Aleksandr Georgievich Filippenko (; born September 2, 1944) is a Soviet and Russian actor,
People's Artist of Russia
People's Artist of the Russian Federation (, ''Narodnyy artist Rossiyskoy Federatsii''), also sometimes translated as National Artist of the Russian Federation, is an honorary and the highest title awarded to citizens of the Russian Federation ...
(2000).
Biography
He was born 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 ...
. His parents moved to
Alma-Ata
Almaty, formerly Alma-Ata, is the largest city in Kazakhstan, with a population exceeding two million residents within its metropolitan area. Located in the foothills of the Trans-Ili Alatau mountains in southern Kazakhstan, near the border wi ...
,
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...
where he graduated from high school. Later on he entered MIPT where he took active part in MFTI
KVN
''KVN'' (, an abbreviation of , ''Klub vesyolykh i nakhodchivykh'' or ''Ka-Ve-En'', "Club of the Funny and Inventive eople) is a Russian and formerly Soviet comedy television show and international competition in which teams compete by givin ...
team. The first time he appeared on stage at the MSU
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
Studio ''Our Home'' in a stage adaptation of Kersanov's ''Story of Tsar Emelian''. Since 1969 Filippenko was a key member of Taganka Theater. In 1970 he entered
Boris Shchukin Theatre Institute
The Boris Shchukin Theatre Institute () is a Russian Federation, Russian drama college in Moscow, formed in 1914 as part of the Vakhtangov Theatre. In 2002 it was granted the Academy status.
History
The history of the Shchukin Institute (or Shchu ...
and graduated with honors. In 1975 he started working at Vakhtangov Theater where he took part in famous plays ''Treaty of Brest-Litovsk'' (Брестский Мир), ''
Richard III
Richard III (2 October 1452 – 22 August 1485) was King of England from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the Plantagenet dynasty and its cadet branch the House of York. His defeat and death at the Battle of Boswor ...
'' and many others. There he met, worked with and became good friends with director
Robert Sturua
Robert Sturua ( ka, რობერტ სტურუა; born 31 July 1938) is a Georgian theater director, who gained international acclaim for his original interpretation of the works of Brecht, Shakespeare, and Chekhov. He was based at the ...
. Filippenko left Vakhtangov Theater in 1994 and started his own theatrical project "Mono-Duet-Trio". Since 1995 Filippenko is a freelance actor, working in various theatres: in Satirikon theatre playing Claudius and the Ghost in ''
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 Et Cetera theatre playing Antonio in ''
The Merchant of Venice
''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan taken out on behalf of his dear friend, Bassanio, and provided by a ...
'', in Tabakerka theatre playing Satin in ''
The Lower Depths
''The Lower Depths'' (, literally: ''At the bottom'') is a play by Russian dramatist Maxim Gorky written in 1902 and produced by the Moscow Arts Theatre on December 18, 1902, under the direction of Konstantin Stanislavski. It became his first ma ...
'', in Mossoveta theatre playing Serebryakov in Chekhov's ''
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 1897, and first produced in 1899 by the Moscow Art Theatre, directed by Konstan ...
'' and Batenin/Akimov in ''Anteroom'' (Предбанник) by Sergei Yursky. He directs and plays various mono-plays (one man shows) such as ''
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
''One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich'' (, ) is a short novel by the Russian writer and Nobel laureate Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, first published in November 1962 in the Soviet literary magazine ''Novy Mir'' (''New World''). and many others based on Russian classical literature.
In May 2022 Filippenko posted a photo of himself on
Facebook
Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...
wearing a
vyshyvanka
Vyshyvanka ( ; ) is a colloquial name, casual name for the embroidered shirt in Ukrainian and Belarusian national costumes. Ukrainian vyshyvankas are distinguished by embroidery features specific to Ukrainian embroidery.
Etymology
"Vyshyvanka" ...
(a
Ukrainia
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...
n embroidered shirt) in protest against the
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...
