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Mikhail Zharov(1899-1981)

  • Actor
  • Director
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Mikhail Zharov in Aniskin i Fantomas (1974)
Mikhail Zharov was a popular Russian actor who starred in silent films, and enjoyed a stellar career, until he fell under suspicion during the dictatorship of Iosif Stalin.

He was born Mikhail Ivanovich Zharov on October 27, 1899, in Moscow, Russian Empire. His father was a printing press worker. Young Zharov was fond of theatre. In 1915, at the age of 16, Zharov was caught backstage while he was copying facial expressions and movements of the famous Russian opera actor Feodor Chaliapin Sr.. The administration could end Zharov's acting career, but Feodor Chaliapin Sr. himself asked Zharov to show what he was doing backstage, and was impressed with his acting skills, and encouraged young Zharov by presenting him with a signed photograph. From 1921-1925 he was a permanent member at the Theatre of Vsevolod Meyerhold. During the 1920s Zharov was also touring Russia with various troupes. From 1931-1938 he was a permanent member at Moscow Chamber Theatre of Aleksandr Tairov.

In 1915, Zharov made his film debut in the silent film 'Ivan the Terrible' (1915). He played bit parts in several silent films during the 1920's. Zharov shot to fame after his role as gangster Zhigan in Road to Life (1931). Zharov's popularity grew with his work for directors Grigoriy Kozintsev and Leonid Trauberg in the Maksim trilogy. In 1941, Zharov was awarded the Stalin's Prize for the supporting role as Menshikov in 'Conquests of Peter the Great. Parts One and Two'. He was awarded the second Stalin's Prize for his brilliant portrayal of the Russian historic figure Maluta Skuratov in Ivan the Terrible, Part I (1944), in which Zharov co-starred opposite Nikolay Cherkasov.

From 1938-1981 Mikhail Zharov was a permanent member of the legendary troupe at Maly Academic Theatre in Moscow. There he worked on stage with such actors as Yelena Gogoleva, A. Yablochkina, Varvara Massalitinova, Varvara Ryzhova, Yevdokiya Turchaninova, Vera Pashennaya, Varvara Obukhova, Yelena Shatrova, Elina Bystritskaya, Rufina Nifontova, Tatyana Eremeeva, Aleksandr Yuzhin, Aleksandr Ostuzhev, Vladimir Davydov, Sergei Aidarov, Stepan Kuznetsov, Prov Sadovsky, Boris Ravenskikh, Boris Babochkin, Nikolai Annenkov, Mikhail Tsaryov, Igor Ilyinsky, Pavel Olenev, Mikhail Sadovsky, Konstantin Zubov, Viktor Khokhryakov, Vsevolod Aksyonov, Nikolai Ryzhov, Evgeniy Vesnik, Viktor Korshunov, Evgeniy Samoylov, Yuriy Solomin, and many other notable Russian actors. Zharov's stage performances were admired by such contemporaries as Vsevolod Meyerhold, Konstantin Stanislavsky, Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko, and Aleksandr Tairov, among many others.

In 1952 Zharov's father-in-law was arrested on false accusations of a treason to kill Iosif Stalin. That plot was known as the "Doctors Affair" and was in fact designed by Iosif Stalin to intimidate the leading intellectuals of Russia. Mikhail Zharov's acting career was severely affected by the arrest of his father-in-law. Film directors were afraid to cast Zharov for several years after that. Theatre administration did not give him any new stage work. Zharov was made an outcast in the atmosphere of suspiciousness and political repressions during the dictatorship of Iosif Stalin. 15 years after the death of Stalin, Zharov made a successful comeback. He starred as Aniskin in the popular film-trilogy which he also directed.

Mikhail Zharov was designated People's Actor of the USSR and Russia. He starred in more than 20 films and played over 100 stage roles. He passed away on December 15, 1981, and was laid to rest in Novodevichy Convent Cemetery in Moscow, Russia.
BornOctober 27, 1899
DiedDecember 15, 1981(82)
BornOctober 27, 1899
DiedDecember 15, 1981(82)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Awards
    • 4 wins

