Oleg Pavlovich Tabakov (russian: Олег Павлович Табаков; 17 August 1935 – 12 March 2018) was a Soviet and Russian actor and the Artistic Director of 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 ...

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 ...

(1988).

Biography

Tabakov was born in

Saratov Saratov (, ; rus, Сара́тов, a=Ru-Saratov.ogg, p=sɐˈratəf) is the largest city and administrative center of Saratov Oblast, Russia, and a major port on the Volga River upstream (north) of Volgograd. Saratov had a population of 901, ...

into a family of doctors. His paternal great-grandfather, Ivan Ivanovich Utin, came from

serfs Serfdom was the status of many peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to manorialism, and similar systems. It was a condition of debt bondage and indentured servitude with similarities to and differences from slavery, which developed ...

and was raised in a wealthy peasant family under the Tabakov surname. His grandfather, Kondratiy Tabakov, worked as a locksmith in Saratov where he built himself a house and married a local

commoner A commoner, also known as the ''common man'', ''commoners'', the ''common people'' or the ''masses'', was in earlier use an ordinary person in a community or nation who did not have any significant social status, especially a member of neither ...

Anna Konstantinovna Matveeva. Oleg's father, Pavel Kondratievich Tabakov, worked at the State Regional Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology "Microbe" in Saratov.''Oleg Tabakov, Anatoly Smelyanskiy (2000)''. My Real Life. — Moscow: Eksmo-Press, pp. 22—48 (Autobiography) His maternal grandfather, Andrei Frantzevich Piontkovsky, was a Polish nobleman who owned lands in the Podolia Governorate and married a local villager, Olga Terentievna (surname unknown) of Ukrainian origin. Oleg's mother, Maria Andreevna Berezovskaya (née Piontkovskaya), was a

radiologist Radiology ( ) is the medical discipline that uses medical imaging to diagnose diseases and guide their treatment, within the bodies of humans and other animals. It began with radiography (which is why its name has a root referring to radiati ...

. She had a daughter Mirra from the previous marriage to Gugo Goldstern, a high-ranking Soviet functionary and intelligence officer killed in the line of duty. During the

Great Patriotic War The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of conflict between the European Axis powers against the Soviet Union (USSR), Poland and other Allies, which encompassed Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Northeast Europe (Baltics), an ...

, Oleg's father volunteered for the frontline and served aboard a hospital train while his mother was evacuated to Ural along with children where she also worked in a military hospital. After the war, the parents separated.

Theatre career

Tabakov studied at the

Moscow Art Theatre School Moscow Art Theatre School is the studio school of the Moscow Art Theatre. It is a state educational institution that has existed since 1943. The initiator of the studio school was Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko.Sovremennik Theatre. He administrated the Sovremennik until 1982, when he moved to the Moscow Art Theatre, where he has played

Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (, ; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, , ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the French language and world ...

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 ...

for over 20 years. In 1986, Tabakov persuaded his students to form the ''Tabakov Studio'' attached to the Moscow Art Theatre. Among those who studied at the studio were Russian actors Yevgeny Mironov,

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 ...

, Vladimir Mashkov,

Andrey Smolyakov Andrey Igorevich Smolyakov (russian: Андре́й И́горевич Смоляко́в; born 24 November 1958) is a Soviet and Russian actor and director. He is known for '' Vysotskiy. Spasibo, chto zhivoy'' (2011), ''Stalingrad'', and '' Forb ...

and Alexandre Marine, and American actor Jon Bernthal. Tabakov also worked in numerous foreign countries, spreading his theatre's ideals, notably

Stanislavski's system Stanislavski's system is a systematic approach to training actors that the Russian theatre practitioner Konstantin Stanislavski developed in the first half of the twentieth century. His system cultivates what he calls the "art of experiencing" ...

, abroad.

