Sentence:  Nikolai Cherkasov , the Russian actor who has played such heroic roles as Alexander Nevsky and Ivan the Terrible , performs the lanky <WSD>Don</WSD> 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:  the hero of a romance by Cervantes; chivalrous but impractical