Igor Vladimirovich Ilyinsky (russian: И́горь Влади́мирович Ильи́нский; 24 July 1901 – 13 January 1987) was a Soviet and Russian stage and film actor, director and comedian.

Hero of Socialist Labour The Hero of Socialist Labour (russian: links=no, Герой Социалистического Труда, Geroy Sotsialisticheskogo Truda) was an honorific title in the Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact countries from 1938 to 1991. It repre ...

(1974) and

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 ...

(1949).

Early years

Igor Ilyinsky was born on 24 July 1901 in Moscow. At age 16 he entered the Theatre Studio of

Theodore Komisarjevsky Fyodor Fyodorovich Komissarzhevsky (russian: Фёдор Фёдорович Комиссаржевский; 23 May 1882 – 17 April 1954), or Theodore Komisarjevsky, was a Russian, later British, theatrical director and designer. He began his car ...

and in half a year already debuted on the professional stage in

Komissarzhevskaya Theatre The Komissarzhevskaya Theatre (russian: Академический драматический театр имени В. Ф. Комиссаржевской) is a theatre in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is named after Vera Komissarzhevskaya. His ...

. His first theatre role was that of the "Old Man" in

Aristophanes Aristophanes (; grc, Ἀριστοφάνης, ; c. 446 – c. 386 BC), son of Philippus, of the deme In Ancient Greece, a deme or ( grc, δῆμος, plural: demoi, δημοι) was a suburb or a subdivision of Athens and other city-states ...

' play ''

Lysistrata ''Lysistrata'' ( or ; Attic Greek: , ''Lysistrátē'', "Army Disbander") is an ancient Greek comedy by Aristophanes, originally performed in classical Athens in 411 BC. It is a comic account of a woman's extraordinary mission to end the Peloponne ...

''. In 1920, he joined the

Vsevolod Meyerhold Vsevolod Emilyevich Meyerhold (russian: Всеволод Эмильевич Мейерхольд, translit=Vsévolod Èmíl'evič Mejerchól'd; born german: Karl Kasimir Theodor Meyerhold; 2 February 1940) was a Russian and Soviet theatre ...

Theatre. The young actor's style was in correspondence with the principles of Meyerhold, and so Ilyinsky soon became the central actor of that theatre. He worked with Meyerhold on several of his most famous productions: ''Mistery-Buffo'' (1921), ''The Forest'' (1924), ''The Magnanimous Cuckold'' (1926), ''Woe to Wit'' (1928), ''The Bedbug'' (1929). Alongside Erast Garin, he was the most prominent actor in the Meyerhold theater and this is where he learned the acting technique called Biomechanics.

Career in silent cinema

In the mid-1920s Ilyinsky started to appear in movies, where he also played vivid comic characters. In 1924,

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 ...

featured him in his futuristic film ''

Aelita ''Aelita'' (russian: Аэли́та, ), also known as ''Aelita: Queen of Mars'', is a 1924 Soviet silent film, silent science fiction film directed by Yakov Protazanov and produced at the Gorky Film Studio, Mezhrabpom-Rus film studio. It was b ...

'', which was followed by his role in Protazanov's comedy ''

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). In 1926, he appeared in three films.

“I can act on the roof of a train carriage, on the radiator of a moving car, on back of a galloping horse, or while swimming in the sea”.

1930s-1950s

In 1938 he joined the

Maly Theatre The Maly Theatre, or Mali Theatre, may refer to one of several different theatres: * The Maly Theatre (Moscow), also known as The State Academic Maly Theatre of Russia, in Moscow (founded in 1756 and given its own building in 1824) * The Maly Thea ...

that had been his favourite one since school years. Afterwards Ilyinsky stayed in the Maly Theatre for almost fifty years and even staged several plays there himself. Ilyinsky would later write that it was Russian classic literature that had helped him overcome the crisis and feeling that he had been unable to create new characters, different from the previous ones. An outstandingly prolific period in the actor's life was related to his work with the film director

Grigori Aleksandrov Grigori Vasilyevich Aleksandrov or Alexandrov (russian: Григо́рий Васи́льевич Алекса́ндров; original family name was Мормоненко or Mormonenko; 23 January 1903 – 16 December 1983) was a prominent Soviet ...

. In 1938 Ilyinsky splendidly acted as Byvalov in the comedy

Volga-Volga ''Volga-Volga'' (russian: Волга-Волга) is a Soviet musical comedy directed by Grigori Aleksandrov, released on April 24, 1938. It centres on a group of amateur performers on their way to Moscow to perform in a talent contest called th ...

(for this role, he was awarded

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, ...

in 1941). He deliberately avoided any comic traits in his character to create a common image of a red-tapist. The starting point for him was the gracious and stirring character of

Lyubov Orlova Lyubov Petrovna Orlova (russian: link=no, Любовь Петровна Орлова ; – 26 January 1975) was a Soviet and Russian actress, singer, dancer and People's Artist of the USSR (1950). Life and career She was born to a family o ...

