utopian novel 'Island' (1962), Huxley re-visited and updated his basic ideas from the 'Brave New World' and from his other novels. In 'Island' Huxley summarized his views on the modern world and society, including his position on medical drug use and his political stands on democracy, modernity, ecology and pacifism. The novel served as an inspiration for the 1960's psychedelic culture and was also incorporated in ideology of the New Age Movement. Huxley's opposition to the rigid social organization and self-destructive nature of modern class society and inevitable fatality of the modern world was paralleled by that of Jean-Paul Sartre.
Aldous Huxley volunteered in experimental drug use in research carried by his friend Dr. Humphry Osmond since 1953. Huxley repeatedly experimented with mescaline injections and described his observations in 'The Doors of Perception' (1954) and 'Heaven and Hell' (1956). His own health deteriorated dramatically in the early 1960's. Huxley spent his last days bedridden, almost blind, and unable to speak. On his deathbed he made a written request to his wife for an intramuscular injection of 100 mg of LSD. Laura Archera Huxley followed his instruction, and Huxley died peacefully in a few hours after the injection. That was on November 22, 1963, in his home in California. His death was obscured by the news of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, which occurred on the same day.
Huxley wrote the original screenplay for Disney's animated 'Alise in Wonderland' (1951), and co-wrote the screenplays for 'Pride and Prejudice' (1940) and 'Jane Eyre' (1944). Many of his novels were adapted for film or television: two TV productions of 'Brave New World' (in 1980 and in 1998), a BBC production of 'Point counterpoint' (1968) and 'The Devils' (1971) starring Vanessa Redgrave and directed by Ken Russell, as well as other film and TV adaptations.- Actor
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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
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Aleksandr Fedorovich Borisov was born on May 1, 1905, in St. Petersburg, Russia. His father was an industrial worker. Young Borisov was fond of theatre and participated in school drama club. In 1927 he graduated from the class of Yuri Yuryev at the Leningrad Theatre-Studio.
Borisov had also a stellar career as a stage actor. From 1928-1982 he was a permanent member of the troupe of the Pushkin Drama Theatre in Leningrad (St. Petersburg). There his stage partners were such remarkable actors as Yekaterina Korchagina-Aleksandrovskaya, Nikolay Cherkasov, Yuri Yuryev, Boris Babochkin, Nikolai Simonov, Vasiliy Merkurev, Konstantin Skorobogatov, Yuriy Tolubeev, Illarion Pevtsov, Bruno Frejndlikh, Vladimir Chestnokov, Vladimir Erenberg, Leonid Vivyen, Konstantin Adashevsky, Igor Gorbachyov, Olga Lebzak, Nina Mamaeva, Lidiya Shtykan, Nina Urgant, Valentina Panina, and other notable Russian actors.
Aleksandr Borisov was awarded the State Prize of the USSR three times: for his stage works (1947), for the leading role in film 'Akademic Ivan Pavlov' (1949), and for the leading role in film 'Mussorgsky' (1950). He was designated the People's Artist of the USSR (1951) and the Hero of Socialist Labor (1981). Aleksandr Borisov died on May 19, 1982, in St. Petersburg (then Leningrad), Russia, and was laid to rest at the Necropolis of Masters of Arts "Literatirskie Mostki" in Volkovskoe Cemetery in St. Petersburg, Russia.- Music Department
- Composer
- Writer
Aleksandr Borodin was born on November 12, 1833 in St. Petersburg, Russia. He was in fact the illegitimate son of the Georgian Prince, Lukas Gedevanishvili, who registered his son under the name of his serf and payed for Borodin's private education in music, languages and sciences.
Young Borodin grew up becoming fluent in German, French and English, besides his native Russian. He later learned Italian and was able to write a technical essay in that language. Borodin studied at the St. Petersburg Medical-Surgical Academy from 1850-1856 and graduated with honours as a Medical Doctor. He also earned a doctorate in organic chemistry with his dissertation "On the analogy of arsenic acid with phosphoric acid in chemical and toxicological behaviour." Borodin carried advanced research on aldehydes. In 1872, Borodin discovered the "Aldol-reaction/condensation". He also worked on the chemistry of mineral waters and researched their medicinal properties.
In 1859-63 Borodin lived in Western Europe, where he studied medicine and chemistry and also attended the concerts of Franz Liszt, who became Borodin's friend and admirer of his music. Back in Russia, Borodin continued his music studies as a weekend hobby. He often played piano and flute with his friends, the composers of "The Mighty Handful", which included Mily Balakirev, Cesar Cui, Modest Mussorgsky and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Borodin was a frequent traveller because of his scientific research and invitations from various research centres and Universities. His tone poem for symphony orchestra "In the Steppes of Central Asia" was composed on his impressions from travels.
Borodin started the work on his first symphony in 1862, under the tutelage of Mily Balakirev and completed the work by 1869, when it was premiered under the baton of Mily Balakirev. In 1869, Borodin started on his Symphony No.2 which was premiered in 1877, but Borodin made upgrades to its orchestration for the triumphal performance in 1879 under the direction of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. His lengthy work on each one of his symphonies was caused by Borodin's preoccupation with his second opera "Prince Igor", which became his most important work. Borodin was working on this masterpiece from 1869 to his death in 1877. It contains the famous choral "Polovetsian Dances" which was borrowed for the popular song "Stranger in Paradise" and was also used in many films.
In 1877, Borodin went to Weimar where Franz Liszt worked as a Muskmaster. Though Borodin's European trips were made for the business of his scientific research, Franz Liszt, being a personal friend of Borodin, made arrangements for his Symphony No. 1 to be performed for the first time outside Russia. In Italy, Borodin became engaged and lived with Ekaterina Protopopova, whom he married upon their return to St. Petersburg, Russia. Borodin composed many romantic songs for voice and piano accompaniment, dedicated to his beloved wife, Ekaterina. Some of those romances were composed to the poems by Nikolai A. Nekrasov. Borodin's romances became a staple in the repertoire of many classical vocalists.
Borodin's strong and lyrical String Quartet No.2 in D Major stands out in that genre. It is an intellectual conversation between the four musical instruments, each having a special character, and each shows its development through their delicious harmonic interplay. The popular "Nocturne" movement from this quartet is arguably one of the most lyrical melodies in all music.
Borodin's contribution to science and culture could be even more significant. He left a number of unfinished works, the Symphony No. 3 and a five-part opera on stories from Russian fairy tales. He died on February 27, 1887 during a party in St. Petersburg and was laid to rest at the St. Alexander Nevsky Monastery in St. Petersburg, Russia.- Aleksandr Bronevitsky was a Russian songwriter, pianist, composer, producer and concert director who revolutionized the entertainment industry in the Soviet Union.
He was born Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Bronevitsky on 8 July 1930, in Sevastopol, Ukraine, Soviet Union. From 1953 - 1958 he studied piano and composition at the Leningrad (St. Petersburg) Conservatory of Music. At that time, the city of St. Petersburg was called Leningrad after the Soviet leader Lenin.
In 1955 Bronevitsky founded the first Russian/Soviet popular band Druzhba (aka... Friendship) in Leningrad (Saint Petersburg), Russia. Bronevitsky and his band, Druzhba, made an effort introducing newer music styles, such as rock'n roll. Bronevitsky wrote songs in the variety of styles, ranging from Russian folk music to African music, to American rock'n roll, twist and shake. His new songs were performed by students from Africa, Latin America and Europe who studied at the St. Petersburg Conservatory at that time.
Bronevitsky also hit the right note by making Edita Pekha the lead female singer in his band, Druzhba. Edita Piekha was a very good-looking young lady from Poland who then studied at the Leningrad University. She was also a multilingual singer with attractive voice, nice manners and impeccable style. By bringing Edita Piekha and other international performers to the front stage, Bronevitsky managed to get his band to perform on Soviet national television and at the 1957 International Festival in Moscow. There, beautiful Edita Piekha attracted the eye of none other, than the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. Bronevitsky soon married Edita Piekha and the couple became part of the St. Petersburg cultural milieu. They were widely known in Russia as advocates of international friendship promoting positive outlook and better lifestyle. Bronevitsky and his band, Druzhba, remained popular for several decades in the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s, albeit in the last decade the lead singer, Edita Piekha, split from Bronevitsky, and formed her own band, while Bronevitsky remained the leader of his original band, Druzhba.
Aleksandr Bronevitsky was designated Honorable Actor of Russia, and received other awards and honors in the former Soviet Union. He and his band, Druzhba, recorded many popular hits between 1955 and 1988, and made several albums that sold millions of copies in the Soviet Union and Europe. In 1972 Bronevitsky and Piekha with ensemble Druzhba were part of cultural programs at the XX Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany. Bronevitsky was married to Edita Pekha and the couple had one daughter, Ilona Bronevitskaya, also a popular singer in Russia. Aleksandr Bronevitsky died of a heart attack while touring in Nalchik, Russia, on 13 April, 1988, and was laid to rest in St. Petersburg, Russia. - Aleksandr Dedyushko was a popular Russian actor also known as TV anchor, as member of the Russian show 'Dancing with the stars', as well as for his numerous roles in Russian war dramas.
He was born Aleksandr Viktorovich Dedyushko on May 20, 1962, in Volkovysk, Grodno province, Belorussia, Soviet Union (now Belarus). Young Dedyushko was fond of acting and dancing, he was member of a dancing ensemble at his school in Belorussia. From 1980 - 1983 he served as a Navy Marine in the Soviet Baltic Fleet. From 1984 - 1988 he studied acting at Nizhny Novgorod (Gorky City), graduating from Gorky Theatrical School in 1988 as an actor. From 1989 - 1995 he was member of the troupe at Vladimir City Theatre. There he married actress Svetlana Chernyshkova and the couple had one son.
From 1995 - 2000 Aleksandr Dedyushko was member of the troupe at Moscow art Theatre (MKhAT). During the 2000s Dedyushko was a popular TV anchor who led his own show, and also performed as a dancer in 'Dancing with the stars'. Besides being a professional actor, dancer and singer, he was skilled at horseback riding, fencing, martial arts, and boxing. Aleksandr Dedyushko with his wife and son were killed in a car accident on a slippery ice-covered road on November 3, 2007, in Petushki, Vladimir province, East of 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. - Actor
- Composer
- Writer
Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Dolsky was born on June 7, 1938, in Sverdlovsk (Ekaterinburg), Russia. His father, Aleksandr Viktorovich Dolsky, was a renown Opera singer and Honorable Actor Of Russia. His mother, Elizaveta Aleksandrovna, was a ballerina.
Young Dolsky was the singer with the Boys Choir at the Opera of Ekaterinburg, where his both parents were actors. From 1958-1963 he studied at Uralsky Polytechnical Institute named after S. M. Kirov, graduating as Construction Engineer. He also received a qualification in applied mathematics and completed a post-graduate course as mathematician. From 1963-1969 he worked as engineer and also was a part-time professor of mathematics at Uralsky Polytechnical Institute. He also played guitar at a local jazz-band. At the same time he studied guitar under Vladimir Savinykh and Lev Voinov at evening classes of Sverdlovsk School of Music. Dolsky graduated as a concert performer on the classical guitar; at his graduation concert he performed pieces by Enric Granados, Isaac Albéniz, and Heitor Villa-Lobos.
Dolsky's first popular song "Plakala devchonka, slezy ne unyat" (A girl could not help her tears. 1954) became a folk hit in the 1950s and 1960s Soviet Union. He was a Diploma-winner in the 6-string guitar category of the 1st Russian Performers Compeition in 1956, and continued his development as guitarist and songwriter ever since. His early poetry was published in Sverdlovsk and in Moscow. Although Dolsky was initially influenced by Bulat Okudzhava in his early poetry, he gradually developed his own distinctive style emphasizing his vocal improvisations and his masterful accompaniment on classical guitar. In 1967, Dolsky performed at the Moscow University Fesival. In 1968 he took part in the annual Grushin Festival in Samara and became a regular performer there, as well as at many other festivals and concerts in the former Soviet Union. In 1979 he became laureate of the 6th Russian Performers Competition as singer-songwriter.
In 1979 Dolsky was invited by Arkady Raykin to work on stage. He became a stage actor with the Leningrad Theatre of Miniatures under the direction of Arkadi Rajkin. At the same time he made a career as a singer-songwriter. Dolsky wrote over two hundred poems and songs, which he performed in concerts, recordings, and films. He also wrote music to the lyrics by Yevgeniy Yevtushenko, Bella Akhmadulina, Bulat Okudzhava and other famous Russian poets. He wrote songs for soundtracks to 'Traktir na Pyatnitskoy' (The Dining House on Pyatnitskaya 1979) and a few other films and stage productions in Russia. He was an actor in such films as 'Novye skazki Shakherezady' (New Tales of Shakherezade 1987), 'Kogda svyatye marshiruyut' (When the Saints Come Marching Down 1990), and in Russian-Japanese film 'Rin' (The Legend of Icons 1992).
Aleksandr Dolsky was the representative of Russia at one of the historic Live TV concerts near the Berlin Wall in 1989. The Live TV concerts showed performances by popular singers from six nations which participated in the Second World War. The historic concert took place in the Tiergarten park near the Berlin Wall on September 1, 1989, and was produced by the Deutche Welle WDR. Aleksandr Dolsky toured many countries on four continents with his solo concert performances. His live performances have been steadily gaining popularity among Russian and International audiences. He also earned recognition for his guitar virtuosity and inventive vocal improvisations. Dolsky wrote numerous popular hits over the course of his career. He published 8 books of poetry and prose, composed over 200 songs, recorded and released over 20 albums of live and studio recordings which sold millions of copies. He was awarded the Bulat Okudzhava State Prize for Literature (2002) and received the title of Honorable Artist of Russia (1989).
Aleksandr Dolsky has a wife and three sons. He lives in St. Petersburg, Russia.- Actor
- Director
Aleksandr Vladimirovich Galibin was born on September 27, 1955, in Leningrad, Russia, USSR (now St. Petersburg, Russia). He graduated from the Leningrad Institute of Theatre, Music, and Cinematography.
From 1976-1980 Aleksandr Galibin was a permanent member of the troupe at the Theatre of Komissarzhevskoi in St. Petersburg. There his stage partners were such actors as Ivan Krasko, Tamara Abrosimova, Stanislav Landgraf, Elena Safonova, Georgiy Korolchuk, Boris Sokolov, Petr Shelokhonov, and other notable Russian actors.
