Aleksey Batalov
Encyclopedia
Aleksey Vladimirovich Batalov is a Soviet and Russia
n actor who has been acclaimed for his portrayal of noble and positive characters. He was named a People's Artist of the USSR
in 1976 and a Hero of Socialist Labour in 1989.
on 20 November 1928 into a family associated with the theatre. His uncle Nikolay Batalov starred in Vsevolod Pudovkin
's classic Mother (1926). Anna Akhmatova
was a family friend, and he painted a well-known portrait of her in 1952. Batalov joined the Moscow Art Theatre
in 1953 but left three years later to concentrate on his career in film. During the Khrushchev Thaw
he was one of the most recognizable actors in the Soviet Union
. The Cranes Are Flying
(1957) is his best regarded film of the period, and the one which won Palme d'Or
at the Cannes Film Festival
. He also starred in Mikhail Romm
's Nine Days of One Year (1962).
During the 1960s and 1970s, Batalov became known for his fastidious approach towards choosing roles for himself. He appeared mostly in film adaptations of Russian classics, including Anton Chekhov
's Lady with a Lapdog (1960) and Bulgakov
's Flight (1970). He also directed screen versions of Gogol's The Overcoat
(1960) and Yuri Olesha's Three Fat Men (1966). In the 1970s he concentrated on professorship at the Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography
.
In 1979 Batalov was invited to play Gosha, a mill machinist, in the melodrama Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears
. After many hesitations, Batalov brilliantly played his part in the movie, which won him the USSR State Prize
. The role was central to the film's Soviet message. As one character says in the picnic scene: "Seventy percent of my doctorate was due to Gosha's mechanical genius". After that, he effectively retired from acting and devoted his time to coaching new generations of film actors. Boris Yeltsin
presented the Lifetime Achievement Nika Award
to him in 2002. Batalov was awarded the State Prize of the Russian Federation
(2005).
Foreign awards:
Community Awards:
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n actor who has been acclaimed for his portrayal of noble and positive characters. He was named a People's Artist of the USSR
People's Artist of the USSR
People's Artist of the USSR, also sometimes translated as National Artist of the USSR, was an honorary title granted to citizens of the Soviet Union.- Nomenclature and significance :...
in 1976 and a Hero of Socialist Labour in 1989.
Biography
Batalov was born in VladimirVladimir
Vladimir is a city and the administrative center of Vladimir Oblast, Russia, located on the Klyazma River, to the east of Moscow along the M7 motorway. Population:...
on 20 November 1928 into a family associated with the theatre. His uncle Nikolay Batalov starred in Vsevolod Pudovkin
Vsevolod Pudovkin
Vsevolod Illarionovich Pudovkin was a Russian and Soviet film director, screenwriter and actor who developed influential theories of montage...
's classic Mother (1926). Anna Akhmatova
Anna Akhmatova
Anna Andreyevna Gorenko , better known by the pen name Anna Akhmatova , was a Russian and Soviet modernist poet, one of the most acclaimed writers in the Russian canon.Harrington p11...
was a family friend, and he painted a well-known portrait of her in 1952. Batalov joined the Moscow Art Theatre
Moscow Art Theatre
The Moscow Art Theatre is a theatre company in Moscow that the seminal Russian theatre practitioner Constantin Stanislavski, together with the playwright and director Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko, founded in 1898. It was conceived as a venue for naturalistic theatre, in contrast to the melodramas...
in 1953 but left three years later to concentrate on his career in film. During the Khrushchev Thaw
Khrushchev Thaw
The Khrushchev Thaw refers to the period from the mid 1950s to the early 1960s, when repression and censorship in the Soviet Union were partially reversed and millions of Soviet political prisoners were released from Gulag labor camps, due to Nikita Khrushchev's policies of de-Stalinization and...
he was one of the most recognizable actors in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. The Cranes Are Flying
The Cranes are Flying
The Cranes Are Flying is a Soviet film about World War II. It depicts the cruelty of war and the damage suffered to the Soviet psyche as a result of World War II . It was directed at Mosfilm by the Georgian-born Soviet director Mikhail Kalatozov in 1957 and stars Aleksey Batalov and Tatiana...
(1957) is his best regarded film of the period, and the one which won Palme d'Or
Palme d'Or
The Palme d'Or is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival and is presented to the director of the best feature film of the official competition. It was introduced in 1955 by the organising committee. From 1939 to 1954, the highest prize was the Grand Prix du Festival International du...
at the Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
. He also starred in Mikhail Romm
Mikhail Romm
Mikhail Ilych Romm was a Soviet film director.He was born in Irkutsk. His father was a social democrat of Jewish descent who had been exiled there. He graduated from gymnasium in 1917 and entered the Moscow College for Painting, Sculpture and Architecture...
's Nine Days of One Year (1962).
