Yevgeny Valerianovich Samoylov (; 16 April 1912 – 17 February 2006) was a

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

actor who gained prominence in youthful heroic parts and was named a

People's Artist of the USSR People's Artist of the USSR, also sometimes translated as National Artist of the USSR, was an honorary title granted to artists of the Soviet Union. The term is confusingly used to translate two Russian language titles: Народный арти ...

in 1974. He was the father of

Tatiana Samoilova Tatiana Yevgenyevna Samoilova (; 4 May 1934 – 4 May 2014) was a Soviet and Russian film actress best known for her lead role in ''The Cranes Are Flying'' (1957). She received a number of awards for the film, including a special mention at the C ...

, best known for her lead role in ''

The Cranes Are Flying ''The Cranes Are Flying'' (, translit. ''Letyat zhuravli'') is a 1957 Soviet war drama film directed by Mikhail Kalatozov at Mosfilm, written by Viktor Rozov, and starring Aleksey Batalov and Tatiana Samoilova. It depicts the cruelty an ...

'' (1957).

Biography

Born 16 April 1912, in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

, he was educated in

Leningrad Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

, starting his career at a local theatre. In 1934, he was noticed by

Vsevolod Meyerhold Vsevolod Emilyevich Meyerhold (; born ; 2 February 1940) was a Russian and Soviet theatre director, actor and theatrical producer. His provocative experiments dealing with physical being and symbolism in an unconventional theatre setting m ...

who invited him to join his own troupe in

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

. Samoylov worked with Meyerhold for four years. He got his most substantial roles in Meyerhold's theatre playing Hernani in Hugo's drama and Chatsky in ''

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 ...

''. When Meyerhold was arrested and purged in 1938, Samoylov was in the middle of rehearsing for Pushkin's ''Boris Godunov'' (the role of Grigory Otrepyev) and Ostrovsky's ''

How the Steel Was Tempered ''How the Steel Was Tempered'' () or ''The Making of a Hero'', is a socialist realist novel written by Nikolai Ostrovsky (1904–1936). With 36.4 million copies sold, it is one of the best-selling books of all time and the best-selling book ...

'' (the role of Pavka Korchagin). His acting career seemed to be unhampered, however. Samoylov's appearance as the Soviet commander Shchors in

Alexander Dovzhenko Alexander Petrovich Dovzhenko, also Oleksandr Petrovych Dovzhenko (, ; November 25, 1956), was a Soviet film director and screenwriter of Ukrainian origin. He is often cited as one of the most important early Soviet filmmakers, alongside Sergei ...

's film of the same name won him the Stalin Prize for 1941. He proceeded to become an iconic film actor of the

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...

era, playing against

Lyubov Orlova Lyubov Petrovna Orlova ( ; – 26 January 1975) was a Soviet and Russian actress, singer, dancer, and People's Artist of the USSR (1950). Life and career Lyubov Orlova was born to a family of Russian nobility#Hereditary nobility, Russian h ...

in ''Bright Path'' and

Marina Ladynina Marina Alekseyevna Ladynina (10 March 2003) was a Soviet stage and film actress, best remembered for her leading roles in her husband Ivan Pyryev's films. People's Artist of the USSR (1950). Laureate of five Stalin Prizes. Biography Early lif ...

in '' Six P.M.'' (1944 film; 1946 Stalin Prize). One of his favourite film roles was that of General Skobelev in ''

Heroes of Shipka Heroes or Héroes may refer to: * Hero, one who displays courage and self-sacrifice for the greater good Film * ''Heroes'' (1977 film), an American drama * ''Heroes'' (2008 film), an Indian Hindi film Gaming * '' Heroes of Might and Magic'' ...

'' (1955). After the Meyerhold theatre was disbanded, Samoylov moved to

Nikolay Okhlopkov Nikolay Pavlovich Okhlopkov (; 15 May 1900, Irkutsk – 8 January 1967, Moscow) was a Soviet and Russian stage and film actor and theatre director who patterned his work after Meyerhold. Patrick Miles, translator. He was named a People's Artist o ...

's Mayakovsky Theatre, where he would work until the director's death in 1967. His role of Oleg Koshevoy in the first stage version of '' The Young Guard'' won him another Stalin Prize. One of the highlights of his career was

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

in Okhlopkov's production of 1954. It was the first post-war production of the play in the country and led to Okhlopkov's joint work with

Peter Brook Peter Stephen Paul Brook (21 March 1925 – 2 July 2022) was an English theatre and film director. He worked first in England, from 1945 at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, from 1947 at the Royal Opera House, and from 1962 for the Royal Shak ...

