Petr Shelokhonov
Encyclopedia
Petr Illarionovich Shelokhonov, was a Russian
actor and director, designated Honorable Actor
of Russia (1979).
, then a part of the Soviet Union
; Peter Larionovich Shelokhonov (also known as Peter, Pyotr, or Petro Larionovich Schelochonovich in Belarusian
, Polish, Yiddish
and Ukrainian
). His ancestors came from Ukraine, from Lithuania and from Poland.
His father, Larion (Illarion) Titovich, practiced veterinary medicine
at a horse farm, where his grandfather, Tito Shelohonovich, was also a farmer. Petr rode horseback during his childhood; he studied veterinary medicine under his father's tutelage, spending hours researching cells and tissues using his father's microscope. Petr Shelokhonov was destined to practice veterinary medicine, like his father, but his fate was changed by war.
. Belarus was swiftly occupied by Hitler's troops. One terrible night his home was totally demolished by air bombing
, he miraculously escaped the death by running away barefoot. He then witnessed the fire and destruction of the entire village when the Nazi tank
s leveled the remains of his house, then ruined his school and the horse farm. He tried to find his relatives until his cousin told him that there were no survivors. He was unable to find the remains of his mother, Anna Minska, to give her a proper traditional burial. He was separated from his father, who was away with horses. The Nazis arrested Petr and he was held in a transitional camp with other men. One night he escaped with a group of men under heavy fire from gun towers. Most fellow escapees were killed. Petr was severely wounded in the forehead but he survived and dug a hole in the ground, to hide from Nazi police patrols during the autumn of 1941. He survived thanks to a wounded cow, which was blind and without calfs, and her udders were full of milk. Petr used his veterinarian skills and befriended the cow, so he could suck her warm milk. Eventually the wounded cow died. He learned how to explode German grenade
s to kill fish in a river. He was arrested by the partisans
patrol and joined the partisans in the woods.
experience. He performed parodies of Hitler and the Nazis for his fellow partisans. His performances helped lift their spirits in a time when they were struggling to survive. This experience accentuated his humble, modest character. The scar on his forehead, the mark of war, made his acting career seem like an impossible dream; but Petr was determined - depending upon his roles he covered his scar with an appropriate theatrical makeup, wore a wig or used various hats. At first, he accompanied himself playing the accordion
. Then he made puppet
s and a screen, and worked in his own puppet theater from 1943-1945. In his show, named "Peter and the Wolf," he managed to lead four puppets with four voices, and also played the accordion. He traveled across Belarus and Ukraine
with his puppet theatre and performed for bread and rare food packages from the American airlift
. He spoke Polish, Yiddish, Russian, Belarusian, and his native Ukrainian, and he was very lucky to survive until the end of World War II.
Conservatory of Music, he also played the accordion on stage, albeit his plan was to become an actor in Leningrad
. In 1946 he moved to Leningrad in pursuit of an acting career. Petr Shelokhonov was looking for a job with a jazz band, similar to his favorite bands of Leonid Utyosov
and Eddie Rosner
, so he joined a jazz band
at the Leningrad Navy Club and also gave performances as a stand-up comedian and played the accordion. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
, Sergei Prokofiev
and Sergei Rachmaninov were his favorites as well as the music of Glenn Miller
, Louis Armstrong
, Frank Sinatra
and other stars heard on the Voice of America
radio shows. Petr's love of music and his passion for acting, which was generously peppered with his free spirited humor, protected his peaceful soul and positive disposition, and helped him survive through the roughest realities of life under Soviet communism; but when his free spirited humor angered the hard liners, many doors closed. Petr was detained by the Soviet authorities and was forced to work hard labour for several months on the construction grounds for the Kirov Stadium in Leningrad.
, where he remained under suspicion as did many other survivors who were held by the Nazis in occupied territory during World War II. He managed to survive through the roughest realities of life under Soviet communism; but he did not stop telling funny political jokes about the Soviet leadership, so when his free spirited humor angered the hard liners, many doors closed. He moved to the Siberian city of Irkutsk
and studied at the Irkutsk Drama school
, graduating in 1959, as an actor. That same year he made one of his most memorable appearances as Hamlet
in Shakespeare's play, his graduation work. Petr Shelokhonov worked at the State Drama Theater in the city of Irkutsk in the 1950s and early 1960s.
