Yevgeny Vesnik
Yevgeny Yakovlevich Vesnik (Russian: Евге́ний Я́ковлевич Ве́сник; January 15, 1923 in Petrograd – April 10, 2009 in Moscow[1]) was a Russian and Soviet stage and a film actor. The son of Yakov Vesnik,[2] the first director of the Kryvorizhstal plant, he fought the Germans in the Second World War. He worked at the Maly Theatre from 1963 and was named a People's Artist of the USSR in 1989, three years before his retirement from the stage.[2]
Primarily a comedian, Vesnik is remembered as the first Soviet actor to play the character of Ostap Bender. After he was remembered as Teatcher Taratar, or Tarator in The Adventures of the Elektronic (1979), one of greatest Soviet films for children'.[2]
Among his other roles are the policeman (miliceman) in Old Khottabych, "Boss of Sport Complex" in Seven Old Men and One Girl, the Procurator in Die Fledermaus, the commissioner in Charodey (1982), "radist" in Weather Is Good on Deribasovskaya, It Rains Again on Brighton Beach and many other films.[1]
He died, aged 86, on April 10, 2009 in Moscow after suffering a stroke.[3]
Honours and awards
- Order of Merit for the Fatherland 4th class
- Order of the Red Banner of Labour (USSR)
- Order of Friendship of Peoples (USSR)
- Order of the Patriotic War 2nd class (USSR)
- Order of the Red Star (USSR)
- Medal "For the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" (USSR)
- Two Medals "For Courage" (USSR)
- Medal "For the Capture of Königsberg" (USSR)
- Medal "Veteran of Labour" (USSR)
- Medal "In Commemoration of the 800th Anniversary of Moscow" (USSR)
- Jubilee Medal "50 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR" (USSR)
- Medal "In Commemoration of the 850th Anniversary of Moscow" (Russia)
- Medal of Zhukov
- People's Artist of the USSR
- Honoured Artist of the RSFSR
Selected filmography
- Othello (1956)
- Old Khottabych (1956)
- The Adventures of Buratino (1959)
- An Ordinary Miracle (1964)
- Strong with Spirit (1967)
- I Loved You (1967)
- The New Adventures of the Elusive Avengers (1968)
- Seven Old Men and a Girl (1968)
- Ded Moroz and Summer (voice, 1969)
- Officers (1971)
- The Adventures of the Elektronic (1979)
- The Theme (1979)
- The Fairfax Millions (1980)
- Die Fledermaus (1979)
- Dog in Boots (voice, 1981)
- Sorcerers (1982)
- Act, Manya! (1991)
- Weather Is Good on Deribasovskaya, It Rains Again on Brighton Beach (1992)
- What a Mess! (1995)
References
External links
- 1923 births
- 2009 deaths
- Soviet male actors
- Russian male actors
- People's Artists of the USSR
- Burials in Troyekurovskoye Cemetery
- Recipients of the Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd class
- Recipients of the Order of Friendship of Peoples
- Recipients of the Medal of Zhukov
- Honored Artists of the RSFSR
- Russian people of Belarusian descent
- Russian people of Czech descent
- People's Artists of the RSFSR
- Recipients of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", 4th class
- Russian actor stubs