Sergei Fyodorovich Bondarchuk (25 September 192020 October 1994) was a Soviet and Russian actor and filmmaker of Ukrainian origin who was one of the leading figures of Soviet cinema in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. He is known for his sweeping period dramas, including '' War and Peace'' (1966-67), his internationally acclaimed four-part film adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's

novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

, and for '' Waterloo'' (1970), a

Napoleonic War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...

epic. Bondarchuk's work won him numerous international accolades. ''War and Peace'' won Bondarchuk, who both directed and acted in the leading role of Pierre Bezukhov, the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film (1968), and the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1968. He was made both a

Hero of Socialist Labour The Hero of Socialist Labour () was an Title of honor, honorific title in the Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact countries from 1938 to 1991. It represented the highest degree of distinction in the USSR and was awarded for exceptional achievem ...

and a People's Artist of the USSR.

Early life and education

Sergei Fyodorovich Bondarchuk was born in the village of Bilozerka (now in Kherson Raion,

Kherson Oblast Kherson Oblast (, ; ), also known as Khersonshchyna (, ), is an administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast (province) in southern Ukraine. It is located just north of Crimea. Its administrative center is Kherson, on the northern or right bank ...

, Ukraine) on September 25, 1920, in the family of Orthodox Christian peasants Fyodor Petrovich and Tatyana Vasilievna (nee Tokarenko). His paternal grandfather, Pyotr Konstantinovich Bondarchuk, was ethnically Bulgarian, the grandmother, Matryona Fyodorovna Sirvulya, was Serbian. At the time of his birth, his father was serving in 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 ...

. His mother, being a deeply religious person, named her son in honor of Sergius of Radonezh and baptized him in the Annunciation Monastery near

Kherson Kherson (Ukrainian language, Ukrainian and , , ) is a port city in southern Ukraine that serves as the administrative centre of Kherson Oblast. Located by the Black Sea and on the Dnieper, Dnieper River, Kherson is the home to a major ship-bui ...

. Bondarchuk spent his childhood in the cities of Yeysk and Taganrog, graduating from the Taganrog School Number 4 in 1938. His first performance as an actor was onstage of the Taganrog Theatre in 1937. He continued studies at the Rostov College of Arts (1938–1942). After his studies, he was conscripted into the

during

World War II 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 ...

against

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

. Bondarchuk took part in the initial stage of the Battle of the Caucasus, then was reorganized into the Don Front. From October 19 to December 8, 1942, he fought at Stalingrad, took part in Operation Uranus. He was decorated for his courage in battle and was discharged with honors in 1946.

Film career

In 1948, Bondarchuk made his film debut in '' The Young Guard'' directed by Sergei Gerasimov. In 1952, he was awarded the Stalin Prize for the leading role in the film ''Taras Shevchenko''; that same year, at the age of 32, he became the youngest Soviet actor ever to receive the top dignity of People's Artist of the USSR. In 1955, he starred with his future wife Irina Skobtseva in '' Othello''. In 1959, he made his directorial debut with '' Fate of a Man'', based on

Mikhail Sholokhov Mikhail Aleksandrovich Sholokhov ( rus, Михаил Александрович Шолохов, p=ˈʂoləxəf; – 21 February 1984) was a Russian novelist and winner of the 1965 Nobel Prize in Literature. He is known for writing about life ...

's short story of the same name. The film was internationally acclaimed upon its release. Bondarchuk earned international fame with his epic production of Tolstoy's '' War and Peace'', which on original release totaled more than seven hours of cinema, took six years to complete and won Bondarchuk, who both directed and acted the role of Pierre Bezukhov, the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1968. The year after his victory, in 1969, he starred as Martin with Yul Brynner and Orson Welles in the Yugoslav epic '' Battle of Neretva'', directed by Veljko Bulajic. His first English-language film was 1970's '' Waterloo'', produced by

Dino De Laurentiis Agostino "Dino" De Laurentiis (; 8 August 1919 – 10 November 2010) was an Italian film producer and businessman who held both Italian and American citizenship. Following a brief acting career in the late 1930s and early 1940s, he moved into f ...

. In Europe, the critics called it remarkable for the

epic Epic commonly refers to: * Epic poetry, a long narrative poem celebrating heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation * Epic film, a genre of film defined by the spectacular presentation of human drama on a grandiose scale Epic(s) ...

battle scenes and details in capturing the

Napoleonic era The Napoleonic era is a period in the history of France and history of Europe, Europe. It is generally classified as including the fourth and final stage of the French Revolution, the first being the National Assembly (French Revoluti ...

. However, it failed at the box office. To prevent running into hurdles with the Soviet government, he joined the Communist Party in 1970. A year later, he was appointed president of the Union of Cinematographers, while he continued his directing career, steering toward political films, directing '' Boris Godunov'' before being dismissed from the semi-governmental post in 1986. In 1973, he was the president of the Jury at the

8th Moscow International Film Festival The 8th Moscow International Film Festival was held from 10 to 23 July 1973. The Golden Prizes were awarded to the Soviet film '' That Sweet Word: Liberty!'' directed by Vytautas Žalakevičius and the Bulgarian film '' Affection'' directed by ...

. In 1975, he directed '' They Fought for Their Country'', which was entered into the 1975 Cannes Film Festival. In 1982 came '' Red Bells'', based on John Reed's '' Ten Days That Shook the World'' (which serves as the film's alternative title). His 1986 film '' Boris Godunov'' was also screened at

Cannes Cannes (, ; , ; ) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions Internatio ...

that year. Bondarchuk's last feature film, and his second in English, was an epic TV version of Sholokhov's '' And Quiet Flows the Don'', starring

Rupert Everett Rupert James Hector Everett (; born 29 May 1959) is an English actor. He first came to public attention in 1981 when he was cast in Julian Mitchell's play and subsequent film '' Another Country'' (1984) as a gay pupil at an English public scho ...