From 1981-1992 Galibin was a staff actor at the Lenfilm Studio in St. Petrsburg, Russia. He played over 30 leading and supporting roles in Russian and international film and television productions. From 1992-1996 Galibin studied directing in Moscow under the famous experimental director Anatoli Vasilyev, and graduated as director. Since 2003 Aleksandr Galibin has been Artistic Director of the Pushkin Drama Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia. He also directed stage plays at the Moscow Art Theatre (MKhAT) in Moscow, at the Mariinsky Opera Theatre in St. Petersburg, and many other Russian and international productions. Galibin is an acclaimed Russian actor and director. He is highly regarded for his classic noblesse, intelligence, and effortless style. Galibin was designated Honorable Artist of Russia.
Aleksandr Galibin gave an impressive performance in the leading role of Master in Master i Margarita (2005), a highly popular TV adaptation of the eponymous novel by Mikhail A. Bulgakov by director Vladimir Bortko. In his own words, Galibin played the character of Master alluding to many oppressed writers in Russia during the Soviet-era government of Joseph Stalin. Galibin created a powerful interplay with a stellar ensemble of actors.
Aleksandr Galibin is married to actress Irina Savitskova and they have two daughters. Galibin is currently residing with his wife and daughters in St. Petersburg, Russia.- Actor
- Director
Aleksandr Grave was one of the oldest Russian actors who played over 150 roles at the Vakhtangov Theatre in Moscow.
He was born Aleksandr Konstantinovich Grave on September 8, 1920, in Moscow, Russia. From 1938 to 1942 he studied acting at the Shchukin Theatrical School of the Vakhtangov Theatre, graduating in 1942 as an actor. He served in the Red Army entertainment unit during the Second World War, finished the war in Berlin, Germany, and was decorated for his artistry and lifting the spirits of soldiers at the time when they were fighting the Nazis.
Since 1942 Aleksandr Grave has been member of the troupe at Vakhtangov Theatre in Moscow. There his stage partners were such actors as Mikhail Ulyanov, Ruben Simonov, Boris Zakhava, Mikhail Astangov, Varvara Popova, Vasiliy Lanovoy, 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, Evgeni Fedorov, Vladimir Koval, Viktor Zozulin, Evgeniy Karelskikh, Aleksandr Koznov, Vladimir Vdovichenkov, Sergey Makovetskiy, Mikhail Vaskov, Mariya Aronova, Elena Sotnikova, Anna Dubrovskaya, Olga Tumaykina, Aleksei Kuznetsov, and Ruben Simonov, among others. Since the 1940s, Aleksandr Grave has been delivering acclaimed performances as various characters in the legendary Vakhtangov's production of Carlo Gozzi's comedy 'Princess Turandot'.
Aleksandr Grave was designated People's Actor of Russia. He was a professor of acting at the Shchukin Theatrical School of the Vakhtangov Theatre. Aleksandr Grave is living in Moscow, Russia.- Actor
- Director
- Soundtrack
Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Kalyagin was born on May 25, 1942, in the village of Malmyzh, Kirov region, Russia. His father, named Aleksandr Ivanovich Kalyagin, was the Dean of history at the Moscow State University, he died when the son was only one month old. His mother, named Yulia Mironovna Kalyagina (nee Zaydeman), was a teacher of French and English, she knew five languages. She was 40 years old when her only son, the future actor was born. She was a single mother during the Second World War.
At the age of 13, Kalyagin wrote a sincere and youthful letter to the leading Russian comedian Arkady Raykin. Rajkin replied with advise, "Talent is a hard work. Study, study, study." Later Rajkin would say that Kalyagin was his student. But at first he studied to be a medical nurse and worked as an Emergency and Ambulance nurse in Moscow for two years. Then he studied acting at the Shchukin Theatre School, where his teacher was Boris Zakhava.
Kalyagin played his first leading role in 'A Man Before His Time' (1971), an adaptation of the eponymous play by Maxim Gorky by director Abram Room. His popular works as a comedian were in 'Chyorny Prints' (1973) and 'Zdravstvuyte, ya vasha tyotya!' (1975), a TV adaptation of 'Charley's Aunt'. The latter became a very popular cult film among Russian intellectuals, due to the stellar cast, brilliant script, and clever direction by Viktor Titov. Kalyagin's superb acting in the role of 'Barbs Baberley' was highlighted with many interesting allusions and hints.
Kalyagin is best known for the leading role of 'Platonov' in 'Neokonchennaya pyesa dlya mekhanicheskogo pianino' (1977), directed by Nikita Mikhalkov and based on the play by Anton Chekhov. That role stands out for many good reasons; his mature acting, the solid direction by Mikhalkov, and the harmonious ensemble of supporting actors, such as Elena Solovey, Evgeniya Glushenko, Sergey Nikonenko, Yuriy Bogatyryov, Oleg Tabakov, Pavel Kadochnikov, Nikolai Pastukhov, Nikita Mikhalkov, and others.
Aleksandr Kalyagin was honored with the title of the People's actor of Russia. He was decorated and received government awards as well as awards at various festivals. He is the Chairman of the Commission for Culture advising to the President of Russia. He is the Artistic Director of the Moscow Theatre 'Et cetera', and the head of the Theatrical Union of Russia. Aleksandr Kalyagin lives in Moscow.- Producer
- Director
- Writer
Aleksandr Khanzhonkov was the world's first maker of a cartoon film, the first maker of a full-time feature film in Russia and the founder of the first Russian film studio.
He was born Aleksandr Alekseevich Khanzhonkov on August 8, 1877, in the village of Khanzhonkovo, Donetsk province, Russian Empire (now Donetsk, Ukraine). His father, Aleksei Khanzhonkov, was a landlord of Don Cossack ancestry. In 1896 Aleksandr graduated from Novocherkassk Cossack Cadet School, then was promoted to junior officer in the privileged Don Cossack unit in Moscow. Khanzhonkov fought in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904 and was decorated for bravery. In 1905 he received an honorable discharge and a veteran officer's package of 5,000 rubles.
In 1905 he bought the film production company Gomon i Siversen in Moscow. He also brought new equipment from Pathe and started his own filmmaking business. In 1905-06 he shot his first documentaries. By the beginning of 1906 he invested all of his money in his filmmaking business, and obtained registration for filmmaking in Moscow. In the spring of 1906 he showed imported French films, as well as his own documentaries from his company, now named A. Khanzhonkov & Co., which initially was registered as a trade business. In 1907 Khanzhonkov produced his first film, "Palochkin i Galochkin", but it was not completed and he decided not to release it.
In 1908 Khanzhonkov released his first feature film, Drama v tabore podmoskovnykh tsygan (1908). At that time he hired actors and directors from the Vvedensky Narodny Dom Theatre Company, including such actors as Aleksandra Goncharova, Andrei Gromov, Pyotr Chardynin and Ivan Mozzhukhin. Between 1909 and 1919 he produced about 100 films. He was the biggest film producer in Russia, and made more films than all other Russian film studios combined. He produced 12 films in 1912 and 20 in 1913 alone. By 1914 his net annual profit surpassed 150,000 rubles, which in 2012 would be comparable to $50 million.
In 1911 Khanzhonkov produced the first full-length feature film in Russia, Defense of Sevastopol (1911), about the siege of the city of Sebastopol during the Crimean War of 1854-55. The production was sponsored by Tsar Nicholas II. Khanzhonkov made a painstaking effort and produced a really advanced period film epic. He found many surviving veterans of the Crimean war, and used the same locations where the historic battle took place. The Tsar issued orders that Khanzhonkov was given temporary right to command and direct the movements of several regiments of the Imperial Army and Navy that were used in the massive battle scenes. Khanzhonkov became the first director in the world to use two cameras. The premiere of the 100-minute film took place at the Livadia palace in Yalta, before the the tsar and his court, and with the cast and crew of more than 100 in attendance. Khanzhonkov was awarded and decorated for the film. He was also commissioned by the tsar to make several documentaries and feature films about various official events in Russia, such as Votsareniye doma Romanovykh (1913).
During the early years of Russian cinema, Khanzhonkov collaborated with theatrical directors, such as Vasili Goncharov and Yevgeny Bauer. His works with Bauer were considered among the highest achievements of the silent film era in Russia. Khanzhonkov also played an important role in the formation of the Russian film industry during the 1910s. In 1910 he started the first Russian film magazine, "Vestnik cinematografii", a comprehensive quarterly publication about emerging film culture and film business. In 1912 he produced the world's first cartoon, _Prekrasnaya Lukanida, ili Voina usachei s rogachami (1912)_, directed by Wladyslaw Starewicz.
In 1916 Khanzhonkov bought land on the Black Sea coast in Yalta, Crimea, and built the new Khanzhonkovs Studio there. In the spring of 1917 he moved his Moscow studio, with actors and staff, to the new location in Yalta. There, from 1917-20, he produced about 15 films. In 1920, after the defeat of the Russian White army of Gen. Vrangel in Crimea, Khanzhonkov's studio and his land were nationalized by the Communist government. At the same time Khanzhonkov's Film Factory in Zamoskvotrechye in Moscow was also confiscated and nationalized by the Communist government, then renamed Goskino (the first location of Goskino was on Zhitnaya St.). Khanzhonkov left the country, together with his best actors, directors and cinematographers. In 1922 he started a film studio in Baden, Austria.
In 1923 Khanzhonkov was invited to come back to Russia by the newly founded "Rusfilm" company. The invitation was sponsored by Soviet Culture Commissar Anatoli Lunacharsky, who sent an official welcome telegram to Khanzhonkov. In 1923 Khanzhonkov returned to Russia, but the "Rusfilm" company suddenly folded. He was hired by Goskino as production consultant, then worked for Proletkino Studios. In 1926 he was falsely accused of embezzlement and arrested. Although he was later cleared of all charges, he was left penniless. His health declined and he moved from Moscow to Yalta and never worked again.
By 1934, Khanzhonkov, aged 56, was disabled and jobless. He wrote a passionate letter to the government which took all his wealth and made him poor, and he was eventually granted a pension from the Russian government. In 1937 he published a book of memoirs titled "Pervye gody Russkoi kinematografii" ("The First Years of Russian Cinema"). By that time he was living in the glorious past. His first wife, writer Antonina Khanzhonkova, died in emigration and the couple's two children were grown up. Back in Russia Khanzhonkov married his assistant, Vera Dmitrievna Popova-Khanzhonkova, who cared for him for the rest of his life while he suffered from rheumatoid arthritis and was using a wheelchair due to his disability. He survived the Nazi occupation of Yalta during World War II. He died on September 26, 1945, in Yalta, Crimea, Soviet Union (now Ukraine).
Khanzhonkov's films were edited to remove any pro-monarchist elements during the regime of Joseph Stalin. In 1956 the cultural "thaw" was initiated by Nikita Khrushchev, the ban on Khanzhonkov's films was ended and many of his movies were shown on public television as well as in theaters.- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Director
Aleksandr Lemberg was a Russian-Jewish cinematographer and film actor active in Moscow, Russia and in Riga, Latvia. He was born Aleksandr Grigorievich Lemberg on October 22, 1898, in Russia. His father, Grigori Moiseevich Lemberg, was a photographer and cinematographer of early silent cinema. Young Aleksandr Lemberg made his debut at age 18, in 1916, as his father's assistant. During the Russian Civil War of 1917 - 1922, Aleksandr Lemberg made documentaries that later became part of Fortress on the Volga (1942) and also worked in other early Soviet films. During 1919-1920 Aleksandr Lemberg was cinematographer with "agitpokhod" and "agitpoezd."
From 1918 to 1924 he was officially assigned to make documentaries about Vladimir Lenin, including Lenin's public appearances on the Red Square, his work in Kremlin, and his funeral in Moscow. At that time Lemberg joined the group "kinokov" organized by Dziga Vertov. In 1926 he made his first (and only) feature film, Mashinist Ukhtomskiy (1926). However, in 1938 - 1941 he became a photographer for the Exhibition of People's Achievements in Moscow. During the Second World War, he was photo-correspondent with the Red Army. After 1946 he returned as photographer for the Exhibition of People's Achievements in Moscow. In the 1960s, Lemberg played supporting roles in several Soviet films. He died on June 9, 1974, in Moscow, Russia.- Aleksandr Shtein (sometimes spelled Shteyn) was born Aleksandr Petrovich Rubinstein, in 1906, in Samarkand, Russian Empire (now Samarkand, Uzbekistan). His father, Petr Rubinstein, was a Russian Jew who became Lutheran to marry his mother. As a teenager, Aleksandr Shtein became involved in Soviet Special Forces in Central Asia stationed in Bukhara. There he made his writing debut as a criminal reporter for a Soviet Military newspaper.
In 1923 he came to St. Petersburg (then Petrograd) and studied literature at St. Petersburg University. Two years later, he dropped out of university, becoming a professional journalist and writer. In the 30s he was editor of a Leningrad magazine "Iskusstvo i Zhizn" (aka.. Art and Life) where he also published his short stories and plays. In 1936 he wrote a screenplay for Lenfilm studios, and made his film debut as a writer for Men of the Sea (1938) (aka.. Men of the Sea (1938) by director Aleksandr Faintsimmer. At that time, Shtein joined the Leningrad cultural milieu; he lived in the famous community of intellectuals at No.7, Rubinstein street in Leningrad (St. Petersburg). There his friends and neighbors were such luminaries as Olga Berggolts, Yuri Libedinsky, Wolf Erlich, Boris Chirkov, Mikhail Chumandrin, Ida Nappelbaum, and other cultural figures of Leningrad - St. Petersburg.
During WWI, in 1941-1945, Aleksandr Shtein served in the Red Navy as political commissar at the battleship "October Revolution" in the Baltic Fleet. He was stationed in Kronstadt during the siege of Leningrad in the Second World War. He was decorated for his courage in the war, and was discharged with honors in the rank of Navy Captain. After the war, he continued his writing career. He wrote a book "Zakon chesti" (aka.. The law of honor) in 1948.