Film career

Tabakov's movie career paralleled the theatrical. He was featured in Grigori Chukhrai's '' Clear Skies'' (1961),

Sergei Bondarchuk Sergei Fyodorovich Bondarchuk (russian: Сергей Фёдорович Бондарчук, ; uk, Сергі́й Федорович Бондарчук, Serhíj Fédorovych Bondarchúk; 25 September 192020 October 1994) was a Soviet and Russian ...

's ''

War and Peace ''War and Peace'' (russian: Война и мир, translit=Voyna i mir; pre-reform Russian: ; ) is a literary work by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy that mixes fictional narrative with chapters on history and philosophy. It was first published ...

'' (1966–67), TV series '' Seventeen Moments of Spring'' (1973) and '' D'Artagnan and Three Musketeers'' (1978), the

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

-winning '' Moscow Does Not Believe In Tears'' (1980), Nikita Mikhalkov's '' Oblomov'' (1981) and '' Dark Eyes'' (1986), and the mock red western '' A Man from the Boulevard des Capuchines'' (1987), among others.

Voice-over work

Tabakov has lent his distinctive, purr-like

voice The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal tract, including talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, shouting, humming or yelling. The human voice frequency is specifically a part of human sound producti ...

to a number of animated characters, including the talking cat Matroskin in ''

Three from Prostokvashino ''Three from Prostokvashino'' (russian: Трое из Простоквашино, r=Troye iz Prostokvashino) is a 1978 Soviet animated film based on the children's book '' Uncle Fedya, His Dog, and His Cat'' by Eduard Uspensky. The film has two se ...

'' and its sequels. After the Matroskin role, he dubbed the character of Garfield into Russian in the feature film ''Garfield''.

Political activism

During the 2012 Russian presidential election, Tabakov was registered as a "Trusted Representative" (Доверенное Лицо) of

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...

. In March 2014, he signed a letter in support of the position of the President of Russia Vladimir Putin on Russia's military intervention in Ukraine. In September 2014, Tabakov claimed that

Crimea Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a p ...

has no relation to

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inva ...

and upbraided Ukrainians for discussing it: "''But all happened fairly. If our Ukrainian brothers were smarter, they would not discuss that topic. They had to say: "Forgive us for God's sake! We had encroached the gravy train." Because Crimea has no relation to dependent, nor independent Ukraine.''" Crimea is, since March 2014, under dispute by Russia and Ukraine.

Honours and awards

* Order "For Merit to the Fatherland"; **1st class (17 August 2010) – for outstanding contributions to the development of domestic theatrical art and many years of creative activity **2nd class (17 August 2005) – for outstanding contribution to the development of theatrical art, and many years of creative activity **3rd class (23 October 1998) – for many years of fruitful work in the field of theatrical art, and in connection with the 100th anniversary of the

**4th class (29 June 2015) *

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 ...

(10 November 1993) – for his great personal contribution to the development of theatrical art, and training qualified personnel for theatre and film *

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 ...

(USSR, 1982) *

Order of the Badge of Honour The Order of the Badge of Honour (russian: орден «Знак Почёта», orden "Znak Pochyota") was a civilian award of the Soviet Union. It was established on 25 November 1935, and was conferred on citizens of the USSR for outstanding ...

(USSR, 1967) *

USSR State Prize The USSR State Prize (russian: links=no, Государственная премия СССР, Gosudarstvennaya premiya SSSR) was the Soviet Union's state honor. It was established on 9 September 1966. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, t ...

(1967) *

State Prize of the Russian Federation 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 ...

(1997) *

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 ...

(1969) *

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 ...

(1977) *

(1988) * Honorary Member of the Russian Academy of Arts (8 October 2008) * Golden Mask Award (1995) * Seagull Theatre Prize *

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 stag ...

* Russian Presidential Prize for Literature and the Arts (2003) * Moscow

Komsomol The All-Union Leninist Young Communist League (russian: link=no, Всесоюзный ленинский коммунистический союз молодёжи (ВЛКСМ), ), usually known as Komsomol (; russian: Комсомол, links=n ...

