Donatas Banionis was a popular Lithuanian actor known for
Niemand wollte sterben (1965),
Tote Saison (1968), and
Solaris (1972).
He was born Donatas Juozas Banionis on April 28, 1924, in Kaunas,
Lithuania. His mother, Blazhaitite-Banionene Ona, was a homemaker. His
father, Juozas Banionis, was a tailor who took part in the Russian
Revolution of 1917, was wounded in the Russian Civil War, then became a
political prisoner, and briefly emigrated to Brasil during the 1920s.
Young Banionis was raised with his elder sister during the years of
Lithuanian independence before WWII.
In 1941 Donatas Banionis was hired by the famous Lithuanian theatrical
director Juozas Miltinis and became an
actor at the newly formed Panevezys Drama Theatre. He studied acting
under Juozas Miltinis and graduated from the Panevezys Acting Studio in
1945. In 1947 Banionis made his film debut: he appeared in a cameo role
in
'Marite' (1947). His first major film work was the role of
adventurer Daus in 'Adomas nori buti zmogumi' (Adam Wants to Be a Man
1959) by director
Vytautas Zalakevicius.
Long before becoming an acclaimed actor Banionis tried to escape from
the Soviet Union at the end of the Second World War; but he failed to
join his Lithuanian compatriots when they fled the Soviets. Soon the
Iron curtain became impenetrable from either side. However, in 1970, as
a member of an official Soviet delegation, he made his first visit to
the Lithuanian community in Chicago. Then Banionis, being already a
famous actor, came to realize that his former compatriots earned their
good living and nice homes by working very hard from very poor
beginnings. At that time, Banionis enjoyed a highly privileged life as
a top film-star in the Soviet Union. He was awarded the State Prize in
1975, and was received by such Soviet leaders as
Leonid Brezhnev and
Mikhail Gorbachev.
Banionis earned critical acclaim for his role of Vaitkus in 'Niekas
nenorejo mirti' (Nobody Wanted to Die, 1966) by director Vytautas
Zalakevicius. A powerful film, it was even dubbed the "Lithuanian Seven
Samurai." Banionis' tragical character Vaitkus is the undecided one
among the Lithuanian "brothers in the woods", who are fighting against
the Soviets after the end of the Second World War. Banionis
demonstrated his range as a comedian in the comic role of a priest in
'Beregis avtomobilya' (Watch Out for the Automobile, 1966) by director
Eldar Ryazanov.
Banionis' sweet character blends well with the stellar ensemble of
actors, such as
Innokentiy Smoktunovskiy,
Oleg Efremov,
Andrey Mironov,
Anatoliy Papanov,
Evgeniy Evstigneev,
Georgi Zhzhyonov, and other Russian
film stars.
Donatas Banionis is a refined intellectual actor with effortless style.
His mastery of timing, his powerful silence, and his reserved energy
shines in his major film-works; such as in
'King Lear' (1969) by
Grigoriy Kozintsev,
in
'Solaris' (1972)
by Andrei Tarkovsky, in 'Goya - oder Der arge Weg der Erkenntnis'
(1971) by director Konrad Wolf, in 'Begstvo mistera Mak-Kinli' by
director Mikhail Shvejtser,
in 'Beethoven - Days in a Life' (1976) by director Horst Seemann, and
in other films.
One of his memorable film-works is the character of a Russian spy
'Ladeinikov' in 'Myortvy Sezon' (The Dead Season, 1968) by director
Savva Kulish.
That film role provided Banionis with an auspicious connection. In
2004, the actor had a meeting with the Russian President
Vladimir Putin. Mr. Putin confirmed that
he made up his mind to become an intelligence officer after seeing
Banionis in the role of a Russian spy.
In his later works Donatas Banionis constitutes the link between cinema
of the past and contemporary Lithuanian film. He showed reserved and
convincing work in the role of
'The old man' in 'Kiemas' (Courtyard,
1999), a reflective film about a Lithuanian father and his family's
depressing fate in the 1970's Soviet Union. He worked with director
Aleksandr Buravskiy
in
'Attack on
Leningrad' (2006), a film about the historic siege during the Second
World War; where his acting partners are Gabriel Byrne, Mira Sorvino,
Aleksandr Abdulov,
Kirill Lavrov,
Mikhail Efremov and others.
During his acting career spanning over sixty five years, Donatas
Banionis played over 50 roles in film and on television. He also played
over 100 stage roles, mainly at the Panevezys Juozas Miltinis' Drama
Theatre. Banionis was designated People's Actor of the USSR (1974), and
People's actor of the Lithuanian Republic (1973). He is Chevalier of
the Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas.
Donatas Banionis lived in the city of Panevezys, Lithuania. He was
Honorable Citizen of Panevezys (1999). Actor died of heart related
problems on 4th of September 2014 in Panevezys, Lithuania. He was
ninety years old.
