Konstantin Arkadyevich Raikin (russian: Константи́н Арка́дьевич Ра́йкин; July 8, 1950,
Leningrad
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
,
USSR
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
) is a
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 ...
actor
An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...
and theatre director, the head of the
Moscow Satyricon Theatre (since 1988). Konstantin Raikin has been honoured with the titles
Meritorious Artist of Russia (1985) and the
People's Artist of Russia
People's Artist of the Russian Federation (russian: Народный артист Российской Федерации, ''Narodnyy artist Rossiyskoy Federatsii''), also sometimes translated as National Artist of the Russian Federation, is an h ...
(1993). Among his accolades are the
Russian State Prize
The State Prize of the Russian Federation, officially translated in Russia as Russian Federation National Award, is a state honorary prize established in 1992 following the breakup of the Soviet Union. In 2004 the rules for selection of laureates ...
(1995), the
Order "For Merit to the Fatherland"
The Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" (russian: Орден «За заслуги перед Отечеством», ''Orden "Za zaslugi pered Otechestvom"'') is a state decoration of the Russian Federation. It was instituted on 2 March 1994 by P ...
(III, IV – 2000, 2010) and the
Golden Mask award (1995, 2000, 2005, 2008).
He is the son of
Arkady Raikin
Arkady Isaakovich Raikin (russian: Аркадий Исаакович Райкин; – 17 December 1987) was a Soviet stand-up comedian, theater and film actor, and stage director. He led the school of Soviet and Russian humorists for about hal ...
, the legendary Soviet actor and
stand-up comedian
Stand-up comedy is a comedy, comedic performance to a live audience in which the performer addresses the audience directly from the stage. The performer is known as a comedian, a comic or a stand-up.
Stand-up comedy consists of One-line joke ...
.
Biography
Early life and education
Konstantin Raikin was born July 8, 1950 in
Leningrad
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
in the family of People's Artist of the USSR
Arkady Raikin
Arkady Isaakovich Raikin (russian: Аркадий Исаакович Райкин; – 17 December 1987) was a Soviet stand-up comedian, theater and film actor, and stage director. He led the school of Soviet and Russian humorists for about hal ...
and actress Ruth Raikina-Ioffe (Roma).
Konstantin studied at the
Physics and Mathematics School for gifted children at the
Leningrad University
Saint Petersburg State University (SPBU; russian: Санкт-Петербургский государственный университет) is a public research university in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Founded in 1724 by a decree of Peter the G ...
. He studied in a class with a biological major, and all his free time he spent at the
Leningrad Zoo
The Leningrad Zoo (russian: Ленингра́дский зоопа́рк), sometimes called the Saint Petersburg Zoo or Sankt-Peterburgskiy Zoopark (russian: Санкт-Петербу́ргский зоопа́рк), in Saint Petersburg (forme ...
, where he cleaned after the animals. At the end of the school, he even intended to enter the Faculty of Biology of Leningrad University, but after the final exams he decided to enter the theater school.
In 1967 he entered the
Boris Shchukin Theatre Institute
The Boris Shchukin Theatre Institute (russian: Театральный институт имени Бориса Щукина) is a Russian drama college in Moscow, formed in 1914 as part of the Vakhtangov Theatre. In 2002 it was granted the Academy ...
and was enrolled in the course of Yuri Katin-Yartsev.
Theatre career
![Vladimir Putin with Konstantin Raykin-2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/Vladimir_Putin_with_Konstantin_Raykin-2.jpg)
After graduation in 1971, Raikin was invited by
Galina Volchek
Galina Borisovna (Berovna) Volchek (russian: Гали́на Бори́совна Во́лчек; 19 December 1933 – 26 December 2019) was a Soviet and Russian stage and film actress, theater director and pedagogue. People's Artist of the USSR ...
to the
Sovremennik Theatre
Moscow Sovremennik Theatre (russian: Московский театр «Современник») is a theatre company in Moscow founded in 1956. "Sovremennik" means "Contemporary". , where he worked for 10 years, having played 38 roles during this time, including 15 main ones. Among them: Valentine - ''Valentine and Valentine'' by
Mikhail Roshchin
Mikhail Mikhailovich Roshchin (russian: Михаи́л Миха́йлович Ро́щин; 10 February 1933 – 1 October 2010) was a Russian playwright, screenwriter and short story writer.