. In 1961, he was cast as

Jason Jason ( ; ) was an ancient Greek mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece is featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was married to the sorceress Med ...

in the first-ever Russian production of ''

Medea In Greek mythology, Medea (; ; ) is the daughter of Aeëtes, King Aeëtes of Colchis. Medea is known in most stories as a sorceress, an accomplished "wiktionary:φαρμακεία, pharmakeía" (medicinal magic), and is often depicted as a high- ...

'' by

Euripides Euripides () was a Greek tragedy, tragedian of classical Athens. Along with Aeschylus and Sophocles, he is one of the three ancient Greek tragedians for whom any plays have survived in full. Some ancient scholars attributed ninety-five plays to ...

. Six years later, he appeared in the role opposite Aspasia Papathanassiou of

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

. In 1967, Samoylov rejoined his colleagues from the Meyerhold Theatre in the Maly Theatre. The greatest success of his declining years was the role of Prince Ivan Shuisky in ''Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich'' (1973). "It was a genuine Christian man, living in Christ; I have never seen anything like this", says

Georgy Sviridov Georgy Vasilyevich Sviridov (; 16 December 1915 – 6 January 1998) was a Soviet and Russian composer. He is most widely known for his choral music, strongly influenced by the traditional chant of the Russian Orthodox Church, as well as his orch ...

, who composed music for the production. Samoylov's last film roles came in the movies directed by

Sergei Bondarchuk Sergei Fyodorovich Bondarchuk (25 September 192020 October 1994) was a Soviet and Russian actor and filmmaker of Ukrainian origin who was one of the leading figures of Soviet cinema in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. He is known for his sweeping p ...

, such as ''

Waterloo Waterloo most commonly refers to: * Battle of Waterloo, 1815 battle where Napoleon's French army was defeated by Anglo-allied and Prussian forces * Waterloo, Belgium Waterloo may also refer to: Other places Australia * Waterloo, New South Wale ...

'' and ''Boris Godunov''. The actor celebrated his 90th birthday acting on the stage of the Maly Theatre in 2002. He died on February 17, 2006, aged 93, in

Partial filmography

* '' Accidental Meeting'' (1936) as Grigoriy Rybin * ''Tom Sawyer'' (1936) as Doctor Robinson * '' Shchors'' (1939) as Nikolay Shchors * '' Tanya'' (1940) as Aleksei Nikolaevich Lebedev * '' Four Hearts'' (1941) as Don Pablo * '' Invisible Jan'' (1942) as Jani * ''

David Bek Davit Bek or David Beg (; died 1728) was an Armenian military commander and the leader of an Armenian rebellion against the invading Ottoman Empire and implanted Safavid Muslim tribes in the mountainous region of Zangezur (today the Armenian pr ...

'' (1944) as Kasyanov * '' Six P.M.'' (1944) as Lieutenant Vasili Ivanovich Kudryashev * '' Four Hearts'' (1945) as First Lieutenant Pyotr Nikitich Kolchin * '' Admiral Nakhimov'' (1947) as Lt. Burunov * '' Boy from the Outskirts'' (1948) as father of Andrey * ''

Taras Shevchenko Taras Hryhorovych Shevchenko (; ; 9 March 1814 – 10 March 1861) was a Ukrainian poet, writer, artist, public and political figure, folklorist, and ethnographer. He was a fellow of the Imperial Academy of Arts and a member of the Brotherhood o ...

'' (1951) as Nikolay Aleksandrovich Speshnev * '' The Unforgettable Year 1919'' (1951) as Nekhlyudov's son * '' Adventure in Odessa'' (1953) as Nikolay Yefanov, otets Gleba * ''

'' (1955) as General Skobelev * ''

The Crash of the Emirate ''The Crash of the Emirate'' () is a 1955 Soviet historical drama film directed by Vladimir Basov and . Plot The film takes place in 1920. The West is trying to use the Bukhara Khanate to fight the Bolsheviks. Frunze and Kuybyshev go to Tashke ...

'' (1955) as

Mikhail Frunze Mikhail Vasilyevich Frunze (; ; 2 February 1885 – 31 October 1925) was a Soviet revolutionary, politician, army officer and military theory, military theorist. Born to a Bessarabian father and a Russian mother in Russian Turkestan, Frunze at ...

* ''

Unfinished Story Unfinished Story () is a 1955 Soviet romantic drama film directed by Fridrikh Ermler. Plot The local doctor Yelizaveta Maksimovna is a beautiful woman and a wonderful sympathetic person. She is lonely, although she is cared for by a confident ...

