Innokenty Mikhailovich Smoktunovsky (russian: Иннокентий Михайлович Смоктуновский; born ''Smoktunovich'', 28 March 19253 August 1994) was a Soviet and Russian stage and film actor. He was named a

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 significa ...

in 1974 and a

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 ...

in 1990.

Early life

Smoktunovsky was born in a

Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part ...

n village in a peasant family of Belarusian ethnicity.Dubrovsky, V. Ya. (2002) ''Иннокентий Смоктуновский. Жизнь и роли''. B. M. Poyurovsky (ed.), Moscow: Iskusstvo. . It was once rumored that he came from a Polish family, even nobility, but the actor himself denied these theories by stating his family was Belarusian and not of nobility. He served in the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian language, Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist R ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

and fought in

Kursk Kursk ( rus, Курск, p=ˈkursk) is a city and the administrative center of Kursk Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Kur, Tuskar, and Seym rivers. The area around Kursk was the site of a turning point in the Soviet–German stru ...

, Dnipro and Kyiv battles. In 1946, he joined a theatre in

Krasnoyarsk Krasnoyarsk ( ; rus, Красноя́рск, a=Ru-Красноярск2.ogg, p=krəsnɐˈjarsk) (in semantic translation - Red Ravine City) is the largest city and administrative center of Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia. It is situated along the Y ...

, later moving to

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 ...

. In 1957, he was invited by

Georgy Tovstonogov Georgy Aleksandrovich Tovstonogov (russian: Георгий Александрович Товстоногов, – 23 May 1989) was a Russian- Georgian theatre director. He was the leader of the Gorky Bolshoi Drama Theater which was renamed afte ...

to join the Bolshoi Drama Theatre of

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 ...

, where he stunned the public with his dramatic interpretation of Prince Myshkin in

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

's ''

The Idiot ''The Idiot'' ( pre-reform Russian: ; post-reform rus, Идиот, Idiót) is a novel by the 19th-century Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky. It was first published serially in the journal ''The Russian Messenger'' in 1868–69. The title is an ...

''. One of his best roles was the title role in

Aleksey Konstantinovich Tolstoy Count Aleksey Konstantinovich Tolstoy (russian: Граф Алексе́й Константи́нович Толсто́й; – ), often referred to as A. K. Tolstoy, was a Russian poet, novelist, and playwright. He is considered to be the most ...

's '' Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich'' ( Maly Theatre, 1973).

Film career

His career in film was launched by Mikhail Romm's movie '' Nine Days in One Year'' (1962). In 1964, he was cast in the role of

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

Grigori Kozintsev Grigori Mikhailovich Kozintsev (russian: link=no, Григорий Михайлович Козинцев; 11 May 1973) was a Soviet theatre and film director, screenwriter and pedagogue. He was named People's Artist of the USSR in 1964. In 196 ...

's celebrated screen version of

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 ...

's play, which won him praise from

Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier (; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud, was one of a trio of male actors who dominated the British stage ...

as well as the Lenin Prize. Many English critics even ranked the ''Hamlet'' of Smoktunovsky above the one played by Olivier, at a time when Olivier's was still considered definitive. Smoktunovsky created an integral heroic portrait, which blended together what seemed incompatible before: manly simplicity and exquisite aristocratism, kindness and caustic sarcasm, a derisive mindset and self-sacrifice. Smoktunovsky became known to wider audiences as Yuri Detochkin in

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 ...

's detective satire '' Beware of the Car'' (1966), which revealed the actor's outstanding comic gifts. Later, he played

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , group=n ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. He wrote some of the most popu ...

in ''

Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , group=n ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. He wrote some of the most popu ...

'' (1969), Uncle Vanya in

Andrei Konchalovsky Andrei Sergeyevich Mikhalkov-Konchalovsky (russian: link=no, Андрей Сергеевич Михалков-Кончаловский; born 20 August 1937) is a Russian filmmaker. He has worked in Soviet, Hollywood, and contemporary Russian ...

