Yevgeny Leonov

Yevgeny Pavlovich Leonov (; 2 September 1926 - 29 January 1994) was a Soviet and Russian actor. He was in many of the most famous Soviet movies. These include Gentlemen of Fortune, Mimino and Striped Trip. He has been called "one of Russia's best-loved actors". He also voiced many Soviet cartoon characters. This includes Vinny Pukh (Winnie-the-Pooh).
Early life
While growing up in Moscow, he wanted to be a pilot. His father worked in an airplane factory. During the Great Patriotic War, he and his whole family worked in a weapons making/airplane making factory. After the war, he joined the Moscow Art Theatre school. There he studied under Mikhail Yanshin.
Career
In his first movie, Leonov was cast as an extra. He later became Georgiy Daneliya's regular. He was in all of Daneliya's features. These include Gentlemen of Fortune, Autumn Marathon, Mimino, Afonya and Kin-dza-dza!. He was seen for his tragic parts and his natural acting.
He won Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival for Daneliya's Autumn Marathon (1980). He performed over 200 roles and was the Russian cinema's best-known supporting actor.
In 1991 (or in 1988), when touring in Germany, he had a heart attack. This put him into a coma for 10 days (or 16 days). His life was saved only after a big surgery.
Leonov died on 29 January 1994 on his way to the Lenkom Theatre to perform in The Prayer for the Dead (A Memorial Prayer). His death was announced in the auditorium. Following the announcement, the audience went to the church across the road and lit candles in mourning. Over half a million people went to his memorial service in the freezing cold of winter. He is buried in Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow near other major people of Russian culture.
Filmography
Actor
Happy Flight (Schastlivyi reis) (1949) as Firefighter (uncredited)
Sporting Honour (Sportivnaia chest') (1951) as Waiter (uncredited)
Submarine chaser (Morskoi okhotnik) (1954) as cook
Road (Doroga) (1955) as driver Pasha Yeskov
Criminal Case of Rumyantsev (Delo Rumiantseva) (1956) as driver Mikhail Snegiryov
A Unique Spring (Nepovtorimaia vesna) (1957) as Alexey Koshelev
The street is full of surprises (Ulitsa polna neozhidannostei) (1958) as Yevgeniy Pavlovich Serdyukov
Difficult happiness (Trudnoe schast'e) (1958) as Agathon
Tale of newlyweds (Povest' o molodozhionakh) (1959) as Fedor
Ne imey 100 rubley... (Ne imei sto rublei...) (1959) as Ivan S. Mukhin
Povest o molodozhyonakh (1960) as Fedya
Artwork (Proizvedenie iskusstva) (196, Short) as Sasha Smirnov
Snow tale (Snezhnaia skazka) (1959) as Old Year
Striped Trip (Polosatyi reis) (1961) as Gleb Shuleykin
Cheremushki (Cheriomushki) (1962) as Barabashkin
Serf actress (Krepostnaia aktrisa) (1963) as Count Ivan P. Kutaisov
Short humoresques (Korotkie istorii) (1963, TV Movie) as client
Don Tale (Donskaia povest') (1964) as Yakov Shibalok
Thirty Three (Tridtsat' tri) (1965) as Ivan S. Travkin
Nad nami Yuzhnyy Krest (1965) as Disabled-seller in the market
The Snow Queen (Snezhnaia koroleva) (1967) as King Erik XXIX
Parviyat kurier (1968) as Kritski
Illusionist (Fokusnik) (1968) as Stepan Nikolaevich Rossomakhin
Do not be sad (Ne goriui!) (1968) as soldier Yegor Zaletayev