Biography
He was born to Mikhail Gibelman (born 19 ...
, David - ''As Brother to Brother'' by Jane Reib, ''From Lopatin's Notes'' by
Konstantin Simonov
Konstantin Mikhailovich Simonov, born Kirill Mikhailovich Simonov (russian: link= no, Константин Михайлович Симонов, – 28 August 1979), was a Soviet author, war poet, playwright and wartime correspondent, arguabl ...
, Sir Andrew Etjuchik - ''
Twelfth Night
''Twelfth Night'', or ''What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Vio ...
'', Hamlet - ''
Etudes for Hamlet'' by
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
, Jean Jacques Bouton - ''
The Cabal of Hypocrites
''The Cabal of Hypocrites'' (russian: Кабала святош, translit=Kabala svyatosh) is a four-act play by Mikhail Bulgakov also known as ''Molière''.
Written in 1929 for the Moscow Art Theatre, it was read by Bulgakov for Stanislavski a ...
'' by
Mikhail Bulgakov
Mikhail Afanasyevich Bulgakov ( rus, links=no, Михаил Афанасьевич Булгаков, p=mʲɪxɐˈil ɐfɐˈnasʲjɪvʲɪtɕ bʊlˈɡakəf; – 10 March 1940) was a Soviet writer, medical doctor, and playwright active in the fir ...
and others.
In 1981, Raikin moved to the
Leningrad Theater of Miniatures under the leadership of Arkady Raikin. In 1982 the theater moved to Moscow and became the State Theater of Miniatures (in 1987 it was renamed as the Moscow Theater "Satyricon"). During this period, together with his father, he played the plays ''His Majesty the Theater'' (1981) and ''Peace to Your Home'' (1984). In the play ''Faces'' by Mikhail Mishin, Raikin not only performed the main role, but also acted as a choreographer.
In 1985, he played his author's program ''Come on, actor! ..''
In 1988, after the death of Arkady Raikin, the artistic direction of the theater "Satyricon" passed to Raikin. In the same year, the play ''The Maids'' by
Jean Genet
Jean Genet (; – ) was a French novelist, playwright, poet, essayist, and political activist. In his early life he was a vagabond and petty criminal, but he later became a writer and playwright. His major works include the novels ''The Thief's ...
appeared in the theater of Roman Viktyuk, which became an event in the theatrical life of the capital. The performance was a huge success, among the numerous prizes received by ''The Maids'' at international festivals was the award for the virtuosity of the acting performance awarded to the actors (BITEF Festival, 1990).
In the early 1990s Raikin acted in the plays staged by director Leonid Trushkin, the role of George in the play ''Ibid, Then ...'', Slade at the Anton Chekhov Theater and Cyrano in the play ''
Cyrano de Bergerac
Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac ( , ; 6 March 1619 – 28 July 1655) was a French novelist, playwright, epistolarian, and duelist.
A bold and innovative author, his work was part of the libertine literature of the first half of the 17th cen ...
'' by Rostand (co-production of "Satyricon" and Anton Chekhov Theater).
In 1994, he played the role of poet and madman Bruno in the play ''The Magnificent Cuckold'' by
Fernand Crommelynck
Fernand Crommelynck (19 November 1886 – 17 March 1970) was a Belgian dramatist. His work is known for farces in which commonplace weaknesses are developed into monumental obsessions.
Biography
He was born into a family of actors, the child ...
staged by Peter Fomenko. For this role, Raikin was awarded the State Prize of the Russian Federation in the field of literature and art in 1995, and the Association of Cultural Figures "Muses of Freedom" handed Raikin the
Crystal Turandot Award
The Crystal Turandot Awards are Russian theatre awards created in 1991. They are awarded at the Vakhtangov Theatre in Moscow, where the winner receives a crystal figurine of Princess Turandot, the main character of ''Turandot'', a play first staged ...
for the best male role.