. He decided to create a totally contrasting character, which he succeeded in. That role brought Ilyinsky the State Prize.

Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secretar ...

reportedly watched the film sixteen times. At Molotov's birthday party Stalin flung Ilyinsky a remark: “Ah, Byvalov! You are a bureaucrat and I am a bureaucrat. We shall understand each other”. The success of that movie determined the development of Soviet film comedy for the next several decades. However, after the film Ilyinsky almost stopped his film acting. In the mid-1950s Ilyinsky finally got a chance to act in a movie. It was a light comedy, ''

A Crazy Day ''A Crazy Day'' (russian: Безумный день) is a 1956 Soviet comedy film directed by . Plot The manager wants the creche to open on time and he is ready to do everything possible for this. But the trouble is: the bureaucrat does not wan ...

''. The character created by Ilyinsky was a repetition of what he had done 20 years earlier. He managed to play a truly starry film role only 18 years after Volga-Volga. It was the role of the bureaucrat Ogurtsov in the smash-hit comedy ''

Carnival Night ''Carnival Night'' (russian: Карнавальная ночь, Karnavalnaya noch) is a 1956 Soviet musical film. It is Eldar Ryazanov's first big-screen film, Lyudmila Gurchenko's first role and also one of the most famous films starring popular ...

'', directed by

Eldar Ryazanov Eldar Aleksandrovich Ryazanov (russian: Эльдар Александрович Рязанов; 18 November 1927 – 30 November 2015) was a Soviet and Russian film director, screenwriter, poet, actor and pedagogue whose popular comedies, satiriz ...

''“I was not going to feature the great Igor Ilyinsky in Carnival Night - I felt timid, and understood that being a coryphaeus he would suppress me. When Pyryev offered him for the role of Ogurtsov, I just panicked: he was my idol from childhood, the famous actor of the Meyerhold Theatre! And me, directing my first film, on the other scale!”'' (Eldar Ryazanov)

Later years

In Maly Theatre at the same time Ilyinsky shifted to portrayals of deeply tragic characters, in particular, from

Fyodor Dostoyevsky Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky (, ; rus, Фёдор Михайлович Достоевский, Fyódor Mikháylovich Dostoyévskiy, p=ˈfʲɵdər mʲɪˈxajləvʲɪdʑ dəstɐˈjefskʲɪj, a=ru-Dostoevsky.ogg, links=yes; 11 November 18219 ...

and

Leo Tolstoy Count Lev Nikolayevich TolstoyTolstoy pronounced his first name as , which corresponds to the romanization ''Lyov''. () (; russian: link=no, Лев Николаевич Толстой,In Tolstoy's day, his name was written as in pre-refor ...

. In the late 1960s Ilyinsky went into stage directing. His first stage production was the stage version of

Gustave Flaubert Gustave Flaubert ( , , ; 12 December 1821 – 8 May 1880) was a French novelist. Highly influential, he has been considered the leading exponent of literary realism in his country. According to the literary theorist Kornelije Kvas, "in Flauber ...

's popular novel ''

Madame Bovary ''Madame Bovary'' (; ), originally published as ''Madame Bovary: Provincial Manners'' ( ), is a novel by France, French writer Gustave Flaubert, published in 1856. The eponymous character lives beyond her means in order to escape the banalities ...

''. The last period of Ilyinsky's career was marked by his portrayal of

in the play ''Turning Full Circle and of Firs'', and his performance in ''

The Cherry Orchard ''The Cherry Orchard'' (russian: Вишнёвый сад, translit=Vishnyovyi sad) is the last play by Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. Written in 1903, it was first published by ''Znaniye'' (Book Two, 1904), and came out as a separate edition ...

'' by

Anton Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; 29 January 1860 Old Style date 17 January. – 15 July 1904 Old Style date 2 July.) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer who is considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career ...

. As a very old person Igor Ilyinsky acted a lot on the radio – almost blind, he was accompanied to the studio.

Death

Igor Ilyinsky died on 13 January 1987, aged 85. His widow, actress Tatyana Yeremeyeva, died on 29 November 2012, aged 99.

Legacy

* A

minor planet According to the International Astronomical Union (IAU), a minor planet is an astronomical object in direct orbit around the Sun that is exclusively classified as neither a planet nor a comet. Before 2006, the IAU officially used the term ''minor ...

3622 Ilinsky, discovered by Soviet astronomer Lyudmila Zhuravleva in 1981 is named after Igor Ilyinsky.

Filmography

*1924: ''

'' as Kravtsov, amateur sleuth *1924: ''

Papirosnitsa ot Mosselproma ''The Cigarette Girl from Mosselprom'' (russian: Папиросница от Моссельпрома, Papirosnitsa ot Mosselproma) is a 1924 Soviet film. The silent comedy film is directed by Yuri Zhelyabuzhsky and stars Igor Ilyinsky. Plot ...

