Alexander Leonidovich Kaidanovsky (; 23 July 1946 — 2 December 1995) 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 ...

and

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

and

film director A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfillment of that Goal, vision. The director has a key role ...

. His best known roles are in

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

s such as ''

Stalker Stalking is unwanted and/or repeated surveillance or contact by an individual or group toward another person. Stalking behaviors are interrelated to harassment and intimidation and may include following the victim in person or monitoring t ...

'' (1979)'',

At Home Among Strangers ''A Friend to Foes, a Foe to Friends'' (; ''Svoy sredi chuzhikh, chuzhoy sredi svoikh'') is a 1974 Soviet Red Western film starring Yuri Bogatyryov and Anatoly Solonitsyn and directed by Nikita Mikhalkov. It is Mikhalkov's directorial debut. P ...

'' (1974), and '' The Bodyguard'' (1979). Prior to pursuing an acting career, Kaidanovsky attended technical college where he trained to become a welder. In 1965 he started studying acting at The Rostov Theatre School and the Shchukin theatrical school in Moscow. Before completing the course he took his first part in the film ''

The Mysterious Wall ''The Mysterious Wall'' () is a 1967 Soviet science fiction film Science fiction (or sci-fi) is a film genre that uses Speculative fiction, speculative, fictional science-based depictions of phenomena that are not fully accepted by mainstream ...

'' (1967) and upon graduation in 1969, he worked as stage actor, making his debut at the

Vakhtangov Theatre The Vakhtangov State Academic Theatre () is a drama theatre in Moscow. It was founded in 1913 as the Student Drama Studio, headed by Yevgeny Vakhtangov. The official opening date of the 3rd Studio of the Moscow Art Theatre (MKhAT) is considered to ...

in 1969. In 1971, he was invited to join the prestigious

Moscow Arts Theatre The Moscow Art Theatre (or MAT; , ''Moskovskiy Hudojestvenny Akademicheskiy Teatr'' (МHАТ) was a theatre company in Moscow. It was founded in by the seminal Russian theatre practitioner Konstantin Stanislavski, together with the playwright ...

, a rare privilege for a 25-year-old graduate. He made his major film debut in ''

'' (1974), and over the next few years appeared in some two dozen films, including the satirical comedy ''Diamonds for Dictatorship of the Proletariat'' (1976) and ''The Life of Beethoven'' (1980). At his peak in the 70's Kaidanovsky was among Soviet Russia's most popular actors, and it was at this point that famed Soviet director

Andrei Tarkovsky Andrei Arsenyevich Tarkovsky (, ; 4 April 1932 – 29 December 1986) was a Soviet film director and screenwriter of Russian origin. He is widely considered one of the greatest directors in cinema history. Works by Andrei Tarkovsky, His films e ...

, impressed by the looks and the acting technique of Kaidanovsky in ''Diamonds'', invited him to play the title role in his new film, ''

'' (1979). The role earned Kaidanovsky international acclaim. In 1985 he directed ''

A Simple Death ''A Simple Death'' () is a 1985 Soviet drama film directed by Alexander Kaidanovsky, based on Leo Tolstoy's ''The Death of Ivan Ilyich''. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1987 Cannes Film Festival. Cast * Valeriy Priyom ...

'', which was screened in the

Un Certain Regard (; 'A Certain Glance') is a section of the Cannes Film Festival's official selection. It is run at the Debussy, parallel to the competition for the . This section was introduced in 1978 by Gilles Jacob. The section presents 20 films with unusua ...

section at the

1987 Cannes Film Festival The 40th Cannes Film Festival took place from 7 to 19 May 1987. French-Italian actor Yves Montand served as jury president for the main competition. French filmmaker Maurice Pialat won the ''Palme d'Or'', the festival's top prize, for the drama ...

. In 1993 he directed ''Just Death'', which was about the death of Leo Tolstoy.

Selected filmography

*''

Anna Karenina ''Anna Karenina'' ( rus, Анна Каренина, p=ˈanːə kɐˈrʲenʲɪnə) is a novel by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy, first published in book form in 1878. Tolstoy called it his first true novel. It was initially released in serial in ...

'' (1967) as Jules Lando *''

'' (1967) as Someone *''

Red Square Red Square ( rus, Красная площадь, Krasnaya ploshchad', p=ˈkrasnəjə ˈploɕːɪtʲ) is one of the oldest and largest town square, squares in Moscow, Russia. It is located in Moscow's historic centre, along the eastern walls of ...

'' (1970) as Kashchei * ''The Hound of the Baskervilles'' (1971) as Stapleton *''

Investigation Held by ZnaToKi ''Investigation Led by ZnaToKi'', or ''Investigation Led by Experts'' (, translit. ''Sledstvie vedut ZnaToKi'') was a popular 1971-1989 Soviet detective TV-series with two Russian series (2002 and 2003) for a total of 24 episodes. Main chara ...