Prize (1967) * Moscow Mayor's Award for Literature and the Arts (1997) * Diploma of the Moscow City Duma (2008) * Medal "For Valiant Labour" ( Tatarstan, 2010) * Honorary Citizen of the Republic of Mordovia (2010), Saratov Oblast (2010), City of

(2003) * Order "Key of Friendship" (

Kemerovo Oblast Kemerovo Oblast — Kuzbass (russian: Ке́меровская о́бласть — Кузба́сс, translit=Kemerovskaya oblast — Kuzbass, ), also known simply as Kemerovo Oblast (russian: Ке́меровская о́бласть, label=non ...

, 2010) * Medal "For Faith and Good" (Kemerovo Oblast, 2011) *

Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana The Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana ( et, Maarjamaa Risti teenetemärk, sometimes translated as the Order of the Cross of St. Mary's Land) was instituted by the President of Estonia, Lennart Meri, on 16 May 1995 to honour the independence of t ...

, 3rd class (

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, an ...

, 2005) * Officer of the Legion of Honor (

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, 2013)

Selected filmography

*''

Sasha Enters Life ''Sasha Enters Life'' (russian: Саша входит в жизнь) is a 1957 remake of the 1956 film ''Tight Knot'', a Soviet drama film directed by Mikhail Schweitzer. In 1988 the original film was restored under the original name, ''Tight Knot' ...

'' (1957) as Sasha Komelev *'' The Variegateds Case'' (1958) as Igor Peresvetov *''Nakanune'' (1959) as Shubin *'' People on the Bridge'' (1960) as Viktor Bulygin *''

Probation Probation in criminal law is a period of supervision over an offender, ordered by the court often in lieu of incarceration. In some jurisdictions, the term ''probation'' applies only to community sentences (alternatives to incarceration), such ...

'' (1960) as Sasha Yegorov *''The Buzzy Day'' (1960) as Oleg *'' Clear Skies'' (1961) as Seryozhka *''Molodo-zeleno'' (1962) as Nikolai Babushkin *''

The Alive and the Dead ''The Alive and the Dead'' (russian: Живые и мёртвые, Zhivye i myortvye) is a 1964 Soviet film directed by Aleksandr Stolper based on the eponymous 1959 novel ''The Living and the Dead'' by Konstantin Simonov. Plot The film tak ...

'' (1964) as Krutikov *''

'' (1965–1967, part 1-4) as

Nikolai Rostov Count Nikolai Ilyich Rostov (russian: Николай Ильич Ростов, ''Nikolaj Il'ič Rostov'') is a character in Leo Tolstoy's 1869 novel ''War and Peace''. Count Nikolai is the brother of Vera Rostova, Natasha Rostova and Petya Rosto ...

*''Doroga k moryu'' (1965) as Chemezov *'' The Bridge Is Built'' (1966) as Sergei Zaytsev *'' A Pistol Shot'' (1967) as Belkin *''Shtrikhi k portretu'' (1967) as Nikolai Bukharin *''Korol manezha'' (1970) *''

Shine, Shine, My Star "Shine, Shine, My Star" (russian: "Гори, гори, моя звезда") is an acclaimed Russian romance. The authorship of the song was uncertain for some time, being ascribed to various people, including Nikolay Gumilyov and Ivan Bunin. A ...

'' (''Gori, gori, moya zvezda'') (1970) as Vladimir Iskremas *'' The Secret of the Iron Door'' (1970) as Father *''

King Stag ''King Stag'' (russian: Король-олень, Korol-olen) is a feature film directed by Pavel Arsenov based on the musical play of the same name by Carlo Gozzi, and shot at the Gorky Film Studio in 1969. In the film, songs are played to the ...

'' (1970) as Cigolotti *'' The Polynin Case'' (1970) as Viktor Balakirev *''Serdtse Rossii'' (1970) as Usiyevich *''

Property of the Republic ''Property of the Republic'' (russian: Достоя́ние респу́блики, Dostoyanie respubliki) is a 1971 Soviet two-part adventure film directed by Vladimir Bychkov. Detective story takes place during the Civil War in Russia. The pictur ...

