Andrey Vasilyevich Myagkov (; 8 July 1938 – 18 February 2021) was a Soviet and Russian stage and film actor, theater director and writer. He is best known for his roles in famous films directed by

Eldar Ryazanov Eldar Aleksandrovich Ryazanov (; 18 November 1927 – 30 November 2015) was a Soviet and Russian film director, screenwriter, poet, actor and pedagogue whose popular comedies, satirizing the daily life of the Soviet Union and Russia, are celebrat ...

, such as ''

The Irony of Fate ''The Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath!'',; usually shortened to ''The Irony of Fate'', is a 1976 Soviet romantic comedy television film directed by Eldar Ryazanov and starring Andrey Myagkov, Barbara Brylska, Yury Yakovlev and Lyubov Dobrzh ...

'' (1975), ''

Office Romance ''Office Romance'' () is a 1977 Soviet comedy film directed by Eldar Ryazanov. The film's plot is based on the stageplay ''Co-workers'' (') written by Ryazanov and Emil Braginsky, and tells the story of Ludmila Kalugina, head of a statistical bur ...

'' (1977), '' The Garage'' (1979) and '' A Cruel Romance'' (1984).

Biography

Andrey Myagkov was born on 8 July 1938 in Leningrad, USSR. His father, Vasily Myagkov, was a professor at Leningrad State Technical University. Young Myagkov showed interest in theater and acting and participated in a drama club at high school. Upon his graduation from high school he chose to study

chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules a ...

and attended Lensoviet Leningrad Institute of Technology, graduating in 1961 as a

chemical engineer A chemical engineer is a professional equipped with the knowledge of chemistry and other basic sciences who works principally in the chemical industry to convert basic raw materials into a variety of Product (chemistry), products and deals with ...

. His first job was engineer-researcher at Leningrad State Institute of Plastics. At the same time he continued to play on stage as an amateur actor. In 1961, he entered the Nemirovich-Danchenko

Moscow Art 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 ...

school. After graduation in 1964 Myagkov joined the Sovremennik Theatre in Moscow. There his stage partners were such notable Soviet actors as

Oleg Yefremov Oleg Nikolayevich Yefremov (; 1 October 1927 – 24 May 2000) was a Soviet and Russian actor and Moscow Art Theatre producer. He was a People's Artist of the USSR (1976) and a Hero of Socialist Labour (1987). In 1949, he graduated from Moscow A ...

Yevgeny Yevstigneyev Yevgeny Aleksandrovich Yevstigneyev (; 9 October 1926 — 4 March 1992) was a prominent Soviet and Russian stage and film actor, theatre pedagogue, one of the founders of the Moscow Sovremennik Theatre. He was named People's Artist of the USSR in ...

Galina Volchek Galina Borisovna (Berovna) Volchek (; 19 December 1933 – 26 December 2019) was a Soviet and Russian stage and film actress, theater director and pedagogue. People's Artist of the USSR (1989) and Hero of Labour of the Russian Federation (2017) ...

Oleg Tabakov Oleg Pavlovich Tabakov (; 17 August 1935 – 12 March 2018) was a Soviet and Russian actor and the Artistic Director of the Moscow Chekhov Art Theatre. People's Artist of the USSR (1988). Biography Tabakov was born in Saratov into a family of do ...

, Oleg Dal, Igor Kvasha,

Valentin Gaft Valentin Iosifovich Gaft (; 2 September 1935 – 12 December 2020) was a Soviet and Russian actor. He was a People's Artist of the RSFSR (1984). Biography Early life and education Gaft was born in Moscow to Jewish parents, Iosif Ruvimovich Gaft ...

. One of his first stage plays was ''Uncle's dream'' (based on

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 ...

's novel of the same name) where he performed the role of the uncle. In cinema he got his big break when director

Elem Klimov Elem Germanovich Klimov (; 9 July 1933 – 26 October 2003) was a Soviet and Russian filmmaker. He studied at the Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography, Gerasimov Institute of Cinematograph, and was married to film director Larisa Shepitko ...

offered him the lead role in the satiric film ''

Adventures of a Dentist ''Adventures of a Dentist'' () is a 1965 Soviet Union, Soviet Black comedy, dark comedy film directed by Elem Klimov on Mosfilm. It is currently available to view through the The Criterion Collection, Criterion Channel, and is occasionally screen ...

'' (1965). His next work in cinema was a role of Alyosha in critically acclaimed ''

The Brothers Karamazov ''The Brothers Karamazov'' ( rus, Братья Карамазовы, Brat'ya Karamazovy, ˈbratʲjə kərɐˈmazəvɨ), also translated as ''The Karamazov Brothers'', is the last novel by Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky. Dostoevsky spent nearly ...

'' (1969) based on Dostoevsky's eponymous novel, which made him known. In 1975, he gained fame in the enormously popular comedy-drama film ''

'' as a surgeon Zhenya Lukashin. In 1977, he starred in another Ryazanov hit, ''

'', as timid statistician Anatoly Novoseltsev, alongside

Alisa Freindlich Alisa Brunovna Freindlich (born 8 December 1934) is a Russian actress. Since 1983, Freindlich has been a leading actress of the Bolshoi Drama Theater in Saint Petersburg, Russia. She was awarded the title of the People's Artist of the USSR in ...

, in which he also debuted as a singer. For both roles he was awarded the USSR State Prize. In 1978 he was named Best Actor by readers of

Soviet Screen ''Soviet Screen'' () was an illustrated magazine published in the USSR with varying frequency from 1925 to 1998 (with a break from 1941–1957Fifty years from the date of the first issue of Soviet Screen — 1975. — P. 18-19.) The magazine co ...