in the city of Taganrog
, Russia. There Shelokhonov created leading roles in the new productions of such classic plays by Anton Chekhov
as Uncle Vanya in Uncle Vanya
, Ivanov in Ivanov , Tuzenbach in Three Sisters
, and Treplev in The Seagull
. In The Cherry Orchard
, which he co-directed, he also played two opposing characters on different nights, alternating between the roles as Gayev, and as Lopakhin. Shelokhonov also appeared as Satin in The Lower Depths
by Maxim Gorky
. His favorite role of that period was Platonov in the eponymous play by Anton Chekhov. At that time, the actor was chosen by the Soviet Communist party to portray Lenin in several productions, an offer noone could reject in the Soviet Union. So, Shelokhonov portrayed the Soviet dictator Lenin in the style of satire which angered the communists, but made common viewers smile.
in the TV movie Steps to the Sun (Shagi v Solntse) which premiered in the USSR National TV in 1967. After several appearances on television, Shelokhonov made his big screen debut in Razvyazka (1969), but the movie was censored for its anti-Soviet content, albeit Shelokhonov was able to survive thanks to his talent. Then he was recommended by film director Sergei Gerasimov for portrayal of Sergei Korolev, the legendary rocket scientist who launched the first man in space. The film title was Taming of the Fire
(Ukroshcheniye ognya) but Shelokhonov was kept from playing the leading role by Soviet censor
. The leading role eventually went to his fellow actor Kirill Lavrov
and Shelokhonov played another rocket scientist, Karelin, having such film partners as Igor Gorbachyov, Yevgeni Matveev, Zinovi Gerdt
, Igor Vladimirov, Vera Kuznetsova, Andrei Popov and other notable Russian actors.
The film Taming of the Fire revealed for the first time some details of the top secret Soviet missile programme that was developing behind the Iron Curtain
. At that time Soviet political censors had total domination over the filmmakers. Filming locations in the Soviet Union were top secret, such as the Baykonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan
and the Gagarin Space Center
near Moscow. Military censors watched the secret equipment and rocket science machinery that were disallowed, so several scenes with good acting were deleted and destroyed. The total length of destroyed footages was well over a thousand meters of film, so the released version of the film was reduced by one hour. Several scenes with performances by Petr Shelokhonov and other actors were also censored and destroyed.
, and then permanent member of the troupe at Komissarzhevskaya Theatre. During the 1970s and 1980s he created a number of leading roles in popular stage productions in Leningrad, such as Nikita Romanovich
in trilogy about Russian Tsar
s: Death of Ivan the Terrible, Tsar Boris, and Tsar Fedor Ioannovich by Aleksei Tolstoy. Shelokhonov was critically acclaimed for his leading roles as Sudakov in Gnezdo Glukharya by Viktor Rozov, and as Dmitri Nikolaevich in Theme and Variations by Aleksei Arbuzov
. His most memorable TV performances were such roles as Laptev in Chekhov's Three Years, as Corporal Vaskov in Dawns are quiet here by Boris Vasilyev
, and as Batmanov in Far from Moscow (Daleko ot Moskvy) by Vasily Azhaev
. At the same time Shelokhonov was able to play leading and supporting roles in film productions made at Lenfilm
Studios. He was also cast in films made by Odessa Film Studio
, Kiev Dovzhenko Film Studios, Mosfilm
and Sverdlovsk
film studios. Petr Shelokhonov shone in a range of leading and supporting roles such as Cossack
Severian Ulybin in 1971 epic film Dauriya and as spy Sotnikov in the 1969 detective drama Razvyazka. He also portrayed a variety of historical figures, leaders and intellectuals, on stage and in film, such as the Russian composer Mikhail Glinka
, Academician Ivan Sechenov
, revolutionaries Lenin and Dorogomilov. In 1974 Shelokhonov played the leading role as industrialist Peresada, opposite another Russian film star Natalia Fateeva, in Otvetnaya mera (Counter measure) .
invited Petr Shelokhonov to play the leading role, as Sam, in his autobiographical play Photo Finish
, which was staged and directed by Peter Ustinov in St. Petersburg at the Theatre of Lensoveta. In that production Petr Shelokhonov gave a critically acclaimed performance with the support of an ensemble of his stage acting partners such as Yelena Solovey
, Roman Gromadsky, Anna Aleksakhina and other notable actors.
In 1993 Petr Shelokhonov directed a stage production of the American play Isabella by Irving A. Leitner, about a Jewish girl, Isabella, who survived the Auschwitz concentration camp
. The play has an innovative and life-affirming final scene in which the victims of the Nazis are seen emerging from the burning ovens of Auschwitz. One by one, they slowly walk across the stage to symbolically join the living audience, accompanied by the music of "Lacrimosa" from Mozart's Requiem.
In his directing as well as in his acting Petr Shelokhonov used his own experience as a survivor.
, Igor Gorbachyov, Nikolai Gritsenko
, Vitali Solomin, Natalya Fateyeva, Imre Sinkovits
, Sophie Marceau
, Sean Bean
, and other notable actors. He also played over 100 roles on stage in Russian and International theater productions, and was member with three theatre companies in Leningrad - St. Petersburg. In 1979 Petr Shelokhonov received the title of Honorable Actor of Russia.