Aleksandr Shtein was awarded the Stalin's Prize twice (1949 and 1951), and received numerous decorations from the Soviet state. His best known works, "Okean" and "Admiral Ushakov" were adapted to film and stage in the Soviet Union. Aleksandr Shtein died on October 5, 1993, in St. Petersburg, Russia. - Music Department
- Composer
- Writer
Alexander Scriabin was a Russian composer and pianist who invented the first colour keyboard and notation for lights and colors based on his scale of Synesthetic colors. His symphony 'Prometheus: The Poem of Fire' (1910) was the first composition in history which included notation for lights and colors. Scriabin's large-scale performances in Moscow and New York were the first live shows ever with lights and colors played on a colour keyboard and projected to the beat and harmony of his music, thus preceding modern day rock concerts.
He was born Alexander Nikolayevich Scriabin on January 6, 1872, (old calendar date December 25, 1871, the Russian Orthodox Christmas), in Moscow, Russia. His father, named Nikolai Scriabin, was a wealthy aristocrat, a lawyer, and a ranking diplomat, who lived mostly in the Russian embassies abroad. His mother, named Lyubov Petrovna, was a professional pianist; she died when Scriabin was only one year old. Young Scriabin was brought up by his aunt, and played his first music on his late mother's piano.
His first piano teacher was Nikolai Zverev who was also teaching Sergei Rachmaninoff at the same time, and two composers developed a life-long friendship. From 1882-1889 he studied sciences and languages at the Moscow School of Cadets. From 1888-1892 Scriabin studied piano and composition under 'Sergei Taneyev' at Moscow Conservatory, graduating in 1892, as composer and pianist, then he became a professor at the same conservatory. In 1896 Scriabin married a famous Russian pianist, Vera Isakovich, who was the winner of the Gold Medal for performances of Scriabin's piano music. Before 1900 Scriabin joined the Moscow Philosophic Society and studied various schools of thought in his pursuit of inspirational ideas.
From 1904-1910 Scriabin was living and concertizing in Western Europe and in the United States. He was a remarkable pianist and successfully performed his original compositions before international audiences. At that time Scriabin became a curious student of contemporary philosophic trends and literature. His readings ranged from Oriental philosophies and Metaphysics, to Friedrich Nietzsche, whose 'ubermensch' theory Scriabin eventually outgrew, to Astrology and Medicine, and to Sir Isaac Newton's 'Optics'. He joined the circle of the Belgian Symbolist and Occultist Jean Delwille in Brussels. Scriabin also entered the circle of late Helene Blavatsky in London, studied her Theosophy, and even visited the room where she died. Scriabin's search for inspiration was not limited to Mysticism, Astrology and other Esoteric writings of the time. From 1907-1910 Scriabin lived in Paris with his second wife, Tatiana Schletser. There he was involved in the circle of Sergei Diaghilev and provided his compositions for concerts of Russian music. He also gave piano performances with the Russian Symphony Orchestra directed by M. I. Altshuller.
Scriabin was gifted with syn-aesthetic ability, though probably different from that of the physiological gift of Wassily Kandinsky, or a cognate cross-sensational gift of Vladimir Nabokov. Scriabin was the first composer in the world who wrote the musical notation for the light and color, thus making color intertwined with sound in a cross-senses harmony. In his symphonic poem 'Prometheus: the Poem of Fire' (1909) he wrote the line with notation for 'Luxe', a specially designed multicolor light projector with colored light-bulbs which was controlled by Scriabin himself playing on a colour keyboard. The multi-colored keyboard was first built in Russia by physicist Alexander Moser in 1910 for the performances of 'Prometheus'. It's performances in Moscow and in New York were the first ever orchestral concerts with color accompaniment being projected on a special screen. Scriabin also experimented with such styles as musical impressionism and expressionism. His harmonic and melodic inventiveness became manifested in his piano works and especially in his orchestral compositions. The 'Prometheus' chord' was the beginning in Scriabin's search for the new tonal/harmonic means of expression. His theory of the 'Synthesis of arts' made profound effect on innovations in film and theatre, most notably those of Vsevolod Meyerhold at the Moscow Art Theatre.
In 1915 Scriabin worked on developing of a new form of entertainment that would unite all Mankind through music, art, light, acting and interaction between performers and public. For this project Scriabin started a draft of a new cross-genre composition, which included music, literature, dance, architecture, natural landscape and light. He contemplated a seven-day long composition titled 'Misterium', of which he wrote down a few fragments on seventy pages shortly before his death. He described the composition in his draft as "a grandiose religious synthesis of all arts which would herald the birth of a New World." Scriabin planned his work to be performed at the foothills of the Himalayan mountains. Scriabin planned to include the Sunrises and the Sunsets into the measures of his unfinished music score. Part of that unfinished composition was performed under the title of 'Prefatory Action' by Vladimir Ashkenazy in Berlin with Aleksey Lyubimov at the piano. The idea of a seven-day music piece was later realized by Karlheinz Stockhausen.
Scriabin's admirer and friend poet Valery Briusov was a regular guest at Scriabin's home, where composer performed for friends and absorbed new ideas in cross-disciplinary discussions. Those discussions initially revolved around Symbolism in Art, and then eventually led to Scriabin's idea of "Future Art" or "Synthesis of Arts" alluding to a term "Gezamtkunstwerk" which was originally coined by Richard Wagner. Music and cultural heritage of other nations was among important sources of inspiration for Scriabin, who was also known as an acclaimed piano performer of music by Frédéric Chopin, Franz Liszt and Ludwig van Beethoven. Scriabin's original piano pieces show progressive development of his own tonal and harmonic thinking. His ten piano sonatas, 24 preludes, poems, études and other piano pieces are staples of many contemporary concert pianists' repertoire. The piano recordings of Scriabin's music by Vladimir Sofronitsky and Vladimir Horowitz are among the finest there are.
During the 1890s and 1900s Scriabin's evolution to multi-tonal complexities superseded calculated duodecafonic compositions of the Neo-Viennese school. From his early piano compositions to his grand-scale symphonies, Scriabin's music is peppered with harmonic innovations, unusual changes and surprise tonal discoveries. Scriabin's creative thinking invites a prepared listener to an intellectual journey beyond the calculated atonality of Arnold Schönberg or even the sophisticated cosmopolitanism of Igor Stravinsky. The ascensual trajectory of Scriabin's multi-tonality development is unparalleled in freedom of musical imagination. His rich and delicate Piano Concerto in F-Sharp Minor (1896) and the passionate 'Poem of Ecstasy' (1906) has been among the most recorded and frequently performed of his orchestral works.
Alexander Scriabin was at the peak of his creativity and worked on his innovative breakthrough project of 'Mysteria', when he died of septicaemia, a complication from an inflammation on his upper lip, aged 43, on April 27, 1915, in Moscow. He was laid to rest in the Church of St. Nikolai na Peskah, near his home in Moscow, Russia. Since 1922, the Scriabin's home in Moscow has been open to public as a National museum and a Cultural Heritage Memorial. Scriabin's Bechstein grand piano has been used for regular concert performances of his music.
Since the 1910 premiere of 'Prometheus', Scriabin's large-scale symphonies has been successfully performed with light and color accompaniment at concert venues all over the world. Among the milestone performances of Scriabin's 'Prometheus' with lights were the London premiere with conductor Henry Wood (UK, 1914), the Carnegie Hall premiere (USA, 1915), the Bolshoi Theatre show (Russia, 1918), the New Haven show (USA, 1971), and the Kasan Conservatory show (Tatarstan, 1996) where Scriabin's music was intertwined with colorful compositions of Wassily Kandinsky. Scriabin's ideas are now working in such projects as "Animusic" and other 3D visualization and MIDI-based music applications.- Aleksandr Vladimirovich Slastin was born in 1942, in the USSR. Since 1961 he was a professional actor with several theatre troupes in the soviet Union. In 1968, Slastin became permanent member of the Leningrad Music Hall. That same year he made his film debut as Galitsky in Knyaz Igor (1969).
Aleksandr Slastin has been a permanent member of Baltiysky Dom Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia. There his stage partners were such actors as Era Ziganshina, Tatyana Piletskaya, Irina Konopatskaya, Klavdiya Belova, Nadezhda Maltseva, Regina Lialeikite, Natalya Popova, Nataliya Nesterova, Roman Gromadskiy, Igor Tikhonenko, Vladimir Tykke, and other notable Russian actors.
Aleksandr Slastin was designated the title of Honorable Artist of Russia. He is best known for the leading role in 'Banditsky Peterburg' (2000) a popular Russian TV series. He currently resides in St. Petersburg, Russia. - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was a Russian writer who was imprisoned for his criticism of the Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, and later exposed Stalin's prison system in his novels and spent 20 years in exile.
He was born Aleksandr Isaakovich Solzhenitsyn on December 11, 1918, in Kislovodsk, Southern Russia. He was born six months after the tragic death of his father, who was an Army artillery officer. His mother spoke English and French, she encouraged Solzhenitsyn's interest in literature and science. Since 1937 he was writing chapters for his book about the First World War. In 1936-1941 he studied at the Rostov State University, graduating with degrees in mathematics and physics. In 1939- 1941 he also took correspondence courses in literature from the
During the Second World War Solzhenitsyn served as an artillery captain in the Red Army. He was involved in major battles at the front as a commander of an artillery unit, and was twice decorated for courage. In February of 1945 he was fighting against the Nazis on the territory of East Prussia. There he was arrested by the Soviet secret service, because they opened all his private letters and found one line critical of Joseph Stalin. Solzhenitsyn was tried in his absence by a three-man tribunal of the Soviet security police and was sentenced to 8 years of prison just for describing Joseph Stalin as a "man with mustache" in a private letter to a friend.
Solzhenitsyn spent 8 years in Soviet Gulag prison-camps. There he was diagnosed with cancer of the stomach. He was forced to work as a miner, a bricklayer, a foundry-man, and as a mathematician. His mathematical skills really saved his life, because he was released from prison-camp and was eventually used in the secret "sharashka" prison-camp for scientists. After the death of Joseph Stalin in 1953 he was sent to a Tashkent hospital for tumor removal and radiation therapy. He described his experience of the treatment and recovery from cancer in his novel 'Cancer Ward'. Solzhenitsyn was secretly writing a thorough account of his life in prison-camps. That became the content of his first official publication in 1962. He gave Aleksandr Tvardovsky his autobiographical story 'One day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich' which was allowed for publication after personal permission from Nikita Khrushchev. That one sensational publication gave Solzhenitsyn a brief chance to publish one more small work during the "Thaw" that was initiated by Nikita Khrushchev.
In 1964 Nikita Khrushchev was dismissed by Leonid Brezhnev and neo-Stalinist hard liners. Solzhenitsyn fell under suspicion and was in danger again. At that time he took a risk and arranged that his manuscripts of autobiographical books 'First Circle' and 'Cancer Ward' were secretly smuggled out of the Soviet Union, and published in the West. But at home, his writings were confiscated by the KGB in 1965 and banned. In 1970 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, but could not go outside of the Soviet Union, and could not receive the award until several years later. Meanwhile he was wanted by the KGB, because he was officially restricted from being in Moscow and was secretly living in the dacha of Mstislav Rostropovich and Galina Vishnevskaya.
Solzhenitsyn was one of the leading dissidents in the Soviet Union, and was active against the Soviet Communist regime. His main work 'Gulag Archipelago' (1973), being inspired by the academic work of Anton Chekhov titled 'Island of Sakhalin' (1895). After the publication of 'Gulag Archipelago' abroad in 1973, he was arrested again, and charged with "anti-Soviet" treason, then exiled from the Soviet Union in 1974. He lived mostly in Cavendish, Vermont, USA, until after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Then he was invited by the new Russian president Boris Yeltsin and his Russian citizenship was restored. Solzhenitsyn returned to Russia in 1994 and was granted a suburban house in Moscow. His wife and three sons remained American citizens.
Back in Moscow, Solzhenitsyn enjoyed full recognition and wide publication of all his works. He was an active and important figure in Russian society, because of his independent position and sharp criticism of the declining state of affairs in Russia. He refused to take award from the Russian president Boris Yeltsin. His weekly TV show was canceled. His provocative and controversial two-volume history of Russian-Jewish relations ignited debates, which included little praise, but substantial criticism from both sides. His autobiographical novel 'First Circle' was made into a TV-movie and shown on the Russian national TV in 2006.
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn died at age 89, on August 3, 2008, at his home near Moscow. His death caused a considerable mourning in Russia, especially among the Russian conservatives and Orthodox Christians. Solzhenitsyn received a state funeral and was laid to rest in Donskoy Convent cemetery in Moscow, Russia. - Aleksandr Tairov was born Aleksandr Yakovlevich Korenblit on July 6, 1885, in Berdichev, Ukraine, Russian Empire. His father, named Yakov Korenblit, was the headmaster of primary school in Berdichev. At the age of 10 he moved to Kiev and settled with his aunt, a retired actress. She introduced him to theatre. He took part in amateur performances and assumed the name Tairov as a pseudonym. In 1904 he enrolled in the Law School at Kiev University, and married his cousin Olga the same year. In 1905 Tairov opposed the pogroms of Jews in Kiev and was arrested by the Tsar's police and imprisoned. His second arrest led him to a decision to move to St. Petersburg. He was invited by the famous Russian actress Vera Komissarzhevskaya and joined her theatre as an actor under directorship of Vsevolod Meyerhold. Tairov also continued his studies at the Law school of St. Petersburg University. There he started his life-long friendship with Anatoli Lunacharsky. At that time he collaborated with Vsevolod Meyerhold on a joint production of a play by Paul Claudel. Both directors were creating new experimental models for theatre in Russia.
Tairov created a prototype of his Chamber Theatre as "synthetic theatre" with high goals in mind. As director he experimented with staging, acting, individual and group movements, stage and costume designs, and worked with every detail of theatrical performance in order to brake away from the traditional theatre. He established ideal discipline at his Chamber Theatre. Tairov's experimental approach spread to all phases of creating a stage show including even the rehearsals and practice. He used the music of Ludwig van Beethoven and Frédéric Chopin as a way of helping his actors achieve spiritual union in there scenes. In 1912 Tairov was invited to direct a play in collaboration with the Russian Drama Theatre in Riga. There he was once again attacked by the local anti-Semites and was banned by the local authorities from staying and working in the city of Riga. The conflict took two weeks to resolve. Tairov prevailed, he stayed and completed his work for the Russian Drama Theatre in Riga. Upon his return to St. Petersburg, Tairov converted to Evangelic Lutheranism.