Zigzag udachi (Zigzag udachi) (1968) as photographer Vladimir Oreshnikov
Literature lesson (Urok literatury) (1968) as Pavel Vronsky, Nina's father
Virineya (Virineia) (1969) as Michael
Carrousel (Karusel') (1969, TV Series) as Ivan I. Nyukhin (voice)
Tchaikovsky (Chaikovskii) (1970) as Alyosha
Shine, shine, my star (Gori, gori, moia zvezda) (1970) as Pasha, the master illusion
Between high spikes (Mezh vysokikh khlebov) (1970) as Pavlo Struchok
Belorussian Station (Belorusskii vokzal) (1971) as Ivan Prikhodko
Gentlemen of Fortune (Dzhentl'meny udachi) (1971) as Yevgeny Ivanovich Troshkin / Dotsent
As Ilf and Petrov rode a tram (Ekhali v tramvae Il'f i Petrov) (1972) as Vitaly Kapitulov
Big School-Break (Bol'shaia peremena) (1972, TV Mini-Series) as Lednyov
Racers (Gonshchiki) (1973) as Ivan M. Kukushkin
Hopelessly Lost (Sovsem propashchii) (1973) as rogue nicknamed "The King"
Under a stone sky (Pod kamennym nebom) (1974) as Senior lieutenant Kravtsov
Bonus (Premiia) (1974) as Vasily T. Potapov
Afonya (Afonia) (1975) as Kolya
Circus in the Circus (Solo dlia slona s orkestrom) (1975) as circus director Ivanov
Step towards (Shag navstrechu) (1976) as Serafim Nikitich
The Elder Son (Starshii syn) (1976, TV Movie) as Andrei Grigorievich Sarafanov
Legend about Till Eulenspiegel (Legenda o Tile) (1977) as Lamme Goedzak
Long criminal case (Dlinnoe, dlinnoe delo) (1977) as Mikhail P. Luzhin
Mimino (Mimino) (1977) as Volokhov
Funny people! (Smeshnye liudi!) (1977) as chorister Aleksei Alekseyevich
Marriage (Zhenit'ba) (1978) as Baltazar Baltazarovich Zhevakin
Chaperon (Duen'ia) (1978, TV Movie) as Don Izokelyo Mendoso
An Ordinary Miracle (Obyknovennoe chudo) (1978, TV Movie) as King
And it's all about him (I eto vsio o niom) (1978) as Police Captain Aleksandr M. Prokhorov
Autumn Marathon (Osennii marafon) (1979) as Vasily Ignatyevich Kharitonov, sosed Buzykina
Faithfully (Veroi i pravdoi) (1979) as Evgeny S. Bannikov
Holidays in September (Otpusk v sentiabre) (1979, TV Movie) as Vladimir Andreevich Kushak
Borrowing Matchsticks (Za spichkami) (1980) as Antti Ihalainen
Say a Word for the Poor Hussar (O bednom gusare zamolvite slovo) (1981, TV Movie) as provincial actor Afanasy P. Bubentsov
The House that Swift Built (Dom, kotoryi postroil Svift) (1982, TV Movie) as giant Glyum
Tears Were Falling (Sliozy kapali) (1983) as Pavel Ivanovich Vasin
Unique (Unikum) (1983) as director
Time and the Conways (Vremia i sem'ia Konvei) (1984) as Alan Conway, twenty years later
Kin-dza-dza! (Kin-dza-dza!) (1986) as Wef the Chatlanian, a wandering singer
To Kill a Dragon (Ubit' Drakona) (1988) as burgomaster
Passport (Pasport) (1990) as official of Soviet Embassy in Austria
Detective bureau "Felix" (Detektivnoe agentstvo "Feliks") (1993) as uncle Vanya
Amerikanskiy dedushka (Amerikanskii dedushka) (1993) as Gogolev
Nastya (Nastia) (1993) as Yakov Alekseyevich
Voice actor
Winnie-the-Pooh
Winnie-the-Pooh Pays a Visit
Winnie-the-Pooh and a Busy Day
Vasilisa the Beautiful
The Adventures of Lolo the Penguin
Welcome
Laughter and Grief by the White Sea
References
Other websites
Website about Leonov
1926 births
1994 deaths
Soviet movie actors
Russian movie actors
Russian stage actors
Soviet television actors
Russian television actors
Russian voice actors
Recipients of the Order of Lenin