In 1995, the premiere of the play ''
The Metamorphosis
''Metamorphosis'' (german: Die Verwandlung) is a novella written by Franz Kafka which was first published in 1915. One of Kafka's best-known works, ''Metamorphosis'' tells the story of salesman Gregor Samsa, who wakes one morning to find himsel ...
'' by
Franz Kafka
Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a German-speaking Bohemian novelist and short-story writer, widely regarded as one of the major figures of 20th-century literature. His work fuses elements of realism and the fantastic. It ...
directed by Valery Fokin (together with the Creative Center named after Vsevolod Meyerhold), in which Raikin played the role of Gregor Zamza. For this work, he was awarded the national theater prize of the Union of theatrical figures of the Russian Federation
Golden Mask.
In 1996, Raikin played the role of Mack the Knife in
Bertolt Brecht's ''
The Threepenny Opera
''The Threepenny Opera'' ( ) is a "play with music" by Bertolt Brecht, adapted from a translation by Elisabeth Hauptmann of John Gay's 18th-century English ballad opera, ''The Beggar's Opera'', and four ballads by François Villon, with music ...
'' (directed by
Vladimir Mashkov
Vladimir Lvovich Mashkov ( Russian: Владимир Львович Машков; born 27 November 1963) is a Soviet and Russian actor and director of cinema, known to Western audiences for his work in the 2001 film '' Behind Enemy Lines'' and 2 ...
). His next actor's work was the role of Jacques in the play "Jacques and His Lord" by
Milan Kundera
Milan Kundera (, ; born 1 April 1929) is a Czech writer who went into exile in France in 1975, becoming a naturalised French citizen in 1981. Kundera's Czechoslovak citizenship was revoked in 1979, then conferred again in 2019. He "sees himself ...
. For this work Raikin was awarded the Stanislavsky Prize and the "Kumir" Prize.
In 1998 Raikin played the main role in the play ''Hamlet'' by Shakespeare, staged by the famous Georgian director Robert Sturua. This work was crowned with great success by the audience and theatrical criticism. In the summer of 1999 the performance was shown in the framework of the theatrical project "Hamlet-2000" in Plovdiv (Bulgaria).
In 2000 occurred the premiere of the solo performance of Raikin ''
Der Kontrabaß
''Der Kontrabaß'' (''The Double Bass'') is a play by Patrick Süskind. The monologue in one act premiered in 1981.
History
The manuscript of the play by Patrick Süskind dates back to 1980. The monologue in one act, the author's first work for ...
'' by
Patrick Süskind
Patrick Süskind (; born 26 March 1949) is a German writer and screenwriter, known best for his novel '' Perfume: The Story of a Murderer'', first published in 1985.
Early life
Süskind was born in Ambach, Bavaria. His father was writer and jo ...
, the work in which brought the actor a second "Golden Mask".
In 2002, Raikin played the main role in the play ''Signor Todero Host'' based on the play by
Carlo Goldoni Carlo is a given name. It is an Italian form of Charles. It can refer to:
*Carlo (name)
*Monte Carlo
*Carlingford, New South Wales, a suburb in north-west Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
*A satirical song written by Dafydd Iwan about Prince Char ...
, staged by Robert Sturua, for which he was awarded the Stanislavsky Prize at the Moscow Premiere.
In 2004, in "Satyricon" Raikin played the role of Richard in the play ''
Richard III
Richard III (2 October 145222 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Battl ...
'' by Shakespeare in the production of St. Petersburg director Yuri Butusov, for which he received the third "Golden Mask" (nomination "the best male role").
This was followed by works in the plays ''Cosmetic Enemy'' directed by Roman Kozak (the role of Textor Texel), ''
King Lear
''King Lear'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare.
It is based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his power and land between two of his daughters. He becomes destitute and insane an ...
'' by Yuri Butusov (Lear), for this work the actor was awarded the fourth National Theater Prize "Golden Mask", ''
It's Not All Shrovetide for the Cat'' (the role of Ermil Zotych Ahov), and others.