'' (1972) as Makar Ovchinnikov *''Ekhali v tramvaye Ilf i Petrov'' (1972) *''Malchiki'' (1972) (uncredited) *''Dacha'' (1973) as Yuri *'' Seventeen Instants of Spring'' (1973, TV Series) as Walter Schellenberg *''Menyayu sobaku na parovoz'' (1975) as The Director *''Mark Twain Says No'' (1975, TV Movie) as

Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has pr ...

*''

How Czar Peter the Great Married Off His Moor ''How Czar Peter the Great Married Off His Moor'' (russian: Сказ про то, как царь Пётр арапа женил, ''Skaz pro to, kak tsar Pyotr arapa zhenil'') is a 1976 musical film directed by the Russian filmmaker Alexander Mit ...

'' (1976) as Yeguzhinskiy *''

Practical Joke A practical joke, or prank, is a mischievous trick played on someone, generally causing the victim to experience embarrassment, perplexity, confusion, or discomfort.Marsh, Moira. 2015. ''Practically Joking''. Logan: Utah State University Press. ...

'' (1977) as otets Komarovskogo *'' An Unfinished Piece for Mechanical Piano'' (1977) as Pavel Petrovich Shcherbuk *'' Lone Wolf'' (1978) as Bersenev *''

'' (1978, Short) as Matroskin the Cat (voice) *''Nakanune premiery'' (1978) as Patov *'' D'Artagnan and Three Musketeers'' (1979, TV Mini-Series) as King

Louis XIII Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crow ...

*'' Moscow Does Not Believe In Tears'' (1980) as Vladimir, Katerina's lover *''

A Few Days from the Life of I. I. Oblomov ''Oblomov'' (russian: Несколько дней из жизни И. И. Обломова, translit. ''Neskolko dney iz zhizni I. I. Oblomov'') is a Soviet comedy/drama film directed by Nikita Mikhalkov. It was released by Mosfilm in 1980. ...

'' (1980) as Ilya Ilyich Oblomov *''Nezvanyy drug'' (1981) as Aleksey Grekov *'' The Vacancy'' (1981) as Yusov *'' Everything's the Wrong Way'' (1982) as Yermakov, papa *''Polyoty vo sne i nayavu'' (1983) as Nikolay Pavlovich *'' Good Bye, Mary Poppins'' (1984, TV Movie) as Miss Andrew *''Oglyanis!...'' (1984) as Yuriy Nikolayevich *''Yesli mozhesh, prosti...'' (1984) as Stepan Kuzmich *'' Time and the Conways'' (1984) as Robin (Adult) *''Kukacka v temném lese'' (1985) as Otto Kukuck *'' Applause, Applause...'' (1985) as Sergey Shevtsov *''Gorod nevest'' (1985) as Reutov *''Korabl prisheltsev'' (1985) as Constructor *''

After the Rain, on Thursday ''After the Rain, on Thursday'' (russian: После дождичка в четверг, Posle dozhdichka v chetverg) is a 1985 Soviet musical children's fantasy film directed by Mikhail Yuzovskiy. Plot Once, after the rain on Thursday, the first ...

'' (1985) as Koschei the Immortal *''Puteshestviye gospodina Perrishona'' (1986) as Perrishon *''Konets sveta s posleduyushchim simpoziumom'' (1987) as Paul Cohen *'' Dark Eyes'' (1987) as Sua Grazia *'' A Man from the Boulevard des Capuchines'' (1987) as Harry *''Raz, dva - gore ne beda'' (1988) as Czar Ivan *''Dorogoe udovolstvie'' (1988) as Syoma *'' Shag'' (1989) as Tutunov *''

Love with Privileges Love with Privileges (russian: Любовь с привилегиями, Lyubov s privilegiyami) is a 1989 Soviet film drama directed by Vladimir Kuchinsky.

