#bio time!

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Irina Kupchenko

Baryl Stapleton

Her first role was a strong and powerful woman who could handle any turns, and she was playing such a character for long time. 

She was born in Vienna, but grew up in Kiev. Her father was an army man and her mother was a teacher.

She charms everyone by her talent of inspiring people through her roles no matter what the roles are. She is known to give her characters a sense of deep personality.

But right now she is mostly known because her younger (37) son died last year. He was a spoiled guy and had three or four scandals before his death. The cause of death is kept in secret, but it was probably because of drugs. Including him Irina has two boys and both of them are named after great Russian poets - Alexander was named after Alexander Pushkin and the late Sergey - after Sergey Yesenin. 

She is famous for playing Galina Zilova in "Vacation in September" starring Oleg Dal' (the movie came out after his death)

Ironically as Yankovsky's wife in "An Ordinary Miracle"

And as Ekaterina Trubechkaya in "The Captivating Star of Happiness" with a whole bunch of actors from SH including Livanov

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Sergey Martinson

I hope Frankland won't sue me for mentioning his name here. 

Martinson was known as a comedian, but a) he didn't consider himself a comedian and b) he was playing bad guys the whole time. 

Even though he thought he wasn't a funny man, everyone overseas was comparing him to Chaplin. He was a master of comedy, pantomime, buffoonery and grotesque.

He was the first actor in the USSR to play Hitler when Hitler himself was still alive (1941). Martinson loved telling one story that when Hitler saw the movie where Martinson played him, he put him into his own black list and promised to hang him on the first torch he sees. Martinson was always complaining that he didn't kiss anybody in any of his movies for the whole career. And Martinson claimed that he lived so long because he's a lighthearted man and never did anything he didn't want to do. 

Even though he was unsuccessful in movies with kisses, he was married twice in real life. His first wife was a ballerina and often was invited to all the embassies. Soon she was arrested and put into jail on suspection of spying. Martinson was frequently visiting her untill he found out that she died. His second wife didn't end up that sadly and the couple had a daughter and a grandson, he's an actor and a physician. 

Martinson died in 1984 at the age of 85. 

Apart from Frankland, he was known as Tabaqui in "Mawgli"

As Osip in "The Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka"

And as a wizard in "A tale about lost time"

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Oleg Yankovsky

Good guy Stapleton

He was smoking a legitimate pipe in real life

Oh yes, Maslennikov was thinking of him playing Sherlock Holmes. 

He became a well-known actor by an accident - he was sitting in a restaurant and somewhere next to him all these directors and filming team were discussing a new movie and how they needed an actor. One assistant pointed at Yankovsky and voila. He was studying in a university and played some super minor roles in theatre by this time, so you could say he wouldn't be that famous by this time. This role he got was a German officer or something, and the director needed a guy of his type. Just so you know why

So he would look like a legit occupier. Of your heart, of course

And he got into the "Lencom" theatre also by an accident. By a car accident: while shooting one movie his car flew off the road and even made a few spins before landing. The cameramen flew the hell out the car, Yankovsky's coat got completely burned, but he didn't get a single scratch. One extreeeeeemely famous Soviet actor Yevgeny Leonov was so impressed by this story he was telling it to everyone, and soon the boss of Lenkom, where Leonov was working, heard Yankovsky's name.

He was considered to be one of the mystical and enigmatic actors of that time. He wasn't an open man, and his image got stuck somewhere between being a playboy, an intelligent man, an emotional and rational actor. He never played in bad movies, but still had a big variety of roles, but his favorite ones are guys that were looking for something in their lives, and also rebellious ones. And surely you can't just pass without noticing his actually well-known "silence zones" and magnetic stare, probably both, when Stapleton just stares you down while being completely silent. Maslennikov knew that Yankovsky had a great dark charisma, and that's why he wanted him to play the evil guy. 

Yankovsky was superstitious and saw the world as something mystical. He believed in omens and remembered all his dreams; he was avoiding black cats on the streets and often was knocking on wood (which is normal for like all of Russia, I don't believe in god and I'm still doing all that like nothing's wrong). 

