Oleg Evgenyevich Menshikov, PAR (russian: Оле́г Евге́ньевич Ме́ньшиков, link=no; born 8 November 1960) is a Russian actor, theatre director and occasional singer. He is the current artistic director of the

Yermolova Theatre The Yermolova Theatre (russian: Москóвский теáтр им. М. Н. Ермóловой) is a theatre company in the Tverskoy District of central Moscow. It is under the artistic direction of Vladimir Andreyev (russian: Владимир � ...

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 ...

. Internationally, Menshikov is the best known for his roles in the films by

Nikita Mikhalkov Nikita Sergeyevich Mikhalkov (russian: Никита Сергеевич Михалков; born 21 October 1945) is a Soviet and Russian filmmaker, actor, and head of the Russian Cinematographers' Union. Mikhalkov is a three-time laureate of the ...

Burnt by the Sun ''Burnt by the Sun'' (russian: Утомлённые солнцем, translit. ''Utomlyonnye solntsem'', literally "wearied by the sun") is a 1994 film by Russian director and screenwriter Nikita Mikhalkov and Azerbaijani screenwriter Rustam ...

'' (1994), ''

The Barber of Siberia ''The Barber of Siberia'' (russian: Сибирский цирюльник, translit. ''Sibirskiy tsiryulnik'') is a 1998 Russian film that re-united the Academy Award-winning team of director Nikita Mikhalkov and producer Michel Seydoux. It ...

'' (1998), '' Burnt by the Sun 2: Exodus'' (2010) and '' Burnt by the Sun 2: Citadel'' (2011), as well as for his performance in

Régis Wargnier Régis Wargnier (; born 18 April 1948) is a French film director, film producer, screenwriter and film score composer. His 1992 film ''Indochine (film), Indochine'' won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 65th Academy Awards. ...

's '' East/West'' (1999). Menshikov is the winner of a

Laurence Olivier Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply the Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London at an annual ceremony in the capital. The awards were originally known a ...

, a Nika Award and three State Prizes of the Russian Federation, and the recipient of the Order of Honour of the Russian Federation.

Early life

Menshikov was born in

Serpukhov Serpukhov ( rus, Серпухов, p=ˈsʲɛrpʊxəf) is a city in Moscow Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Oka and the Nara Rivers, south from Moscow ( from Moscow Ring Road) on the Moscow—Simferopol highway. The Moscow—Tul ...

Moscow Oblast Moscow Oblast ( rus, Моско́вская о́бласть, r=Moskovskaya oblast', p=mɐˈskofskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ), or Podmoskovye ( rus, Подмоско́вье, p=pədmɐˈskovʲjə, literally " under Moscow"), is a federal subject of R ...

, to father Evgeny (born 1934), a military engineer, and mother Yelena (born 1933), a doctor. In addition to regular school, Menshikov also attended

music school A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music academy, music faculty, college of music, music department (of a larger ins ...

, where he played the

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

and the

violin The violin, sometimes known as a '' fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone ( string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument ( soprano) in the family in regu ...

. In 1977, he enrolled the Mikhail Shchepkin Higher Theatre School, where he studied acting under Vladimir Monakhov. Oleg Menshikov 2010-09-09 img 01 19 3159

Oleg Menshikov 2010-09-09 img 01 19 3159

Career

Menshikov had his debut role in the 1980 television film ''Zhdu i nadeyus'' (russian: Жду и надеюсь; en, I'm Waiting and I Hope, italic=yes) by Suren Shazbazyan. The next year he made his film debut in ''

Family Relations ''Family Relations'' (russian: Родня, Rodnya) is a 1981 Soviet drama film directed by Nikita Mikhalkov. Plot A rural woman Mariya Konovalova (Nonna Mordyukova) goes to the regional center to visit her daughter Nina (Svetlana Kryuchkova), a ...

'', which was his first collaboration with

. Menshikov then went on to star a series of successful films that made him a star in the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

, including ''

Flights in Dreams and Reality ''Flights in Dreams and Reality'' (russian: Полёты во сне и наяву, Polyoty vo sne i nayavu) is a 1983 Soviet drama film directed by Roman Balayan, written by Viktor Merezhko, dealing with the subject matter of midlife crisis. ...

'', ''My Favourite Clown'', '' Through Main Street with an Orchestra'' and ''

Moonzund ''Moonzund'' (russian: Моонзунд) is a 1988 Soviet war film based on Valentin Pikul's 1970 novel of the same name. "Moonzund" refers to the West Estonian archipelago, where the Battle of Moon Sound took place during World War I. Plot ...

''. He garnered further critical acclaim for his performance in '' Dyuba-Dyuba'' (1992), for which he was nominated for a Nika Award. Menshikov first attracted international media attention in the

Globe Theatre The Globe Theatre was a theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, on land owned by Thomas Brend and inherited by his son, Nicholas Brend, and ...

production ''When She Danced'', for which he won the

Laurence Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role The Laurence Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role was an annual award presented by the Society of London Theatre in recognition of achievements in commercial London theatre. The awards were established as the Society of West End ...