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
actor and director, designated Honorable Actor
Meritorious Artist
Meritorious Artist , also translated as Merited Artist, Deserved Artist or Distinguished Artist or Honorary Artist or Honorable Actor) is an honorary title in the Soviet Union, Russian Federation, Union republics, and Autonomous republics, also in some other Eastern bloc states, as well as in a...
of Russia (1979).
Childhood
Petr Shelokhonov was born in 1929, in BelarusBelarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
, then a part of 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....
; Peter Larionovich Shelokhonov (also known as Peter, Pyotr, or Petro Larionovich Schelochonovich in Belarusian
Belarusian language
The Belarusian language , sometimes referred to as White Russian or White Ruthenian, is the language of the Belarusian people...
, Polish, Yiddish
Yiddish language
Yiddish is a High German language of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, spoken throughout the world. It developed as a fusion of German dialects with Hebrew, Aramaic, Slavic languages and traces of Romance languages...
and Ukrainian
Ukrainian language
Ukrainian is a language of the East Slavic subgroup of the Slavic languages. It is the official state language of Ukraine. Written Ukrainian uses a variant of the Cyrillic alphabet....
). His ancestors came from Ukraine, from Lithuania and from Poland.
His father, Larion (Illarion) Titovich, practiced veterinary medicine
Veterinary medicine
Veterinary Medicine is the branch of science that deals with the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease, disorder and injury in non-human animals...
at a horse farm, where his grandfather, Tito Shelohonovich, was also a farmer. Petr rode horseback during his childhood; he studied veterinary medicine under his father's tutelage, spending hours researching cells and tissues using his father's microscope. Petr Shelokhonov was destined to practice veterinary medicine, like his father, but his fate was changed by war.
World War II
Petr Shelokhonov survived the Nazi occupation during World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Belarus was swiftly occupied by Hitler's troops. One terrible night his home was totally demolished by air bombing
Strategic bombing
Strategic bombing is a military strategy used in a total war with the goal of defeating an enemy nation-state by destroying its economic ability and public will to wage war rather than destroying its land or naval forces...
, he miraculously escaped the death by running away barefoot. He then witnessed the fire and destruction of the entire village when the Nazi tank
Tank
A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...
s leveled the remains of his house, then ruined his school and the horse farm. He tried to find his relatives until his cousin told him that there were no survivors. He was unable to find the remains of his mother, Anna Minska, to give her a proper traditional burial. He was separated from his father, who was away with horses. The Nazis arrested Petr and he was held in a transitional camp with other men. One night he escaped with a group of men under heavy fire from gun towers. Most fellow escapees were killed. Petr was severely wounded in the forehead but he survived and dug a hole in the ground, to hide from Nazi police patrols during the autumn of 1941. He survived thanks to a wounded cow, which was blind and without calfs, and her udders were full of milk. Petr used his veterinarian skills and befriended the cow, so he could suck her warm milk. Eventually the wounded cow died. He learned how to explode German grenade
Grenade
A grenade is a small explosive device that is projected a safe distance away by its user. Soldiers called grenadiers specialize in the use of grenades. The term hand grenade refers any grenade designed to be hand thrown. Grenade Launchers are firearms designed to fire explosive projectile grenades...
s to kill fish in a river. He was arrested by the partisans
Soviet partisans
The Soviet partisans were members of a resistance movement which fought a guerrilla war against the Axis occupation of the Soviet Union during World War II....
patrol and joined the partisans in the woods.
Theatre
In 1942, while surviving in the woods with partisans, Petr Shelokhonov had his first actingActing
Acting is the work of an actor or actress, which is a person in theatre, television, film, or any other storytelling medium who tells the story by portraying a character and, usually, speaking or singing the written text or play....
experience. He performed parodies of Hitler and the Nazis for his fellow partisans. His performances helped lift their spirits in a time when they were struggling to survive. This experience accentuated his humble, modest character. The scar on his forehead, the mark of war, made his acting career seem like an impossible dream; but Petr was determined - depending upon his roles he covered his scar with an appropriate theatrical makeup, wore a wig or used various hats. At first, he accompanied himself playing the accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
. Then he made puppet
Puppet
A puppet is an inanimate object or representational figure animated or manipulated by an entertainer, who is called a puppeteer. It is used in puppetry, a play or a presentation that is a very ancient form of theatre....
s and a screen, and worked in his own puppet theater from 1943-1945. In his show, named "Peter and the Wolf," he managed to lead four puppets with four voices, and also played the accordion. He traveled across Belarus and Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
with his puppet theatre and performed for bread and rare food packages from the American airlift
Airlift
Airlift is the act of transporting people or cargo from point to point using aircraft.Airlift may also refer to:*Airlift , a suction device for moving sand and silt underwater-See also:...