I haven't seen a single movie with him (that also implies for 99.98% of all the actors here), but I kinda saw him playing one of his most famous roles - baron Munchausen, that funny and dreamy man that gets into unbelievable stories the whole time. That role doesn't suit his image, but this role is surely one of his best ones. Yankovsky is loved, Yankovsky is famous. I've seen him only playing Stapleton and heard something about him, but when things come to this man, I just feel my heart filling with warmth and love. He surely made someone's childhood better, some hearts broken and left everyone quite impressed. He didn't take part in bad movies, scandals, adverts and never wanted to become successful right here and right now and surely never worked just to earn some cash. He was a good guy after all

In 2009 he found out that he had pancreatic cancer in the last stage. He died on 20th May because of internal bleeding after several pain attacks. He had a wife, a son and two grown grandchildren. His son is an actor too, but not a famous one.

Apart from Stapleton, he is known for, yep, baron Munchausen in "The Very Same Munchausen"

As a Red Army soldier in "Two Comrades Were Serving"

And as a lawyer in "Doctor Zhivago"

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Nikolai Kryukov

Extremely handsome colonel Moran

Kryukov was born in 1915 on 25th June (8th July old style). After finishing middle school he started to work in a factory, there he was playing in a local factory theatre and soon was accepted to BDT. After graduating from BDT he was mostly performing in theatre and had a small role in one movie. 

When the Second World War started, the theatre was divided into front brigades and was still working during the blockade. As Kryukov said, they were doing it despite all the difficulties, for people who were still filling the hall, because it was their, actors', professional duty. On 21th December 1941 Kryukov was performing for the last time during the blockade - he was playing a cheerful and optimistic guy being heavily suffering from dystrophy. He had to be hospitalized. At the end of January it was impossible to work anymore, since there was no electricity and the actors couldn't work because of hunger and cold. They were evacuated to Pyatigorsk, a city which was very close to the front. The government feared that if they would evacuate the actors once again, it would lead to people panicing, so the theatre was performing until Pyatigorsk was occupated by Germans. 

Germans made the theatre work again, although they themselves weren't interested in watching Russian drama in Russian, so most of the audience were local people. Kryukov said that the Red Army was nearby and everyone was hoping for the victory, so they were working hard. When it happened, Germans took the actors to Berlin, but it was truly impossible to perform there - the city was constantly bombarded and basically was buring like in Hell. The theatre closed down and actors decided to run to France. After the war finished, two of them were caught, sent back to Moscow and jailed. One woman died in 1949 and a man was released in 1953. 

After the war Kryukov became popular. He was performing mostly in theatre and had a few main roles in the movies, but because he was so charismatic, these roles were unforgettable. But the "dark stain" on his career - performing for Germans during the war - has affected him, because he became an Horoned Artist of the RSFSR only in 1991, even though he has played over 100 roles in theatre and the cinema. 

He was married twice and lived with his second wife for 33 years till his death. He died in April 17th 1993 at the age 77. An engraving on his headstone says "Truly national". 

Apart from Moran, his famous roles are Ben Asley in "Last Inch"

Tom Morgan in the "Treasure Island"

And Peter Efimov in the "Long Road in the Dunes"

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Igor Dmitriev

Traveller to the future and stealer things-Gregson

Dmitriev was raised by his mother and grandparents, since his father left the family soon after Igor was born. During the war Dmitriev found out that there's a theatrical studio opens up, and to get into there, he had to read Lermontov's "Masquerade" for both Arbenin and his wife Nina, because he didn't have a partner. The examiners said that Arbenin was shit, but Nina was innocent and great, so Dmitriev got into the studio for playing Nina. The war times have affected his family as well - his step-father and mother were taken to a camp, mother came back after a few months and the stepdad has never returned. 

He was studying in Art Theatre School, there he lived with his friend in a room with no windows and doors, but they were very lucky since usually there were 12 students in a room. As Dmitriev said, his years in the school were hungry and funny, as any students'. 

Since 1984 he was working in Saint-Petersburg Comedy Theatre. He was mostly known for playing all kinds of aristocrats and officers, you know, all the VIP people. 

He knew his wife since his childhood, and once, after they've graduated, they were walking past a shooting range and Dmitriev asked her if she wanted to shoot something. She asked, just joking, what she will get if she strikes 10 out of 10, and suddenly Igor responded that he will marry her. So she didn't miss a thing and Dmitriev had to marry her. They have a son who works in an American company, and Dmitriev's wife has passed away in the 90s. Dmitriev was always missing her since her death.

