Evgeniy Lebedev

Evgeniy Alekseevich Lebedev (Yevgeni Lebedev) was born on January 15, 1917, in Balakovo, Saratov province, Russia. His father, named Aleksei Lebedev, was a priest of the Russian Orthodox Church, he was humiliated and beaten by an agitated mob of communists in 1937, under dictatorship of Joseph Stalin. Young Lebedev joined the league of young communists and worked at the Worker's Theatre in Samara from the age of 16. He studied acting at the State Institute of Theatrical Art (GITIS) in Moscow, then at the Moscow Chamber Theatre School under Aleksandr Tairov and Vladimir Gotovtsev, and graduated in 1940, as an actor. From 1940-1949 he worked at the Russian Theatre for Young Audience in Tbilisi. There Lebedev met director Georgi Tovstonogov and they developed a lifelong friendship. Both also taught at the Georgian Theatrical Institute. In 1949 Lebedev was invited by Tovstonogov to Leningrad and they worked together at the Lenkom Theatre for six years. From 1956 to 1997 Lebedev was an actor at the Bolshoi Drama Theatre (BDT) in Leningrad under director Georgi Tovstonogov. There he worked with a stellar troupe of actors, including such prominent film stars as Oleg Basilashvili, Tatyana Doronina, Alisa Freyndlikh, Lyudmila Makarova, Valentina Kovel, Svetlana Kryuchkova, Zinaida Sharko, Kirill Lavrov, Innokentiy Smoktunovskiy, Sergey Yurskiy, Vladislav Strzhelchik, Oleg Borisov, Yefim Kopelyan, Vsevolod Kuznetsov, Nikolay Trofimov, Pavel Luspekayev, and many other remarkable Russian actors. Lebedev's acting was marked with special depth and power. He had a convincing presence and captivating magnetism of a rare kind. Lebedev's stage performances were legendary, especially his portrayal of a horse in the leading role in Kholstomer, an adaptation of the eponymous story by Lev Tolstoy. In 1990 Lebedev suffered from a stroke with severe complications: loss of speech and mobility. He made a tremendous effort and recovered almost completely after a year. After recovery, Lebedev made a sensational comeback and impressed his fans and general public with his brilliant performances. Once again he played his famous role in Kholstomer by Lev Tolstoy. Lebedev's acting career spanned over 60 years. He played over 60 roles in film and television, and created over 100 roles on stage. He was awarded the "Golden Nymphe" at Monte-Carlo International Film Festival for a supporting role in film 'Blokada' (1977). Evgeni Lebedev was awarded the State Prize of the USSR twice (1950 and 1968) and the State Lenin's Prize (1986). He received numerous decorations and awards for his works in film and on stage. Lebedev was honored with the title of the People's Artist of the USSR (1968). He died on June 9, 1997, in St. Petersburg, Russia, and was laid to rest in the Necropolis of the Masters of Arts in the St, Aleksandr Nevsky Convent in St. Petersburg, Russia.