Vitaly Mefodievich Solomin (russian: link=no, Виталий Мефодьевич Соломин; 12 December 194127 May 2002) was a Soviet and Russian actor, director and screenwriter, best remembered for playing
Dr. Watson
John H. Watson, known as Dr. Watson, is a fictional character in the Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Along with Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson first appeared in the novel ''A Study in Scarlet'' (1887). The last work by Doyle fe ...
in a series of
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes () is a fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a " consulting detective" in the stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and ...
adaptations
for Soviet television. He was the younger brother of
Yury Solomin
Yury Mefodievich Solomin (russian: Ю́рий Мефо́диевич Соло́мин; born June 18, 1935 in Chita) is a Soviet and Russian actor and director who has been art director of the Maly Theatre in Moscow since 1988. Minister of Culture ...
.
Biography
Vitaly Solomin was born in 1941 in
Chita, Zabaykalsky Krai
Chita ( rus, Чита, p=tɕɪˈta, , ) is a city and the administrative center of Zabaykalsky Krai, Russia, located on the Trans-Siberian Railway route, roughly east of Irkutsk.
Geography
Chita lies at the confluence of the Chita and Ingoda R ...
, Soviet Union, to a family of professional musicians. From childhood he was fascinated by music and learned to play the piano. On leaving school he went to Moscow and in 1959 he entered
Shchepkin's drama school. He studied in the class of
Nikolay Annenkov
Nikolay Aleksandrovich Annenkov (russian: Никола́й Алекса́ндрович А́нненков; , Kalugino, Tambov Governorate – 30 September 1999, Moscow) was the longest-lived People's Artist of the USSR before Igor Moiseyev ...
.
While a student, Vitaly rehearsed and performed at 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 ...
. After finishing the school he became an actor at this theater.
In the 1960s Vitaly Solomin began to appear in films. He debuted in 1963 in ''1 Newton street''. His first big role was as Kirill in the 1966 film ''Elder sister''.
Vitaly Solomin shot to fame after playing the leading role as Cossack Roman in the epic film ''
Dauria
Transbaikal, Trans-Baikal, Transbaikalia ( rus, Забайка́лье, r=Zabaykalye, p=zəbɐjˈkalʲjɪ), or Dauria (, ''Dauriya'') is a mountainous region to the east of or "beyond" (trans-) Lake Baikal in Far Eastern Russia.
The steppe an ...
'' (1971) where he worked with his brother
Yury Solomin
Yury Mefodievich Solomin (russian: Ю́рий Мефо́диевич Соло́мин; born June 18, 1935 in Chita) is a Soviet and Russian actor and director who has been art director of the Maly Theatre in Moscow since 1988. Minister of Culture ...
and other Russian stars, such as
Yefim Kopelyan
Yefim Zakharovich Kopelyan (russian: Ефим Захарович Копелян; 12 April 1912 – 6 March 1975) was a Soviet Union, Soviet actor of theatre and cinema, one of the legendary masters of the Bolshoi Theatre of Drama (BDT) in Leni ...
,
Viktor Pavlov
Viktor Pavlovich Pavlov (russian: Ви́ктор Па́влович Па́влов; October 5, 1940 – August 24, 2006) was a Russian stage and film actor.
Pavlov worked in some of the most popular theatres of Moscow: 1963–1965 - Sovremenn ...
and
Vasily Shukshin
Vasily Makarovich Shukshin (russian: Василий Макарович Шукшин; 25 July 1929 – 2 October 1974) was a Soviet Russian writer, actor, screenwriter and film director from the Altai region who specialized in rural themes. A ...
.
