Alexander Borissowitsch Godunow

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Alexander Boris Godunow (born November 28, 1949 in Sakhalin , † May 18, 1995 in Los Angeles , California , USA ) was a Russian - American ballet dancer and actor .

Life and accomplishments

Godunow shone particularly in the classic roles of ballet with an astonishing grace for his height (1.91 m), a refined technique and his jumping ability. He began his training at the Riga Ballet School before moving to the Bolshoi Ballet School in Moscow . Engaged as a soloist at the Bolshoi since 1971, he also took part in several tours through the USA, the last of which he did not return to the Soviet Union in 1979 . As early as 1975, on his second US tour, he made contact with his childhood friend, the dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov , who had already emigrated in 1974 after a Canada tour , who had just made his debut as a choreographer and had now advanced to artistic director at the American Ballet Theater in New York . Here Godunow got an engagement as the first soloist. His wife, who also danced for the Bolshoi Ballet, decided to return to the USSR. The marriage was divorced in 1982.

Godunow caused enthusiasm in the roles of Don José and Othello. In 1982 the collaboration with Baryshnikov ended in a dispute. From 1983 Godunow took on international guest engagements, for example in Berlin ( German Opera , 20th Century Ballet ), Japan and Israel. Godunov founded his own ballet company .

After having acted in several films in the USSR, he made his Hollywood debut in 1985 in The Only Witness at Harrison Ford's Side .

On May 18, 1995, he was found dead in his home.

Filmography

literature

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personal data
SURNAME Godunow, Alexander Borissowitsch
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Godunov, Alexander Boris
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Russian ballet dancer and actor
DATE OF BIRTH November 28, 1949
PLACE OF BIRTH Sakhalin , Soviet Union
DATE OF DEATH May 18, 1995
Place of death Los Angeles , California , USA