. He spoke Polish, Yiddish, Russian, Belarusian, and his native Ukrainian, and he was very lucky to survive until the end of World War II.
Leningrad
In 1945, Petr Shelokhonov became a piano student at the KievKiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
Conservatory of Music, he also played the accordion on stage, albeit his plan was to become an actor in Leningrad
Leningrad
Leningrad is the former name of Saint Petersburg, Russia.Leningrad may also refer to:- Places :* Leningrad Oblast, a federal subject of Russia, around Saint Petersburg* Leningrad, Tajikistan, capital of Muminobod district in Khatlon Province...
. In 1946 he moved to Leningrad in pursuit of an acting career. Petr Shelokhonov was looking for a job with a jazz band, similar to his favorite bands of Leonid Utyosov
Leonid Utyosov
Leonid Osipovich Utyosov or Utesov ; real name Lazar Vaysbeyn or Weissbein , was a famous Soviet jazz singer and comic actor of jewish origin, who became the first pop singer to be awarded the prestigious title of People's Artist of the USSR .-Biography:Leonid Utyosov was brought up in Odessa...
and Eddie Rosner
Eddie Rosner
Adolph Ignatievich Rosner, also known as Eddie Rosner was a Polish and Soviet Jazz musician called "The White Louis Armstrong" or "Polish Louis Armstrong" in different sources. This is in part because of his rendition of the St. Louis blues...
, so he joined a jazz band
Jazz band
A jazz band is a musical ensemble that plays jazz music. Jazz bands usually consist of a rhythm section and a horn section, in the early days often trumpet, trombone, and clarinet with rhythm section of piano, banjo, bass or tuba, and drums.-Eras:SwingDuring the swing era in the mid-twentieth...
at the Leningrad Navy Club and also gave performances as a stand-up comedian and played the accordion. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Russian: Пётр Ильи́ч Чайко́вский ; often "Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky" in English. His names are also transliterated "Piotr" or "Petr"; "Ilitsch", "Il'ich" or "Illyich"; and "Tschaikowski", "Tschaikowsky", "Chajkovskij"...
, Sergei Prokofiev
Sergei Prokofiev
Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor who mastered numerous musical genres and is regarded as one of the major composers of the 20th century...
and Sergei Rachmaninov were his favorites as well as the music of Glenn Miller
Glenn Miller
Alton Glenn Miller was an American jazz musician , arranger, composer, and bandleader in the swing era. He was one of the best-selling recording artists from 1939 to 1943, leading one of the best known "Big Bands"...
, Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana....
, Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
and other stars heard on the Voice of America
Voice of America
Voice of America is the official external broadcast institution of the United States federal government. It is one of five civilian U.S. international broadcasters working under the umbrella of the Broadcasting Board of Governors . VOA provides a wide range of programming for broadcast on radio...
radio shows. Petr's love of music and his passion for acting, which was generously peppered with his free spirited humor, protected his peaceful soul and positive disposition, and helped him survive through the roughest realities of life under Soviet communism; but when his free spirited humor angered the hard liners, many doors closed. Petr was detained by the Soviet authorities and was forced to work hard labour for several months on the construction grounds for the Kirov Stadium in Leningrad.
Baltic Sea
In 1949, Petr Shelokhonov was drafted in the Red Army, and then he served in the Red Navy for five years. Petr began his service as a sailor in charge of smokescreen devices on ships of the Baltic Fleet. There he was soon arrested for telling a political joke. Petr was detained for several days at the strict guardhouse - military detention facility. That experience did not brake his will, as he used humor to survive. From 1949 - 1954 he served in the Soviet Navy stationed in Kaliningrad, Klaipėda and Liepaja. Peter eventually moved up from a sailor to actor with the Theatre of the Baltic Fleet in the city of Liepaja. There he worked from 1949–1954, earning critical acclaim and an Honorable Note from the Republic of Latvia, albeit after that he was punished again for telling political jokes and for listening foreign radio stations.Siberia
After that, Petr's acting career was limited to SiberiaSiberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
, where he remained under suspicion as did many other survivors who were held by the Nazis in occupied territory during World War II. He managed to survive through the roughest realities of life under Soviet communism; but he did not stop telling funny political jokes about the Soviet leadership, so when his free spirited humor angered the hard liners, many doors closed. He moved to the Siberian city of Irkutsk
Irkutsk
Irkutsk is a city and the administrative center of Irkutsk Oblast, Russia, one of the largest cities in Siberia. Population: .-History:In 1652, Ivan Pokhabov built a zimovye near the site of Irkutsk for gold trading and for the collection of fur taxes from the Buryats. In 1661, Yakov Pokhabov...
and studied at the Irkutsk Drama school
Drama school
A drama school or theatre school is an undergraduate and/or graduate school or department at a college or university; or a free-standing institution ; which specialises in the pre-professional training in drama and theatre arts, such as acting, design and technical theatre, arts administration, and...
