Nikolai Afanasyevich Podgorny (russian: Николай Афанасьевич Подгорный, 10 December 1879 — 2 August 1947) was a

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 ...

-born Russian, Soviet actor and later reader in drama, associated with the

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 ...

Career

A 1903 MAT School graduate, Podgorny joined the troupe the same year. Among his acclaimed works here were Baron Tuzenbakh ('' Three Sisters'' 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 ...

, in which he also played Fedotik, and later Ferapont), Medvedenko (''

The Seagull ''The Seagull'' ( rus, Ча́йка, r=Cháyka, links=no) is a play by Russian dramatist Anton Chekhov, written in 1895 and first produced in 1896. ''The Seagull'' is generally considered to be the first of his four major plays. It dramatises t ...

'' by

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 ...

), Petya Trofimov (''

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 ...

'', in which he succeeded

Vasily Kachalov Vasily Ivanovich Kachalov (russian: Василий Иванович Качалов; – 30 September 1948), was one of Russia's most renowned actors. He worked closely and often with Konstantin Stanislavski. He led the so-called Kachalov Group wit ...

), Molchalin (''

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 ...

'', by

Alexander Griboyedov Alexander Sergeyevich Griboyedov (russian: Александр Сергеевич Грибоедов, ''Aleksandr Sergeevich Griboedov'' or ''Sergeevich Griboyedov''; 15 January 179511 February 1829), formerly romanized as Alexander Sergueevich Gri ...

) and the pauper Tyu in ''The Drama of Life'' by

Knut Hamsun Knut Hamsun (4 August 1859 – 19 February 1952) was a Norwegian writer who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1920. Hamsun's work spans more than 70 years and shows variation with regard to consciousness, subject, perspective a ...

("My horrid, stylized, wonderful Tyu,"

Olga Knipper Olga Leonardovna Knipper-Chekhova (russian: Ольга Леонардовна Книппер-Чехова, link=no; – 22 March 1959) was a Russian and Soviet stage actress. She was married to Anton Chekhov. Knipper was among the 39 ori ...

, his partner in this production, addressed him in a letter).Solovyova, Inna
Николай Афанасьевич Подгорный
Biography at the Moscow Art Theatre site In 1913, alongside Nikolai Alexandrov and

Nikolai Massalitinov Nikolai Osipovich Massalitinov (russian: Николай Осипович Массалитинов, 24 February 1880, Yelets, Oryol Governorate, Russian Empire, — 22 March 1961, Sofia, Bulgaria) was a Russian (later Bulgarian) stage actor, thea ...

he co-founded the private Drama School, known popularly as the "School of the Three Nikolais", which in 1916 formed the basis for the MAT Second Studio. In 1919, at the height of the

Russian Civil War , date = October Revolution, 7 November 1917 – Yakut revolt, 16 June 1923{{Efn, The main phase ended on 25 October 1922. Revolt against the Bolsheviks continued Basmachi movement, in Central Asia and Tungus Republic, the Far East th ...

, Podgorny, then a member part of the Kachalov Troupe, found himself stranded in Europe. Taking enormous risks, he, on his own, managed to cross several frontlines and miraculously make it to Moscow. In 1920s and early 1930s he was the MAT's Repertoire department director and, arguably, the most influential figure in the theatre after Stanislavski himself. Podgorny appeared in five Soviet films, including ''And Quiet Flows the Don'' (Тихий Дон, 1930, silent; 1933, sound version; as Panteleymon Melekhov) and ''Dead House'' (Мёртвый дом, as

Konstantin Pobedonostsev Konstantin Petrovich Pobedonostsev ( rus, Константи́н Петро́вич Победоно́сцев, p=kənstɐnʲˈtʲin pʲɪˈtrovʲɪtɕ pəbʲɪdɐˈnostsɨf; 30 November 1827 – 23 March 1907) was a Russian jurist, statesman, ...

). Podgorny was honoured with the titles the Meritorious Artist of the Republic (1928) and the Meritorious Practitioner of Arts of the RSFSR (1938).Nikolai Podgorny
Soviet Theatre Encyclopedia

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Podgony, Nikolai Male actors from the Russian Empire Soviet male actors Male actors from Moscow Moscow Art Theatre 1879 births 1947 deaths