During the 1960s and 1970s, Batalov became known for his fastidious approach towards choosing roles for himself. He appeared mostly in film adaptations of Russian classics, including Anton Chekhov
Anton Chekhov
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov was a Russian physician, dramatist and author who is considered to be among the greatest writers of short stories in history. His career as a dramatist produced four classics and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics...
's Lady with a Lapdog (1960) and Bulgakov
Bulgakov
Bulgakov is a common Russian family name and may refer to:*Gediminid family of Princes Bulgakov*Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Bulgakov, Soviet politician, USSR Minister of Education 1978 to 1983*Aleksandr Viktorovich Bulgakov Bulgakov is a common Russian family name and may refer to:*Gediminid family...
's Flight (1970). He also directed screen versions of Gogol's The Overcoat
The Overcoat
"The Overcoat" is the title of a short story by Ukrainian-born Russian author Nikolai Gogol, published in 1842. The story and its author have had great influence on Russian literature, thus spawning Fyodor Dostoyevsky's famous quote: "We all come out from Gogol's 'Overcoat'." The story has been...
(1960) and Yuri Olesha's Three Fat Men (1966). In the 1970s he concentrated on professorship at the Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography
Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography
The Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography All-Russian State University of Cinematography named after S. A. Gerasimov), VGIK for short, is a film school in Moscow, Russia.-History:...
.
In 1979 Batalov was invited to play Gosha, a mill machinist, in the melodrama Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears
Moscow Does Not Believe In Tears
Moscow Does not Believe in Tears is a 1980 Soviet film made by Mosfilm. It was written by Valentin Chernykh and directed by Vladimir Menshov. The leading roles were played by Menshov's wife Vera Alentova and by Aleksey Batalov. The film won an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in...
. After many hesitations, Batalov brilliantly played his part in the movie, which won him the USSR State Prize
USSR State Prize
The USSR State Prize was the Soviet Union's state honour. It was established on September 9, 1966. After the breakup of the Soviet Union, the prize was followed up by the State Prize of the Russian Federation....
. The role was central to the film's Soviet message. As one character says in the picnic scene: "Seventy percent of my doctorate was due to Gosha's mechanical genius". After that, he effectively retired from acting and devoted his time to coaching new generations of film actors. Boris Yeltsin
Boris Yeltsin
Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin was the first President of the Russian Federation, serving from 1991 to 1999.Originally a supporter of Mikhail Gorbachev, Yeltsin emerged under the perestroika reforms as one of Gorbachev's most powerful political opponents. On 29 May 1990 he was elected the chairman of...
presented the Lifetime Achievement Nika Award
Nika Award
The Nika Award is a prestigious annual ceremony held by the Russian Academy of Cinema Arts and Sciences which was established in 1987 in Moscow, Russia by Yuli Gusman, and ostensibly modelled on the Academy Awards . Russian Academy Award takes its name from Nike, the goddess of victory...
to him in 2002. Batalov was awarded the State Prize of the Russian Federation
State Prize of the Russian Federation
State Prize of the Russian Federation is a state honorary prize established in 1992 as the substitute for the USSR State Prize. In 2004 the rules for selection of laureates and the status of the award was significantly changed making them closer to such awards as Nobel Prize or the Soviet Lenin...
(2005).
Honours and awards
Awards of Russia and the USSR:- Hero of Socialist Labour (1989)
- Order of Merit for the FatherlandOrder of Merit for the FatherlandThe Order of Merit for the Fatherland was instituted on 2 March 1994 by Presidential Decree. The statutes describe it as a decoration for merit, not an order of knights....
- 2nd class (20 November 2008) - for outstanding contribution to the development of national culture, many years of creative and educational activities
- 3rd class (10 November 1998) - for outstanding contributions to the development of national cinematography
- Two Orders of Lenin (1967, 1989)
- Honored Artist of the RSFSR (1964)
- People's Artist of USSR (1976)
- People's Artist of the RSFSR (1969)
- USSR State PrizeUSSR State PrizeThe USSR State Prize was the Soviet Union's state honour. It was established on September 9, 1966. After the breakup of the Soviet Union, the prize was followed up by the State Prize of the Russian Federation....
(1981) - for taking part in the movie "Moscow does not believe in tears" - State Prize of the RSFSR (1966) - for taking part in the movie "Nine Days of One Year"
- State Prize of the Russian FederationState Prize of the Russian FederationState Prize of the Russian Federation is a state honorary prize established in 1992 as the substitute for the USSR State Prize. In 2004 the rules for selection of laureates and the status of the award was significantly changed making them closer to such awards as Nobel Prize or the Soviet Lenin...
(2005) - Russian Presidential Prize in Literature and Art in 1999 (February 17, 2000)
Foreign awards:
- Order of St. Cyril and MethodiusOrders, decorations, and medals of BulgariaOrders, decorations and medals of Bulgaria are regulated by the law on the Orders and Medals of the Republic Of Bulgaria of 29 May 2003.The National Military History Museum Of Bulgaria in Sofia currently has over 150 Bulgarian Orders in the collection, which it has acquired over 85 years in...
(Bulgaria)
Community Awards:
- Order of Peter the Great (Academy of Security, Defence and Law Enforcement, 2003)
- Lenin Komsomol PrizeLenin Komsomol PrizeLenin Komsomol Prize was a Soviet annual award for the best works in science, engineering, literature or art carried out by young authors of age not exceeding 33 years...
(1967) - Award "Juno" (1997)
- Award "Idol" (2002) - "For high service to art"
- Commemorative Medal for the 150th anniversary of Anton Chekhov, by the Moscow Art TheatreMoscow Art TheatreThe Moscow Art Theatre is a theatre company in Moscow that the seminal Russian theatre practitioner Constantin Stanislavski, together with the playwright and director Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko, founded in 1898. It was conceived as a venue for naturalistic theatre, in contrast to the melodramas...
(2005)
Filmography
Actor
- ZoyaZoya (film)Zoya is a 1944 Soviet war film directed by Lev Arnshtam. It was entered into the 1946 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:*Galina Vodyanitskaya as Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya*Tamara Altseva as Zoya's Teacher*Aleksey Batalov*Anatoli Kuznetsov as Boris Fomin...
(1944) - A Big FamilyA Big FamilyA Big Family is a 1954 Soviet drama film directed by Iosif Kheifits. It was entered into the 1955 Cannes Film Festival. It was based on Vsevolod Kochetov's novel Zhurbiny.-Cast:* Sergei Lukyanov - Matvei Zhurbin...
(1954) - MotherMother (1955 film)Mother is a 1955 Soviet drama film directed by Mark Donskoy and based on the eponimous novel by Maxim Gorky. It was entered into the 1956 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Vera Maretskaya - Pelagea Nilovna Vlassovna, the mother...
(1955) - The Rumyantsev Case (1955)
- The Cranes Are FlyingThe Cranes are FlyingThe Cranes Are Flying is a Soviet film about World War II. It depicts the cruelty of war and the damage suffered to the Soviet psyche as a result of World War II . It was directed at Mosfilm by the Georgian-born Soviet director Mikhail Kalatozov in 1957 and stars Aleksey Batalov and Tatiana...
(1957) - The Lady with the DogThe Lady with the Dog (film)The Lady with the Dog is a 1960 Soviet drama film directed by Iosif Kheifits. It was entered into the 1960 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Iya Savvina - Anna Sergeyеvna* Aleksey Batalov - Dimitri Gurov* Nina Alisova - Madame Gurov...
(1960) - Nine Days of One Year (1962)
- A Day of Happiness (1963)
- The Seventh Companion (1968)
- The FlightThe Flight (1970 film)The Flight is a 1970 Soviet film, mainly based on writer Mikhail Bulgakov's play Flight, but also on his novel The White Guard and his libretto Black Sea...
(1970) - A Very English MurderA Very English MurderA Very English Murder is a 1974 Soviet teleplay directed by Samson Samsonov, based on the novel An English Murder by Cyril Hare.The film has been shot on stage with multiple television cameras running simultaneously. Originally the film had been cut in two versions: a television version had three...
(1974) - The Captivating Star of HappinessThe Captivating Star of HappinessThe Captivating Star of Happiness is a Soviet film. The title is an allusion to a line from a poem by Alexander Pushkin. It is a costume drama dedicated "to the women of Russia"....
(1975) - Moscow Does Not Believe in TearsMoscow Does Not Believe In TearsMoscow Does not Believe in Tears is a 1980 Soviet film made by Mosfilm. It was written by Valentin Chernykh and directed by Vladimir Menshov. The leading roles were played by Menshov's wife Vera Alentova and by Aleksey Batalov. The film won an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in...
(1979) - Pokhorony StalinaPokhorony StalinaPokhorony Stalina is a 1990 Soviet drama film written and directed by the famous poet, Yevgeni Yevtushenko. The film stars the British actress, Vanessa Redgrave.-Cast:*Vanessa Redgrave as English journalist*Aleksey Batalov...
(1990)
Director
- The OvercoatThe Overcoat (1959 film)The Overcoat is a 1959 Soviet film directed by Aleksey Batalov, based on Nikolai Gogol story "The Overcoat".-Cast:* Rolan Bykov - Akaki Akakiyevich* Yuri Tolubeyev - Petrovich* Aleksandra Yozhkina - Petrovich's Wife* Elena Ponsova - Landlady...
(1959) - Three Fat Men (1966)
- The Gambler (1972)
Voice
- Hedgehog in the FogHedgehog in the FogHedgehog in the Fog is a 1975 Soviet/Russian animated film directed by Yuriy Norshteyn, produced by the Soyuzmultfilm studio in Moscow. The Russian script was written by Sergei Grigoryevich Kozlov, who also published a book under the same name...
(1975) - The Adventures of Scamper the Penguin (1988)