Nikolai Sergeyevich Lebedev (; 15 December 1921 – 21 August 2022) was 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 ...

in 2018. A former soldier of the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

, he also fought in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, where he was captured by the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...

, during the

Battle of Uman The Battle of Uman (15 July – 8 August 1941) was the World War II German offensive in Uman, Uman, Ukraine against the 6th Army (Soviet Union), 6th and 12th Army (Soviet Union), 12th Soviet Armies. In a three-week period, the Wehrmacht encircle ...

Early life and career

Nikolai Sergeyevich Lebedev was born in Moscow on 15 December 1921.Николай Лебедев на сайте театра им. Моссовета
During the

Great Patriotic War The Eastern Front, also known as the Great Patriotic War (term), Great Patriotic War in the Soviet Union and its successor states, and the German–Soviet War in modern Germany and Ukraine, was a Theater (warfare), theatre of World War II ...

, he was drafted to the

in April 1941, to fight as a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

machine gunner. He was contused and captured by the

in July–August 1941, during the

. After his release by the enemy, he was tested by the Soviet counter-intelligence agency,

SMERSH SMERSH () was an umbrella organization for three independent counter-intelligence agencies in the Red Army formed in late 1942 or even earlier, but officially announced only on 14 April 1943. The name SMERSH was coined by Joseph Stalin. The form ...

, and was ultimately cleared and let go. After the war, he acted at the Moscow Theater of the Young Spectator for two years until deciding to combine his studies and work, entering the Moscow Art Theatre School. Lebedev graduated from the school in 1950, in the course of Viktor Stanitsyn. As it was known that he had been a prisoner during the war, Lebedev was banned from acting at the

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 ...

, despite both parties agreeing to it at first. Yuri Zavadsky introduced him to the Mossovet Theater instead, where Lebedev ultimately acted for more than 60 years.

Personal life and death

Lebedev's wife, Anna Kasenkina, was also an actress. They lived together for more than half a century. Anna and Nikolai had no children together, although Kasenkina had a son from her first marriage, whom Lebedev raised as his own. After the death of Anna, he lived with his son's family. Lebedev

turned 100 A centenarian is a person who has reached the age of 100. Because life expectancies at birth worldwide are well below 100, the term is invariably associated with longevity. The United Nations estimated that there were 316,600 living centenarian ...

in December 2021, and died on 21 August 2022.

Selected filmography

Source:Работы Николая Лебедева в кино
on kino-teatr.ru * ' (1959) as Colonel Sinitsyn * '' Yevdokiya'' (1961) as Yevdokim * ''

Silence Silence is the absence of ambient hearing, audible sound, the emission of sounds of such low sound intensity, intensity that they do not draw attention to themselves, or the state of having ceased to produce sounds; this latter sense can be exten ...

'' (1963) as episode * ''

Liberation Liberation or liberate may refer to: Film and television * ''Liberation'' (film series), a 1970–1971 series about the Great Patriotic War * "Liberation" (''The Flash''), a TV episode * "Liberation" (''K-9''), an episode Gaming * '' Liberati ...

'' (1971) as Sczyapan Krasoŭsky * ''

Eternal Call ''Eternal Call'' () was a Soviet epic TV series. It was filmed by directors Vladimir Krasnopolsky and Valery Uskov based on the novel of the same name by Anatoli Ivanov at Mosfilm Studios. It ran from June 2, 1976, to May 20, 1983, on the So ...

'' (1973) as Mitrofan Savelyev * '' Earth and Sky Adventures'' (1974) as General Designer * ''

The Captivating Star of Happiness ''The Star of Captivating Happiness'' () is a 1975 Soviet historical romance. The title is an allusion to a line from the poem '' To Chaadayev'' by Alexander Pushkin. It is a drama with the dedication "to the women of Russia". Plot The story is ...

'' (1975) * ''

Air Crew ''Air Crew'' () is a 1980 disaster film directed by Alexander Mitta. Inspired by the ''Airport'' movie series, it was the first disaster film shot in the Soviet Union. Plot The first part of the film concentrates on the personal lives of the air ...

'' (1980) as Professor of Medical Commission * ' (1985) as

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was the 34th president of the United States, serving from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, he was Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionar ...

* ''

Vagrant Bus ''Vagrant Bus'' () is a 1990 Soviet drama film, filmed at the studio Lenfilm by the director Iosif Kheifits. Story The film tells about the artists one theater. This is a wandering troupe, which travels to his old nearly broken bus from one settlem ...

'' (1989) as episode * ''

King Lear ''The Tragedy of King Lear'', often shortened to ''King Lear'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is loosely based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his ...

'' (2006) as Doctor

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lebedev, Nikolai 1921 births 2022 deaths 20th-century Russian male actors 21st-century Russian male actors Male actors from Moscow Soviet male film actors Soviet male stage actors Soviet male television actors Russian male film actors Russian male stage actors Recipients of the Order of Honour (Russia) People's Artists of Russia Honored Artists of the RSFSR Moscow Art Theatre School alumni Soviet military personnel of World War II Russian men centenarians Burials at Vagankovo Cemetery

Early life and career

Personal life and death

Selected filmography

References

Further reading

External links