Mikhail Sergeyevich Boyarsky (; born 26 December 1949) is a Russian actor and singer. He is best known for playing swashbucklers in historical adventure films; the role of d'Artagnan in the 1978 Soviet adaptation of Alexander Dumas' ''Three Musketeers'' elevated Boyarsky to the nationwide fame.

Biography

Mikhail Sergeyevich Boyarsky was born 26 December 1949 in

Leningrad Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

in the family of Sergey Aleksandrovich Boyarsky and Yekaterina Mikhailovna Melentyeva, both Komissarzhevskaya Theatre actors. He studied piano in a music school affiliated with the Conservatory. After school, Boyarsky entered Institute of Theatre Music and Cinema, finishing in 1972, and began working in the

Lensovet Theatre Lensovet Theatre, officially Saint Petersburg State Academic Lensoviet Theatre (in , literally St Petersburg Academic Theater of the Leningrad City Council), also known as Lensovet Academic Theatre and Lensoviet Theatre, is a theatre and theatri ...

for Igor Vladimirov. In the cinema, the actor made a debut in the films ''Bridges'' and '' The Straw Hat'' (1974), becoming well known in 1975 after his role in the picture ''Eldest Son''. He found much greater popularity in the main role of Troubadour in the theatre musical ''The Troubadour and His Friends'', with the princess played by Larisa Luppian, who soon became his wife. In 1976, he played the big bad wolf in the movie '' Ma-ma''. His popularity really took off in 1978 after Boyarsky starred in the musical film ''

D'Artagnan and Three Musketeers ''D'Artagnan and Three Musketeers'' (, ''D'Artanyan i tri mushketyora'') is a three-part swashbuckler musical miniseries produced in the Soviet Union and first aired in 1978. It is based on the 1844 novel ''The Three Musketeers'' by Alexandre Dum ...

''. After that, he was typecast as a

swashbuckler A swashbuckler is a genre of European adventure literature that focuses on a heroic protagonist stock character who is skilled in swordsmanship, acrobatics, and guile, and possesses chivalrous ideals. A "swashbuckler" protagonist is heroic, ...

for two decades; he reprised his role as d'Artagnan in three sequels and portrayed other "sword and hat" characters in adventure movies like '' The Dog in the Manger'' (1978), '' The Prisoner of Château d'If'' (1988), '' Gardes-Marines, Ahead!'' (1988), ''Don César de Bazan'' (1989), '' Viva Gardes-Marines!'' (1991), '' Queen Margot'' (1996) and ''Taras Bulba'' (2009), among others. Being a singer, he also often starred in musical films. Occasionally he played against type, like in ''Extra Ticket'' or ''The Waiting Room''. In 2023 Boyarsky retired from acting, because of his age and health issues.

Political and social activity

In the 1996 presidential elections, Boyarsky campaigned for

Boris Yeltsin Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin (1 February 1931 – 23 April 2007) was a Soviet and Russian politician and statesman who served as President of Russia from 1991 to 1999. He was a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) from 1961 to ...

, participating in the Vote or Lose program. Boyarsky supports the policies pursued by Presidents

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...

and

Dmitry Medvedev Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev (born 14 September 1965) is a Russian politician and lawyer who has served as Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of Russia since 2020. Medvedev was also President of Russia between 2008 and 2012 and Prime Mini ...

. In particular, he attributes to Putin the opening of the country's borders in the early 1990s: By his own admission, Boyarsky is a conservative, a supporter of the monarchy, and an opponent of communist views. In 2001, Boyarsky signed a letter in defense of the NTV channel. In 2003, Boyarsky supported Valentina Matviyenko during the election campaign for governor of St. Petersburg. He has repeatedly supported the construction project of the Gazprom City skyscraper (since 2007, Okhta Center), starring in commercials for this project. In 2009, he issued an open letter to President Dmitry Medvedev for the construction of the Okhta Center. At the same time, many city residents actively opposed the project, and in December 2010, the decision to build it on the historical Okhtinsky Cape was canceled. Vladimir Putin 7 October 2000-1

On 6 February 2012, Boyarsky was officially registered as a trusted representative of the presidential candidate and then-Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Since April 2013, Boyarsky has been the leader of the Movement for the Rights of Smokers. In March 2014, Boyarsky supported the annexation of Crimea and signed a letter to President Putin in support of the annexation. In the 2016 Russian legislative election, Boyarsky became a trusted representative of the United Russia party. In January 2018, Boyarsky was registered as a trusted representative of Vladimir Putin for the 2018 Russian presidential election. In June 2018, Boyarsky spoke out in favor of raising the retirement age. In December 2018, in a conversation with the general director of TV Rain, Natalya Sindeyeva, Boyarsky spoke in favor of introducing censorship in the field of cinema and theaters and for the re-establishment of artistic councils. In February 2022, he supported the

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 ...

. In February 2023,

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

sanctioned Mikhail Boyarsky for being involved in Russian propaganda and spreading misinformation relating to the 2022 war in Ukraine.

Personal life

With Larisa Luppian, he has a son, Sergey Boyarsky (born in 1980), and a daughter, Elizaveta Boyarskaya (born 20 December 1985). As a native of Saint Petersburg, Boyarsky is a fan of local FC Zenit.

Popular songs

* ''Vse proidet'' * ''Gorodskie Cveti'' * ' * ' * ''Spasibo, rodnaya'' * ''Pesnya mushketyorov'' * ''Syadu v skory poezd''

Honours and awards

* Honored Artist of the RSFSR (1984) * People's Artist of the RSFSR (1990) *

Order of Friendship The Order of Friendship (, ') is a state decoration of the Russian Federation established by Boris Yeltsin by presidential decree 442 of 2 March 1994 to reward Russian and foreign nationals whose work, deeds and efforts have been aimed at ...

(2001) * Medal "In Commemoration of the 300th Anniversary of Saint Petersburg" (2003) *

Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" The Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" () is a state decoration of the Russian Federation. It was instituted on 2 March 1994 by Presidential Decree 442. Until the re-establishment of the Order of St. Andrew in 1998, it was the highest order of ...

, 4th class (2009)Указ Президента Российской Федерации от 25 декабря 2009 года № 1473 «О награждении орденом „За заслуги перед Отечеством“ IV степени Боярского М. С.»
/ref> * Order of Honour (Moldova) (2011) * Order of Honour (2020)

Filmography

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Boyarsky, Mikhail 1949 births 20th-century Russian male actors 20th-century Russian male singers 21st-century Russian male actors 21st-century Russian male singers Living people Male actors from Saint Petersburg Singers from Saint Petersburg Academicians of the Russian Academy of Cinema Arts and Sciences "Nika" Musicians from Saint Petersburg Russian State Institute of Performing Arts alumni Honored Artists of the RSFSR People's Artists of the RSFSR Recipients of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", 4th class Recipients of the Order of Honour (Moldova) Recipients of the Order of Honour (Russia) Winners of the Golden Gramophone Award People with type 1 diabetes Russian people of Polish descent Soviet keyboardists Russian keyboardists Russian male child actors Russian male film actors Russian male guitarists Russian male singers Russian male stage actors Russian male television actors Russian male voice actors Russian pop singers Russian stunt performers Russian television presenters Soviet male child actors Soviet male film actors Soviet male singers Soviet male stage actors Soviet male television actors Soviet male voice actors Soviet pop singers Anti-Ukrainian sentiment in Russia United Russia politicians Melodiya artists