. It was filmed in 1992–1993 but premiered on Channel One only in November 2006, as there were disputes concerning the Italian studio that was co-producing over unfavorable clauses in his contract, which left the tapes locked in a bank vault. After his death, the film remained locked for several years until it was recovered and released in 2006. In 1995, he was posthumously awarded an honorable diploma for contribution to cinema at the 19th Moscow International Film Festival.

Personal life

He first married Inna Makarova, mother to his oldest daughter, Natalya Bondarchuk (born 1950). Natalya is remembered for her role in

Andrei Tarkovsky Andrei Arsenyevich Tarkovsky (, ; 4 April 1932 – 29 December 1986) was a Soviet film director and screenwriter of Russian origin. He is widely considered one of the greatest directors in cinema history. Works by Andrei Tarkovsky, His films e ...

's 1972 film ''

Solaris Solaris is the Latin word for sun. It may refer to: Arts and entertainment Literature, television and film * ''Solaris'' (novel), a 1961 science fiction novel by Stanisław Lem ** ''Solaris'' (1968 film), directed by Boris Nirenburg ** ''Sol ...

''. He met his second wife Irina Skobtseva when both were appearing in '' Othello'', and they married in 1959. They had two children, actress Yelena Bondarchuk (1962–2009) and son Fyodor (born 1967), (who starred with Bondarchuk in ''Boris Godunov''), a popular Russian film actor and director best known for his box-office hit '' The 9th Company'' (2005).

Death

Bondarchuk died on October 20, 1994, at the age of 74 in Moscow from myocardial infarction. Before his death, he was confessed and given communion by Hieromonk Tikhon (Shevkunov). He is buried in the

Novodevichy Cemetery Novodevichy Cemetery () is a cemetery in Moscow. It lies next to the southern wall of the 16th-century Novodevichy Convent, which is the city's third most popular tourist site. History The cemetery was designed by Ivan Mashkov and inaugurated ...

, Moscow. In June 2007, his wife Irina Skobtseva unveiled a bronze statue of Bondarchuk in his native Yeysk.

Honours and awards

* Stalin Prize, 1st class (1952) – for the main role in the film ''Taras Shevchenko'' and the role of Sergei Tutarinov in ''Knight of the Golden Star'' (1950) *

Lenin Prize The Lenin Prize (, ) was one of the most prestigious awards of the Soviet Union for accomplishments relating to science, literature, arts, architecture, and technology. It was originally created on June 23, 1925, and awarded until 1934. During ...

(1960) – for the film ''The Destiny of Man'' (1959) * Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film (1968) – for the film ''War and Peace'' * Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film (1968) – for the film ''War and Peace'' * Vasilyev Brothers State Prize of the RSFSR (1977) – for the film ''They Fought for Their Country'' *

(1980) *

Shevchenko National Prize Shevchenko National Prize (; also ''Shevchenko Award'') is the highest state prize of Ukraine for works of culture and arts awarded since 1961. It is named after the inspirer of Ukrainian national revival Taras Shevchenko. It is one of the five ...

(1982) – for his performance as Cardinal Montanelli in the film ''The Gadfly'' (1980) *

USSR State Prize The USSR State Prize () was one of the Soviet Union’s highest civilian honours, awarded from its establishment in September 1966 until the dissolution of the USSR in 1991. It recognised outstanding contributions in the fields of science, mathem ...

(1984) – for the film ''Red Bells'' *

Order of Lenin The Order of Lenin (, ) was an award named after Vladimir Lenin, the leader of the October Revolution. It was established by the Central Executive Committee on 6 April 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration bestowed by the Soviet ...

, twice *

Order of the October Revolution The Order of the October Revolution (, ''Orden Oktyabr'skoy Revolyutsii'') was instituted on 31 October 1967, in time for the 50th anniversary of the October Revolution. It was conferred upon individuals or groups for services furthering communis ...

Order of the Patriotic War The Order of the Patriotic War () is a Soviet Union, Soviet military Order (decoration), decoration that was awarded to all soldiers in the Soviet armed forces, security troops, and to Partisan (military), partisans for heroic deeds in the Easte ...

, 2nd class *

Order of the Red Banner of Labour The Order of the Red Banner of Labour () was an order of the Soviet Union established to honour great deeds and services to the Soviet state and society in the fields of production, science, culture, literature, the arts, education, sports ...

* Honored Artist of the RSFSR (1951) * People's Artist of the USSR (1952)

Filmography

;Writer * '' Battle of Sutjeska'' (1973)

Notes

References

External links

* *
''War and Peace'' of Sergei Bondarchuk
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bondarchuk, Sergei 1920 births 1994 deaths People from Kherson Oblast Communist Party of the Soviet Union members Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography alumni Academic staff of the Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography Sergei Directors of Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award winners Knights of the Legion of Honour Heroes of Socialist Labour Honored Artists of the RSFSR People's Artists of the USSR Recipients of the Stalin Prize Recipients of the Lenin Prize Recipients of the Order of Friendship of Peoples Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour Recipients of the Shevchenko National Prize Recipients of the USSR State Prize Recipients of the Vasilyev Brothers State Prize of the RSFSR Male Shakespearean actors Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic people Russian film directors Russian male film actors Russian male voice actors 20th-century Russian screenwriters Russian male screenwriters 20th-century Russian male writers Soviet film directors Soviet male film actors Soviet male voice actors Soviet military personnel of World War II from Ukraine Soviet screenwriters Soviet male screenwriters Ukrainian film directors Ukrainian male film actors Ukrainian screenwriters Ukrainian male voice actors Burials at Novodevichy Cemetery