Aleksey Vladimirovich Batalov (russian: link=no, Алексе́й Влади́мирович Бата́лов; 20 November 1928 – 15 June 2017) was a Soviet and Russian stage and film actor, film director, screenwriter and pedagogue acclaimed for his portrayal of noble and positive characters. He was named a

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 significan ...

in 1976 and a

Hero of Socialist Labour The Hero of Socialist Labour (russian: links=no, Герой Социалистического Труда, Geroy Sotsialisticheskogo Truda) was an honorific title in the Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact countries from 1938 to 1991. It repre ...

in 1989.

Life and career

Batalov was born on 20 November 1928 in Vladimir, into a family associated with the theatre. His uncle

Nikolai Batalov Nikolai Petrovich Batalov (russian: Николай Петрович Баталов; 6 December 1899 in Moscow – 10 November 1937 in Moscow) was a Soviet and Russian stage and film actor. He performed in a number of notable films between 1924 and ...

starred in Vsevolod Pudovkin's classic ''Mother'' (1926). The Modernist poet Anna Akhmatova was a family friend, and he painted a well-known portrait of her in 1952. Batalov joined 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 ...

in 1953 but left three years later to concentrate on his career in film. During the

Khrushchev Thaw The Khrushchev Thaw ( rus, хрущёвская о́ттепель, r=khrushchovskaya ottepel, p=xrʊˈɕːɵfskəjə ˈotʲ:ɪpʲɪlʲ or simply ''ottepel'')William Taubman, Khrushchev: The Man and His Era, London: Free Press, 2004 is the period ...

he was one of the most recognizable actors in the Soviet Union. ''

The Cranes Are Flying ''The Cranes Are Flying'' (russian: Летят журавли, translit. ''Letyat zhuravli'') is a 1957 Soviet film about the Second World War. It depicts the cruelty of war and the damage done to the Soviet psyche as a result of war, which ...

'' (1957) is his best-regarded film of the period, and the one which won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. He also starred in Mikhail Romm's '' Nine Days of One Year'' (1962). In 1967 he was a member of the jury of the

5th Moscow International Film Festival The 5th Moscow International Film Festival was held from 5 to 20 July 1967. The Grand Prix was shared between the Soviet film '' The Journalist'', directed by Sergei Gerasimov and the Hungarian film ''Father'', directed by István Szabó. The fe ...

. In 1973 he was a member of the jury at the 8th Moscow International Film Festival. During the 1960s and 1970s, Batalov became known for his fastidious approach towards choosing roles for himself. He appeared mostly in film adaptations of Russian classics, including

Anton Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; 29 January 1860 Old Style date 17 January. – 15 July 1904 Old Style date 2 July.) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer who is considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career ...

's'' The Lady with the Dog'' (1960) and Bulgakov's'' The Flight'' (1970). He also directed screen versions of Gogol's '' The Overcoat'' (1960) and Yuri Olesha's ''Three Fat Men'' (1966). In the 1970s he concentrated on a professorship at the

Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography The Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography (russian: Всероссийский государственный институт кинематографии имени С. А. Герасимова, meaning ''All-Russian State Institute of Cinemat ...

. In 1979, Batalov was invited to play Gosha, a mill machinist, in the melodrama ''

Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears ''Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears'' (russian: Москва слезам не верит, Moskva slezam ne verit) is a 1980 Soviet romantic drama film made by Mosfilm. It was written by Valentin Chernykh and directed by Vladimir Menshov. The leadi ...

''. After many hesitations, Batalov brilliantly played his part in the movie, which won him the USSR State Prize. The role was central to the film's Soviet message. As one character says in the picnic scene: "Seventy percent of my doctorate was due to Gosha's mechanical genius". After that, he effectively retired from acting and devoted his time to coaching new generations of film actors. Boris Yeltsin presented the Lifetime Achievement Nika Award to him in 2002. Batalov was awarded the

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 ...

(2005). In 2007, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the

29th Moscow International Film Festival The 29th Moscow International Film Festival was held from 21 to 30 June 2007. The Golden George was awarded to the Russian film '' Travelling with Pets'' directed by Vera Storozheva. Jury * Fred Schepisi (Australia – Chairman of the Jury) * An ...

. 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. Batalov died on 15 June 2017 in Moscow from complications of a fall, which resulted in a hip fracture, at the age of 88.

Honours and awards

;Awards of Russia and the USSR: *

(1989) * Order "For Merit to the Fatherland": **2nd class (20 November 2008) – for outstanding contribution to the development of national culture, for his many years of creative and educational activities **3rd class (10 November 1998) – for outstanding contributions to the development of national cinematography * Vasilyev Brothers State Prize of the RSFSR (1966) – for his role in the movie ''Nine Days in One Year'' *Two Orders of Lenin (1967, 1989) *

Lenin Komsomol Prize Lenin Komsomol Prize () was a Soviet annual award for the best works in science, engineering, literature or art carried out by young authors of age not exceeding 33 years. Komsomol was the abbreviated name of The Communist Union of Youth (Russia ...