Photos41

Mikhail Zharov and Erdni Mandzhiyev in Mlechnyy Put (1959)
Nikolay Zaseev-Rudenko and Mikhail Zharov in Mlechnyy Put (1959)
Mikhail Zharov and Konstantin Muzychenko in Mlechnyy Put (1959)
Mikhail Zharov in Mlechnyy Put (1959)
Tatyana Doronina and Mikhail Zharov in Starshaya sestra (1967)
Leonid Kuravlyov and Mikhail Zharov in Starshaya sestra (1967)
Tatyana Doronina, Leonid Kuravlyov, and Mikhail Zharov in Starshaya sestra (1967)
Mikhail Zharov in Thunderstorm (1934)
Mikhail Zharov in Thunderstorm (1934)
Mikhail Zharov in House of Death (1932)
Mikhail Zharov in Okraina (1933)
Mikhail Zharov in Okraina (1933)

Known for:

Peter the First (1937)
Peter the First
7.2
  • Menshikov
  • 1937
Conquest of Peter the Great (1938)
Conquest of Peter the Great
7.2
  • Alexander Danilovich Menshikov
  • 1938
Aleksandr Grave, Lyudmila Tselikovskaya, Mikhail Zharov, and Nikolay Khomov in Bespokoynoe khozyaystvo (1946)
Bespokoynoe khozyaystvo
7.0
  • Semibab
  • 1946
Ivan the Terrible, Part I (1944)
Ivan the Terrible, Part I
7.7
  • Czar's Guard Malyuta Skuratov
  • 1944

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Actor

  • I snova Aniskin (1978)
    I snova Aniskin
    • Aniskin
    • TV Movie
    • 1978
  • Vlast tmy (1978)
    Vlast tmy
    • Mitrich
    • TV Movie
    • 1978
  • Vladimir Andreyev in Po stranitsam 'Goluboy knigi' (1977)
    Po stranitsam 'Goluboy knigi'
    • Storyteller
    • TV Movie
    • 1977
  • Ser Dzhon Falstaf (1974)
    Ser Dzhon Falstaf
    • Falstaff
    • TV Movie
    • 1974
  • Aniskin i Fantomas (1974)
    Aniskin i Fantomas
    • Aniskin
    • TV Movie
    • 1974
  • Nelli Kornienko, Georgiy Kulikov, and Mikhail Zharov in Tak i budet (1973)
    Tak i budet
    • Vorontsov
    • TV Movie
    • 1973
  • Samyy posledniy den (1973)
    Samyy posledniy den
    • Semyon Mitrofanovich Kovalyov
    • TV Movie
    • 1973
  • Razvod po-narymski (1972)
    Razvod po-narymski
    • Fyodor Ivanovich Aniskin
    • TV Movie
    • 1972
  • Derevenskiy detektiv (1969)
    Derevenskiy detektiv
    • Aniskin
    • 1969
  • Tatyana Doronina, Natalya Tenyakova, and Mikhail Zharov in Starshaya sestra (1967)
    Starshaya sestra
    • Ukhov (as M. Zharov)
    • 1967
  • Attention! There Is a Magician in the Town! (1964)
    Attention! There Is a Magician in the Town!
    • Cook
    • 1964
  • Kain XVIII (1963)
    Kain XVIII
    • Minister of War (as M. Zharov)
    • 1963
  • Chuzhoj Bumazhnik (1961)
    Chuzhoj Bumazhnik
    • Nikolaj Nikanorovich Starosel'cev
    • Short
    • 1961
  • Nikolay Rybnikov and Alla Larionova in Mlechnyy Put (1959)
    Mlechnyy Put
    • Mikhail Silovich
    • 1959
  • Lyudmila Gurchenko, Vladimir Gusev, and Mikhail Zharov in Devushka s gitaroy (1958)
    Devushka s gitaroy
    • Arkadiy Sviristinskiy
    • 1958

Director

  • I snova Aniskin (1978)
    I snova Aniskin
    • Director
    • TV Movie
    • 1978
  • Aniskin i Fantomas (1974)
    Aniskin i Fantomas
    • Director
    • TV Movie
    • 1974
  • Aleksandr Grave, Lyudmila Tselikovskaya, Mikhail Zharov, and Nikolay Khomov in Bespokoynoe khozyaystvo (1946)
    Bespokoynoe khozyaystvo
    • Director
    • 1946

Personal details

Edit
  • Alternative names
    • M.I. Jaroff
  • Born
    • October 27, 1899
    • Moscow, Russian Empire [now Russia]
  • Died
    • December 15, 1981
    • Moscow, RSFSR, USSR [now Russia]
  • Spouses
      Lyudmila Tselikovskaya1943 - 1946 (divorced)

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