'' as Nikodim Mityushin, bookkeeper *1925: ''

'' as Petya Petelkin *1926: ''

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 ...

'' as Tapioka *1926: ''

Miss Mend ''Miss Mend'' (also known as ''The Adventures of the Three Reporters'') is a 1926 Soviet spy film, originally realised in three parts, directed by and starring Boris Barnet and Fyodor Otsep. It is loosely based on the books by Marietta Shaginya ...

'' as Tom Hopkins, clerk *1926: ''Kogda probuzhdayutsa mertvye'' *1927: '' A Kiss From Mary Pickford'' as Goga *1928: '' Kukla s millionami'' as Pierre Cuisinai *1930: ''

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 ...

'' as Franz Schulz *1931: '' Shakhta 12-28'' as The Angel *1936: '' Odnazhdy letom'' as Teleskop / professor Sen-Verbuda *1938: ''

'' as Byvalov *1952: '' Na vsyakogo mudretsa dovolno prostoty'' as Krutitsky *1952: ''

Woe from Wit ''Woe from Wit'' (, also translated as "The Woes of Wit", "Wit Works Woe", ''Wit's End'', and so forth) is Alexander Griboyedov's comedy in verse, satirizing the society of post-Napoleonic Moscow, or, as a high official in the play styled it, "a ...

'' as Anton Antonovich Zagoretski *1952: ''

Wolves and Sheep ''Wolves and Sheep'' (russian: Волки и овцы) is a play by Alexander Ostrovsky. It was written in 1875, and published in the journal Otechestvennye Zapiski, №11, the same year. It was staged for the first time in St. Petersburg, Decembe ...

'' as Appolon Murzavetsky *1953: '' Zvanyy uzhin'' (Short) *1956: '' Crazy Day'' (Безумный день) as Zajtsev *1956: ''

'' as Serafim Ivanovich Ogurtsov *1962: ''

Hussar Ballad ''The Hussar Ballad'' (russian: Гусарская баллада, Gusarskaya ballada) is a 1962 Soviet musical film by Eldar Ryazanov, filmed on Mosfilm. In effect, it is one of the best loved musical comedies in Russia. With most of its dialogu ...

'' as

Mikhail Kutuzov Prince Mikhail Illarionovich Golenishchev-Kutuzov ( rus, Князь Михаи́л Илларио́нович Голени́щев-Куту́зов, Knyaz' Mikhaíl Illariónovich Goleníshchev-Kutúzov; german: Mikhail Illarion Golenishchev-Kut ...

*1962: '' Dinner Time'' *1969: '' Staryy znakomyy'' *1972: '' Eti raznye, raznye litsa'' *1974: '' Yunga severnogo flota'' *1976: ''

This Is the House That Jack Built "This Is the House That Jack Built" is a popular English nursery rhyme and cumulative tale. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 20854. It is Aarne–Thompson–Uther Index type 2035. Lyrics This is perhaps the most common set of modern l ...

'' (Short) as Narrator (voice)

Honours and awards

(1974) *

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 ...

(1942) *

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 ...

(1945) *

(1949) * Three

Orders 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, 1971, 1974) *

Order of the October Revolution The Order of the October Revolution (russian: Орден Октябрьской Революции, ''Orden Oktyabr'skoy Revolyutsii'') was instituted on October 31, 1967, in time for the 50th anniversary of the October Revolution. It was conferr ...

(1986) *

Order of the Red Banner of Labour The Order of the Red Banner of Labour (russian: Орден Трудового Красного Знамени, translit=Orden Trudovogo Krasnogo Znameni) was an order of the Soviet Union established to honour great deeds and services to th ...

, three times (1939, 1949 and 1961) *

Order of Friendship of Peoples The Order of Friendship of Peoples (russian: oрден Дружбы народов, translit=orden Druzhby narodov) was an order of the Soviet Union, and was awarded to persons (including non-citizens), organizations, enterprises, military unit ...

(1981) * Lenin Prize (1980) *

, 1st class, three times ** for his role as Byvalov in the 1938 film "Volga-Volga" (1941) ** for his role of garlic in the play "In the steppes of Ukraine" AE Korneichuk (1942) ** for his role in the play "Unforgettable 1919" by V. Vishnevskyand (1951)

References

External links

*
"A modest life of jolly comedian" (in Russian)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ilyinsky, Igor 1901 births 1987 deaths 20th-century Russian male actors Male actors from Moscow People from Moskovsky Uyezd Communist Party of the Soviet Union members Modernist theatre Heroes of Socialist Labour Honored Artists of the RSFSR People's Artists of the RSFSR People's Artists of the USSR Stalin Prize winners Lenin Prize winners Recipients of the Order of Friendship of Peoples 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 Russian male voice actors Russian theatre directors Silent film comedians Soviet male film actors Soviet male silent film actors Soviet male stage actors Soviet male voice actors Soviet theatre directors Spoken word artists Burials at Novodevichy Cemetery