Vasili Vasilyevich Merkuryev (; 6 April 1904 – 12 May 1978) was a Soviet and Russian stage and film actor, theater director and pedagogue.

People's Artist of the USSR People's Artist of the USSR, also sometimes translated as National Artist of the USSR, was an honorary title granted to artists of the Soviet Union. The term is confusingly used to translate two Russian language titles: Народный арти ...

(1960).Vasili Merkuryev
// Krugosvet

Biography

Vasili Merkuryev was born into a mixed

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

family. Биографические материалы на основе документов Центра документации новейшей истории Томской области
/ref> His father Vasily Ilyich Merkuryev was a Russian laborer turned merchant. He ran a successful business selling tar and fish. His mother Anna Ivanovna Grossen was of German descent. She emigrated from

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

along with her brother Heinrich. Vasili was the fourth of their six sons. Биографические материалы на основе документов Центра документации новейшей истории Томской области
/ref> He was raised in his native town of Ostrov and became an actor of the local theater at the age of 16. In 1921 he moved to

Petrograd Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...

and entered the Saint Petersburg State Theatre Arts Academy which he finished in 1926. He later returned to the academy to work as a teacher and became a professor in 1961. Between 1926 and 1937 Merkuryev had worked in five different drama theaters, all based 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 1937 he entered the

Alexandrinsky Theatre The Alexandrinsky Theatre () or National Drama Theatre of Russia is a theatre in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The Alexandrinsky Theatre was built for the Imperial troupe of Petersburg (Imperial troupe was founded in 1756). Since 1832, the theatre ...

where he served till his death, both as an actor and stage director. He is mostly remembered for his comedy roles in movies such as ''True Friends'' (1954), '' Heavenly Slug'' (1945) and ''Cinderella'' (1947). He also played one of the main parts in the war drama '' The Cranes Are Flying'' directed by

Mikhail Kalatozov Mikhail Konstantinovich Kalatozov ( ka, მიხეილ კალატოზიშვილი, ; 28 December 1903 – 26 March 1973), born Mikheil Kalatozishvili, was a Soviet film director of Georgians, Georgian origin who contributed to b ...

that won the

Palme d'Or The (; ) is the highest prize awarded to the director of the Best Feature Film of the Official Competition at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festiv ...

at the

1958 Cannes Film Festival The 11th Cannes Film Festival took place from 2 to 18 May 1958. French writer Marcel Achard served as Jury President for the main competition. The '' Palme d'Or'' was awarded to '' The Cranes Are Flying'' by Mikhail Kalatozov. Juries The follo ...

. He continued his theater and movie career when the

war War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...

started. During the evacuation he served as a director of the Narym Theater (1942-1944), as well as a director of the Novosibirsk Youth Theatre in 1944-1945. Merkuryev died on 12 May 1978 in Leningrad. He was buried in the Volkovo Cemetery.

Family

Vasili Merkuryev was married to Irina Meyerhold, daughter of the acclaimed Russian/Soviet stage director

Vsevolod Meyerhold Vsevolod Emilyevich Meyerhold (; born ; 2 February 1940) was a Russian and Soviet theatre director, actor and theatrical producer. His provocative experiments dealing with physical being and symbolism in an unconventional theatre setting m ...

, also of German descent. Биографические материалы на основе документов Центра документации новейшей истории Томской области
/ref> Together they had two daughters (Anna and Ekaterina) and one son Pyotr Merkuryev (1943—2010), who also became a prominent Soviet/Russian actor and musicologist.Как актёр Василий Меркурьев спас 6 человеческих жизней, и Почему никогда не считал это подвигом
/ref> Merkuryev had five brothers, each of them lived a very different and tragic life. * Leonid (1896—1915) was killed during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. * Aleksandr (1898—1942) lived in

and starved to death during the Leningrad Blockade. * Yevgeny (1900) was a Russian composer and conductor who left Russia after the

October Revolution The October Revolution, also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution (in Historiography in the Soviet Union, Soviet historiography), October coup, Bolshevik coup, or Bolshevik revolution, was the second of Russian Revolution, two r ...

with his German uncle and was never heard from ever again. * Pyotr (1906—1940) was arrested in 1939 during the Stalinist repressions and died in prison. His children Vitaly, Yevgeny and Natalia - were adopted by Vasili. He also named his own son in the memory of his brother. Yevgeny Merkuryev (1936—2007) became a famous Soviet/Russian actor as well. * Vladimir died at the age of 9. During the

Vasili Merkuryev also adopted two children who had lost their parents. They had lived with him up till 1947 when their mother was found. By that time Merkuryev's family consisted of 14 people.

