Aleksandr Abdulov, one of Russian cinema's best known sex symbols and
was one of the most celebrated Russian film stars.
He was born Aleksandr Gavrilovich Abdulov on May 29, 1953, in Tobolsk,
Siberian Russia, into the family of a theatre director from Fergana,
Uzbekistan. His father, named Gavriil Abdulov was a wounded veteran of
the Second World War decorated for his courage at the front-line tank
battles against the Nazis. Abdulov's mother was a make-up artist at
several Russian theatres. Young Abdulov grew up in Uzbekistan, where he
finished high school and also became the Master of Sports in fencing.
He was admitted to a local college where he had the chance of becoming
a sports coach.
His dream of becoming an actor was almost ruined when he failed the
admission tests at the Moscow State Institute of Theatrical Arts
(GITIS). He could not go back to Uzbekistan so he stayed in various
gloomy dorms in Moscow, working hard labor jobs at railway stations
just to survive. He then studied acting at GITIS, made very little
money working as an extra, and still was a hard laborer in order to pay
for his living in Moscow. In 1975 he graduated from GITIS and was hired
by the Lenkom Theatre director
Mark Zakharov.
Abdulov revealed the full range of his talent in popular films
Ein gewöhnliches Wunder (1979)
and
S lyubimymi ne rasstavaytes (1980).
The public adored Abdulov and he became the first big sex-symbol in the former USSR. Millions of his pictures has
been decorating homes and student dorms in every big and small town of
the former Soviet Union. The public loved Abdulov - the
actor and the man - for his sincere talent and for his devotion to his
ideas.
He played his best roles under the
direction of Mark Zakharov in such films
as 'Obyknovennoe Chudo (1978), 'Tot samyi Munchgausen (1979), 'Formula
Lyubvi' (1984), and
Den Drachen töten (1988). His best film
partners were Oleg Yankovskiy,
Evgeniy Leonov,
Vyacheslav Tikhonov,
Evgeniy Evstigneev,
Leonid Bronevoy,
Andrey Mironov,
Irina Kupchenko,
Leonid Yarmolnik,
Semyon Farada,
Aleksandr Zbruev,
Sergey Nikonenko,
Irina Alfyorova and others. This
ensemble of fine actors and directors evolved into a special and
uniquely Russian milieu, where Abdulov's multifaceted talent was
supported by other actors.
His range and nuanced acting reached a new level in the films made in
the late 1980s and 1990s. Abdulov created powerful roles in a tandem
with the masterful
Innokentiy Smoktunovskiy in the
innovative film 'Geniy' (1991) by director
Viktor Sergeev. At that time, Abdulov
also received a Nika Award nomination for supporting role in
Sukiny deti (1991) by director
Leonid Filatov. Abdulov made two
equally interesting works in collaboration with director
Sergey Solovyov in 'Chyornaya roza -
emblema pechali, krasnaya roza - emblema lyubvi' (1989) and in 'Dom pod
zvyozdnym nebom' (1991). Both works were awarded, acclaimed by critics,
and loved by the public.
Abdulov showed his gift for transformation in the devilish character
Korov'ev in 'Master i Margarita' (2005), a TV-series from director
Vladimir Bortko based on the eponymous
book by Mikhail A. Bulgakov.
Abdulov's energy helped the film making him the most lively nerve in
the group of 'super stars' (some say super old stars). His acting
became more classic and restrained in the traditionally Russian
period-film 'Anna Karenina' (2005) based on the eponymous novel by
Lev Tolstoy from director
Sergey Solovyov. Later Abdulov worked
with director Aleksandr Buravskiy in
the epic film Leningrad (2009), about
the historic siege during the Second World War; where his acting
partners were Gabriel Byrne,
Mira Sorvino,
Kirill Lavrov,
Mikhail Efremov,
Donatas Banionis and other notable
actors.
Aleksandr Abdulov was designated People's Artist of Russia. He received
numerous awards and nominations for his performances in film and on
stage. He was a permanent member of the troupe at Lenkom Theatre in
Moscow. He also directed several films as well as stage productions.
Aleksandr Abdulov died of lung cancer, on January 3, 2008, and was laid
to rest in Vagankovskoe cemetery in Moscow, Russia.