Биография на RuData.ru
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During the 1980s his performances in films directed by Igor Maslennikov
Igor Fyodorovich Maslennikov (russian: Игорь Фёдорович Масленников; 26 October 1931 – 17 September 2022)
were especially successful. Most famous of these was his role as Dr. Watson
John H. Watson, known as Dr. Watson, is a fictional character in the Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Along with Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson first appeared in the novel ''A Study in Scarlet'' (1887). The last work by Doyle fe ...
in a series of films about Sherlock Holmes (1979—1986). In 1982 Maslennikov invited him to play the role of Count Tomsky in '' The Queen of Spades'', an adaptation of Alexander Pushkin
Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (; rus, links=no, Александр Сергеевич ПушкинIn pre-Revolutionary script, his name was written ., r=Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin, p=ɐlʲɪkˈsandr sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ ˈpuʂkʲɪn, ...
's story
Story or stories may refer to:
Common uses
* Story, a narrative (an account of imaginary or real people and events)
** Short story, a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting
* Story (American English), or storey (British ...
. His work in the film series ''Winter Cherry
''Winter Cherry'' (russian: Зимняя вишня, Zimnyaya vishnya) is a 1985 romantic comedy directed by Igor Maslennikov.
Plot
The main character of the film is Olga (Yelena Safonova), a beautiful intelligent 30-year-old woman, resident o ...
'' was very successful.
From 1 September 1986 to September 1989 Solomin worked in the Mossovet Theatre
Mossovet State Academic Theatre (Государственный академический театр имени Театр Моссовета) is one of the oldest theatres of Moscow, opened in 1923 and based at Bolshaya Sadovaya, 16.
History
Mos ...
. There he acted in a play based on Viktor Astafyev
Viktor Petrovich Astafyev also spelled Astafiev or Astaf'ev (russian: Ви́ктор Петро́вич Аста́фьев; 1 May 1924 – 29 November 2001), was a Soviet and Russian writer, playwright and screenwriter. He was recognized with th ...
's ''Sad Detective''. In 1991 he returned to the Maly Theatre and staged Alexander Ostrovsky
Alexander Nikolayevich Ostrovsky (russian: Алекса́ндр Никола́евич Остро́вский; ) was a Russian playwright, generally considered the greatest representative of the Russian realistic period. The author of 47 origina ...
's ''Savage'', playing the role of Ashmetiev.
Solomin wrote the screenplay for and directed the 1994 film ''The Hunt''.
On 4 November 1974, he received the title of 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 ...
, and on 3 February 1992 of 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 ...
. In April 2002, Vitaly Solomin suffered a stroke which proved to be fatal; he died on 27 May 2002 and is interred in Vagankovo Cemetery
Vagankovo Cemetery (russian: Ваганьковское кладбище, Vagan'kovskoye kladbishche), established in 1771, is located in the Presnya district of Moscow. It started in the aftermath of the Moscow plague riot of 1771 outside the cit ...
.
Private life
Vitaly Solomin's first wife was the actress Natalia Rudnaya. The marriage soon fell apart. On October 28, 1970, he married the actress Maria Solomina (née Leonidova). In 1974 they had a daughter Anastasia, and in May 1984 a daughter Yelizaveta.
Filmography
References
External links
*
*
Biography
*
Biography online peoples.ru
To Be Remembered. Vitaly Solomin
by Leonid Filatov
Leonid Alekseyevich Filatov ( rus, links=no, Леонид Алексеевич Филатов, p=lʲɪɐˈnʲit əlʲɪˈksʲejɪvʲɪtɕ fʲɪˈlatəf, a=Lyeonid Alyeksyeyevich Filatov.ru.vorb.oga; 24 December 1946 – 26 October 2003) was a ...
(2003)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Solomin, Vitaly Mefodievich
1941 births
2002 deaths
20th-century Russian male actors
21st-century Russian male actors
People from Chita, Zabaykalsky Krai
Honored Artists of the RSFSR
People's Artists of the RSFSR
Recipients of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", 4th class
Russian male film actors
Russian male stage actors
Russian male television actors
Russian theatre directors
Soviet male film actors
Soviet male stage actors
Soviet male television actors
Burials at Vagankovo Cemetery