's screen version of Chekhov's play (1970), the Narrator in

Andrei Tarkovsky Andrei Arsenyevich Tarkovsky ( rus, Андрей Арсеньевич Тарковский, p=ɐnˈdrʲej ɐrˈsʲenʲjɪvʲɪtɕ tɐrˈkofskʲɪj; 4 April 1932 – 29 December 1986) was a Russian filmmaker. Widely considered one of the greates ...

's ''

Mirror A mirror or looking glass is an object that reflects an image. Light that bounces off a mirror will show an image of whatever is in front of it, when focused through the lens of the eye or a camera. Mirrors reverse the direction of the im ...

'' (1975), an old man in

Anatoly Efros Anatoly Vasilievich Efros (russian: Анатолий Васильевич Эфрос; July 3, 1925, Kharkiv — January 13, 1987, Moscow) was a Soviet theatre and film director. He was a leading interpreter of Russian classics during the Era of St ...

's ''On Thursday and Never Again'' (1977), and

Salieri Antonio Salieri (18 August 17507 May 1825) was an Italian classical composer, conductor, and teacher. He was born in Legnago, south of Verona, in the Republic of Venice, and spent his adult life and career as a subject of the Habsburg monarch ...

Mikhail Schweitzer Mikhail (Moisei) Abramovich Schweitzer (russian: Михаил (Моисей) Абрамович Швейцер, 16 February 1920, Perm – 2 June 2000, Moscow) was a Soviet and Russian film director and screenwriter. People's Artist of the USSR ( ...

's '' Little Tragedies'' (1979) based on

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 plays. In 1990, Smoktunovsky won the Nika Award in the category Best Actor. He died on 3 August 1994, at a sanatorium, aged 69. The minor planet 4926 Smoktunovskij was named after him.

Filmography

* '' Murder on Dante Street'' (1956) as Young fascist * ''

Soldiers A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an officer. Etymology The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word , from Old French ...

'' (1956) as Lieutenant Farber * '' Close to Us'' (1958) as Andrei * '' Letter Never Sent'' (1960) as Konstantin Fyodorovich Sabinin * '' Until Next Spring'' (1960) as Aleksei Nikolayevich Ruchyev * '' After the Wedding'' (1962) as Narrator's voice * '' Nine Days in One Year'' (1962) as Ilya Kulikov * '' Mozart and Salieri'' (1962) as

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition r ...

* ''

'' (1964) as

Prince Hamlet A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

* '' On the Same Planet'' (1965) as

Vladimir Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov. ( 1870 – 21 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin,. was a Russian revolutionary, politician, and political theorist. He served as the first and founding head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 to 1 ...

* '' Beware of the Car'' (1966) as Yuri Detochkin * '' Degree of Risk'' (1968) as Aleksandr Kirillov * '' The Living Corpse'' (1968) as Ivan Petrovich * ''

Crime and Punishment ''Crime and Punishment'' ( pre-reform Russian: ; post-reform rus, Преступление и наказание, Prestupléniye i nakazániye, prʲɪstʊˈplʲenʲɪje ɪ nəkɐˈzanʲɪje) is a novel by the Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky. ...

'' (1969) as Porfiry Petrovich * ''

'' (1970) as

* ''

Uncle Vanya ''Uncle Vanya'' ( rus, Дя́дя Ва́ня, r=Dyádya Ványa, p=ˈdʲædʲə ˈvanʲə) is a play by the Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. It was first published in 1898, and was first produced in 1899 by the Moscow Art Theatre under the di ...

'' (1970) as Ivan Petrovich Voinitsky ("Uncle Vanya") * ''

Ilf and Petrov Rode a Tram ''Ilf and Petrov Rode a Tram'' (russian: Ехали в трамвае Ильф и Петров, Ehali v tramvae Ilf i Petrov is a 1972 Soviet comedy film directed by Viktor Titov. Plot The film is a series of short comedies, based on humorous a ...

