Quick Facts
Biography
Oleg Nikolayevich Yefremov (Russian: Оле́г Никола́евич Ефре́мов, October 1, 1927, Moscow, Soviet Union – May 24, 2000, Moscow, Russia) was a Soviet/Russian actor and Moscow Art Theatre producer. He was a People's Artist of the USSR (1976) and a Hero of Socialist Labour (1987).
In 1949 he graduated from Moscow Art Theatre School-Studio 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 (Pervyy eshelon) in 1955. Since then he was regularly into filming, and his every appearance on screen turned to be a real event for millions of spectators. Some of his most remarkable roles are those in the films The Living and the Dead (Zhivye i myortvye) (1964), melodrama Three Poplars in Plyushchikha (Tri topolya na Plyushchikhe) (1967), Shine, Shine, My Star (Gori, gori, moya zvezda) (1969), comedies Aybolit-66 (1966), and Beware of the Car (Beregis avtomobilya) (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 Theater and became its first director. Since 1970 he was 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.
Oleg Yefremov was married to Sovremennik Theatre actress Alla Pokrovskaya. Their son Mikhail is also an actor.
Selected filmography
- 1964: The Alive and the Dead (Живые и мёртвые) - Captain Ivanov
- 1965: War and Peace (Война и мир) - Dolokhov
- 1965: Someone Is Ringing, Open the Door (The Girl and the Bugler) (Звонят, откройте дверь) - Dresvyannikov
- 1966: Beware of the Car (Берегись автомобиля) - Maxim Podberezovikov
- 1967: Three Poplars in Plyushcikha (Три тополя на Плющихе) - Sasha
- 1966: Aybolit-66 (Айболит-66) - doctor Aybolit
- 1968: Once More About Love (Ещё раз про любовь) - Kartsev
- 1969: King the Deer (Il re cervo) (Король-олень) - Durandarte
- 1970: Shine, Shine, My Star
- 1970: The Flight (Бег) - Colonel
- 1970: The Polynin Case (Случай с Полыниным) - Polynin
- 1971: All The King's Men (Вся королевская рать) - Adam Stanton
- 1972: Hello and Goodbye (Здравствуй и прощай) - Burov
- 1974: Moscow, My Love (Москва, любовь моя) - Doctor
- 1976: Rudin (Рудин) - Rudin
- 1976: Surgeon Mishkin's Days (Дни хирурга Мишкина, TV mini series) - Mishkin
- 1977: Open Book (Открытая книга) - Marlin
- 1978: When I Will Become a Giant (Когда я стану великаном) - school inspector
- 1979: Poem of Wings (Поэма о крыльях) - Sergey Rakhmaninov
- 1980: The Imaginary Invalid (Мнимый больной) - Argan
- 1980: Once Upon a Time Twenty Years Later (Однажды двадцать лет спустя) - Painter
- 1985: Battalions Ask for Fire (Батальоны просят огня) - Colonel Gulyayev
- 1995: Shirli-Myrli (Ширли-мырли) - neighbor
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
- Honoured Artist of the RSFSR (1967)
- People's Artist of the RSFSR (1969)
- People's Artist of the USSR (1976)
- "Golden Mask" - prize-looking actors of the Moscow theatres (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)
- Hero of Socialist Labour (1987)
- Order of Merit for the Fatherland, 3rd class (1997)
- Prize Crystal Turandot (1997) - for valiant service to the theatre
- Russian Federation State Prize, twice
- 1997 - to maintain and develop the traditions of Russian psychological theatre in the play Three Sisters by Anton Chekhov
- 2003 (posthumous)
- Luspekaev 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)