Sentence:  Nikolai Cherkasov , the Russian actor who has played such heroic <WSD>roles</WSD> as Alexander Nevsky and Ivan the Terrible , performs the lanky Don Quixote , and does so with a simple dignity that bridges the inner nobility and the surface absurdity of this poignant man . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  an actor's portrayal of someone in a play