Filmography

* '' Girl Friends'' (1936) – Postman * '' The Return of Maxim'' (1937) – Student-Menshevik * '' The Defense of Volotchayevsk'' (1937) – Drunk docker * '' Komsomolsk'' (1938) – Construction military representative * '' Professor Mamlock'' (1938) – Krause * '' Member of the Government'' (1939) – Stashkov * '' Tanker "Derbent"'' (1941) – Aleksei Petrovich Dogailo, boatswain * '' Heavenly Slug'' (1945) – Senior lieutenant Semyon Tucha * ''

The Great Glinka ''The Great Glinka'' () is a 1946 Soviet biopic film directed by Lev Arnshtam. The film is about Mikhail Glinka, a Russian composer of the 19th century. The film was awarded the Stalin Prize of II degree (1947) and it was entered into the 1 ...

'' (1946) – Yakob Ulyanych Ulanov * '' The Vow'' (1946) – General Nikolay Voronov * ''

Cinderella "Cinderella", or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a Folklore, folk tale with thousands of variants that are told throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsin Press, 1988. The protagonist is a you ...

'' (1947) – Forester * ''

Tale of a True Man Tale of a True Man () is a Soviet feature film directed by Aleksandr Stolper, shot on the :ru:Повесть о настоящем человеке, same name book by Boris Polevoy. For the participation in the film, a number of film actors and ...

'' (1948) – Stepan Ivanovich, starshina * '' The Star'' (1949) – Anikanov, starshina * '' The Battle of Stalingrad'' (1949) – General Nikolay Voronov * ''

The Miners of Donetsk ''The Miners of Donetsk'' or ''Miners of the Don'' () is a 1951 Soviet drama film directed by Leonid Lukov.Rollberg p.204 The film is about the life of miners in Donbas. New technologies are introduced which the miners embrace with enthusiasm. P ...

'' (1950) – Sidor Trofimovich Gorovoy, mine manager * '' The Unforgettable Year 1919'' (1951) – Bryzgalov * '' The Encounter of a Lifetime'' (1952) – Vasily Nikanorovich * '' Jambyl'' (1952) – Doctor * '' A Comrade's Honour'' (1953) – Starshina Privalov * '' World Champion'' (1954) – Fyodor Ivanovich Bessonov, wrestling coach * '' True Friends'' (1954) – Vasily Vasilyevich Nestratov, architecture academician * '' Did We Meet Somewhere Before'' (1954) – Anatoly Verkhoturov, theater director * ''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night, or What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Viola an ...

'' (1955) – Malvolio * '' Behind the Footlights'' (1956) – Lev Gurych Sinichkin, actor * '' The Cranes Are Flying'' (1957) – Fyodor Ivanovich * '' People on the Bridge'' (1959) – Ivan Denisovich Bulygin * '' Chronicle of Flaming Years'' (1960) – Bogdanovsky, surgeon * '' Sleepless Night'' (1960) – Snegiryov * '' Splendid Days'' (1960) – Uncle Kostya * '' Cherry Town'' (1962) – Fyodor Mikhailovich Drebednyov * '' Whistle Stop'' (1963) – Pavel Pavlovich, academician * ''

Roll Call ''Roll Call'' is a newspaper and website published in Washington, D.C., United States, when the United States Congress is in session, reporting news of legislative and political maneuverings on Capitol Hill, as well as political coverage of c ...

'' (1965) – General Viktor Ilyich Zhuravlyov * '' A Nest of Gentry'' (1969) – Sergei Petrovich Gedeonovsky * '' The Seven Brides of Lance-Corporal Zbruyev'' (1970) – Vasily Vasilyevich Lukyanov * '' Farewell to St. Petersburg'' (1971) – Leybrok * ''

Moscow-Cassiopeia ''Moscow-Alpha Cassiopeiae, Cassiopeia'' () is a Soviet Union, Soviet science fiction film directed by based on a script by Isai Kuznetsov and . Followed by ''Teens in the Universe'' (second part, 1975). The film was released in the Soviet cinema ...

'' (1973) – Nikolai Kirillovich Blagovidov * '' Ksenia, Fedor's Beloved Wife'' (1974) – Personnel department manager

References

External links

* * * ''

Great Soviet Encyclopedia The ''Great Soviet Encyclopedia'' (GSE; , ''BSE'') is one of the largest Russian-language encyclopedias, published in the Soviet Union from 1926 to 1990. After 2002, the encyclopedia's data was partially included into the later ''Great Russian Enc ...

, Tome 16'', ed. by Prokhorov A.M., Moscow, 1974 * ''At First I Was a Kid: A Book about the Parents'' by Pyotr Merkuryev-Meyerhold, Moscow, 2001 (autobiography)
Merkuryev, Meyerhold's Grandson
a ''Top Secret'' interview (in Russian)
More Than Love
by Russia-K (in Russian) {{DEFAULTSORT:Merkuryev, Vasili 1904 births 1978 deaths 20th-century Russian male actors People from Ostrov, Pskov Oblast People from Ostrovsky Uyezd Communist Party of the Soviet Union members Russian State Institute of Performing Arts alumni Honored Artists of the RSFSR People's Artists of the RSFSR People's Artists of the USSR Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour Recipients of the Stalin Prize Russian people of German descent Russian drama teachers Russian male film actors Russian male stage actors Russian theatre directors Soviet drama teachers Soviet male film actors Soviet male stage actors Soviet theatre directors