. Following this Russian theatres started to refuse appearances by Filippenko.Actor Aleksandr Filippenko leaves Russia
Meduza
''Meduza'' (Russian: Медуза, named after the Greek goddess Medusa) is a Russian- and English-language independent news website, headquartered in Riga, Latvia. It was founded in 2014 by a group of former employees of the then-independent ...
(February 10, 2023)
In February 2023 Filippenko's daughter Alexandra told
TV Rain
TV Rain ( rus, Дождь, Dozhd, p=ˈdoʂtʲ, a=Ru-дождь (doʂtʲ).ogg; stylized as ДО///ДЬ) is an independent Russian-language television channel. Launched in Russia in 2010, it has been based in the Netherlands since 2022. It focuse ...
that her father had left Russia and was living in
Vilnius
Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...
,
Lithuania
Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...
because of "his position on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine."
Filmography
*''
Two Prosecutors
''Two Prosecutors'' is a 2025 historical drama film written and directed by Sergei Loznitsa, based on the novella of the same name by Georgy Demidov. Starring Aleksandr Kuznetsov and Aleksandr Filippenko, the film follows a young Soviet prosecut ...
'' (2025)
*''
Patient No. 1
''Patient No. 1'' () is a 2023 Georgian feature film directed by Rezo Gigineishvili. Produced by the Georgian studio Independent Film Project.
Plot
The action of the movie takes place in the late USSR. General Secretary of the CPSU Central Co ...
'' (Пациент No. 1, 2023) as
Konstantin Chernenko
Konstantin Ustinovich Chernenko ( – 10 March 1985) was a Soviet politician who served as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1984 until his death a year later.
Born to a poor family in Siberia, Chernenko jo ...
Leonid Brezhnev
Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev (19 December 190610 November 1982) was a Soviet politician who served as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1964 until Death and state funeral of Leonid Brezhnev, his death in 1982 as w ...
Pyotr Andreyevich Tolstoy
Count Pyotr Andreyevich Tolstoy (; 1645–1729) was a Russian statesman and diplomat, prominent during and after the reign of Peter the Great. He was the ancestor of all the Counts Tolstoy, including the novelist Leo Tolstoy (September 9 .S. Au ...
*''Happy Ending'' (Счастливый конец, 2010) as Old Dick
*'' My Fair Nanny'' (Моя прекрасная няня, 2008) as Vladimir Prutkovsky
*''
One Night of Love
''One Night of Love'' is a 1934 American Columbia Pictures romantic musical film set in the opera world, starring Grace Moore and Tullio Carminati. The film was directed by Victor Schertzinger and adapted from the story ''Don't Fall in Love'', ...
'' (Одна ночь любви, 2008) as Prince Illarion Zabelin
*''
Attack on Leningrad
''Attack on Leningrad'', or just ''Leningrad'', is a 2009 war film written and directed by Aleksandr Buravsky, set during the Siege of Leningrad.
Plot
In 1941 Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union and their troops besieged the city of Leningr ...
'' (Ленинград, 2007) as Arkatov
*''Conspiracy'' (Заговор, 2007) as Dmitry Kosorotov, prozektor
*'' Asiris Nuna'' (Азирис Нуна, 2006) as Pharaoh Nemenkhotep IV
*'' Adjutants of Love'' (Адьютанты любви, 2005) as Boris Kuragin
*''
Brezhnev
Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev (19 December 190610 November 1982) was a Soviet politician who served as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1964 until his death in 1982 as well as the fourth chairman of the Presidium ...
'' (Брежнев, 2005) as General Georgy Tsinyov
*''
The Master and Margarita
''The Master and Margarita'' () is a novel by Mikhail Bulgakov, written in the Soviet Union between 1928 and 1940. A censored version, with several chapters cut by editors, was published posthumously in ''Moscow (magazine), Moscow'' magazine in ...
'' (Мастер и Маргарита, 2005) as Azazello
*'' Poor Nastya'' (Бедная Настя, 2003) as Andrey Platonovich Zabaluev
*'' Investigation Led by Experts'' (Следствие ведут ЗнаТоКи, 2002) as Landyshev
*''Lady for a Day'' (Леди на день, 2002) as Count Alfonso Romero
*'' The Romanovs: An Imperial Family'' (Романовы. Венценосная семья, 2000) as
Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov ( 187021 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin, was a Russian revolutionary, politician and political theorist. He was the first head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 until Death and state funeral of ...
