False Dmitriy I
In late 1900s Ostuzhev gradually moved from juvenile, romantic parts of his early days to modern drama, particularly exploring mother and son relationships in a duo with Maria Yermolova (Neznamov in "Guilty without Guilt" and Zhadov in "A Profitable Place" by Aleksandr Ostrovsky, Oswald in "Ghosts" by Henrik Ibsen). Ostuzhev's career could have ended there: around 1908 his hearing, damaged by Ménière's disease, declined, and by 1910 the actor was completely deaf. But Ostuzhev defied disability and remained on stage: in August 1909, approaching deafness, he played the tragic part of False Dmitriy I in "False Dmitry and Vasily Shuisky" by Aleksandr Ostrovsky (August 1909); already deaf, he played in the new Maly productions of Shakespeare's comedies – Ferdinand in "The Tempest", Orlando in "Twelfth Night" (1912) and Bassanio in "The Merchant of Venice" (1916)