Dmitriev was also well-known for his voice: he was narrating and playing on radio for 40 years. His speech was very clear, with great articulation and lots of intonations. He was always an optimistic and funny man. He died on 25th January of 2008 in Saint-Petersburg. 

Apart from Gregson, his famous roles are don Jose in "Don Cesar de Bazan"

Сolonel Geraldine in "The Adventures of Prince Florizel"

As for me, as a narrator in "Kikoriki" ("Smeshariki") loooooove, LOOOOVE THAT CARTOOOOON

And bio time special: as Gollum in "The Hobbit"

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Anatoly Podshivalov

Dat hairy guy

He was born in Leningrad and graduated from Tovstonogov Bolshoi Drama Theatre (BDT) and played there ever since. 

Once an illluminant fell on his head and a tumor was formed on the place of the injury. After a surgery Podshivalov became another person, his look has changed and he couldn't play in movies anymore, but could in theatre as someone in the crowd. He died in 1987. 

Apart from the marker is famous for a police officer in "Ivan Vasilievich changes profession (picture above), and as Romani in "SCID Republic"

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Oleg Dal

Don't even try to recognize him, he was voicing over Evgrafov, in other words - he is Moriarty's voice.

He is a direct relative of Vladimir Dal, one of the greatest Russian language lexicographers.

He liked art and literature from the early age. His heart problems started when he was playing basketball in school. He went to M.S. Schepkin Higher Theatrical Institute despite his parents being totally against that, and he was accepted to the same class with Vitaly Solomin. 

His early roles were guys of his age and his time, Dal gave them his personality, charm and a feeling of sadness. 

He was loved by ordinary people, but his colleagues were really struggling with his character. One would say it was an honor to work with him, and others would claim he was a hell of a scandalous guy and could betray you in the most unsuitable moments. He was totally okay with death and it seemed like he wanted to die as quickly as possible. Everybody knew he had a black sense of humor. He always looks sad anyway. 

At the end of his career Dal has gained a bad reputation because he was refusing to play everywhere, plus one movie with him got banned and it made his character even worse. He got into a conflict with "Mosfilm" and couldn't get over it for quite a long time - his friends said he looked extremely bad and was totally exhausted. He was badly drinking, but tried to fight with it. He had a bad health and a weak heart, but still he was getting in all the disputes with directors unwilling to play in movies and plays. He did understand though what kind of a person he was. 

He was dining with Leonid Markov in a hotel in Kiev and after that Dal said goodbye to Markov and added "Alright, I'm going to my room to die". Considering his sense of humor, nobody was surprised. And as the most popular version says, he drank a whole bottle of vodka, his antialcoholic capsule responded, his pressure went high up and he got a heart attack. His body was found the next day, the expression on his face was rather calm and even smilng. It was 3rd of March 1981, he died at the age of 39 and Leonid Markov technically was the last person to see Dal alive. 

He was married three times and didn't have any children. 

His famous roles are prince Florizel in "The Adventures of prince Florizel" (this movie is big in Russia)

Fool in the "King Lear"

And my personal favorite - Anatoly from "Can not be!"

He was writing poems and songs too, so, Moriarty's voice is way more legendary than Moriarty himself. 

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Victor Evgrafov

Couldn't you recongize Moriarty?

An actor and a stuntman, known for his phenominal plasticity. 

He wanted to be a military guy and even graduated from a sergeant school, but at the age of 24 he suddenly changed his mind and became an actor, studying in a sport's school at the same time. 

It is not clarified, but he got a serious injury while filming one movie and survived a clinical death. 

After recovering, since 2000 he's preparing future stuntmen for death their job in his own studio and lives in Samara, his homeland. 

There's not much to say about him indeed, but Evgrafov have played in maximum 23 movies, but almost all of them are kinda successful, so I guess he made the right choice. 

I mean, he didn't play in many movies, so he's forever Moriarty, but I'll put him as Daniel of Galicia from "Daniel - the Knyaz of Galicia"

And as Drapkin in "Lenin's will"