'' (1972) as Tram passenger * ''

Taming of the Fire ''Taming of the fire'' (russian: Укрощение огня, Ukroshcheniye ognya) is a 1972 film, directed by Daniil Khrabrovitsky and starring Kirill Lavrov.Kirill Lavrov in the movie "Taming of the Fire" Kirill Lavrov in the movie "Taming of t ...

'' (1972) as

Konstantin Tsiolkovsky Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky (russian: Константи́н Эдуа́рдович Циолко́вский , , p=kənstɐnʲˈtʲin ɪdʊˈardəvʲɪtɕ tsɨɐlˈkofskʲɪj , a=Ru-Konstantin Tsiolkovsky.oga; – 19 September 1935) ...

* '' Moscow-Cassiopeia'' (1973) as I.O.O. * '' The Heron and the Crane'' (1974) as Narrator's voice * '' Daughters-Mothers'' (1974) as Vadim Antonovich Vasilyev * ''

A Lover's Romance ''A Lover's Romance'' or ''Romance for Lovers'' (russian: Романс о влюблённых, Romans o vlyublyonnykh) is a 1974 Soviet musical romantic drama directed by Andrei Konchalovsky. Plot Sergei and Tanya are in love with each other. S ...

'' (1974) as Trumpeter * '' Teens in the Universe'' (1974) as I.O.O. * '' Take Aim'' (1974) as Franklin D. Roosevelt * ''

'' (1975) as adult Aleksei's voice * ''

The Captivating Star of Happiness ''The Captivating Star of Happiness'' (russian: Звезда пленительного счастья, Zvezda plenitelnogo schastya, The Star of Fascinating Happiness) is a 1975 Soviet historical drama. The title is an allusion to a line from a p ...

'' (1975) as Ivan Bogdanovich Zeidler * '' They Fought for Their Country'' (1975) as Surgeon * ''

Twenty Days Without War ''Twenty Days Without War'' (russian: Двадцать дней без войны, translit=''Dvadtsat' dney bez voyny'') is a 1976 Soviet film based on a story by Konstantin Simonov, directed by Aleksey German and starring Yuri Nikulin and Lyudmi ...

'' (1976) as Vyacheslav's voice (played by

Nikolai Grinko Nikolai Grigoryevich Grinko or Mykola Hryhorovych Hrynko ( uk, Микола Григорович Гринько; russian: Никола́й Григо́рьевич Гринько́; 22 May 1920, Kherson – 10 April 1989, Kyiv was a Soviet ...

) * '' Trust'' (1976) as

Nikolay Bobrikov Nikolay Ivanovich Bobrikov (russian: Никола́й Ива́нович Бо́бриков; in St. Petersburg – June 17, 1904 in Helsinki, Grand Duchy of Finland) was a Russian general and politician. He was the Governor-General of Finla ...

* '' The Princess on a Pea'' (1977) as King * '' The Steppe'' (1977) as Moisei Moiseyevich * '' On Thursday and Never Again'' (1977) as Ivan Modestovich * ''

The Barrier The Barrier is a lava dam retaining the Garibaldi Lake system in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. It is over thick and about long where it impounds the lake. The area below and adjacent to The Barrier is considered hazardous due to the ...

'' (1979) as Antony Manev * '' Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears'' (1979) as himself (cameo appearance) * '' Little Tragedies'' (1979) as

Antonio Salieri Antonio Salieri (18 August 17507 May 1825) was an Italian classical composer, conductor, and teacher. He was born in Legnago, south of Verona, in the Republic of Venice, and spent his adult life and career as a subject of the Habsburg monarchy ...

and Old Baron * '' The Queen of Spades'' (1982) as Chekalinsky * ''

Dead Souls ''Dead Souls'' (russian: «Мёртвые души», ''Mjórtvyje dúshi'') is a novel by Nikolai Gogol, first published in 1842, and widely regarded as an exemplar of 19th-century Russian literature. The novel chronicles the travels and adve ...