'' (1989) as Nikolay Petrovich, KGB General *''Iskusstvo zhit v Odesse'' (1989) as Tsudechkis *'' It'' (1989) as Brudasty *''Tsarskaya okhota'' (1990) as Golitsyn *''Shapka'' (1990) as Andrey Andreyevich Shchupov *'' The Inner Circle'' (1991) as Vlasik *''Choknutye'' (1991) *'' Stalin'' (1992) as doctor Vinogradov *''Khochu v Ameriku'' (1993) *'' Moscow Vacation'' (1995) as Maurizio *''

Shirli-Myrli ''Shirli-myrli'' (russian: Ширли-мырли, also released as ''What a Mess!'') is a 1995 farce comedy film of the early post-soviet era directed by Vladimir Menshov. Centered around a pursued con man, who stole a huge diamond, the movie, amo ...

'' (1995) as Sukhodrishchev *''Belye dyuny'' (1996) *'' Three Stories'' (1997) as Old Man *'' Sympathy Seeker'' (1997) as Cook *''

Quadrille The quadrille is a dance that was fashionable in late 18th- and 19th-century Europe and its colonies. The quadrille consists of a chain of four to six '' contredanses''. Latterly the quadrille was frequently danced to a medley of opera melodie ...

'' (1999) as Sanya Arefyev *''

The President and His Granddaughter The President and His Granddaughter (russian: Президент и его внучка, Prezident i ego vnuchka) is a 2000 Russian comedy film directed by Tigran Keosayan. Participant of the main competition of the XII ORKF Kinotavr (Special Pr ...

'' (2000) as President *''Podari mne lunnyy svet'' (2001) *'' Taking Sides'' (2001) as Colonel Dymshitz *''Ledi na den'' (2002) as mayor of New York *'' The State Counsellor'' (2005) as Prince Dolgoroukoy *'' Yesenin'' (2005, TV Mini-Series) as KGB General Simagin *''Dopolnitelnoe vremya'' (2005) *''

Relatives Relatives can refer to: * Kinship * ''Relatives'' (1985 film), a 1985 Australian movie * ''Relatives'' (2006 film), a 2006 Hungarian movie * "Relatives", a song by Irving Berlin See also * Relative (disambiguation) Relative may refer to: Gene ...

'' (2006) as Polgármester *''Andersen. Zhizn bez lyubvi'' (2006) as Meisling *''Ilya Muromets and Solovey Razboynik'' (2007) as Vasilevs (voice) *''Melodiya dlya sharmanki'' (2009) *''Yolki 2'' (2011) *''Poklonnitsa'' (2012) *''Tot eshchyo Karloson!'' (2012) as Stareyshina Metrikov *''Vechnoe vozvrashchenie'' (2012) *''Buratino's Return'' (2013) as Mr. Baskara (voice) *''Kukhnya v Parizhe'' (2014) *''

Kitchen. The Last Battle ''Kitchen. The Last Battle'' (russian: Кухня. Последняя битва) is a Russian comedy film directed by Anton Fedotov. It stars Dmitry Nazarov and Dmitry Nagiev. The premiere of the film in Russia was on 20 April 2017. Plot Vikto ...

'' (2017) as Pyotr Barinov

References

External links

* *
Tabakov Theatre in MoscowTabakov's webpage on the website of the Moscow Art Theatre
on Lifeactor.ru {{DEFAULTSORT:Tabakov, Oleg 1935 births 2018 deaths 20th-century Russian male actors 21st-century Russian male actors Actors from Saratov Academicians of the National Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences of Russia Communist Party of the Soviet Union members Moscow Art Theatre School alumni Academic staff of Moscow Art Theatre School High Courses for Scriptwriters and Film Directors faculty Honorary Members of the Russian Academy of Arts Russian theatre directors Honored Artists of the RSFSR People's Artists of the RSFSR People's Artists of the USSR Recipients of the Legion of Honour Full Cavaliers of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" Recipients of the Order of Friendship of Peoples Recipients of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana, 3rd Class Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour Recipients of the USSR State Prize 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 Deaths from sepsis Burials at Novodevichy Cemetery Soviet theatre directors