Odin Lund Biron (born October 5, 1984) is an American actor, best-known for his work in Russia, where he played the character Dr Phil Richards in the popular medical sitcom, ''

Interns An internship is a period of work experience offered by an organization for a limited period of time. Once confined to medical graduates, internship is used to practice for a wide range of placements in businesses, non-profit organizations and g ...

'' and the lead role of

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer during the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music made a lasting impression internationally. Tchaikovsky wrote some of the most popula ...

in Kirill Serebrennikov's feature film ''

Tchaikovsky's Wife ''Tchaikovsky's Wife'' () is a 2022 Russian biographical drama film written and directed by Kirill Serebrennikov. It was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival. Premise Set in the Russian Empire during the seco ...

'' (2022).

Biography

Born in

Duluth, Minnesota Duluth ( ) is a Port, port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of St. Louis County, Minnesota, St. Louis County. Located on Lake Superior in Minnesota's Arrowhead Region, the city is a hub for cargo shipping. The population ...

, Biron grew up nearby in rural Minnesota, moving to

Ann Arbor, Michigan Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...

, with his mother after his parents' divorce. While studying at the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

, he studied at the

Moscow Art Theatre School Moscow Art Theatre School () is the studio school of the Moscow Chekhov Art Theatre. It is a state educational institution that has existed since 1943. The initiator of the studio school was Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko.student exchange ''Student Exchange'' is a 1987 American television film, made-for-television comedy film directed by Mollie Miller and produced by Walt Disney Television. It originally aired November 29, 1987 as a presentation of ''Walt Disney anthology telev ...

and was, unusually, invited to stay and join the incoming Russian class. He has spoken about having had a romantic image of Russia, having known very little Russian on arrival; being less able to communicate with other Russians, he focused on studying. In one of his final student roles, he won an award for his portrayal of

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 a production that toured to New York's

Baryshnikov Arts Center The Baryshnikov Arts Center (BAC) is a foundation and arts complex opened by Mikhail Baryshnikov in 2005 at 450 West 37th Street between Ninth and Tenth Avenues in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. The top three fl ...

; he drew the attention of the

Gogol Center The Gogol Center, formerly Gogol Theatre, is a multi-use arts complex in Moscow that was home to Russia's leading avant-garde theater. In June 2022 it was closed down by the Russian Government, along with an announcement that it would be renamed ...

and plaudits from , artistic director of the Meyerhold Center and one of his former instructors. Landing a role in ''Interns'' in 2011, a top-rated Russian medical sitcom, raised Biron's profile substantially and he has spoken about being recognised in nightclubs and avoiding "celebrity events" as a result. In a country where a large majority of the population view the United States "badly" or "very badly", Biron is one of a few Americans in the public eye, yet the success of ''Interns'' has led to Biron being considered a heartthrob and very popular. Biron

came out Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBTQ people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity. This is often framed and debated as a privacy issue, ...

to his parents as a teenager and made no big secret of his homosexuality, but Russia is very

socially conservative Social conservatism is a political philosophy and a variety of conservatism which places emphasis on traditional social structures over social pluralism. Social conservatives organize in favor of duty, traditional values and social institu ...

on LGBT rights, with hostility towards legal recognition of

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...

and support for laws discriminating against LGBT people. The

United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy of the United State ...

repeatedly raised concerns around LGBT civil rights in their 2014 ''Country Reports on Human Rights Practices''. His character on ''Interns'' was raised by two gay fathers, though the treatment of the issue of sexuality on the show has been described as reinforcing the Soviet idea that homosexuality is a product of Western moral decay, rather than being used to promote more liberal values. It is very common for LGBT performers in Russia to avoid coming out, with an unspoken

don't ask, don't tell "Don't ask, don't tell" (DADT) was the official United States policy on Sexual orientation in the United States military, military service of homosexual people. Instituted during the Presidency of Bill Clinton, Clinton administration, the pol ...

arrangement between the entertainment industry and the mainstream press. After the passage of 2013's

Russian LGBT propaganda law For the Purpose of Protecting Children from Information Advocating a Denial of Traditional Family Values, commonly known as the Russian anti-LGBT law or as the Russian anti-gay law, is a law of Russia. It was unanimously passed by the State Du ...

, Biron's ''Interns'' co-star and former

Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pag ...

priest

Ivan Okhlobystin Ivan Ivanovich Okhlobystin (; born 22 July 1966) is a Russian actor, director, screenwriter, and former Orthodox priest. He was defrocked by the Russian Orthodox Church and barred from performing priestly rites because of the roles he played ...

made international news with genocidally homophobic remarks made in a December 2013 talk in

Novosibirsk Novosibirsk is the largest city and administrative centre of Novosibirsk Oblast and the Siberian Federal District in Russia. As of the 2021 Russian census, 2021 census, it had a population of 1,633,595, making it the most populous city in Siber ...

, leading Biron to consider leaving the show and Russian TV altogether. As a result, he came out in an interview with ''

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

'' magazine in early 2015, to mixed reactions, reported in the Russian press accompanied by mentions of Okhlobystin's remarks. After an initial reaction leaving Biron with "a sense of physical danger, political danger", he initially left Russia. He returned later without any apparent negative effect on his career, though his friendship with Okhlobystin had become untenable after the former priest's reaction describing him as a "pervert" and a "sodomite". Biron lived in Moscow with his boyfriend, a Kazakh film director, and has a brother who lives in Arlington, VA, while his mother lives in New Zealand. In an interview with Minnesota's ''

Star Tribune ''The Minnesota Star Tribune'', formerly the ''Minneapolis Star Tribune'', is an American daily newspaper based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. As of 2023, it is Minnesota's largest newspaper and the List of newspapers in the United States, seventh- ...

'' in May 2015, however, he mentioned that he was back in the United States permanently and, as well as acting, was pursuing a

Le Cordon Bleu Le Cordon Bleu (; French: " The Blue Ribbon"; LCB) is a French hospitality and culinary education institution, teaching haute cuisine. Its educational focuses are hospitality management, culinary arts, and gastronomy. The institution consists ...

culinary degree. From 2016 to 2022, he lived in Moscow and worked at the Gogol Center. Since 2022, he has lived in Berlin.

Awards and nominations

* Named as a Best Actor in the 2009 Golden List while at Moscow Art Theatre, for his role as the title character in

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

's tragedy ''

''.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Biron, Odin 1984 births Living people Male actors from Duluth, Minnesota American expatriate male actors American expatriates in Russia American male television actors American male stage actors American emigrants to Russia Naturalized citizens of Russia Russian people of American descent Moscow Art Theatre Moscow Art Theatre School alumni LGBTQ people from Minnesota Russian gay actors American gay actors LGBTQ rights in Russia Male actors from Ann Arbor, Michigan University of Michigan alumni