'' (1984) as Plyushkin * '' Primary Russia'' (1985) as

Emperor Justinian I Justinian I (; la, Iustinianus, ; grc-gre, Ἰουστινιανός ; 48214 November 565), also known as Justinian the Great, was the Byzantine emperor from 527 to 565. His reign is marked by the ambitious but only partly realized ''renovat ...

* '' The Last Road'' (1986) as

Jacob van Heeckeren tot Enghuizen Jacob Derk Burchard Anne, Baron van Heeckeren tot Enghuizen, also known as Baron van Heeckeren van Beverweerd (28 November 1792 – 28 September 1884), was a Dutch diplomat. He received the title baron of the First French Empire in 1813. Van ...

* ''

The Twentieth Century Approaches ''The Twentieth Century Approaches'' (russian: link=no, italics=yes, Двадцатый век начинается) is a 1986 Soviet film adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyle's stories about Sherlock Holmes. It is the fifth and final film in '' The A ...

'' (1986) as Lord Thomas Bellinger * '' Dark Eyes'' (1987) as Modest Petrovich * ''

Gardes-Marines, Ahead! ''Gardes-Marines, Ahead!'' or (russian: Гардемарины, вперёд!, Gardemariny, vperyod!) is a 1988 Soviet four-series television film (mini-series), the first of a series of films about Russian Gardes-Marines of the 18th century, dire ...

'' (1987) as

André-Hercule de Fleury André-Hercule de Fleury, Bishop of Fréjus, Archbishop of Aix (22 June or 26 June 165329 January 1743) was a French cardinal who served as the chief minister of Louis XV. Life and government He was born in Lodève, Hérault, the son of a tax fa ...

* ''

First Encounter - Last Encounter ''First Encounter - Last Encounter'' (russian: Первая встреча, последняя встреча) is a 1987 Soviet detective film directed by Vitaliy Melnikov. Plot The film is about a law student, Pete, who is investigating the mu ...

'' (1987) as Counterintelligence colonel * ''

Mother ] A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the case of ...

'' (1989) as Governor * '' A Trap for Lonely Man'' (1990) as Merlouche the artist * ''

Genius Genius is a characteristic of original and exceptional insight in the performance of some art or endeavor that surpasses expectations, sets new standards for future works, establishes better methods of operation, or remains outside the capabili ...

'' (1991) as Mafia leader Gilya * ''

Dandelion Wine ''Dandelion Wine'' is a 1957 novel by Ray Bradbury set in the summer of 1928 in the fictional town of Green Town, Illinois, based upon Bradbury's childhood home of Waukegan, Illinois. The novel developed from the short story "Dandelion Wine", wh ...

'' (1997) as Colonel Freeley (voiced by

Sergey Bezrukov Sergey Vitalyevich Bezrukov (russian: link=no, Серге́й Вита́льевич Безру́ков, born 18 October 1973) is a Soviet and Russian film and stage actor, singer, People's Artist of Russia, the laureate of the State Prize of th ...

; released posthumously)

References

External links

*
Smoktunovsky's biography in ''The New York Times''.

Biography of Innokenty Smoktunovsky
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smoktunovsky, Innokenty 1925 births 1994 deaths 20th-century Russian male actors People from Tomsk Governorate Heroes of Socialist Labour Honored Artists of the RSFSR People's Artists of the RSFSR People's Artists of the USSR Lenin Prize winners Recipients of the Medal "For Courage" (Russia) Recipients of the Nika Award Recipients of the Order of Friendship of Peoples Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Vasilyev Brothers State Prize of the RSFSR Audiobook narrators Male Shakespearean actors Russian people of Belarusian descent Russian male film actors Russian male stage actors Russian male television actors Russian male voice actors Soviet male film actors Soviet male stage actors Soviet male television actors Soviet male voice actors Soviet military personnel of World War II Soviet partisans Spoken word artists Burials at Novodevichy Cemetery