In 1913 Tairov moved to Moscow. There he joined a corporation of attorneys at law and could continue a comfortable career. Instead Tairov established himself as important anti-realist director. His Chamber Theatre became the center of experimental creativity for many Russian actors, artists, writers, and musicians. Tairov was the first director in Russia to stage the Three-Penny Opera by Bertolt Brecht. He staged plays of Valery Briusov, O'Neal, J.B. Pristley, Oscar Wilde, and other contemporary writers. Tairov collaborated with such artists as Alexandra Exter, Pavel Kuznetsov, Sergei Soudeikin, Mikhail Larionov, Natalya Goncharova, and others. Tairov's Acting Studio became extremely popular among aspiring actors such as Vera Karalli, Alisa Koonen, Evgeniy Lebedev, and others. He worked with composers Sergei Prokofiev, A. Aleksandrov, Georgi Sviridov, and Dmitri Kabalevsky.
After the Russian Revolution of 1917, Tairov continued his independent approach to theatre. His early productions were Salome by Oscar Wilde and Adrienne Lecouvrer, which became a legendary play and ran over 800 performances. Chamber Theatre remained very popular and toured across the Soviet Union. The Chamber Theatre's tours of Europe in 1923, and of South America in 1930 were critically acclaimed as "a total victory of the famous Russian innovator and a genius of staging." In 1929 Tairov produced 'Bagrovy Ostrov' (The Crimson Island) by Mikhail A. Bulgakov. At that time Joseph Stalin began his total control of culture and labeled the play bourgeois. That was enough for attacking Tairov in the Soviet media. His next production of 'Optimistic tragedy' was criticized by Vyacheslav Molotov as a slander of Russian history. Tairov tried to defend his theatre, he stated that theatres must be established on the level of research institutes. 'Pavlov has an institute on which millions are spent. Stanislavsky must have an institute too", said Tairov. As a punishment Tairov's Chamber Theatre was sent to work in Siberia.
In August of 1941 Tairov joined the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee. It was formed by the group of leading intellectuals to campaign against the Nazis during the Second World War. The Committee was headed by Solomon Mikhoels. Along with Tairov other prominent members were Emil Gilels, David Oistrakh, Samuil Marshak, Ilja Ehrenburg, and many other leading intellectuals in the Soviet Union. The main driving force of the Committee was represented by the group of Yiddish writers such as Perets Markish, Lev Kvitko, David Gofstein, Itsik Fefer, David Bergelson, and others. The Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee provided over 45 million rubles to the Soviet Red Army. After the end of the Second World War it was denounced by Joseph Stalin, and many of its members were executed by the Soviet secret service.
In 1946 the Communist Party launched attacks on intellectuals in the Soviet Union. Such leading cultural figures as Anna Akhmatova, Sergei Prokofiev, Aram Khachaturyan, Boris Pasternak, and many others suffered from censorship and severe repressions. Tairov's Chamber Theatre was attacked for having little to do with contemporary Soviet life. Tairov tried to make additions to repertoire and invited writer Aleksandr Galich, and young director Georgi Tovstonogov, but it was too late. Soviet Committee for Arts ordered in May of 1949, to close the theatre. Tairov's Chamber Theatre was accused of "Aesthetism and Formalism" and was destroyed by the government decision. Tairov was granted a personal pension and soon was hospitalized with brain cancer. He died on September 5, 1950, in Moscow, and was laid to rest in the Novodevichy Convent Cemetery in Moscow, Russia. - Actor
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Aleksandr Verrtinsky was a famous Russian actor, singer and songwriter who suffered traumatic experience during the Russian Revolution of 1917, and expressed himself through acting, singing and songwriting. Vertinsky created a cross-genre style of his own, by blending such styles as Russian folk-song with French chanson and American stand-up comedy, and created his image as a "Russian Pierot", becoming a cult figure among Russian émigrés.
He was born Aleksandr Nikolaevich Vertinsky on March 19, 1889, in Kiev, Russian Empire (now Kiev, Ukraine). His father, Nikolai Petrovich Vertinsky, was an attorney and also wrote a satirical column in a Kiev paper. His mother, Evgenia Stepanovna Skolatskaya, was not married to his father because his father could not get a divorce from his previous marriage. Both parents died before Vertinsky was 5 years old, so he was brought up by his father's sister in Kiev. Although he dropped out of Alexandrinskaya Gymnasium in Kiev, Vertinsky established friendship with a teacher, named Sofia Zelinskaya, who was married to the brother of Anatoli Lunacharsky who would later become the Commissar for Culture in the Soviet Union. At that time Vertinsky made his stage acting debut at a Jewish Club on Podol in Kiev, but his first performance was a failure. He worked a variety of jobs, including that of a salesman, a hard laborer at the Dneper river-port, and an accountant at a local hotel, he also published his first short stories in a Kiev paper.
In 1910 Vertinsky came to Moscow and started as a stand-up comedian and singer-songwriter, then tried to get an acting job at the Moscow Art Theatre, albeit he failed an audition. In 1912 Vertinsky made his film debut in the role as an Angel who falls into a pile of snow in a silent film 'Chem lyudi zhivi', based on the eponymous story by Lev Tolstoy and directed by the writer's son Ilya Tolstoy. Vertinsky worked as a crew member and a part-time actor with the film studio of Aleksandr Khanzhonkov, and played about a dozen supporting and cameo parts in silent movies. At that time Vertinsky began his life-long friendship with film star Ivan Mozzhukhin, and later met and fell in love with the film star Vera Kholodnaya to whom he dedicated many of his popular songs. From 1914-1915 Vertinsky worked as a male nurse treating the wounded in the Russian Tsar's Army during the World War I. At that time he became addicted to cocaine, but managed to overcome the addiction and continued his stage and film career. Vertinsky made success with his smooth, touching and witty songs, and became a popular actor and singer, having toured with concerts in St. Petersburg, Moscow, Odessa, and Kiev before the Russian Revolution of 1917. After the Communist Revolution, in 1918 he moved from Moscow to Kiev, trying to escape from the disaster.
During the Russian Civil War of 1918-1920 Vertinsky was on the side of the White Russians, and against the Soviet Communists. He suffered from the loss of his property and saw the destruction and degradation of life under the rule of the Soviet Communists. In 1920 Vertinsky boarded one of the last ships leaving Crimea and emigrated from Russia to Constantinopol, and was struggling to survive as an actor. By chance he obtained a fake Greek passport which became his only document allowing him to travel and work. He further suffered through more traumatic experiences in emigration, and struggled to survive as an actor, trying to express himself through singing and songwriting. Eventually Vertinsky polished his stage image with flying gestures of his unusually expressive hands with elongated fingers, his smooth manners and aristocratic face. He emerged as one of the most popular Russian actors and singers along with such stars as Feodor Chaliapin Sr. and Ivan Mozzhukhin. During the 1920s he lived in Romania, Poland and France, and made many concert tours all over Europe, gaining substantial popularity among the growing numbers of Russian émigrés. He was a personal friend of impresario Sergei Diaghilev and choreographer Mikhail Fokin. In 1930s he made concert tours in the United States, where he had personal meetings with Sergei Rachmaninoff, Marlene Dietrich and Charley Chaplin. He also gave a private performance for the Vanderbilt family in the USA. At that time Vertinsky was offered to play a role in a Hollywood movie. However, after he struggled with his rudimentary English for two months, he quit any further efforts to have a career in Hollywood, and continued singing and acting in Russian and French.
From 1927-1934, while living mainly in Paris, Vertinsky kept concertizing around the world. After having a few successful tours in the Middle East, Europe, and the United States, Vertinsky's career suffered during the Great Depression. However he managed to get performances before such dignitaries as the Prince of Whales, King Gustav of Sweden, King Alfonce of Spain, Baron von Rothchild, and others. Despite the steady success in his acting and singing career, Vertinsky was not really happy in his personal life. He often performed in the stage image as "Russian Pierrot", a "melancholy clown" who lost his country, was nostalgic, depressed and homesick, albeit was able to survive due to his wit and wisdom. His first marriage to a Polish lady did not last. From 1935 - 1943 he lived in Shanghai, China, where he opened his cabaret called "Gardenia" catering to a small Russian community. There, after two years of courtship and romance, Vertinsky married young Lidiya Vertinskaya (nee Lidia Vladimirovna Tsirgvava), also a Russian émigré who was born into a Georgian-Russian family in Kharbin, and the couple had their first daughter, Marianna Vertinskaya, born in 1943, in Shanghai, China. He was still homesick, longing for the image of "Old Russia" of his youth, and petitioned to the Soviet authorities, ".. let me come back, please. My heart yearns for Russia, my home, which has been through such hardship ..", so permit to return was granted. But he did not know much about the Soviet reality until he was there.
Vertinsky returned to the Soviet Union during the World War II, in December of 1943, and was allowed to settle in Moscow. His most popular songs were banned by the Soviet censorship under the rule of Joseph Stalin. Vertinsky was sent to perform at hospitals to entertain the wounded Red Army troops and proletarians with an official instruction to sing mostly patriotic songs in order to receive redemption. Regardless of the political restrictions on his creativity and acting career, Vertinsky managed to support his family. His second daughter, Anastasiya Vertinskaya was born in 1944, in Moscow, during the World War II. In 1948, when the Soviet leadership launched massive attacks on Russian intellectuals, Vertinsky was blacklisted by the Soviet Communist ideologist, Andrei Zhdanov, and his life and career was at risk. Joseph Stalin decided to leave Vertinsky alone and personally crossed his name out of the dangerous "black list", so Vertinsky was spared. After that he was allowed to resume his film career. In 1951 he was awarded the State Stalin's Prize for the supporting role as Brinch, an anti-Communist Cardinal in Zagovor obrechyonnykh (1950) by director Mikhail Kalatozov.
However, Aleksandr Vertinsky still remained under suspicion and was banned from recording of his songs as well as from publications of his writings for the rest of his life in the Soviet Union. He was also restricted from performing before big audiences, while the Soviet censorship put pressure on many Russian cultural figures, such as Anna Akhmatova and Boris Pasternak, among others. After the death of Joseph Stalin things began to change because Nikita Khrushchev initiated the "Thaw" and eased a few bans and restrictions. During the last decade of his life Vertinsky gave over two thousand concerts. Every year Vertinsky was making concert tours in Leningrad (St. Petersburg), the city where he had successful performances as a young man, before the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. Years later, in 1953 he wrote to his wife that Leningrad looked like a "dead city with empty palaces of the Tsars, as if a giant cemetery with beautiful monuments, ... where people still listen to the songs of Vertinsky." He died of a heart attack on May 21, 1957, at the Astoria Hotel in Leningrad (St. Petersburg).
Even after his death the official ban on Vertinsky's songs was enforced for many years, and his name was banned from being mentioned in publications and critical reviews. However, his unofficial recordings were popular among the underground intellectuals in the former USSR. His first legal vinyl album was released in the Soviet Union in the 1970s. Vertinsky's book of memoirs and poetry, titled "Dorogoi dlinnoyu", was published in Russia in 1990.- Aleksandr Zbruyev is a popular Russian actor.
He was born Aleksandr Viktorovich Zbruyev on March 31, 1938, in Moscow, Russia. His father, Viktor Alekseevich Zbruyev, was a high-ranking official, the Vice-Minister for Communications in the Soviet government. His mother, Tatiana Aleksandrovna Fedorova, a descendant of Russian landed Gentry, worked for a Moscow film company. Before Zbruyev was born, his father was arrested after a business trip to America in 1937, and was accused of being the "enemy of the Soviet people" during the "Great Terror" under Joseph Stalin. After a 15-minute court procedure Zbruyev's father was executed by gunshot to the head. At that time his mother was pregnant.
Aleksandr Zbruyev never saw his father. He was a newborn child when his mother, a young film actress, was exiled with the baby from their home in Moscow. After spending five years in exile, young Aleksandr Zbruyev with his mother returned to their home in Moscow, and they found their home robbed and vandalized by the KGB. Zbruyev experienced hatred at his Moscow school for being the son of an executed "enemy of the people." In the times when he and his mother were struggling to survive, he suffered much emotional pain because of ruthless behavior of his peers and neighbors brainwashed by soviet propaganda. However, Zbruyev followed his dream of becoming a sport-star and an actor, and achieved good results in boxing and gymnastics. In 1958, he was admitted to the Shchukin Theatre School, to the class of Vladimir Etush, from which he graduated in 1961 as actor. Since 1961 Zbruyev has been permanent member of the troupe at Moscow Lenkom Theatre. There he played leading and supporting roles in many stage productions.
Aleksandr Zbruyev shot to fame in 1962, after his stellar performance in the leading role in My Younger Brother (1962) (My Younger Brother 1962) by Aleksandr Zarkhi, an adaptation of the popular novel 'Zvyozdny bilet' by Vasiliy Aksyonov. He became an instant celebrity in the USSR together with his film partners Andrey Mironov, Oleg Dal, and Oleg Efremov. After that, he played many leading roles in Soviet and Russian films.
Aleksandr Zbruyev was designated People's Actor of Russia in 1989, and also received numerous awards and decorations for his works in film and on stage. He remains the leading star of the Moscow Lenkom Theatre under the Artistic Director Mark Zakharov. Since 1995, Zbruyev is also the owner of the popular restaurant named TRAM (Theatre Restaurant of Moscow Actors) located at the Lenkom Theatre. He is living in Moscow, Russia. - Aleksei Dikij was a notable Russian actor and director who was arrested and exiled under the dictatorship of Joseph Stalin but later played the role as Stalin in several films.
He was born Aleksei Denisovich Dikij on February 24, 1889, in Ekaterinoslav, Russian Empire (now Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine). At young age he moved to Kharkov, where his sister, a popular actress, helped him to become an actor. Young Dikij made his acting debut on stage of Kharkov Drama. In 1909 he moved to Moscow with the assistance of I. Uralov, actor of Moscow Art Theatre. There Dikij studied acting under Konstantin Stanislavski and Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko, and was hired as an actor at the Moscow Art Theater in 1910. He admired the stage works of Michael Chekhov and was his partner on stage. In 1922 Dikij followed Michael Chekhov in the formation of the second Moscow Art Theater, MKhAT-2. There his artistic rivalry with Michael Chekhov turned into a bitter dispute, and Dikij left Moscow Art Theatre in 1928. At that time he also worked as director with the Jewish Chamber Theatre in Moscow.