, graduating in 1959, as an actor. That same year he made one of his most memorable appearances as Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
in Shakespeare's play, his graduation work. Petr Shelokhonov worked at the State Drama Theater in the city of Irkutsk in the 1950s and early 1960s.
Chekhov's theatre
During the 1960s, Petr Shelokhonov worked as an actor and director at the Chekhov Drama TheatreTaganrog Theatre
The Taganrog Drama Theater named after Anton Chekhov and decorated with Order of Honor was established in 1827 by governor Alexander Dunaev. The theater was subsidized by the Taganrog's City Council since 1828, and its first director was Alexander Gor...
in the city of Taganrog
Taganrog
Taganrog is a seaport city in Rostov Oblast, Russia, located on the north shore of Taganrog Bay , several kilometers west of the mouth of the Don River. Population: -History of Taganrog:...
, Russia. There Shelokhonov created leading roles in the new productions of such classic plays by 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...
as Uncle Vanya in Uncle Vanya
Uncle Vanya
Uncle Vanya is a play by the Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. It was first published in 1897 and received its Moscow première in 1899 in a production by the Moscow Art Theatre, under the direction of Konstantin Stanislavski....
, Ivanov in Ivanov , Tuzenbach in Three Sisters
Three Sisters (play)
Three Sisters is a play by Russian author and playwright Anton Chekhov, perhaps partially inspired by the situation of the three Brontë sisters, but most probably by the three Zimmermann sisters in Perm...
, and Treplev in The Seagull
The Seagull
The Seagull is the first of what are generally considered to be the four major plays by the Russian dramatist Anton Chekhov. The Seagull was written in 1895 and first produced in 1896...
. In The Cherry Orchard
The Cherry Orchard
The Cherry Orchard is Russian playwright Anton Chekhov's last play. It premiered at the Moscow Art Theatre 17 January 1904 in a production directed by Constantin Stanislavski. Chekhov intended this play as a comedy and it does contain some elements of farce; however, Stanislavski insisted on...
, which he co-directed, he also played two opposing characters on different nights, alternating between the roles as Gayev, and as Lopakhin. Shelokhonov also appeared as Satin in The Lower Depths
The Lower Depths
The Lower Depths is perhaps Maxim Gorky's best-known play. It was written during the winter of 1901 and the spring of 1902. Subtitled "Scenes from Russian Life," it depicted a group of impoverished Russians living in a shelter near the Volga. Produced by the Moscow Arts Theatre on December 18,...
by Maxim Gorky
Maxim Gorky
Alexei Maximovich Peshkov , primarily known as Maxim Gorky , was a Russian and Soviet author, a founder of the Socialist Realism literary method and a political activist.-Early years:...
. His favorite role of that period was Platonov in the eponymous play by Anton Chekhov. At that time, the actor was chosen by the Soviet Communist party to portray Lenin in several productions, an offer noone could reject in the Soviet Union. So, Shelokhonov portrayed the Soviet dictator Lenin in the style of satire which angered the communists, but made common viewers smile.
Moscow
In 1967 he made his TV debut in Moscow appearing in the leading role as Unknown SoldierUnknown Soldier
Unknown Soldier may refer to:*The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a type of memorial site in many nations- Literature :*The Unknown Soldier , a 1954 novel by Väinö Linna*"Unknown Soldier" , a short story written by Kurt Vonnegut...
in the TV movie Steps to the Sun (Shagi v Solntse) which premiered in the USSR National TV in 1967. After several appearances on television, Shelokhonov made his big screen debut in Razvyazka (1969), but the movie was censored for its anti-Soviet content, albeit Shelokhonov was able to survive thanks to his talent. Then he was recommended by film director Sergei Gerasimov for portrayal of Sergei Korolev, the legendary rocket scientist who launched the first man in space. The film title was Taming of the Fire
Taming of the Fire
Taming of the fire is a 1972 film, directed by Daniil Khrabrovitsky and starring Kirill Lavrov.).- Awards and recognition :The State Prize of Russia was awarded to actor Lavrov for his performance in the leading role...