Raikin works a lot in "Satyricon" as a director. He staged the plays ''Hercules and Augean Stables'' (together with Shkolnik, 1988), ''Mowgli'' (1990), ''Such Free Butterflies'' (1993), ''
Romeo and Juliet
''Romeo and Juliet'' is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetim ...
'' (1995), ''Chioggino skirmishes'' (1997), ''The Quartet'' (1999), ''Chauntecleer'' (2001), ''The Land of Love'' (2004), ''Funny Money'' (2005), ''The Queen of Beauty'' (2007), ''The Lonely West'' (2007), ''The Blue Monster'' (2008), ''Profitable place'' (2003, 2009), ''Poplars and the Wind'' (2009), ''Money'' (2010).
Film career
Konstantin Raikin made his cinematic debut in 1969 with a very small role in the film "Tomorrow, April 3rd ...", based on Zverev's stories, then there was a small role for the ship's cook in the military film ''
Commander of the Lucky "Pike"
''Commander of the Lucky 'Pike (russian: Командир счастливой 'Щуки', Komandir schastlivoi 'Schuki') is a 1972 Soviet war film directed by Boris Volchek.
The film's title is a pun in Russian, the submarine 'Щ-721' is nickna ...
''.
Fame for the actor came after the release in 1974 of the first Soviet western ''
At Home Among Strangers
''Friend to Foes, Foe to Friends'' (russian: Свой среди чужих, чужой среди своих; ''Svoy sredi chuzhikh, chuzhoy sredi svoikh'') is a 1974 Soviet film starring Yuri Bogatyryov and Anatoly Solonitsyn and directed by Ni ...
'' by director Nikita Mikhalkov, in which he played the role of Tatar Kayum.
He was widely known for his roles in the films ''
Much Ado about Nothing
''Much Ado About Nothing'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare thought to have been written in 1598 and 1599.See textual notes to ''Much Ado About Nothing'' in ''The Norton Shakespeare'' ( W. W. Norton & Company, 1997 ) p. 1387 The play ...
'' (directed by
Samson Samsonov
Samson Iosifovich Samsonov (russian: Самсо́н Ио́сифович Самсо́нов; 23 February 1921 – 31 August 2002) was a Soviet and Russian film director and screenwriter, he was granted the honorary title of People's Artist of the ...
, 1971), ''
Truffaldino from Bergamo'' (TV, directed by Vladimir Vorobyov, 1976), ''
Island of Lost Ships
''Island of Lost Ships'' (russian: Остров погибших кораблей, Ostrov pogibshikh korabley) is a 1987 Soviet two-part musical television miniseries directed by Evgeniy Ginzburg and Rauf Mamedov and based on the eponymous novel b ...
'', (TV, director Eugene Ginzburg, 1988 ), ''Shadow, or Maybe everything will be fine'' (TV, director Mikhail Kozakov, 1990).
In addition to these films, Raikin starred in the films ''Comedy about Lysistratus'', ''Rouen Maiden nicknamed Pyshka'', ''Russian ragtime'', ''Shooting Angels'', ''Simple-minded''. In 2001, he played the role of Poirot in the television movie Poirot's Error, based on
Agatha Christie
Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictiona ...
's novel
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
''The Murder of Roger Ackroyd'' is a work of detective fiction by British writer Agatha Christie, first published in June 1926 in the United Kingdom by William Collins, Sons and in the United States by Dodd, Mead and Company. It is the third no ...
(directed by Sergei Ursulyak).
Teaching
Since 2001, Konstantin Arkadevich has been heading the course at the Moscow Art Theater School (professor at the Moscow Art Theater School). In 2005, the first graduating students of the acting faculty - the Raikin course - took place. The diploma performance "Country of Love" based on the play "The Snow Maiden" by Alexei Ostrovsky became a calling card of young artists. He entered the theater's repertoire. With these young artists Raikin staged the play "ABC of the Artist", a class concert with the subtitle "So We Learned", in which he himself took part.
In 2009, the second issue of the students of his course was held. Several artists of this release also joined the theater's troupe.
