Anatoly Petrovich Ktorov (

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

: Анатолий Петрович Кторов; April 24, 1898September 30, 1980) was a

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

and

stage and film actor.

People's Artist of the USSR People's Artist of the USSR ( rus, Народный артист СССР, Narodny artist SSSR), also sometimes translated as National Artist of the USSR, was an honorary title granted to artists of the Soviet Union. Nomenclature and significan ...

(1963).

Early years

He was born Anatoly Petrovich Viktorov on April 24, 1898, in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

. His grandfather was a successful merchant, his father, named Pyotr Viktorov, 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 Fyodor 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.

Career in cinema

From 1920 to 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 the silent movie ''

The Tailor from Torzhok ''The Tailor from Torzhok'' (russian: Закройщик из Торжка, Zakroyshchik iz Torzhka) is a 1925 Soviet silent comedy film directed by Yakov Protazanov and starring Igor Ilyinsky. The picture was commissioned as publicity for the ...

'' (1925) by director

Yakov Protazanov Yakov Alexandrovich Protazanov (russian: Яков Александрович Протазанов; 4 February ( O.S. 23 January ) 1881 – 8 August 1945) was a Russian and Soviet film director and screenwriter, and one of the founding fathers of ...

. He also gave an impressive performance in Protazanov's ''

St. Jorgen's Day ''St. Jorgen's Day'', (''Holiday of St. Jorgen'', ''The Feast of St. Jorgen'', russian: Праздник Святого Йоргена, Prazdnik svyatogo Yorgena) is a 1930 Soviet, partly silent comedy film by Yakov Protazanov and starring Igor ...

'' (1930). The highlight of Ktorov's career was his brilliant performance as Paratov in '' Without a Dowry'' (1936), a classic film by Yakov Protazanov. From 1933 to 1980, Ktorov was a permanent member of the troupe at

Moscow Art Theatre The Moscow Art Theatre (or MAT; russian: Московский Художественный академический театр (МХАТ), ''Moskovskiy Hudojestvenny Akademicheskiy Teatr'' (МHАТ)) was a theatre company in Moscow. It was f ...

Later years

Anatoly Ktorov was designated People's Artist of the USSR (1963), was awarded the

Stalin Prize Stalin Prize may refer to: * The State Stalin Prize in science and engineering and in arts, awarded 1941 to 1954, later known as the USSR State Prize The USSR State Prize (russian: links=no, Государственная премия СССР, ...

(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 ''War and Peace'' (russian: Война и мир, translit=Voyna i mir; pre-reform Russian: ; ) is a literary work by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy that mixes fictional narrative with chapters on history and philosophy. It was first published ...

'' (1967) by director

Sergei Bondarchuk Sergei Fyodorovich Bondarchuk (russian: Сергей Фёдорович Бондарчук, ; uk, Сергі́й Федорович Бондарчук, Serhíj Fédorovych Bondarchúk; 25 September 192020 October 1994) was a Soviet and Russian ...

, and then as the King in '' The Ambassador of the Soviet Union'' (1969). Anatoly Ktorov died of natural causes on September 30, 1980, in Moscow, and was laid to rest in

Vvedenskoye Cemetery Vvedenskoye Cemetery ( rus, Введенское кладбище, p=vʲːɪˈdʲenskəjə) is a historic cemetery in the Lefortovo District of Moscow in Russia. Until 1918 it was mainly a burial ground for the Catholic and Protestant communitie ...

in Moscow, Russia.

Filmography

*'' The Ambassador of the Soviet Union'' (1969) as King *''

'' (1965-1967) as Prince Nikolai Andreyevich Bolkonsky *'' Shkola zlosloviya'' (1952) as Joseph Surface *'' Without a Dowry'' (1936) as Sergei Sergeyevich Paratov *''

Marionettes A marionette (; french: marionnette, ) is a puppet controlled from above using wires or strings depending on regional variations. A marionette's puppeteer is called a marionettist. Marionettes are operated with the puppeteer hidden or revealed ...

'' (1934) as "Do" - The Prince *'' Zheleznaya brigada'' (1931) *''

'' (1930) as Kokris *'' Kto ty takoy?'' (1927) *'' Krug'' (1927) *''

The Three Million Trial ''The Three Million Trial'' (russian: Процесс о трех миллионах, italic=yes) is a 1926 cinema of the Soviet Union, Soviet silent comedy film starring Igor Ilyinsky and directed by Yakov Protazanov based on the play ''The Thre ...

'' (1926) as Cascarilla *''

Chess Fever ''Chess Fever'' (russian: Шахматная горячка, Shakhmatnaya goryachka) is a 1925 Soviet silent comedy film directed by Vsevolod Pudovkin and Nikolai Shpikovsky. ''Chess Fever'' is a comedy about the Moscow 1925 chess tournament, m ...

'' (short) (1925) as Tram Passenger *''

His Call ''His Call'' (russian: Его призыв, Yego prizyv) is a 1925 Soviet drama film directed by Yakov Protazanov. It was also released as ''23 January'' (russian: 23 января, italic=yes) in the Soviet Union and as ''Broken Chains'' in the U ...

'' (1925) as Vladimir Zaglobin *''

'' (1925) as young man

Awards and honors

Honored Artist of the RSFSR Honored Artist of the RSFSR (, ''Zasluzhenny artist RSFSR'') was an honorary title granted to Soviet artists, including theatre and film directors, choreographers, music performers, and orchestra conductors, who had outstanding achievements in the ...

(1938) *

Medal "For the Defence of Moscow" The Medal "For the Defence of Moscow" (russian: Медаль «За оборону Москвы») was a World War II campaign medal of the Soviet Union awarded to military and civilians who had participated in the Battle of Moscow. History T ...

(1945) *

Medal "For Valiant Labour in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" The Medal "For Valiant Labour in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" (russian: медаль «За доблестный труд в Великой Отечественной войне 1941–1945 гг.») was a World War II civilian labour awar ...

(1946) *

Medal "In Commemoration of the 800th Anniversary of Moscow" The Medal "In Commemoration of the 800th Anniversary of Moscow" (russian: Медаль «В память 800-летия Москвы») was a state commemorative medal of the Soviet Union established by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Sov ...

(1948) *

People's Artist of the RSFSR People's Artist of the RSFSR (russian: Народный артист РСФСР, ''Narodnyj artist RSFSR'') was an honorary title granted to Soviet Union artists, including theatre and film directors, choreographers, music performers, and orchest ...

(1948) *

, 1st class (1952) – for his role as Coco in the play "The Fruits of Enlightenment" *

(1963) *

Order of Lenin The Order of Lenin (russian: Орден Ленина, Orden Lenina, ), named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was established by the Central Executive Committee on April 6, 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration b ...

(1967) * Two Orders of the Red Banner of Labour (1973, 1978)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ktorov, Anatoly 1898 births 1980 deaths 20th-century Russian male actors Male actors from Moscow Honored Artists of the RSFSR People's Artists of the RSFSR People's Artists of the USSR Stalin Prize winners Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour Russian male film actors Russian male silent film actors Russian male stage actors Soviet male film actors Soviet male silent film actors Soviet male stage actors People with speech impediment Burials at Vvedenskoye Cemetery