(1967) * Honored Artist of the RSFSR (1964) * People's Artist of the RSFSR (1969) *

(1976) * USSR State Prize (1981) – for his role in the movie ''Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears'' *

(2005) * Russian Presidential Prize in Literature and Art in 1999 (17 February 2000) ;Foreign awards: * Order of St. Cyril and Methodius (Bulgaria) ;Community Awards: * Order of Peter the Great (Academy of Security, Defence and Law Enforcement, 2003) * Juno Award (1997) * Idol Award (2002) – ''For high service to art'' * Commemorative Medal for the 150th anniversary of Anton Chekhov, by the

(2005)

Filmography

Actor

*'' Zoya'' (Зоя, 1944) as Alyosha Batalov, Zoya's classmate (uncredited) *''

A Big Family ''A Big Family'' (russian: Больша́я семья́, translit. Bolshaya semya) is a 1954 Soviet drama film directed by Iosif Kheifits. It was entered into the 1955 Cannes Film Festival. It was based on Vsevolod Kochetov's novel ''Zhur ...

'' (1954) as Aleksey Ilich Zhurbin *''Mikhaylo Lomonosov'' (1955) as Muzhik *'' Mother'' (1955) as Pavel Vlasov *''

The Rumyantsev Case ''The Rumyantsev Case'' (russian: Дело Румянцева) is a 1955 Soviet crime film directed by Iosif Kheyfits. Plot Young truck-driver Sasha Rumyantsev, trying to avoid running over a child, has an accident, his car crashes into a brick w ...

'' (Дело Румянцева, 1956) as Sasha Rumyantsev *''

'' (1957) as Boris *''Dorogoy moy chelovek'' (1958) *''Shinel'' (1959) (uncredited) *'' The Lady with the Dog'' (1960) as Dmitri Dmitrievich Gurov *'' Nine Days of One Year'' (Девять дней одного года, 1962) as Dmitri Gusev *''A Day of Happiness'' (1963) as Alexander Nikolaevich Beryozkin *''Svet dalyokoy zvezdy'' (1965) as Lukashov *''

Three Fat Men ''Three Fat Men'' (Три толстяка) written in 1924, by Yury Olesha, was published in 1928. It was the first revolutionary fairy tale in Soviet literature. The critical reaction at first was varied. V. Boichevsky in an article "How Storie ...

'' (1966) as Tibul *''V gorode S.'' (1967) as Shergov *''

The Seventh Companion ''The Seventh Companion'' (russian: Седьмой спутник, translit=''Sed'moy sputnik'') is a 1967 Soviet drama film set in Petrograd in the years following the Russian Revolution. The film marked the directorial debut of Russian director ...

'' (Седьмой спутник, 1968) as commissar *'' The Living Corpse'' (Живой труп, 1968) as Fyodor Protasov *''Vnimanie, cherepakha!'' (1970) *'' The Flight'' (Бег, 1971) as Sergei Pavlovich Golubkov *''Vozvrata net'' (1974) as Aleksey Vladimirovich Yegorov *''

A Very English Murder ''A Very English Murder'' (russian: Чисто английское убийство, Chisto angliyskoe ubiystvo) is a 1974 Soviet teleplay directed by Samson Samsonov, based on the 1951 novel '' An English Murder'' by Cyril Hare. Plot The fil ...

'' (1974) as Dr. Botwink *''Nezabytaya pesnya'' (1975) as Mikola *'' The Captivating Star of Happiness'' (Звезда пленительного счастья, 1975) as Sergei Petrovich Trubetskoy *''Rikki-Tikki-Tavi'' (1979) *''

'' (Москва слезам не верит, 1980) as Georgy Ivanovich "Gosha" *'' Speed'' (Скорость, 1983) as Igor Vladimirovich Lagutin *''O lyudyakh atomakh'' (1983) *'' Time for rest from Saturday to Monday'' (Время отдыха с субботы до понедельника, 1984) as Pavel *''Dose cheloveka v 'Mersedese (1986) *''Zontik dlya novobrachnykh'' (1987) as Dmitriy Pavlovich Kraskov *''

Stalin's Funeral ''Stalin's Funeral'' (russian: Похороны Сталина, Pokhorony Stalina) is a 1990 Soviet drama film written and directed by the famous poet, Yevgeni Yevtushenko. The film stars the British actress, Vanessa Redgrave. Plot 1953, USSR. M ...

'' (Похороны Сталина, 1990) as Eugene's father *''Poltergeyst-90'' (1991) *''...Pervaya lyubov'' (1995) (voice) *''Rokovye yaytsa'' (1996) *''Malenkaya printsessa'' (1997) *''Karnavalnaya noch 2, ili 50 let spustya'' (2007) (final film role)

Director

*'' The Overcoat'' (1959) *''

'' (1966) *''The Gambler'' (1972)

Voice

*'' Hedgehog in the Fog'' (1975) as Narrator *''

The Adventures of Lolo the Penguin ''The Adventures of Lolo the Penguin'' is an animated film from 1986, originally released as a three-part serial film. Its original title and literal translation is ''The Adventures of Small Penguin Lolo''. The film was a co-production between ...

'' (1988) as Narrator

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Batalov, Aleksey 1928 births 2017 deaths People from Vladimir, Russia Russian male film actors Soviet male film actors Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor winners People's Artists of the USSR Heroes of Socialist Labour State Prize of the Russian Federation laureates Recipients of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", 2nd class Recipients of the Order of Lenin Honored Artists of the RSFSR People's Artists of the RSFSR Recipients of the USSR State Prize Recipients of the Lenin Komsomol Prize Academicians of the Russian Academy of Cinema Arts and Sciences "Nika" Moscow Art Theatre School alumni Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography faculty Academicians of the National Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences of Russia Soviet male voice actors Russian male voice actors Accidental deaths from falls