'' (1972, TV) as Mirkin *''

The Fourth ''The Fourth'' () is a 1972 Soviet drama film directed by Aleksandr Stolper. The film tells the story of an American journalist who has to make a difficult choice: publicize the plans of supporters of the war after having lost all his life's ben ...

'' (1972) as navigating officer *''

Failure of Engineer Garin ''Failure of Engineer Garin'' (, translit. Krakh inzhenera Garina) is a 1973 Soviet television film in four parts loosely based on a novel '' Hyperboloid of Engineer Garin'' by Alexei Tolstoy. Produced by Lenfilm by the order of Gostelera ...

'' (1973, TV Mini-Series) as Wolf *''

'' (1974) as Lemke, rittmeister *''

The Lost Expedition ''The Lost Expedition'' () is a 1975 Soviet mystery drama film directed by Venyamin Dorman. Plot The film takes place in 1918. The expedition, consisting of two people engaged in the search for gold deposits, goes to Siberia. Soon local residen ...

'' (1975) as Zimin *''

Diamonds for the Dictatorship of the Proletariat ''Diamonds for the Dictatorship of the Proletariat'' () is a 1975 Soviet Estonian action film directed by Grigori Kromanov and based on the novel of the same name by Yulian Semyonov. Plot In 1921, Chekist Gleb Bokii receives an encrypted message ...

'' (1975) as Vorontsov *''

Inquest of Pilot Pirx ''Inquest of Pilot Pirx'' (, , ) is a joint Polish- Soviet Estonian 1979 film directed by Marek Piestrak. It is based on the short story "The Inquest" by Stanisław Lem from his 1968 short story collection ''Opowieści o pilocie Pirxie'' ('' T ...

'' (1979) as Tom Nowak *''

'' (1979) as Stalker *''

Telokhranitel ''The Bodyguard'' (, ''Telokhranitel'') is a 1979 Soviet action film released by Tadjikfilm. It is one of the best known of the Osterns and directed by the veteran feature and documentary maker Ali Khamraev.The Lifeguard ''The Lifeguard'' is a 2013 American drama film produced, written, and directed by Liz W. Garcia, and starring Kristen Bell and David Lambert. The film premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, and was released via video on demand on July ...

'' (1980) as Varaksin *'' Rafferty'' (1980, TV Movie) as prosecutor Ames *''

Faktas ''Faktas'' (English: "Fact", , "Blood Group Zero") is a 1981 Soviet Lithuanian-language war film directed by . It was entered into the 1981 Cannes Film Festival, where Yelena Solovey won the award for Best Supporting Actress. The film is based ...

'' (1981) as Stanislav *''Atsiprasau'' (1982) as Pranas *''Khareba da Gogia'' (1987) as Volkhovski *''

And Then There Were None ''And Then There Were None'' is a mystery fiction, mystery novel by the English writer Agatha Christie, who described it as the most difficult of her books to write. It was first published in the United Kingdom by the Collins Crime Club on 6 N ...

'' (1987) as Captain Philip Lombard *''

New Adventures of a Yankee in King Arthur's Court ''New Adventures of a Yankee in King Arthur's Court'' () is a 1988 Soviet adventure film directed by Viktor Gres and based on American author Mark Twain's 1889 novel '' A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court''. The screenplay was written ...

'' (1988) as Sir

Lancelot Lancelot du Lac (French for Lancelot of the Lake), alternatively written as Launcelot and other variants, is a popular character in the Matter of Britain, Arthurian legend's chivalric romance tradition. He is typically depicted as King Arthu ...

*'' Kerosene Salesman's Wife'' (1988) as Vasily Petrovich (voice) *'' Songlines Segment: For a Million'' (1989, director) *''Just Death'' (1993, director) *''

Magic Hunter ''Magic Hunter'' (, ) is a 1994 Hungarian-Swiss-French fantasy film written and directed by Ildikó Enyedi and loosely inspired by the opera Der Freischütz. The film was entered into the main competition at the 51st edition of the Venice Film F ...

'' (1994) as Maxim

References

External links

*
Alexander Kaidanovsky: articles, filmography and photos
2009-10-25) {{DEFAULTSORT:Kaidanovsky, Alexander 1946 births 1995 deaths Actors from Rostov-on-Don Russian male actors Soviet male actors Jewish Russian actors High Courses for Scriptwriters and Film Directors alumni Academic staff of High Courses for Scriptwriters and Film Directors Russian film directors Soviet film directors Burials at Kuntsevo Cemetery Film people from Rostov-on-Don Honored Workers of the Arts Industry of the Russian Federation