Boris Shchukin Theatre Institute
Grave was born on September 8, 1920, in Moscow. From 1938 to 1942 he studied acting at the Boris Shchukin Theatre Institute of the Vakhtangov Theatre and later graduated in 1942. He served in the Red Army entertainment unit in World War II, Berlin, Germany, and was decorated for his artistry and lifting the spirits of soldiers at the time when they were fighting the Nazis.