(Ukroshcheniye ognya) but Shelokhonov was kept from playing the leading role by Soviet censor
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
. The leading role eventually went to his fellow actor Kirill Lavrov
Kirill Lavrov
Kirill Yuryevich Lavrov was a well-known Soviet and Russian film and theatre actor and director.-Childhood:Kirill Yuryevich Lavrov was born on September 15, 1925, in Leningrad, USSR . He was baptized by the Russian Orthodox Church of St. John the Divine in Lavrushinskoe Podvorie Monastery in...
and Shelokhonov played another rocket scientist, Karelin, having such film partners as Igor Gorbachyov, Yevgeni Matveev, Zinovi Gerdt
Zinovi Gerdt
Zinovy Efimovich Gerdt was a Soviet/Russian theatre and cinema actor, recognized with the title People's Artist of the USSR.-Biography:At 15, Gerdt graduated from a vocational school affiliated with the Valerian Kuybyshev Electrical Plant. He started working on Metrostroy as a...
, Igor Vladimirov, Vera Kuznetsova, Andrei Popov and other notable Russian actors.
The film Taming of the Fire revealed for the first time some details of the top secret Soviet missile programme that was developing behind the Iron Curtain
Iron Curtain
The concept of the Iron Curtain symbolized the ideological fighting and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1989...
. At that time Soviet political censors had total domination over the filmmakers. Filming locations in the Soviet Union were top secret, such as the Baykonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
and the Gagarin Space Center
Space center
A space center is a place dedicated to space activity. It may be in public or private ownership.These activities may concern:* Research* Manufacturing of major parts of space vehicles* Launch of space vehicles* in orbit control of space vehicles...
near Moscow. Military censors watched the secret equipment and rocket science machinery that were disallowed, so several scenes with good acting were deleted and destroyed. The total length of destroyed footages was well over a thousand meters of film, so the released version of the film was reduced by one hour. Several scenes with performances by Petr Shelokhonov and other actors were also censored and destroyed.
Leningrad
In 1968 Petr Shelokhonov moved back to Leningrad. There he became member of the troupe at Lenkom Theatre, and then the troupe at Lenkom TheatreLenkom Theatre
Lenkom Theatre is the official name of what was once known as the Moscow State Theatre named after Lenin's Komsomol. Designed by Illarion Ivanov-Schitz, it was built in 1907 to house a Merchant's Club, and was home to many theatrical and musical performances...
, and then permanent member of the troupe at Komissarzhevskaya Theatre. During the 1970s and 1980s he created a number of leading roles in popular stage productions in Leningrad, such as Nikita Romanovich
Nikita Romanovich
Nikita Romanovich , also known as Nikita Romanovich Zakharyin-Yuriev, was a Muscovite Boyar in 1563 whose grandson Mikhail Feodorovich founded the Romanov dynasty of Russian tsars...
in trilogy about Russian Tsar
Tsar
Tsar is a title used to designate certain European Slavic monarchs or supreme rulers. As a system of government in the Tsardom of Russia and Russian Empire, it is known as Tsarist autocracy, or Tsarism...
s: Death of Ivan the Terrible, Tsar Boris, and Tsar Fedor Ioannovich by Aleksei Tolstoy. Shelokhonov was critically acclaimed for his leading roles as Sudakov in Gnezdo Glukharya by Viktor Rozov, and as Dmitri Nikolaevich in Theme and Variations by Aleksei Arbuzov
Aleksei Arbuzov
Aleksei Nikolaevich Arbuzov was a Soviet playwright.Arbuzov was born in Moscow, but his family moved to Petrograd in 1914. Orphaned at the age of eleven, he found salvation in the theater, and at fourteen he began to work in the Mariinsky Theatre...
. His most memorable TV performances were such roles as Laptev in Chekhov's Three Years, as Corporal Vaskov in Dawns are quiet here by Boris Vasilyev
Boris Vasilyev
Boris Vasilyev is a Soviet writer. He was a member of the jury at the 39th Berlin International Film Festival.In October 1993, he signed the Letter of Forty-Two.-Selected filmography:* The Dawns Here Are Quiet...
, and as Batmanov in Far from Moscow (Daleko ot Moskvy) by Vasily Azhaev
Vasily Azhaev
Vasily Nikolayevich Azhayev was a Soviet writer, best known as the author of the novel Daleko ot Moskvy , base for several eponymous film, stage and TV adaptations, and an opera.-External links: *...
. At the same time Shelokhonov was able to play leading and supporting roles in film productions made at Lenfilm
Lenfilm
Kinostudiya "Lenfilm" is a production unit of the Russian film industry, with its own film studio, located in Saint Petersburg, Russia, formerly Leningrad, R.S.F.S.R. Today OAO "Kinostudiya Lenfilm" is a corporation with its stakes shared between private owners, and several private film studios,...
Studios. He was also cast in films made by Odessa Film Studio
Odessa Film Studio
Odessa Film Studio is a Ukrainian film studio in Odessa. It is partially owned by a government and supervised by the Department of State property fund of Ukraine together with the Ministry of Culture. Together with Dovzhenko Film Studios they are the only state-owned and major film producers in...
, Kiev Dovzhenko Film Studios, Mosfilm
Mosfilm
Mosfilm is a film studio, which is often described as the largest and oldest in Russia and in Europe. Its output includes most of the more widely-acclaimed Soviet films, ranging from works by Tarkovsky and Eisenstein , to Red Westerns, to the Akira Kurosawa co-production and the epic Война и Мир...
and Sverdlovsk
Yekaterinburg
Yekaterinburg is a major city in the central part of Russia, the administrative center of Sverdlovsk Oblast. Situated on the eastern side of the Ural mountain range, it is the main industrial and cultural center of the Urals Federal District with a population of 1,350,136 , making it Russia's...
film studios. Petr Shelokhonov shone in a range of leading and supporting roles such as Cossack
Cossack
Cossacks are a group of predominantly East Slavic people who originally were members of democratic, semi-military communities in what is today Ukraine and Southern Russia inhabiting sparsely populated areas and islands in the lower Dnieper and Don basins and who played an important role in the...
Severian Ulybin in 1971 epic film Dauriya and as spy Sotnikov in the 1969 detective drama Razvyazka. He also portrayed a variety of historical figures, leaders and intellectuals, on stage and in film, such as the Russian composer Mikhail Glinka
Mikhail Glinka
Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka , was the first Russian composer to gain wide recognition within his own country, and is often regarded as the father of Russian classical music...
, Academician Ivan Sechenov
Ivan Sechenov
Ivan Mikhaylovich Sechenov near Simbirsk, Russia – , Moscow), was a Russian physiologist, named by Ivan Pavlov as "The Father of Russian physiology"...
, revolutionaries Lenin and Dorogomilov. In 1974 Shelokhonov played the leading role as industrialist Peresada, opposite another Russian film star Natalia Fateeva, in Otvetnaya mera (Counter measure) .
St. Petersburg
In 1991 writer and director Peter UstinovPeter Ustinov
Peter Alexander Ustinov CBE was an English actor, writer and dramatist. He was also renowned as a filmmaker, theatre and opera director, stage designer, author, screenwriter, comedian, humourist, newspaper and magazine columnist, radio broadcaster and television presenter...
invited Petr Shelokhonov to play the leading role, as Sam, in his autobiographical play Photo Finish
Photo finish
A photo finish occurs in a sporting race, when two competitors cross the finishing line at near the same time. As the naked eye may not be able to discriminate between which of the competitors crossed the line first, a strip photo, a series of rapidly triggered photographs, or a video taken at the...
, which was staged and directed by Peter Ustinov in St. Petersburg at the Theatre of Lensoveta. In that production Petr Shelokhonov gave a critically acclaimed performance with the support of an ensemble of his stage acting partners such as Yelena Solovey
Yelena Solovey
Yelena Solovey is a Soviet film actress. She has appeared in 45 films since 1966. She won the award for Best Supporting Actress in the film Faktas at the 1981 Cannes Film Festival.-Selected filmography:* Faktas...
, Roman Gromadsky, Anna Aleksakhina and other notable actors.
In 1993 Petr Shelokhonov directed a stage production of the American play Isabella by Irving A. Leitner, about a Jewish girl, Isabella, who survived the Auschwitz concentration camp
Auschwitz concentration camp
Concentration camp Auschwitz was a network of Nazi concentration and extermination camps built and operated by the Third Reich in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany during World War II...
. The play has an innovative and life-affirming final scene in which the victims of the Nazis are seen emerging from the burning ovens of Auschwitz. One by one, they slowly walk across the stage to symbolically join the living audience, accompanied by the music of "Lacrimosa" from Mozart's Requiem.
In his directing as well as in his acting Petr Shelokhonov used his own experience as a survivor.
Recognition
Petr Shelokhonov was loved by the public, despite hard times with Soviet officials. He played leading and supporting roles in Russian and international films, and his filmography includes over 80 roles in film and television. His film partners were such actors as Kirill LavrovKirill Lavrov
Kirill Yuryevich Lavrov was a well-known Soviet and Russian film and theatre actor and director.-Childhood:Kirill Yuryevich Lavrov was born on September 15, 1925, in Leningrad, USSR . He was baptized by the Russian Orthodox Church of St. John the Divine in Lavrushinskoe Podvorie Monastery in...
, Igor Gorbachyov, Nikolai Gritsenko
Nikolai Gritsenko
Nikolai Olimpievich Gritsenko was a Soviet actor of Russian-Ukrainian heritage. He appeared in 33 films between 1942 and 1978. Gritsenko also was member of the Vakhtangov Theatre company in Moscow, Russia. There he was designated Honorable actor of Russia and People's Actor of the USSR...