'' (1955) as Aleksandr Aganin * ''

The Alive and the Dead ''The Living and the Dead'' () is a 1964 Soviet World War II drama film directed by Aleksandr Stolper and produced by Mosfilm based on the 1959 novel ''The Living and the Dead'' by Konstantin Simonov. Plot The film spans the period from the ...

'' (1964) as commander of a battalion * ''

The Enchanted Desna ''The Enchanted Desna'' () is a 1964 Soviet fantasy drama film, directed by Yuliya Solntseva, based on an autobiographical story by a Ukrainian national writer and cinematographer Oleksandr Dovzhenko. The story depicts his whimsical childhood exp ...

'' (1964) as Colonel Aleksandr Petrovich * ''

'' (1970) as Cambronne * ''

They Fought for Their Country ''They Fought for Their Country'' () is a 1975 Soviet war film in two parts, based on the eponymous novel written by Mikhail Sholokhov and directed by Sergei Bondarchuk. It was entered into the 1975 Cannes Film Festival. The film is the story of ...

'' (1975) as Marchenko * ''

Boris Godunov Boris Feodorovich Godunov (; ; ) was the ''de facto'' regent of Russia from 1585 to 1598 and then tsar from 1598 to 1605 following the death of Feodor I, the last of the Rurik dynasty. After the end of Feodor's reign, Russia descended into t ...

'' (1986) as monk Pimen

Awards and honors

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 ...

(1947) *

People's Artist of the RSFSR People's Artist of the RSFSR (, ''Narodnyj artist RSFSR'') was an honorary title granted to Soviet Union artists, including theatre and film directors, actors, choreographers, music performers, and orchestra conductors, who had outstanding achiev ...

(1954) *

Order of the Red Banner of Labour The Order of the Red Banner of Labour () was an order of the Soviet Union established to honour great deeds and services to the Soviet state and society in the fields of production, science, culture, literature, the arts, education, sports ...

(1972) *

(1974) *

Order of the October Revolution The Order of the October Revolution (, ''Orden Oktyabr'skoy Revolyutsii'') was instituted on 31 October 1967, in time for the 50th anniversary of the October Revolution. It was conferred upon individuals or groups for services furthering communis ...

(1982) *

Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" The Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" () is a state decoration of the Russian Federation. It was instituted on 2 March 1994 by Presidential Decree 442. Until the re-establishment of the Order of St. Andrew in 1998, it was the highest order of ...

, 4th class (1997) *Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", 3rd class (2002) * Golden Mask (2002) *

Medal "For the Defence of Moscow" The Medal "For the Defence of Moscow" () was a World War II campaign medal of the Soviet Union awarded to military and civilians who had participated in the Battle of Moscow. History The Medal "For the Defence of Moscow" was established on May ...

Medal "For the Development of Virgin Lands" The Medal "For the Development of Virgin Lands" () was a civilian award of the Soviet Union established on October 26, 1956 by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR to recognise individuals who displayed superior performance ...

Medal "For Valiant Labour in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" The Medal "For Valiant Labour in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" () was a World War II civilian labour award of the Soviet Union established on June 6, 1945 by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR to recognise the valian ...

Medal "In Commemoration of the 800th Anniversary of Moscow" The Medal "In Commemoration of the 800th Anniversary of Moscow" () was a state commemorative medal of the Soviet Union established by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on September 20, 1947 and bestowed to prominent Sovie ...

Medal "In Commemoration of the 850th Anniversary of Moscow" The Medal "In Commemoration of the 850th Anniversary of Moscow" () is a commemorative medal of the Russian Federation created to denote the 850th anniversary of the city of Moscow. It was established on 26 February 1997 by Presidential Decree � ...

Medal "Veteran of Labour" The Medal "Veteran of Labour" () was a civilian labour award of the Soviet Union established on January 18, 1974, by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR to honour workers for many years of hard work in the national economy ...

References

Biography on the site of Maly Theatre

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Samoylov, Yevgeny 1912 births 2006 deaths 20th-century Russian male actors Male actors from Saint Petersburg Communist Party of the Soviet Union members Honored Artists of the RSFSR People's Artists of the RSFSR People's Artists of the USSR Recipients of the Golden Mask Recipients of the Medal "For the Development of Virgin Lands" Recipients of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", 3rd class Recipients of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", 4th class Recipients of the Order of the October Revolution Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour Recipients of the Stalin Prize Russian male film actors Russian male stage actors Russian male voice actors Soviet male film actors Soviet male stage actors Soviet male voice actors Burials at Vagankovo Cemetery

Biography

Partial filmography

Awards and honors

References

Further reading

External links