. In 1977, Myagkov left the Sovremennik Theatre and joined the

(MKhAT), where he debuted in the leading role as Zilov in ''Duck Hunt'' by Aleksandr Vampilov, and eventually established himself as a leading actor in many other stage productions. His other notable films are ''

The Days of the Turbins ''The Days of the Turbins'' () is a four-act play by Mikhail Bulgakov that is based upon his novel '' The White Guard''. It was written in 1925 and premiered on 5 October 1926 in Moscow Art Theatre (MAT) and was directed by Konstantin Stanisla ...

'' (1976) based on

Mikhail Bulgakov Mikhail Afanasyevich Bulgakov ( ; rus, links=no, Михаил Афанасьевич Булгаков, p=mʲɪxɐˈil ɐfɐˈnasʲjɪvʲɪdʑ bʊlˈɡakəf; – 10 March 1940) was a Russian and Soviet novelist and playwright. His novel ''The M ...

's novel, '' The Garage'' (1979), ''

Vertical Race A vertical race is a special kind of ski mountaineering without the typical downhill skiing after ascending. At the mountain running and climbing passages the runners have to carry their skis in their backpacks. Vertical races for women and men are ...

'' (1983), '' A Cruel Romance'' (1984). In 1990s, Myagkov concentrated on theatrical performances and worked as a professor at the Moscow Art Theatre school. In this period he starred in the drama ''Mother'' (1990), Leonid Gaidai's comedy film ''

Weather Is Good on Deribasovskaya, It Rains Again on Brighton Beach ''Weather Is Good on Deribasovskaya, or It Rains Again on Brighton Beach'' () is a 1992 joint Russian– American production comedy film directed by Leonid Gaidai as his last film.

'' (1992), and the detective story '' Contract with Death'' (1998). Myagkov played over 50 roles in film and on television. In 1989, Myagkov made his debut as director on the stage of Moscow Art Theatre with ''Goodnight, Mama'' (''Spokoinoy nochi, Mama''). In 2000 he directed a stageplay, ''Retro''.

Death

Myagkov died on 18 February 2021 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 ...

from acute heart failure.

Selected filmography

* ''

'' (Похождения зубного врача, 1965) as ''Sergey Petrovich Chesnokov'' * ''

'' (Братья Карамазовы, 1969) as ''

Alyosha Karamazov Alexei Fyodorovich Karamazov (), usually referred to simply as Alyosha, is the protagonist in the 1880 novel ''The Brothers Karamazov'' by Fyodor Dostoevsky. He is the youngest of the Karamazov brothers, being nineteen years old at the start of t ...

'' *'' Grandmaster'' (Гроссмейстер, 1972) as ''Sergey Aleksandrovich Khlebnikov'' * ''

'' (Ирония судьбы, или С лёгким паром!, 1975) as ''Zhenya Lukashin'' * ''

'' (Дни Турбиных, 1976) as ''Aleksei Turbin'' * ''

'' (Служебный роман, 1977) as ''Anatoly Novoseltsev'' * '' The Garage'' (Гараж, 1979) as ''Khvostov'' * ''

'' (Гонки по вертикали, 1982) as ''Inspector Stanislav Tikhonov'' * ''

Lethargy Lethargy is a state of tiredness, sleepiness, weariness, fatigue, sluggishness, or lack of energy. It can be accompanied by depression, decreased motivation, or apathy. Lethargy can be a normal response to inadequate sleep, overexertion, overw ...

'' (Летаргия, 1983) as ''Vadim Sergeyevich Bekasov'' *''

Epilogue An epilogue or epilog (from Greek ἐπίλογος ''epílogos'', "conclusion" from ἐπί ''epi'', "in addition" and λόγος ''logos'', "word") is a piece of writing at the end of a work of literature, usually used to bring closure to the ...

'' (Послесловие, 1983) as ''Vladimir Shvyrkov'' * '' A Cruel Romance'' (Жестокий романс, 1984) as ''Yuliy Kapitonovich Karandyshev'' *'' The Last Road'' (Последняя дорога, 1986) as ''Dubelt'' * ''

'' (На Дерибасовской хорошая погода, или На Брайтон-Бич опять идут дожди, 1992) as ''"Artist", the leader of the Russian mafia / uncle Misha, immigrant'' *'' Contract with Death'' (Контракт со смертью, 1998) as ''Professor Gleb Sergeyevich Ignatovsky'' * '' The Irony of Fate 2'' (Ирония Судьбы. Продолжение, 2007) as ''Zhenya Lukashin''

References

*
Article about Andrey Myagkov
by Eldar Ryazanov

External links

*
Biography and filmography of Andrey Myagkov
{{DEFAULTSORT:Myagkov, Andrey 1938 births 2021 deaths 20th-century Russian male actors 21st-century Russian male actors Male actors from Saint Petersburg Moscow Art Theatre School alumni Academic staff of Moscow Art Theatre School Saint Petersburg State Institute of Technology alumni Honored Artists of the RSFSR People's Artists of the RSFSR 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 Honour (Russia) Recipients of the USSR State Prize Recipients of the Vasilyev Brothers State Prize of the RSFSR Recipients of the Golden Mask Detective fiction writers Russian drama teachers Russian male film actors Russian male stage actors Russian male television actors Russian male voice actors Russian male writers Russian portrait painters Russian theatre directors Soviet drama teachers Soviet male film actors Soviet male stage actors Soviet male television actors Soviet male voice actors Soviet male writers Soviet painters Soviet theatre directors Burials in Troyekurovskoye Cemetery