. He gained further success with Nikita Mikhalkov's ''

'', in which he portrayed a manipulative and suicidal

NKVD The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (russian: Наро́дный комиссариа́т вну́тренних дел, Naródnyy komissariát vnútrennikh del, ), abbreviated NKVD ( ), was the interior ministry of the Soviet Union. ...

agent during

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet Union, Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as Ge ...

Great Purge The Great Purge or the Great Terror (russian: Большой террор), also known as the Year of '37 (russian: 37-й год, translit=Tridtsat sedmoi god, label=none) and the Yezhovshchina ('period of Yezhov'), was Soviet General Secreta ...

. ''Burnt by the Sun'' won the Grand Prize at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films ...

and the

Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to a ...

. Menshikov reprised his role in the ''Burnt by the Sun'' sequels '' Burnt by the Sun 2: Exodus'' (2010) and '' Burnt by the Sun 2: Citadel'' (2011). In 1996, Menshikov starred in

Sergei Bodrov Sergei Vladimirovich Bodrov ( rus, Серге́й Влади́мирович Бодро́в, p=sʲɪrˈɡʲej bɐˈdrof; born June 28, 1948) is a Russian film director, screenwriter, and producer. In 2003 he was the President of the Jury at the 25 ...

's ''

Prisoner of the Mountains ''Prisoner of the Mountains'' (russian: Кавказский пленник, ''Kavkazskiy plennik''), also known as ''Prisoner of the Caucasus'', is a 1996 Russian war drama film directed by Sergei Bodrov and written by Bodrov, Arif Aliyev and B ...

'', for which he won a Nika Award for Best Actor. He went on to star in Mikhalkov's ''

'' (1998) opposite

Julia Ormond Julia Karin Ormond (born 4 January 1965) is an English actress. She rose to prominence by appearing in ''The Baby of Mâcon'' (1993), ''Legends of the Fall'' (1994), '' First Knight'' (1995), '' Sabrina'' (1995), ''Smilla's Sense of Snow'' (199 ...

, and in

's '' East/West'' (1999) opposite

Sandrine Bonnaire Sandrine Bonnaire (; born 31 May 1967) is a French actress, film director and screenwriter who has appeared in more than 40 films. She won the César Award for Most Promising Actress for ''À Nos Amours'' (1983), the César Award for Best Actr ...

and

Catherine Deneuve Catherine Fabienne Dorléac (born 22 October 1943), known professionally as Catherine Deneuve (, , ), is a French actress as well as an occasional singer, model, and producer, considered one of the greatest European actresses. She gained recogni ...

. His most recent credits include performances in the television series '' Prime Suspect 6'' (2003), films '' The State Counsellor'' (2005) as

Erast Fandorin Erast Petrovich Fandorin (russian: Эраст Петрович Фандорин) is a fictional 19th-century Russian detective and the hero of a series of Russian historical detective novels by Boris Akunin. The first Fandorin novel (''The Winte ...

and ''

Legend № 17 ''Legend No. 17'' (russian: Легенда №17) is a 2013 Russian biographical sports film directed by Nikolai Lebedev and produced by Trite Studio. The film is based on real events and tells of the rise to fame of the Soviet hockey player Val ...

'' (2013) as Anatoly Tarasov, and the miniseries ''Doctor Zhivago'' (2006). In 1997, Menshikov was the President of the Jury at the

20th Moscow International Film Festival The 20th Moscow International Film Festival was held from 19 to 29 July 1997. The Golden St. George was awarded to the American film '' Marvin's Room'' directed by Jerry Zaks. Jury * Oleg Menshikov (Russia – President of the Jury) * Georgi Dj ...

. Since 2012, he has served as the artistic director of the

. Menshikov is a three-time winner of the annual

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 ...

for his outstanding contribution to film art. In 2003, he was named a

People's Artist of Russia People's Artist of the Russian Federation (russian: Народный артист Российской Федерации, ''Narodnyy artist Rossiyskoy Federatsii''), also sometimes translated as National Artist of the Russian Federation, is an h ...

. Menshikov was presented with the Order of Honour in 2010.

Personal life

In 2005, Menshikov married fellow actress Anastasia Chernova. He resides in

Filmography

Awards and nominations

Honours

* France:

Ordre des Palmes Académiques A suite, in Western classical music and jazz, is an ordered set of instrumental or orchestral/ concert band pieces. It originated in the late 14th century as a pairing of dance tunes and grew in scope to comprise up to five dances, sometimes w ...

(2003) * Russia:

(2003) * Russia: Order of Honour (2010) * Russia: Lev Nikolaev Medal for Achievement in Art

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Menshikov, Oleg 1960 births Living people People from Serpukhov Soviet male film actors Russian male film actors Soviet male television actors Russian male television actors Russian male stage actors Russian theatre directors Recipients of the Order of Honour (Russia) People's Artists of Russia State Prize of the Russian Federation laureates Laurence Olivier Award winners Recipients of the Nika Award