In 1928 Aleksei Dikij received invitation to work in Tel-Aviv. There he worked as director with "Habima", the legendary Jewish theatre troupe, which emigrated from Russia. Dikij directed two successful plays for "Habima" in Tel-Aviv. On December 29, 1928, he premiered 'Der Oytser' (The Treasure), a play by Sholom Aleichem, which became a great artistic and financial success. On May 23, 1929, he premiered 'The Crown', a play by David Calderon. With the success of Dikij's directorship "Habima" became established as a national Jewish theatre, and Dikij gained international reputation as an innovative director.
In 1931, back in Moscow, Dikij started his own theater-studio in Moscow and also taught an acting class. In 1934 Dikij collaborated with Dmitri Shostakovich on the legendary opera 'Katerina Izmailova' (aka.. Lady Makbeth of Mtsensk). Dikij's production of 'Katerina Izmailova' had over 100 performances in Leningrad and Moscow, and was considered as a highlight in his directing career. However, in 1936, Joseph Stalin saw the opera and severely criticized the work of both Shostakovich and Dikij. After Stalin's negative criticism both Shostakovich and Dikij suffered from serious troubles in their lives and careers.
In 1936, Dikij was removed out of Moscow, then appointed the director of the Bolshoi Drama Theater (BDT) in Leningrad. There he began his life-long collaboration and friendship with actor Boris Babochkin. At that time many Russian intellectuals were terrorized by purges and repressions, known as the "Great Terror" under the dictatorship of Joseph Stalin. In 1937 Aleksei Dikij was arrested on false accusations of anti-Soviet activity. In reality he was a victim of behind-the-scenes manipulations against him by other jealous actors. Dikij was sentenced and exiled to Gulag prison-camp in Siberia, where he spent 4 years until his release in 1941. He was not allowed to return to work in Leningrad or Moscow, instead he lived and worked in the Siberian city of Omsk for several years during the Second World War. In 1944 Dikij was cast in the title role as Prince Kutuzov in a Soviet propaganda film 1812 (1944), which was also known outside of Russia as '1812'. For that role Dikij was awarded the State Stalin's Prize and was allowed to work in Moscow as a theater director. His most important works as director were "Blokha" by Nikolai Leskov and "Teni" (aka.. Shadows) by Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin, starring Boris Babochkin.
Ironically, after serving time in the Stalin's Gulag prison-camp, Aleksei Dikij was cast to portray Joseph Stalin in several propaganda films. Stalin himself approved Dikij for the role. Stalin became interested in the brilliant actor, after he saw the film 1812 (1944). Then Stalin saw Dikij's performance in the role as Stalin, and sent his security officers to get Dikij delivered to Kremlin for a brief meeting. Stalin had a drink and told Dikij that his imprisonment was a must, and that everyone in the country must undergo such experience in exile and prison-camps. Later Dikij told his students that he played the role of 'Stalin' as a dangerous, scary, power-hungry dictator. Stalin liked the image of himself made by Dikij in films, and awarded the actor with the State Stalin's Prize 5 times, in 1946, 1947, 1949 twice, and 1950. Dikij was designated People's Artist of the USSR (1949). He was nominated for 'Best Actor' and received a special mention at the 1947 Venice Film Festival for the title role in Admiral Nakhimov (1947).
In 1952 Dikij directed his last stage production titled "Teni" (aka.. Shadows), a play by Saltykov-Shchedrin. Under Dikij's direction his friend and partner, Boris Babochkin, played one of his best roles ever - Klaverov, a corrupt career politician, alluding to a typical Soviet bureaucrat. For that work Babochkin was viciously attacked in the official 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 committed suicide. Furtseva became enraged with Dikij's and Babochkin's satirical portrayal of the Soviet bureaucracy with allusions to the Soviet leadership. She banned the play, and censored both Babochkin and Dikij from public performances and kept them virtually unemployed for three years until Babochkin was finally forced to repent to the Communist Party.
Dikij suffered from being a powerless witness of Babochkin's public humiliation which caused Dikij a severe emotional trauma, so he sank into alcoholism and depression.
Aleksei Dikij died of a heart failure on October 1, 1955, in Moscow, and was laid to rest in Novodevichy Monastery Cemtery in Moscow, Russia. - Actor
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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
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Aleksey Aleksandrovich Chadov was born on September 2, 1981, in Solntsevo, Moscow region, RSFSR, USSR, now a suburb of Moscow, Russia. He is the younger brother of actor Andrey Chadov. His father, Aleksandr Chadov, died in 1986, and both brothers were raised by their single mother. Their mother, Galina Petrovna Chadova, was an engineer turned accountant and teacher. She raised both brothers as best friends. The Chadov brothers look similar, but they are not twins, with sixteen months between them. They are good friends and are diligent colleagues in their respectful careers. They would often go together on casting calls, providing broader opportunities for directors.
Aleksey and his brother began acting at school, then continued as amateur actors at the municipal theater-studio in Peredelkino. His first acting teacher was Aleksey Kozhikhin. In 1992, at the age of 12, Aleksey was awarded for his stage performance and was sent to the Mediterranean resort of Antalia. During his school years he played a wide variety of characters in classical and contemporary plays. After graduating from school, he entered the Shchepkin Theatrical School in Moscow. There he studied acting in the class of Vladimir Seleznyov, and graduated as an actor in 2003. While a student, he made his film debut in a leading role in War (2002) ("War") by director Aleksey Balabanov. In 2002, Chadov received the Best Actor Award at the Montreal Film Festival.
Chadov is a Russian Orthodox Christian. He currently resides in Moscow, Russia.- Aleksei Glazyrin was a Russian film actor best known for his portrayal of a WWII veteran in Belorusskiy vokzal (1970).
He was born Aleksei Aleksandrovich Glazyrin on August 1, 1922, in Glazov, Russia. In 1944 he graduated from State Institute of Theatrical Art (GITIS) in Moscow. During the 50s and 60s he worked with various stage companies in Russia, including the Stanislavsky Theatre in Moscow.
Glazyrin made his film debut in 1957, in 'V pogone za slavoi'. His best known film appearances were as Malinin in 'Zhiviye i myortvye' and as Kharlamov in 'Belorusskiy vokzal (1970)'.
Aleksei Glazyrin died of a heart attack, aged 48, on April 13, 1971, and was laid to rest in Vvedenskoe cemetery in Moscow, Russia - 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. - Art Department
- Costume Designer
Aleksandr Yakovlevich Golovin (Alexander Golovin) was born on March 1, 1863, in Moscow, Russia. He studied architecture and later switched to painting. In 1900 he collaborated with his friend Konstantin Korovin on the design of the Russian pavilion at the Raris World Fair. Golovin worked as a stage designer for the "Ballets Russes" (Russian Seasons) of Sergei Diaghilev. He also collaborated with the theatre director Vsevolod Meyerhold. After the Russian Revolution of 1917, Golovin did not connect with the Communist authorities and experienced financial difficulties. He had rare jobs as a book illustrator and lived a modest life in a suburb of St. Petersburg (Leningrad). He died on April 17, 1930, in Detskoe Selo, near St. Petersburg.- Art Director
- Art Department
- Additional Crew
Aleksandr Mikhailovich Rodchenko (Alexander Rodchenko) was born on December 5, 1891, in St. Petersburg, Russia. His father, named Mikhail Mikhailovich Rodchenko, was a theatre designer. His mother, named Olga Evdokimovna, was a laundress. From 1908-1910 Rodchenko was a dental technician at Dental School of Dr. Natanson. From 1910-1914 he studied art at the Kazan School of Art under Nikolai Fechin, then at the Stroganov Art Institute in Moscow.
Rodchenko experienced the influence of Kazimir Malevich, Vladimir Tatlin, Wassily Kandinsky, and other artists working in abstract style. He was the pupil and assistant of Vladimir Tatlin, and his work was initially influenced by Cubism, then Cubo-Futurism. His early drawings and paintings followed the developments of Suprematism and Futurism. He worked with a wide variety of media as a decorator, furniture and theatre designer, printer, painter, sculptor, and photographer. After the Russian Revolution of 1917, Rodchenko joined the Bolsheviks. He believed in new opportunities for art and became active in many applications of art, illustration, commercial designs, and photography. In 1921 Rodchenko replaced Wassily Kandinsky as Chairman of State Institute of Artistic Culture (INKHUK) and Chairman of Museum Bureau and Russian State Art Acquisitions Commission. In 1921 he co-wrote the Constructivist's Manifesto. He collaborated with writer and actor Vladimir Mayakovsky, director Vsevolod Meyerhold, composer Dmitri Shostakovich, filmmaker Dziga Vertov, and many others. From 1923-1928 he collaborated with Osip Brik in the Left Front of Art (LEF). In 1925 Rodchenko won four silver medals at Paris International Exhibition.
Alexander Rodchenko became one of the founders of Constructivism and Productivism in Russia. His innovations revolutionized the art of still photography. He used his camera as if it was a drawing instrument. He mastered the use of photo-montage, odd angles, wide frames, and photo-series. His way of photographing from unusual and obscured viewpoints, exploring the potential of shadows, opened new dimensions in photo-art. Rodchenko shot his subjects from high above or below angles, to shock the viewer and to postpone recognition. He made important photo-portraits of actress Lilya Brik, writer Osip Brik, actor Vladimir Mayakovsky, director Vsevolod Meyerhold, director Dziga Vertov, director Aleksandr Dovzhenko, and other Russian culture luminaries. He also organized many photography exhibitions. Rodchenko was the art director in several Soviet-made films. His most innovative and interesting work was his graphic design and montage works for advertisements and movie posters, which was his major contribution to film-poster art. His posters for such films as 'Battleship Potemkin' (1925), 'Kinoglaz' (1924), and other works, are regarded among the highest achievements in film-poster art.
In 1928 Rodchenko wrote a manifesto titled "Against the Synthaetic Portrait, For the Snapshot" in which he argues for the documentary objectivity of photography. "Snapshots allow no one to idealize or falsify Lenin", wrote Rodchenko. He was soon attacked by Stalinists and was accused of supporting Trotsky and his ideas. His exhibitions were canceled, he was dismissed from major projects and jobs. For many years he was deprived of livelihood. That caused him a depression, high blood pressure, and other health problems. Rodchenko was officially charged with "bourgeois formalism" and his photography was censored and banned from public shows. However, from 1934-1938, he was commissioned to make several photo-albums for Soviet propaganda, such as: "Belomor-kanal imeni Stalina" and "Krasnaya Armia" (Red Army 1938). Rodchenko made a beatiful job, but remained under suspicion during many years of the dictatorship of Joseph Stalin.
Alexander Rodchenko was in opposition to Socialist realism. From the late 1930's to the end of his life he was forced to quit photography amidst the paranoia of Stalinist censorship. He returned to painting sporadically after 1942, made a series of abstract decorative compositions, but his art was ostracized. He lived in poverty and obscurity for the last twenty years of his life. Rodchenko was constantly harassed by officials for his art, his membership in the Union of Soviet Artists was canceled, and he was made an outcast. His membership was restored only in 1954, after the death of Stalin. Rodchenko died of a stroke on December 3, 1956, in Moscow, and was laid to rest in Donskoe Cemetery in Moscow, Russia.- Art Department
- Costume Designer
Aleksandra Aleksandrovna Grigorovich (Alexandra Exter) was born on January 6, 1882, in Belostok, Russian Empire (now Poland). Her father, named Aleksandr Grigorovich, was a wealthy businessman. She married a successful Kiev lawyer, named Nicolas Evgenievich Ekster, who was her cousin. Alekandra Ekster was an attractive, elegant, cosmopolitan lady, and soon became the toast of the town. Her painting studio in the attic at 27 Funduklievskaya Street was a rallying stage for Kiev's intellectual elite. There she was visited by poets and writers Anna Akhmatova, Ossip Mandelstam, Ilja Ehrenburg, director Aleksandr Tairov, the dancers Bronislava Njinska, and 'Elsa Kruger', and many artists.
Exter studied art at the Academie de la Grande Chaumiere in Montparnasse, Paris, during the 1907 and 1908. Then she returned to Kiev and participated in exhibitions with David Burlyuk. During the following years Exter lived between Kiev, Odessa, Milan, and Paris and was exhibiting her works in Salon des Independants in Paris, and in International Futurist Exhibitions in Milan and Rome. At that time she established a circle of famous friends such as 'Andre Gide', Guillaume Apollinaire, Fernand Leger, Marc Chagall, Kazimir Malevich, Pablo Picasso, and Georges Braque. She was influenced by Cubism and was a personal friend of Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, who introduced her to Gertrude Stein. By the 1917 her manner of painting had evolved to the point where any recognizable objects were gone. Exter's works became studies in blocks of bright colors. In 1918 she produced street decorations in abstract style in Kiev and Odessa. From 1918-1920 she founded and led a teaching and production workshop in Kiev. There her students were Grigoriy Kozintsev, Sergei Yutkevich, and Aleksei Kapler among others. In 1921 Exter moved to Moscow. There she collaborated with Alexander Rodchenko, Lyubov Popova, and other Russian avant-garde artists. From 1921-1924 she was teaching art in Moscow, at the Higher Artistic-Technical Workshop (VKHUTEMAS). At that time Exter achieved success as a stage designer, most recognized for her work for the Moscow Chamber Theatre of Aleksandr Tairov.
In 1924 Alexandra Exter and her husband emigrated to France and settled in Paris. She taught at the Academie der Moderne in Paris and later was a professor at Academie d'Art Contemporain under 'Fernand Leger'. She also worked as a book illustrator for the publishing company Flammarion. During her life Exter produced a large number of paintings, graphic works, street designs, and theatrical costumes and decorations, and worked in a variety of styles from Cubism and Futurism to Suprematism and Constructivism.
