Oleg Nikolayevich Yefremov (; 1 October 1927 – 24 May 2000) was a Soviet and Russian actor. He was a producer at the Moscow Art Theatre. He received the titles People's Artist of the USSR (1976) and Hero of Socialist Labour (1987).
In 1949, he graduated from the Moscow Art Theatre School and became an actor and later a producer of the Central Children Theater, started teaching at School-Studio by himself.
Oleg Yefremov debuted as a film actor in the melodrama The First Echelon in 1955. Since then he was regularly acting in films, and his every appearance on screen turned to be a real event for millions of spectators. Some of his most notable roles were in the films The Alive and the Dead (1964), the melodrama Three Poplars in Plyushchikha (1967), Shine, Shine, My Star (1969), comedies Aybolit-66 (1966), and Beware of the Car (1966).
In 1956, having gathered around himself students and graduates of the School-Studio, both his coevals and pupils, Oleg Yefremov organized the Studio of Young Actors (subsequently — the Moscow famous Sovremennik Theatre and became its first director. Since 1970, he has been an actor and a Chief Producer of the Moscow Art Theatre named after Maxim Gorky. In 1976 the actor became a Professor of Moscow Art Theatre School-Studio.
Biography Early life Oleg Nikolayevich Yefremov was born on 1 October 1927 in Moscow. His father was Nikolai Ivanovich Yefremov, his mother Anna Dmitrievna Efremova.
He grew up in a large communal apartment on the Arbat Street. His father served as an accountant in the Gulag system, and the future actor spent a part of his adolescence in the Vorkutlag camps, where he became closely acquainted with the criminal world.
In childhood, Yefremov attended a drama club at the House of Pioneers.
Theatre He graduated from the School of the Moscow Art Theatre School in 1949.
From 1949 to 1956, Yefremov worked at the Central Children's Theater, where he played more than 20 roles, including Ivan ("Humpbacked Horse"), Coviel ("The Philistine in the Nobility"), Kostya Poletayev ("Pages of Life"), Alexey ( "In a good time!"). There he also made his debut as a director of the production of vaudeville "Dimka the Invisible" (1955).
In 1956, Oleg Yefremov organized the "Young Actors Studio" (later - the Moscow Theater "Sovremennik") and became the artistic director of the theater. On the stage of "Contemporary" he played in the performances "Forever Living" (Boris), "Destination" (Lyamin), "Nobody" (Vincenzo De Pretore). Among his directorial works are Five Evenings by Alexander Volodin, Eduard Rostan's Cyrano de Bergerac, Leonid Zorin's Decembrists trilogy, Alexander Svobin's Narodovoltsy, Mikhail Shatrov's Bolsheviks, Victor Rozov's Traditional Collection, Chekhov.
In 1970, Yefremov became the chief director of the Moscow Art Theater. After the division of the troupe in 1987 - the main stage director of the Moscow Art Theatre. For thirty years in the Art Theater, he has staged more than 40 performances and himself played in 14 of them. Among his works - "Dulcinea Tobosskaya" (the role of Don Luis), "Copper Grandmother" (Pushkin's role), "Duck hunting" (Zilov's role), "Party Committee Meeting" (Potapov's role), "Boris Godunov" (the title role). He staged Anton Chekhov's plays: "Ivanov" (1976), "The Seagull" (1980), "Uncle Vanya" (1985), "The Cherry Orchard" (1989), "The Three Sisters" (1997). His last, unfinished, directorial work was "Cyrano de Bergerac".
Film Oleg Yefremov played about 70 roles in feature and television films, the most famous of which are: The First Echelon by Mikhail Kalatozov, The Soldiers were Advancing by Leonid Trauberg, The Alive and the Dead by Alexander Stolper, Someone Is Ringing, Open the Door by Alexander Mitta, Beware of the Car by Eldar Ryazanov, Three Poplars in Plyushchikha by Tatyana Lioznova and Battalions ask for Fire by Vladimir Chebotarev and Alexander Bogolyubov.
Other activities Since 1949, Oleg Yefremov taught acting in the Moscow Art Theater School-Studio, produced several acting and director's courses, was a professor and head of the acting department.
He was one of the founders and the first secretary of the board of the Union of Theatre Workers of the Russian Federation.
Death Oleg Yefremov died on 24 May 2000 in Moscow. He was buried at the Novodevichy Cemetery.
Personal life Oleg Yefremov was married to Sovremennik Theatre actor Alla Pokrovskaya. Their son Mikhail is also an actor.
In popular culture In the 2013 television series The Thaw, Oleg Yefremov was portrayed by his grandson, Nikita Yefremov.
Selected filmography
1955: The First Echelon as Alexey Uzorov 1960: Probation as Ulyan Grigorievich Zhur 1961: Mission as Shcherbakov 1962: My Younger Brother as Viktor Yakovlevich Denisov, scientist, Dima's older brother 1964: The Alive and the Dead as Captain Ivanov 1965: War and Peace as Dolokhov 1965: Someone Is Ringing, Open the Door as Dresvyannikov 1966: Beware of the Caras Maxim Podberezovikov 1967: Straight Line as Colonel 1967: Three Poplars in Plyushcikha as 'Sasha 1966: Aybolit-66 as doctor Aybolit 1968: Once More About Love as Kartsev 1969: King Stag as Durandarte 1969: Mama Married as Viktor 1970: Shine, Shine, My Star as Fedor, artist 1970: The Flight as Colonel 1970: The Polynin Case as Polynin 1971: All The King's Men as Adam Stanton 1972: Hello and Goodbye as Burov 1974: Moscow, My Love as Doctor 1976: Rudin as Rudin 1976: Surgeon Mishkin's Days (TV Mini Series) as Mishkin 1977: Open Book as Marlin 1978: When I Will Become a Giant as school inspector 1979: Poem of Wings as Sergey Rakhmaninov 1980: The Imaginary Invalid as Argan 1980: Once Upon a Time Twenty Years Later as Painter 1984: Another Man's Wife and a Husband under the Bed as Alexander Demyanovich 1984: Lets the Charms Last Long as Anton Nikolaevich Skvortsov 1985: Battalions Ask for Fire as Colonel Gulyayev 1986: The Secret of the Snow Queen as Fairy Tale’s Voice 1990: The Hat as Pyotr Nikolaevich Lukin 1991: And the wind Returns... as Sergei Yutkevich 1995: Shirli-Myrli as Nikolai Grigorievich 1998: Composition for Victory Day as Dmitry Kilovatov 1998: Chekhov and Co. as father of Savva Zhezlov / landowner Kamyshov
Honours and awards USSR State Prize, three times; 1969 — a stage trilogy Decembrists, Narodnaya Volya, Bolsheviks 1974 — for the performance Steelworkers by Gennady Bokarev 1983 — for the play So We Will Win! by Mikhail Shatrov Honored Art Worker of the RSFSR (1967) People's Artist of the RSFSR (1969) People's Artist of the USSR (1976) Union TV Festival Jury Prize in Leningrad (Days of the Surgeon Mishkin, 1976) Order of the Red Banner of Labour (30 September 1977) Order of Lenin (1987) Order of Friendship of Peoples (1993)УКАЗ Президента РФ от 10 ноября 1993 No. 1887 Hero of Socialist Labour (1987) Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", 3rd class (1997) Crystal Turandot Award (1997) c for valiant service to the theatre State Prize of the Russian Federation, twice 1997 to maintain and develop the traditions of Russian psychological theatre in the play Three Sisters by Anton Chekhov 2003 (posthumous) Luspekayev Prize for Lady Luck at the film festival Kinoshock in Anapa (1997) Golden Aries Award (1997) for his contribution to cinema Special Jury Prize of the National Theatre Award Golden Mask (1998) for the play Three Sisters by Anton Chekhov Moscow Mayor's Award for a unique contribution to culture (1999)
References
External links
Biography of Oleg Yefremov