*''The Career of Arturo Ui'' (Карьера Артура Уи, 1996) as Arturo Ui
*''
The Master and Margarita
''The Master and Margarita'' () is a novel by Mikhail Bulgakov, written in the Soviet Union between 1928 and 1940. A censored version, with several chapters cut by editors, was published posthumously in ''Moscow (magazine), Moscow'' magazine in ...
Hard to Be a God
''Hard to Be a God'' () is a 1964 science fiction novel by the Soviet writers Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, set in the Noon Universe.
Premise and themes
The novel follows Anton (alias Don Rumata throughout the book), an undercover operative from ...
'' (Трудно быть богом, 1989) as Don Reba
*'' To Kill a Dragon'' (Убить дракона, 1988) as blacksmith-gunsmith
*'' Visit to Minotaur'' (Визит к Минотавру, 1987) as Grigory Petrovich Belash, piano tuner
*''
Battle of Moscow
The Battle of Moscow was a military campaign that consisted of two periods of strategically significant fighting on a sector of the Eastern Front during World War II, between October 1941 and January 1942. The Soviet defensive effort frustrated H ...
Sofia Kovalevskaya
Sofya Vasilyevna Kovalevskaya (; born Korvin-Krukovskaya; – 10 February 1891) was a Russian mathematician who made noteworthy contributions to analysis, partial differential equations and mechanics. She was a pioneer for women in mathematics a ...
'' (Софья Ковалевская, 1985) as
Fyodor Dostoevsky
Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky. () was a Russian novelist, short story writer, essayist and journalist. He is regarded as one of the greatest novelists in both Russian and world literature, and many of his works are considered highly influent ...
*''
Confrontation
Confrontation is an element of conflict wherein parties confront one another, directly engaging one another in the course of a dispute between them. A confrontation can be at any scale, between any number of people, between entire nations or cu ...
'' (Противостояние, 1985) as Roman Kirillovich Zhuravlyov, veterinarian
*'' Copper Angel'' (Медный ангел, 1984) as Santillano
*'' My Friend Ivan Lapshin'' (Мой друг Иван Лапшин, 1984) as Zanadvorov
*'' Applause, Applause...'' (Аплодисменты, аплодисменты..., 1984) as Vadim Petrovich Goncharov, Valeriya's husband
*'' Start Liquidation'' (Приступить к ликвидации, 1983) as Andrei Dmitriyevich Blinov "Kopchyonyy", thief in law
*''
Torpedo Bombers
A torpedo bomber is a military aircraft designed primarily to attack ships with aerial torpedoes. Torpedo bombers came into existence just before the First World War almost as soon as aircraft were built that were capable of carrying the weight ...
'' (Торпедоносцы, 1983) as general major of Soviet Air Forces
*''
The Ballad of the Valiant Knight Ivanhoe
''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The' ...
'' (Баллада о доблестном рыцаре Айвенго, 1982) as Wamba the jester
*''
Resident Return
''Resident Return'' (), also known as ''Resident Is Back'', is a 1982 Soviet
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental ...
Koshchei
Koshchei ( rus, Коще́й, r=Koshchey, p=kɐˈɕːej), also Kashchei ( rus, Каще́й, r=Kashchey, p=kɐˈɕːej), often given the epithet "the Immortal", or "the Deathless" (), is an archetypal male antagonist in Russian folklore.
The mos ...
*'' Who will pay for Luck?'' (Кто заплатит за удачу?, 1980) as Konkov
*'' Bumbarash'' (Бумбараш, 1971) as White Guard Strigunov
*'' Attention, Turtle!'' (Внимание, черепаха!, 1970) as tank commander (uncredited)
*''
Shine, Shine, My Star
"Shine, Shine, My Star" () 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 popular belief attributed it to Russian Admiral Alek ...
'' (Гори, гори, моя звезда, 1970) as white officer
*''I'm His Bride'' (, 1969) as Vladimir Kharlamov