Alexandra Exter died on March 17, 1949, in Fontanay-aux-Roses, near Paris, France.- Countess Alexandra Lvovna Tolstoy (Aleksandra Tolstaya) was the youngest daughter of the famous Russian writer Count Lev Tolstoy. She was born in 1884, in Yasnaya Polyana, the ancestral estate of the Tolstoy family. Her mother, named Sofia Andreevna Bers, was the literary secretary for Leo Tolstoy, and made Alexandra an assistant to her writer father. Alexandra managed most of the secretarial work for Leo Tolstoy during his later years. She became the keeper of the Tolstoy archive after the writer's death in 1910.
Alexandra shared the "Tolstoyan" ideas and was the follower her father's position of non-violence, but she felt a duty call at the beginning of the First World War. She participated in action by helping the wounded, and became one of the leading organizers of hospitals for the wounded soldiers. Alexandra Tolstoy was decorated for her courage with three Medals of the Order of St. George, rising to the rank of Colonel.
After the Russian Revolution of 1917, Countess Alexandra Tolstoy was arrested five times by the Communists. She was sentenced for supporting the right of free speech and assembly. After release she worked as a keeper of her father's estate in Yasnaya Polyana, which was turned into a Tolstoy's National Museum. She left Russia in 1929, and settled in the United States. There she co-founded the Tolstoy Foundation in 1939, with the sponsorship from such prominent intellectuals as Sergei Rachmaninoff, Igor Sikorsky, Tatiana Schaufuss, Boris Bakhmeteff, and Boris Sergievsky. Former President Herbert Hoover became the first Honorary Chairman from 1939-1964.
Under the leadership of Alexandra Tolstoy, the Tolstoy Foundation assisted more than 500,000 people to escape from political persecution and the horrors of war. In 1948, she testified before the government on behalf of the Displaced Persons Act and was instrumental in its passage. In 1941, on a generous private donation the Tolstoy Foundation acquired Reed Farm north of New York City. She provided the 70-acre Farm for a resettlement center for over 30,000 refugees directly sponsored by the Foundation during the Second World War and after. She organized English classes and occupational therapy for the immigrants, as well, as a summer camp for needy children.
Countess Alexandra Tolstoy was known for her remarkable calmness and dignity. She died in 1979, at age 96, and was laid to rest in the Russian cemetery of Spring Valley, New York, USA. - Art Director
- Costume Designer
- Writer
Alexandr Nikolaevich Benois was born May 4, 1870 in St. Petersburg, Russia into the family of Italian, Russian and French ancestry. His father, named Nikolai Leontievich Benois was the famous architect of the Imperial Mariinsky Opera House in St. Petersburg and also built many other historic landmarks. His two brothers were professional artists, and young Alexandr Benois was brought up in a highly cultural environment, conducive to the development of his own many talents. The family lived in their private 4-story mansion next to the Imperial Mariinsky Opera House in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Alexandr Benois studied art at the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts, then he studied law and graduated from the Law Department of the St. Petersburg University. There he developed a life-long friendship with his fellow law student Sergei Diaghilev. They formed a circle of artists and art connoisseurs known as 'Mir Iskusstva' (World of Art). Benois lived in Paris and Versailles for 3 years from 1896-99, where he made substantial research on Louis the XIV, the "Sun King", and his epoch. Benois made important contribution to the history of France by his discovery of the memoirs of the Count Louis de Saint-Simon, and carried unprecedented research of that period. Back in St. Petersburg he published his acclaimed illustrations to 'The Queen of Spades' and 'Bronze Horseman' by Alexander Pushkin. "No Versailles could compare with Peterhof and Pavlovsk" mentioned Benois after his return to St. Petersburg.
In 1899-1907 Benois collaborated with Sergei Diaghilev on a number of art shows. They produced the first international art show of artists from Scandinavian countries and Russia in St. Petersburg in 1900. The largest portrait show ever was organized in 1904 in Tavrichesky Palace in St. Petersburg. That show also included the research of over 7 thousand portraits in various traditional and contemporary styles and involved art historians, restorers, and artists from many Russian cities. Benois also collaborated with Diaghilev on publication of art catalogs, books and the 'Mir Iskusstva' art magazine, which promoted artistic innovations and challenged the existing order. Their book 'History of Russian Painting' (1904) became the first comprehensive work on the subject.
Benois was the scenic director of the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre from 1901-1905. He was also the co-founder of the "Seasons Russes" with Sergei Diaghilev in 1909. He made exquisite design for the ballets "Giselle" by Adolphe Adam, "Petruchka" by Igor Stravinsky and "Les Sylphides" on the music of Frédéric Chopin with choreography by Mikhail Fokin. Back in Russia Benois collaborated with Stanislavsky and Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko on productions at the Moscow Art Theatre (MKhAT).
Benois witnessed degradation of the Russian society through the communist revolutions and the Civil War in the 1st quarter of the 20th century. He escaped from the brutal reality of the Russian Revolutions by devoting himself to the art of historic periods of Peter the Great, Elisabeth and Catherine the Great, of which he became the leading expert. In 1918-26 he was the Curator of Paintings at the Hermitage Museum, partly because the famous 'Madonna Benois' by Leonardo DaVinci, which used to be his family's property, was now at the Hermitage. But witnessing of the barbaric treatment of art and illegal sales of the famous masterpieces from Hermitage by secret orders from Moscow was unbearable for Benois. In 1926, he left Hermitage and Russia for good. His friendship and work with Sergei Diaghilev continued in Paris.
Benois was involved in publications of more than 100 art books and editions. He worked on productions of about 200 ballets and operas all over the world. His international background and inter-disciplinary education enabled him to create the unparalleled grand-scale cross-cultural and cross-genre project of the "Seasons Russes" together with Sergei Diaghilev. Benois' contribution as an artist, designer, director, producer, and an art historian made significant impact on theatre, opera, ballet, art, and art publishing of the 20th century. His comprehensive 'Memoirs' were published in 1955. He died on February 9, 1960 in Paris, and was laid to rest in Cimetiere des Batignolles, 8 Rue Saint-Just, Paris, France.
Alexandre Benois was a member of a remarkable family of talented men and women. His brother, Albert Benois, was a prominent Russian water-colorist, whose grandson was composer Alexander Tcherepnin. Alexandre Benois' son, Nicola Benois, was a painter and designer for the La Scala Opera in Milan, Italy. His niece Nadia Benois was a film and theatre artist in London. His other niece, Zinaida Serebryakova, and his nephew, Eugene Lanceray, were notable artists and designers in Paris. Benois's grand nephew Igor Ustinov was a sculptor, and Sir Peter Ustinov was an Academy Award-winning British actor.- Actress
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Alisa Brunovna Freindlikh was born on December 8, 1934, in Leningrad, USSR (now St. Petersburg, Russia). Her father, named Bruno Frejndlikh, was a notable actor. Alisa Freindlikh graduated from Leningrad Institute of Theatre, Music, and Cinematography in 1957.
From 1961-1983 Alisa Freindlikh was a permanent member of the Leningrad Theatre of Lensovet under directorship of her husband Igor Vladimirov. She was the leading star of that theatre and her stage partners were such actors as Georgi Zhzhyonov, Aleksey Petrenko, Sergey Migitsko, Anatoliy Ravikovich, Mikhail Devyatkin, Mikhail Boyarskiy, Larisa Luppian, Galina Nikulina, Vera Ulik, Leonid Dyachkov, Valeri Kuzin, Yefim Kamenetsky, Leila Kirakosian, Aleksandr Estrin, Petr Shelokhonov, and other notable Russian actors.
Alisa Freindlikh made a stellar film career in collaboration with director Eldar Ryazanov. She also brilliantly played a supporting role in A Cruel Romance (1984), a Ryazanov's adaptation of the 19th century story by Aleksandr Ostrovskiy. In 1983 Alisa Freindlikh was designated the People's Artist of the USSR. That same year she divorced from her husband Igor Vladimirov, and soon left the Theatre of Lensovet.
Since 1984 Alisa Freindlikh has been a permanent member of Bolshoi Drama Theatre (BDT) in St. Petersburg (Leningrad) under directorship of Georgi Tovstonogov. There her stage partners were such stars as Kirill Lavrov, Oleg Basilashvili, Lyudmila Makarova, Svetlana Kryuchkova, Zinaida Sharko, Valentina Kovel, Sergey Yurskiy, Nikolay Trofimov, Vladislav Strzhelchik, Evgeniy Lebedev, Georgiy Shtil, Vsevolod Kuznetsov, Vadim Medvedev, Yuriy Demich, Leonid Nevedomsky, Gennadiy Bogachyov, Andrey Tolubeev, and many other notable Russian actors.
In 2004, on her 70th birthday, Alisa Freindlikh was visited in her home by the Russian president Vladimir Putin. She was decorated for her achievements as an actress in film and theatre. Alisa Freindlikh is residing in St. Petersburg, Russia.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Alistair McGowan, the master of mimicry, was born Alistair Charles McGowan in Evesham, Worcestershire, Great Britain. He is an actor, writer and producer. He attended the Guildhall School of Music and Drama at the Barbican in London. There he studied alongside Ewan McGregor and Daniel Craig, among others. He graduated in 1989, after a three-year course under the tutelage of Colin McCormack, the actor from the Royal Shakespeare Company.
McGowan boasts a repertoire of over one hundred impersonations, including such celebrities as Tony Blair, Prince Charles, and many others. He is best known for his work with Jan Ravens and Ronni Ancona on the Big Impression (1999), formerly known as 'Alistair McGowan's Big Impression'. The show has been popular for impressions of such celebrities as David Beckham, Angus Deayton, Ross Geller (from Friends), Gary Lineker, and other well-known public figures and characters. The show won 5 awards and 10 nominations. He also appeared in the BBC adaptation of Charles Dickens's novel 'Bleak House' and in the detective series 'Mayo' (2006).
In 2004 he launched 'the BIG recycle' national campaign urging public to reduce rubbish by recycling it. He continued a successful career of celebrity impersonator on the BBC Radio and also did re-voicing of video footages of 'The Sports Review of the Year' and 'Match of the Day' which has turned him into a sideline sporting celebrity. Two releases of 'Alistair McGowan's Football Backchat' were best sellers in both comedy and sports video charts.- Alla A. Kazanskaya was a Russian actress of Vakhtangov Theatre in Moscow, best known for her film role as Lidiya Stepanovna in Burnt by the Sun (1994), an Academy Award-winning film by director Nikita Mikhalkov.
She was born Alla Aleksandrovna Kazanskaya on June 15, 1920, in Russia. From 1935 - 1939 she studied acting at Shchukin Theatrical School of the Vakhtangov Theatre in Moscow, graduating in 1939 from the class of I.M. Tolchanov as an actress. In 1938 she made her Vakhtangov stage debut.
Since 1938 Alla A. Kazanskaya has been a permanent member of the Vakhtangov Theatre in Moscow. There her stage partners were such actors as Mikhail Ulyanov, Mikhail Astangov, Ruben Simonov, Boris Zakhava, Vladimir Etush, Varvara Popova, Irina Kupchenko, Natalya Tenyakova, Lyudmila Maksakova, Lyudmila Tselikovskaya, Marianna Vertinskaya, Nina Ruslanova, Yuliya Borisova, Nikolai Plotnikov, Vasiliy Lanovoy, Yuriy Yakovlev, Vyacheslav Shalevich, Andrei Abrikosov, Grigori Abrikosov, Boris Babochkin, Nikolai Gritsenko, Nikolai Timofeyev, Aleksandr Grave, Evgeniy Karelskikh, Sergey Makovetskiy, Viktor Zozulin, Evgeniy Knyazev, and Ruben Simonov, among others. Her latest stage performances has been such roles as Arina Galchikha in "Bez viny vinovatye" (1993) by director Petr Fomenko after the classic play by Aleksandr Ostrovskiy, and as Mother Folan in the McDonaugh's play "Koroleva Krasoty" (aka.. The Beauty Queen) premiered in September 2006. Her last film appearance was supporting role as Lidia Stepanovna in Utomlennye solntsem 2 (2011) by director Nikita Mikhalkov.
Alla A. Kazanskaya was designated People's Actress of Russia (1971). From the 60s through the 2000s she taught an acting class at the Shchukin Theatrical School of Vakhtangov Theatre, and among her students were such actors as Sergey Makovetskiy, Vladimir Simonov, Lyudmila Nilskaya, Yuliya Rutberg, and other Russian actors. Alla Kazanskaya was married to film director Boris Barnet. She died of a heart failure on 25 June, 2008, in Moscow, Russia, and was laid to rest in Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow, Russia. - Alla Pokrovskaya is a Russian actress and acting coach at the Moscow Art Theatre (MKhAT).
She was born Alla Borisovna Pokrovskaya on September 18, 1937, in Moscow, Russia, Soviet Union. Her father, Boris Pokrovskiy, was a legendary Russian opera director of Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. Her mother was director of the Central Children's Theatre in Moscow. Her parents named Alla in honor of the legendary Russian actress Alla Tarasova. Young Alla Pokrovskaya was brought up in a highly intellectual environment of her family and her parents' circle. From 1955 - 1959 she studied acting and directing under Viktor Stanitsyn, graduating in 1959 as an actress.
She made her big screen debut n 1964, opposite Aleksandr Demyanenko in a popular Soviet film Gosudarstvennyy prestupnik (1964), by director Nikolai Rozantsev. From 1959 - 2003 Pokrovskaya was member of the troupe at Sovremennik Theatre in Moscow. There her stage partners were such actor as Oleg Efremov, Evgeniy Evstigneev, Galina Volchek, Viktor Sergachev, Anatoliy Romashin, Andrey Myagkov, Oleg Tabakov, Oleg Dal, Igor Kvasha, Valentin Gaft and other notable Russian actors. Her most memorable stage performances at Sovremennik were in such plays as 'Starshaya sestra' (aka.. The older sister), 'Valentin i Valentina', and 'Krytoi marshrut' (aka.. Tough road).