August 1, 2010, under the guidance of People's Artist of Russia Konstantin Raikin in
Karlovy Vary
Karlovy Vary (; german: Karlsbad, formerly also spelled ''Carlsbad'' in English) is a spa town, spa city in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 46,000 inhabitants. It lies on the confluence of the rivers Ohře and Teplá. ...
(Czech Republic) opens the International School of Russian Theater.
Since 1975 Raikin is a member of the Union of Theater Workers of Russia.
Since 2001, he has been a member of the Presidential Council for Culture and Art.
Honors
The activity of Konstantin Raikin is marked by many professional and state awards.
In 1985 he was awarded the title of
Honored Artist of the Russian Federation
Merited Artist of the Russian Federation (russian: link=no, Заслуженный артист Российской Федерации, ''Zasluzhenny artist Rossiyskoy Federatsii'') is an honorary title in the Russian Federation. The title is ...
.
In 1992 he was awarded the title of
People's Artist of Russia
People's Artist of the Russian Federation (russian: Народный артист Российской Федерации, ''Narodnyy artist Rossiyskoy Federatsii''), also sometimes translated as National Artist of the Russian Federation, is an h ...
.
He is a laureate of the State Prizes of the Russian Federation (1995, 2002) in the field of literature and art, a laureate of theater awards: the Prize of the Association of Cultural Figures "Muses of Freedom" "Crystal Turandot" (1995), the International Stanislavsky Prize (1998) business circles "Kumir" (1999), the Prize of the Foundation. Stanislavsky "Moscow premiere" (2002), the theatrical prize "Seagull" in the nomination "Mask of Zorro" for the role of Richard III, the Triumph Award (2008), four times laureate of the National Theater Award of the Union of Theatrical Figures of the Russian Federation ''
Golden Mask'' (1995, 2000, 2003, 2008).
Konstantin Raikin was awarded the
Order "For Merit to the Fatherland"
The Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" (russian: Орден «За заслуги перед Отечеством», ''Orden "Za zaslugi pered Otechestvom"'') is a state decoration of the Russian Federation. It was instituted on 2 March 1994 by P ...
of the IV degree (2000).
Filmography
*''
Commander of the Lucky "Pike"
''Commander of the Lucky 'Pike (russian: Командир счастливой 'Щуки', Komandir schastlivoi 'Schuki') is a 1972 Soviet war film directed by Boris Volchek.
The film's title is a pun in Russian, the submarine 'Щ-721' is nickna ...
'' (1972)
*''
Much Ado About Nothing
''Much Ado About Nothing'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare thought to have been written in 1598 and 1599.See textual notes to ''Much Ado About Nothing'' in ''The Norton Shakespeare'' ( W. W. Norton & Company, 1997 ) p. 1387 The play ...
'' (1973)
*''
At Home Among Strangers
''Friend to Foes, Foe to Friends'' (russian: Свой среди чужих, чужой среди своих; ''Svoy sredi chuzhikh, chuzhoy sredi svoikh'') is a 1974 Soviet film starring Yuri Bogatyryov and Anatoly Solonitsyn and directed by Ni ...
'' (1974)
*''
Truffaldino from Bergamo'' (1976)
*''
Island of Lost Ships
''Island of Lost Ships'' (russian: Остров погибших кораблей, Ostrov pogibshikh korabley) is a 1987 Soviet two-part musical television miniseries directed by Evgeniy Ginzburg and Rauf Mamedov and based on the eponymous novel b ...
'' (1987)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Raikin, Konstantin Arkadyevich
1950 births
Living people
20th-century Russian male actors
21st-century Russian male actors
Theatre directors from Saint Petersburg
Moscow Art Theatre School faculty
Honored Artists of the RSFSR
People's Artists of Russia
Recipients of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", 3rd class
Recipients of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", 4th class
State Prize of the Russian Federation laureates
Jewish Russian actors
Russian male film actors
Russian male stage actors
Russian male television actors
Russian theatre directors
Soviet Jews
Soviet male film actors
Soviet male stage actors
Soviet male television actors
Soviet theatre directors
Russian activists against the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine