Mikhail Ivanovich Zharov was a
RussianThe Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
actor.
He studied under the prominent director
Theodore KomisarjevskyFyodor Fyodorovich Komissarzhevsky or Theodore Komisarjevsky, as he is better known in the West, was a Russian theatrical director and designer. He began his career in Moscow, but had his greatest influence in London...
and debuted in
Yakov ProtazanovYakov Alexandrovich Protazanov was Russian and Soviet film director and screenwriter, and one of the founding fathers of cinema of Russia....
's
AelitaAelita , also known as Aelita: Queen of Mars, is a silent film directed by Soviet filmmaker Yakov Protazanov made on Mezhrabpom-Rus film studio and released in 1924. It was based on Alexei Tolstoy's novel of the same name...
(1924). Later he became a Protazanov regular, appearing in
The Man from the Restaurant (1927) together with Mikhail Chekhov.
In the 1930s he was a leading actor of
Alexander TairovAlexander Tairov was one of the leading innovators of theatrical art, and one of the most enduring theatre directors in Russia, and through the Soviet era.-Childhood:...
's Chamber Theatre, before moving to the Malyi Theatre where he was engaged from 1938 till the rest of his life and most fully unfolded his actor’s gift, mainly playing classical repertoire parts (in
Wolves and Sheep,
The Inspector-General,
Heart is not a Stone,
The Thunderstorm, etc.)
Mikhail Zharov gained wide popularity thanks to the role of Zhigan in
Nikolai EkkNikolai Vladimirovich Ekk , real name Ivakin , was a Soviet film director and screenwriter.Born in Riga, he studied acting and directing in the theater of Vsevolod Meyerhold...
’s world-known drama
Road to Life (1931). Playing a chieftain of a thieves' gang, the actor made use of the opportunities of the first sound-film: he endowed his character with a specific accent, played the guitar and sang songs with his peculiar charm. In 1933 he played in
Boris Barnet's
OkrainaOkraina is a 1933 Soviet film directed by Boris Barnet.-See also:* Okraina , a film by Pyotr Lutsik loosely based on the 1933 film...
.
The most acclaimed of his sound films were
Peter the Great (1938), in which he played Prince Menshikov, and
Sergei EisensteinSergei Mikhailovich Eisenstein , né Eizenshtein, was a pioneering Soviet Russian film director and film theorist, often considered to be the "Father of Montage"...
's
Ivan the TerribleIvan the Terrible is a two-part historical epic film about Ivan IV of Russia made by Russian director Sergei Eisenstein. Part 1 was released in 1944 but Part 2 was not released until 1958 due to political censorship...
(1942–44), in which he played
Malyuta SkuratovGrigory Lukyanovich Skuratov-Belskiy , better known as Malyuta Skuratov was one of the most odious leaders of the Oprichnina during the reign of Ivan the Terrible....
. His last and probably the most popular role was that of Aniskin, an amusing and witty village militiaman in the television series
The Village Detective (1968),
Aniskin & Fantomas (1974) and
Aniskin Again (1978).
Zharov was awarded three Stalin Prizes: twice in 1941 and in 1942.
Selected filmography
- Aelita
Aelita , also known as Aelita: Queen of Mars, is a silent film directed by Soviet filmmaker Yakov Protazanov made on Mezhrabpom-Rus film studio and released in 1924. It was based on Alexei Tolstoy's novel of the same name...
(1924)
- His Call
His Call is a 1925 Soviet film directed by Yakov Protazanov. It was also released as 23 January in the Soviet Union and as Broken Chains in the United States.-Plot:...
(1925)
- Chess Fever
Chess Fever is a 1925 Soviet silent comedy film directed by Vsevolod Pudovkin and Nikolai Shpikovsky. Chess Fever is a comedy about Moscow 1925 chess tournament, made by Pudovkin during the pause in the filming of Mechanics of the Brain...
(1925)
- Man from the Restaurant
Man from the Restaurant is a 1927 Soviet film directed by Yakov Protazanov based on the story by Ivan Shmelyov. The main role was wrote for Ivan Moskvin, but he was changed for Chekov because of illness.-Cast:* Michael Chekhov * Vera Malinovskaya...
(1927)
- Okraina
Okraina is a 1933 Soviet film directed by Boris Barnet.-See also:* Okraina , a film by Pyotr Lutsik loosely based on the 1933 film...
(1933)
- Marionettes
Niemen Vol.1 and Niemen Vol.2 - Czesław Niemen's double album released in two separate issues in 1973...
(1934)
- The Return of Maxim
The Return of Maxim is a 1937 Soviet film directed by Grigori Kozintsev and Leonid Trauberg, the second part of trilogy about the life of a young factory worker, Maxim....
(1937)
- The Vyborg Side
The Vyborg Side is a 1939 Soviet film directed by Grigori Kozintsev and Leonid Trauberg, the final part of trilogy about the life of a young factory worker, Maxim. The film was also released in the United States under the title New Horizons....
(1939)
- The Young Fritz
The Young Fritz is a 1943 Soviet film directed by Grigori Kozintsev and Leonid Trauberg based on a short satiric poem by Samuil Marshak. The film was banned by censors, never released, and is believed to be lost.-Cast:* Mikhail Zharov - Fritz...
(1943)
- In the Name of the Fatherland
In the Name of the Fatherland is a 1943 Soviet film directed by Vsevolod Pudovkin and Dmitriy Vasilyev based on the play Russian People by Konstantin Simonov.-Cast:* Nikolai Kryuchkov - Safonov * Yelena Tyapkina - Safonova* Mikhail Zharov - Globa...
(1943)
- Ivan the Terrible
Ivan the Terrible is a two-part historical epic film about Ivan IV of Russia made by Russian director Sergei Eisenstein. Part 1 was released in 1944 but Part 2 was not released until 1958 due to political censorship...
(1943)
- Michurin
Michurin is a 1948 Soviet film directed by Alexander Dovzhenko about the life of Russian practitioner of selection Ivan Vladimirovich Michurin...
(1948)
- Kain XVIII
Kain XVIII is a 1963 film from the Soviet Union, adapted from Evgeny Shvarts' tale Two friends. The Soviet film industry reported that 21.7 million spectators saw the film.-Plot:...
(1963)
External links