Since 2004 Alla Pokrovskaya has been a permanent member of the troupe at Moscow Art Theatre (MKhAT) named after A. Chekhov. There her stage partners are such renown Russian actors as Oleg Tabakov, Kira Golovko, Iya Savvina, Elena Panova, Darya Moroz, Olga Litvinova, Natalya Rogozhkina, Ekaterina Semyonova, Olga Yakovleva, Evgeniya Dobrovolskaya, Anastasiya Voznesenskaya, Irina Miroshnichenko, Kristina Babushkina, Aleksei Agapov, Andrey Myagkov, Stanislav Lyubshin, Vladimir Kashpur, Viktor Sergachyov, Vyacheslav Nevinnyy, Evgeniy Kindinov, Vladimir Krasnov, Dmitriy Nazarov, Sergey Sazontev, Avangard Leontev, Igor Vasilev, Igor Vernik, Sergei Sosnovsky, Mikhail Porechenkov, Konstantin Khabenskiy, Valeri Khlevinsky, Valeriy Troshin, Mikhail Trukhin, Eduard Chekmazov, Aleksey Kravchenko, and Evgeniy Mironov among others. Her best known stage appearances include her roles in such classic plays as Saltykov-Shchedrin's 'Gospoda Golovlevy' and in Maxim Gorky's Meshchane opposite Andrey Myagkov and Kristina Babushkina, among other actors.
Alla Pokrovskaya was designated People's Actress of Russia. She is professor at the Moscow Art Theatre School of Acting, as well as at Stanislavski acting school at Kembridge, UK, and at post-graduate course at Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburg, USA. In 1998 she received the Stanislavski Award for excellence in teaching. Alla Pokrovskaya was married to actor Oleg Efremov; their son, Mikhail Efremov, is an actor. Pokrovskaya is living and working in Moscow, Russia. - Actress
- Composer
- Music Department
Alla Pugacheva was born Alla Borisovna Pugacheva on April 15, 1949, in Moscow, Russia. Her father, named Boris Mikhailovich Pugachev, was a shoe factory manager in the city of Taldom, Russia. Her mother, named Zinaida Arkhipovna (nee Odegova), was a housewife. She has a junior brother, named Evgeni Borisovich Pugachev.
At the early age of 5, young Alla Pugacheva made her first public performance at the prestigious Pillar Hall of Palace of Unions in Moscow. From 1956-1965 she studied piano and singing at the music school No31. In 1965, she made her radio debut with the popular song 'Robot' on the Moscow Radio. From 1965-1971 she studied singing and choir directing at Moscow College of Music named after Ippolitov-Ivanov. From 1976-1981 she studied acting and directing at Moscow Institute of Theatrical Art (GITIS) from which she graduated as director.
In 1977 Pugacheva made her film debut in the title role in Zhenshchina, kotoraya poyot (1979). She also was a composer for that film under the nickname of 'Boris Gorbonos'. The film was a major box-office hit with attendance of more than 60 million in the Soviet Union. Pugacheva was named the best actress of the USSR for the year 1979. By that time she was already an internationally regarded pop-singer, having awards and recognition from such international music festivals as Sopot-78, MIDEM-1976, Zolotoi Orfei-75, and other. In 1997, she took part in Eurovision festival. Pugacheva has been a strong supporter for humanitarian causes. She made donations and performed charity concerts to help the victims of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.
Pugacheva performed and recorded over three hundred songs over the course of her career. Her international hit 'Million Roses' was written and recorded in collaboration with Latvian composer Raimonds Pauls, who has been working with Pugacheva on many other popular songs, and made several concert programs together. She also collaborated with such popular stars as Joe Dassin, Udo Lindenberg, Philipp Kirkorov, Kristina Orbakaite, Vladimir Presnyakov, and others. Pugacheva was awarded the State Prize of Russia (1995) and received many other awards. She was designated the Peoples Artist of the USSR in December of 1991.
Alla Pugacheva has been the indisputable leader in record sales in the USSR and in Russia, having sold over 100 million albums and singles during her career. Pugacheva has been helping many young singers and actors to become professionals. She is currently the Artistic Director and a host of her own TV show titled 'Fabrika Zvezd' (Factory of Stars). Her daughter, named Kristina Orbakaite, is a popular singer and actress in Russia. Pugacheva currently resides in Moscow, Russia.- Alla Konstantinovna Tarasova was born on February 6, 1898, in Kiev, Russian Empire, into an aristocratic family. Her father, named Konstantin Tarasov, was a military doctor in Kiev. Tarasova's sister was married to Russian Prince Svyatopolk-Mirsky. From 1910-1914 Young Tarasova studied at the Private Gymnasium of Titarenko on Fundukleevskaya street in Kiev. She was fond of theatre and attended the performances of Moscow Art Theatre on tour in Kiev. In 1914 she moved to Moscow and took acting class with Nikolai Massalitinov at the Acting School of Moscow Art Theatre.
In 1916 Tarasova became a permanent member of the 2nd company of the Moscow Art Theatre. At the age of 18, she shot to fame with a leading role of Finochka in "Zelenoe Koltso", a play by Zinaida Gippius. She married Alexei Kuzmin, who fought in the Russian Civil War in the White Army and then emigrated from Russia. During the 1922 tour with Moscow Art Theatre in New York, Tarasova defected and joined her husband. She tried an acting career on Broadway, but failed because of her poor English. She worked as a waitress at her husband's café and was not planning to go back to Russia. At the end of 1924 Tarasova was convinced to go back by the letter from Stanislavsky, who insisted on her return to Moscow Art Theatre. She returned to Moscow, but had no serious roles for a few years. In 1931 she married the leading actor Ivan Moskvin and her career took off again. Tarasova became the undisputed leading actress of the Moscow Art Theatre under directors Konstantin Stanislavsky and Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko. She made her best stage works in classical plays of Maxim Gorky and Anton Chekhov that were staged by director Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko during the 1930's. Her most resounding success was a title role in staging of "Anna Karenina" in 1937. The same theatrical production was recorded on film in 1953, when Tarasova and her partners were much older than at the time of their legendary premiere.
Tarasova was received with mixed reviews by the Russian intellectuals émigrés during her international tours. At the same time she was the favorite actress of Joseph Stalin, who frequently attended her performances at the Moscow Art Theatre. Tarasova was made the "first official actress" of the Soviet Union. In 1937 she became the first actress to be designated the People's Artist of the Soviet Union. She was five times awarded the State Stalin's Prize, in 1941, 1946, 1947, 1948, and 1949. She received numerous awards and decorations and was also twice awarded the Order of Lenin and was made the Hero of Socialist Labor. However, her film career was limited to only a few roles, mainly in the films of director 'Vladimir Petrov' (I). She died on April 5, 1973, in Moscow. Tarasova left a peculiar will about her burial arrangements: instead of being buried at the prestigious Novodevichy Cemetery, she was laid to rest next to her mother at the Vvedenskoe Cemetery in Moscow, Russia. - Cinematographer
Alvar Aalto, one of Finland's most famous people who reshaped architecture and furniture of public buildings on the basis of functionality and organic relationship between man, nature and buildings, is now called the "Father of Modernism" in Scandinavian countries.
He was born Hugo Alvar Henrik Aalto, on February 3, 1898, in Kuortane, Finland (at that time Finland was part of Russian Empire). He was the first of three children. His father, J. H. Aalto, was a government surveyor. His mother, Selma Hackestedt, was of Swedish ancestry, she died in 1903. His father remarried and moved the family to the town of Jyvaskyla. There young Aalto attended the Normal School and the Classical Gymnasium, graduating in 1916. During the summer months, young Aalto accompanied his father on surveying trips. From 1916-1921 he studied at the Helsinki University of technology, graduating with a degree in architecture. While a student, Aalto worked for Carolus Lindberg on the design of the "Tivoli" area for the 1920 National Fair. At that time Aalto was a protégé of Armas Lingren, partner of E. Saarinen during the formative period of Finnish National architecture of Romanticism. Aalto served in the Finnish National Militia during the Civil War that followed after the Russian Revolution, when the nation of Finland gained independence from Russia.
In 1922-1923 Aalto worked for a project in Sweden, he collaborated with A. Bjerke on the design of the Congress Hall for the 1923 World Fair in Goteborg. He also designed several buildings for the 1922 Industrial fair in Tampere. In 1923 Aalto opened his first architectural office in Juvaskyla. In 1924 he married architect Aino Marsio, they had two children, Johanna (born 1925), and Hamilkar (born 1928). Aalto and his wife had their honeymoon in Italy. The Mediterranean culture made a profound influence on Aalto's creativity, it blended with his Nordic intellect and remained important to his visionary works for the rest of his life. The simple massing and ornamentation of the "architettura mirwire" of Northern Italy translated into Aalto's style with its balanced proportions, harmonious volumes rendered in stucco or wood, and sparse decoration with selective use of classical elements. In 1927 the Aaltos moved to the city of Turku. There Alvar Aalto designed the Paimio Sanatorium, a building that elevated him to the status of master of heroic functionalism. He soon moved forward in his pursuit of artistic harmony through organic integration of people and buildings with the environment. Such was his design for the Villa Mairea (1938) in Noormarkku, one of the most admired private residences in contemporary architecture.
In 1933 Aalto moved to Helsinki. There he founded his architecture firm "Artek" where he executed his major international commissions, such as Finnish Pavilions for the 1936 Paris World Fair and the 1939-1940 New York's World Fair, libraries in Oregon, USA, and Finland, Opera House in Essen, Germany. His other significant buildings included Baker House at the Massachussetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass., USA, Central University Hospital in Zagreb, Croatia, Helsinki Institute of Technology, North Utland Art Museum in Denmark, Nordic House in Reykjavic, Iceland, Public Library in Vyborg, (now Russia), and many other buildings. His later masterpieces include the municipal building in Sayanasalo (1952), the Vuoksenniska Church (1959) and the Finlandia Hall in Helsinki. His works exhibit a range of innovative ideas presented with comforting clarity and carefully crafted balance of intricate and complex forms, spaces, and elements, that are integrated in a simple and well-proportioned way. Aalto's design for the Finnish Pavilion at the 1939 New York's World Fair was described as "work of genius" by Frank Lloyd Wright.
Functionalism and synthetic attitude were important in Aalto's evolution from Nordic Classicism towards Modernism. He created his own way of converging forms, materials, and purpose of his buildings on the rationale of their functionality, aesthetics, and comfortable use. Aalto's architecture, furniture, glassware and jewelery evokes multiple allusions to images of unspoiled nature, thus making an ennobling influence on public behavior. He designed 70 buildings for the town of Jyvaskyla, 37 of which were realized, such as the Institute of Pedagogy (1953-1957) and other public buildings. Aalto's ecological awareness was epitomized in his design of the Sunila Cellulose Industry and the residential village for employees (1936 - 1939) and its second stage (1951 - 1954). Aalto's creativity was deeply rooted in his own organic way of life, traditional for the people in Scandinavian countries. "The very essence of architecture consists of a variety and development reminiscent of natural organic life. This is the only true style in architecture" said Alvar Aalto.
Alvo Aalto was Chairman of the Arcitects Union and President of the Finnish Academy. His latest building for the Art Museum in Jyvaskyla was named after him. His awards included the Royal Gold Medal from the Royal Institute of British Architects (1957) and the Gold Medal from the American Institute of Architects (1963). Alvar Aalto was featured on the last series of the 50 Finnish mark bill, before the Euro. He died of natural causes on May 11, 1976, in Helsinki and was laid to rest in Hietaniemi Cemetery in Helsinki, Finland.- Music Artist
- Actress
- Composer
Amy Jade Winehouse was born on September 14, 1983 in Enfield, London, England and raised in Southgate, London, England to Janis Holly Collins (née Seaton), a pharmacist & Mitchell "Mitch" Winehouse, a window panel installer and taxi driver. Her family shared her love of theater and music. Amy was brought up on jazz music; She received her first guitar at age 13 and taught herself how to play. Young Amy Winehouse was a rebellious girl. At age 14, she was expelled from Sylvia Young Theatre School in Marylebone, London. At that time she pierced her nose and tattooed her body. She briefly attended the BRIT School in Croydon, and began her professional career at 16, performing occasional club gigs and recording low cost demos. At 19 years old, she recorded her debut album: Frank (2003), a jazz-tinged album that became a hit and earned her several award nominations. During the next several years, she survived a period of personal upheaval, a painful relationship, and struggles with substance abuse. Her final album, Back on Black (2006) was an international hit, and 'Rehab' made No. 9 on the US pop charts.
Her big break came in 2008. Amy Winehouse became the first British female to win 5 Grammy Awards on the same night, February 10th, 2008, including Best New Artist and Record of the Year for 'Rehab'. Her Grammy performance was broadcast from London via satellite, because she was unable to appear in person in Los Angeles due to temporary problems with her traveling visa. Following her success at the Grammy Awards, Winehouse gave a string of highly successful performances during the year 2008. In June, she was suddenly hospitalized with a serious lung condition. However, she left hospital for one evening to perform for Nelson Mandela on his 90th birthday celebration in London's Hyde Park. She sang her hits: Rehab & Valerie, drawing cheers and applause form the crowds and a smile from Mandela. Winehouse also performed for Roman Abramovich's party in Moscow; there she earned $2 million for her one-hour gig.
Amy Winehouse developed a distinctive style of her own. Her signature beehive hairstyle has become the model for fashion designers, while her vulnerability, her fragile personality and self-destructive behavior was regular tabloid news, and subject of criticism and controversy. In April 2008 she was named the second greatest "ultimate heroine" by the British population at large, and a month later was voted the second most hated personality in the UK. George Michael called her the "best female vocalist he has heard in his entire career," while Keith Richards warned that she "won't be around long" if her behavior doesn't change.
Musically, Amy Winehouse created a cross-cultural and cross-genre style. She experimented with an eclectic mix of jazz, soul, pop, reggae, world beat and R&B. She had a special ability to channel hurt and despair into her performances. Her voice, phrasing and delivery sometimes sounded like a mix between Billy Holliday, Dinah Washington and Sarah Vaughan, and coupled with similarities in personal problems, she at times resembled another incarnation of legendary "Lady Blues".
Amy died at 27 years old on July 23, 2011 in her London home following a long-running battle with alcohol addiction. She was cremated at Golders Green Crematorium and her ashes were laid to rest in Edgwarebury Jewish Cemetery in London, United Kingdom. Her death caused considerable mourning worldwide.- Anastasiya Georgiyevskaya was a character actress of Moscow Art Theatre, who appeared as a teacher in the popular Soviet TV series "Bolshaya Peremena" (1972), and also co-starred opposite Igor Gorbachyov and Yuriy Tolubeev in The Inspector-General (1952).
She was born Anastasiya Pavlovna Georgiyevskaya on November 7, 1914, in Orel, Russian Empire (now Orel, Russia). Young Georgiyevskaya became an orphan at the early age of three. She was raised in an orphanage, and was trained to be a metal-worker for a Soviet industry, albeit she had a dream of being an actress. In 1930 she moved to Moscow, pursuing her dream. From 1931 - 1936 she studied at Soviet State Institute of Theatrical Art (GITIS), graduating in 1936 as actress.
From 1936 to 1990 Anastasiya Georgiyevskaya was a permanent member of the troupe at Moscow Art Theatre (MKhAT). There her stage partners were such renown Russian actors as Olga Knipper-Chekhova, Ivan Moskvin, Alla Tarasova, Anatoli Ktorov, Mark Prudkin, Olga Androvskaya, Nikolay Khmelyov, Mikhail Yanshin, Aleksey Gribov, Boris Livanov, Mikhail Kedrov, Viktor Stanitsyn, Angelina Stepanova, Vasili Toporkov, Mikhail Bolduman, Pavel Massalsky, and the next generation of MKhAT actors - Kira Golovko, Iya Savvina, Alla Pokrovskaya, Anastasiya Voznesenskaya, Irina Miroshnichenko, Oleg Efremov Boris Smirnov, Oleg Tabakov, Andrey Myagkov, Vladimir Kashpur, Viktor Sergachyov, Vyacheslav Nevinnyy, Stanislav Lyubshin, Sergey Sazontev, Avangard Leontev, Igor Vasilev, and others. Georgiyevskaya was a member of the board at Moscow Art Theatre (MKhAT). Her most acclaimed stage performance at Moscow Art Theatre was as Natasha in 'The Three Sisters' (1940), and later she was regarded for her appearances in various comedies.
Anastasiya Georgiyevskaya received the Stalin's Prize (1951), and was designated People's Actress of the USSR (1968). She died under mysterious circumstances on December 9, 1990, in her apartment in Moscow, and was laid to rest in Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow, Russia. - Actress
- Additional Crew
Anastasia Vertinskaya is a popular Russian actress and public figure best known for her roles as Assol in Alye parusa (1961) and Ophelia in Hamlet (1964).
She was born Anastasia Aleksandrovna Vertinskaya on December 19, 1944, in Moscow, Russia, Soviet Union (now Moscow, Russia). Her father, Aleksandr Vertinskiy, was a famous Russian actor, singer and songwriter, who returned from his emigration in China to Moscow during the Second World War. Her mother, Lidiya Vertinskaya (née Lidia Vladimirovna Tsirgvava), was also a Russian émigré who was born into a Georgian-Russian family in Kharbin, and her older sister, Marianna Vertinskaya, was born in 1943, in Shanghai, China. Young Anastasia Vertinskaya had a happy childhood together with her sister Marianna. She was brought up in a multi-lingual family where she enjoyed an intellectually stimulating environment, and a highly cultural atmosphere of her parents circle. Anastasia Vertinskaya was fond of her father, who invested much of his talent and energy in his daughter's education. Her famous father died when Anastasia Vertinskaya was 14, and she suffered from emotional trauma that cast influence on her most important roles in film, that she played at the age of 15 to 19, such as Assol, Gutierre, and Ophelia.
In 1961, at age 15, Vertinskaya made her film debut starring as love-torn Assol who has a dream about her hero, Vasiliy Lanovoy. She became an instant celebrity in the Soviet Union with her first film, Alye parusa (1961), by director Aleksandr Ptushko, a popular adaptation of the eponymous book by Alexander Grin. Next year she co-starred as Gutierre in Amphibian Man (1961) Vertinskaya shot to international fame starring as Ophelia opposite Innokentiy Smoktunovskiy in Hamlet (1964), by director Grigoriy Kozintsev. Meanwhile, she attended the Shchukin Theatrical School, graduating in 1967, as an actress. She played supporting roles as Lisa Bolkonskaya in War and Peace (1965), by director Sergey Bondarchuk and as Kitty in Anna Karenina (1967), by director Aleksandr Zarkhi. She also starred as Margarita in Master i Margarita (2006), an adaptation of the eponymous book by Mikhail A. Bulgakov.
Anastasiya Vertinskaya was member of several theatrical companies in Moscow, such as Theatre of Vakhtangov, Taganka, Theatre Sovremennik, Pushkin Theatre, and Moscow Art Theatre (MKhAT). Her most acclaimed stage appearances were as Nina in 'The Seagull' and as Elena in 'Uncle Vanya', both plays by Anton Chekhov. In a unique theatrical experiment by director Anatoli Efros at Taganka, she appeared in two roles: as Prospero and Ariel in the Shakespeare's Tempest. In 1989 she portrayed her father, Aleksandr Vertinskiy, in a show that she also wrote and directed to mark the centennial birthday anniversary of her father.
Outside of her film career A. Vertinskaya taught acting in Oxford and in the European film school in Switzerland; she also held a master class at Comédie-Française (Théâtre de la Républic) and at Chekhov's school in Paris. She was designated People's Actress of Russia. Since 1991 Anastasiya Vertinskaya has been running the Charitable Foundation for Actors, which supports such cultural landmarks as the home of Boris Pasternak and the museum of Anton Chekhov as well as many other cultural projects and individual actors and filmmakers. During the 1990s she completed restoration of her father's historic recordings for a CD release. Anastasiya Vertinskaya was married to director Nikita Mikhalkov and their son, Stepan Mikhalkov, is also a filmmaker.- Anastasiya Voznesenskaya was a Russian actress, active in older films, and at the Moscow Art Theatre (MKhAT).
She was born Anastasiya Valentinovna Voznesenskaya on July 27, 1943, in the Soviet Union (now Russia). From 1961 - 1965 she studied acting at the Acting School of Moscow Art Theatre (MKhAT), graduating in 1965 as an actress. From 1965 - 1977 she was member of the troupe at Sovremennik Theatre in Moscow. There, her stage partners were such actors as Oleg Efremov, Evgeniy Evstigneev, Galina Volchek, Stanislav Lyubshin, Viktor Sergachyov, Alla Pokrovskaya, Oleg Tabakov, Oleg Dal, Igor Kvasha, Valentin Gaft and other notable Russian actors. In 1967, she shot to fame with the leading role as Anya in the popular Soviet TV series 'Mayor Vikhr.'
In 1977, Anastasiya became a permanent member of the troupe at Moscow Art Theatre (MKhAT). There, her stage partners were such renown Russian actors as Oleg Efremov, Evgeniy Evstigneev, Innokentiy Smoktunovskiy, Yekaterina Vasilyeva, Tatyana Doronina, Oleg Tabakov, Aleksandr Kalyagin, Andrei Popov and other notable Russian actors. During the 1970s and 1980s Voznesenskaya gave memorable performances in classic plays by Anton Chekhov, such as Barabanova in 'Ivanov', and as Masha in 'Chaika' (aka.. The Seagull). She also shone as Maria in popular play 'Eldorado'. Later Voznesenskaya suffered through a severe emotional breakdown and had a slowdown in her acting career.
Since 1987, after the split of the troupe, she was a permanent member of MKhAT named after Chekhov. She made memorable stage appearances as retired ballerina Roza Pesochinskaya in the 2002 production of Aleksandr Galin's play 'Retro.'
Anastasiya Voznesenskaya was designated People's Actress of Russia (1986). She was married to actor Andrey Myagkov, until his death, and the couple lived in Moscow, Russia. - Anatoli Ktorov, a brilliant Russian actor who was stuttering in real life but was perfectly eloquent in acting roles, had a career spanning from silent films to Academy Award-winning epic War and Peace (1965).
He was born Anatoli Petrovich Ktorov on April 24, 1898, in Moscow, Russia. His grandfather was a successful merchant, his father, named Petr Ktorov, was an industrial engineer. His mother was a pianist and singer. Young Ktorov was brought up in artistic environment of Moscow's cultural milieu. He attended Classical Gymnasium in Moscow, and was fond of acting in school drama class. In 1916, at age 18, Ktorov became a student at the Acting School of Fedor Komissarzhevsky, a stern acting coach who was critical of Ktorov's stuttering. But Ktorov, who was a shy person in real life, demonstrated his remarkable persistence and determination; he practiced his lines several hundred times.
In 1917 Ktorov made his acting debut on stage of Komissarzhevsky Theatre. Ktorov's stuttering was noticeable only in his real life off-stage, but he never stuttered on-stage. However, director Komissarzhevsky did not believe in Ktorov, and his career seemed to be limited to cameo roles. Ktorov's fate was changed by Illarion Pevtsov who believed in Ktorov's talent and took him as protégé. In 1919 Pevtsov introduced Ktorov to Vera Popova. She was an established actress and experienced acting coach, she also recognized Ktorov's talent and took him under her wing. Eventually Popova became Ktorov's partner on stage and in life. From 1920 - 1933 Ktorov was a permanent member of the troupe at Korsh Theatre in Moscow. There he played leading roles in classic dramas and comedies, as well as in contemporary plays, with Vera Popova as his permanent stage partner. In 1925 Ktorov shot to fame with the leading role in silent film Zakroyshchik iz Torzhka (1925) by director Yakov Protazanov. He also gave an impressive performance in Protazanov's Holiday of St. Jorgen (1930). The highlight of Ktorov's career was his brilliant performance as Paratov in Without Dowry (1937), a classic film by director Yakov Protazanov. However, Soviet directors did not want to cast him after the silent film era, and Anatoli Ktorov did not have any film work for 25 years. Ktorov's aristocratic looks and noble manners were not in demand in the Soviet Union, while most Soviet films were dominated by political propaganda under the dictatorship of Joseph Stalin.
From 1933 - 1980 Ktorov was a permanent member of the troupe at Moscow Art Theatre (MKhAT). There his stage partners were such renown Russian actors as Alla Tarasova, Mark Prudkin, Olga Androvskaya, Angelina Stepanova, Nikolay Khmelyov, Mikhail Yanshin, Aleksey Gribov, Boris Livanov, Mikhail Kedrov, Viktor Stanitsyn, Anastasiya Georgievskaya, Vasili Toporkov, Mikhail Bolduman, Pavel Massalsky, and others. Ktorov's acting career spanned 60 years, until his last performances in 1976, on the stage of Moscow Art Theatre (MKhAT). There he played roles in such plays as 'Pickwick club', and adaptation of the eponymous book by Charles Dickens, 'Dni Turbinykh' (aka.. The days of the Turbins) by 'Mikhail Bulgakov', and 'Dyadya Vanya' (aka... Uncle Vanya) by Anton Chekhov, among other plays. Ktorov's most memorable stage performance at MKhAT was in the role as Bernard Shaw opposite Angelina Stepanova as Mrs. Campbell, in 'Milyy Lzhets' (aka.. Dear Liar) by Jerome Kilty, an extremely popular production that ran from 1962 to 1976. Ktorov's stage performance was captured on television in a popular TV adaptation of 'Milyy Lzhets', by director Anatoli Efros.
Anatoli Ktorov was designated People's Artist of the USSR (1963), was awarded the State Prize of the USSR (1952), and received numerous decorations for his contribution to the art of film and theatre. He gave remarkable performances in his last film roles, which are considered to be his best works, one as Prince Bolkonsky in War and Peace (1965) by director Sergey Bondarchuk, and then as King in Posol Sovetskogo Soyuza (1970). Anatoli Ktorov died of natural causes on September 30, 1980, in Moscow, and was laid to rest in Vvedenskoe Cemetery in Moscow, Russia. - Anatoli Azo was born in St. Petersburg (Leningrad) on October 31, 1934. His parents were of Estonian heritage. Young Azo was fond of theatre, but his parents insisted that he took a reliable and lucrative profession, such as metal worker. He also was a good sportsman, a boxing champion of Leningrad. However, his artistic aspirations prevailed and he took and acting class at Leningrad Institute for Theatre, Music and Cinema, graduating in 1958 as actor. Azo had a brief stint on stage at Pskov Drama, than at the LENKOM Theatre in Leningrad, before becoming member of Lenfilm Studio in St. Petersburg. His best known film work was as a spy who took identity of a Belgian chef in 'Kak vas teper nazyvat'. Outside of acting profession, Anatoli Azo was an amateur sculptor and collector of naturally grown figurines of wood. His collection was demonstrated at several art shows in Russia. Anatoli Azo died of a brain hemorrhage on November 25, 2007, and was laid to rest in Severnoe cemetery in St. Petersburg, Russia.
- Anatoli Gorin was born on March 1, 1956, in Kuibyshev, Russia, USSR (now Samara, Russia). In 1977 he graduated from the Leningrad State Institute of Theatre, Music, and Cinematography as an actor.
Since 1977 Gorin has been a permanent member of the troupe at the Theatre of Komissarzhevskoi in St. Petersburg.
Anatoli Gorin was designated the title of Honorable Artist of Russia. He played roles in popular film and television productions as well as more than 50 roles on stage. He is currently residing in St. Petersburg, Russia. - Anatoliy Khudoleev is a Russian character actor known for his memorable appearances in popular Russian TV series.
He was born Anatoliy Grigorevich Khudoleev in the USSR on July 11, 1942. Young Khudoleev was fond of movies and movies. He began his acting career at the Kiev Russian Theater named after Lesya Ukrainka.
Beginning in 1976, Anatoliy Khudoleev has been a permanent member of the troupe and a leading actor at the Theater of Komissarzhevskoy in St. Petersburg, Russia. There his stage partners have been such actors as Galina Korotkevich, Ivan Krasko, Valentina Chemberg, Tamara Abrosimova, Natalya Chetverikova, Tatiana Samarina, Natalya Danilova, Elena Simonova, Aleksandr Galibin, Sergey Boyarskiy, Nikolay Boyarskiy, Yefim Kamenetsky, Mikhail Khrabrov, Stanislav Landgraf, Georgiy Korolchuk, Vladimir Osobik, Boris Sokolov, Petr Shelokhonov, and other notable Russian actors. There, Anatoliy Khudoleev made memorable appearances in various classic and contemporary plays under such directors as Aleksandr Belinsky and Ruben Agamirzyan.
Anatoliy Khudoleev is living and working in St. Petersburg, Russia.