, Vitali Solomin, Natalya Fateyeva, Imre Sinkovits
Imre Sinkovits
Imre Sinkovits was a Hungarian actor.-Awards:*Kossuth Prize *Mari Jászai Award *Kazinczy Award...
, Sophie Marceau
Sophie Marceau
Sophie Marceau is a French actress director, screenwriter, and author. She has appeared in 38 films. As a teenager, Marceau achieved popularity with her debut films La boum and La boum 2 , receiving a César Award for Most Promising Actress...
, Sean Bean
Sean Bean
Shaun Mark "Sean" Bean is an English film and stage actor. Bean is best known for playing Boromir in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and, previously, British Colonel Richard Sharpe in the ITV television series Sharpe...
, and other notable actors. He also played over 100 roles on stage in Russian and International theater productions, and was member with three theatre companies in Leningrad - St. Petersburg. In 1979 Petr Shelokhonov received the title of Honorable Actor of Russia.
Actor
- 1967: Shagi v Solntse - as Unknown soldier
- 1968: Tri goda by A. Chekhov - as Laptev
- 1969: Razvyazka - as Sotnikov
- 1969: Rokirovka v dlinnuyu storonu - as Scientist
- 1970: Franz Liszt. Dreams of loveFranz Liszt. Dreams of loveSzerelmi álmok – Liszt is a Hungarian-Soviet epic musical/drama produced and directed by Márton Keleti, based on the biography of Austrian-Hungarian composer and pianist Franz Liszt.While the movie was criticized for some of its historical inaccuracies,...
- as Glinka, Russian composer - 1970: Lyubov Yarovaya - as Mazukhin
- 1970: Dawns are quiet here - as Sergeant Vaskov
- 1970: Far from Moscow (Daleko ot Moskvy) – as Batmanov
- 1971: Night on the 14th Parallel – as Editor
- 1971: DauriaDauria (1971 film)Dauria is an Soviet 1971 historical action/drama set in Siberia, Russia. Adapted from the novel of the same name by Konstantin Sedykh and directed by Viktor Tregubovich....
– as Severian Ulybin - 1971: Shutite? – as Chairman
- 1971: Kholodno - goryacho – as Podorozhny
- 1972: "Taming of the fireTaming of the FireTaming of the fire is a 1972 film, directed by Daniil Khrabrovitsky and starring Kirill Lavrov.).- Awards and recognition :The State Prize of Russia was awarded to actor Lavrov for his performance in the leading role...
" - as Karelin, rocket scientist - 1972: Grossmeyster – as Stepfather
- 1972: Such a long, long road - as Commissar
- 1973: Opoznanie – as Colonel
- 1974: "Otvetnaya Mera" – as Peresada
- 1975: Obretesh v boyu – as Sergeev
- 1976: Menya eto ne kasaetsa – as Pankatov
- 1976: Trust – as Petrovsky
- 1976: Vitali Bianki – as Presenter-Narrator
- 1977: First joy – as Dorogomilov
- 1978: Three rainy days - as Detective
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- 1978: Vsyo reshaet mgnovenie – as Director of Sport
- 1979: Extraordinary summer – as Dorogomilov
- 1979: Puteshestvie v drugoi gorod – as Director
- 1980: Zhizn i priklyucheniya chetyrekh druzei 1/2Zhizn i priklyucheniya chetyrekh druzei 1/2 (film)Zhizn i priklyucheniya chetyrekh druzei 1/2 is a 1980 Russian movie for children and family, about three smart dogs and one cat who eventually become friends and help people. The film is set in Russia. Adapted from the story of the same name by Yusef Printsev and directed by Oleg Yeryshev...
– as Forest ranger - 1981: Late rendez-vous - as Lena's father
- 1981: Zhizn i priklyucheniya chetyrekh druzei 3/4Zhizn i priklyucheniya chetyrekh druzei 3/4 (film)'Zhizn i priklyucheniya chetyrekh druzei 3/4 is a 1981 Russian movie for children and family. It is a sequel to Zhizn i priklyucheniya chetyrekh druzei 1/2 , set in Russia. Adapted from the story of the same name by Yusef Printsev and directed by Oleg Yeryshev...
– as Forest ranger - 1981: "Pravda Lieutenanta Klimova" – as Chervonenko
- 1981: 20 December – as Zarudny
- 1981: Devushka i Grand – as Director of Sport
- 1981: Sindikat 2. – as Fomichev
- 1982: Customs – as Chierf customs officer
- 1982: God aktivnogo solntsa – as School principal
- 1982: Liszt Ferenc – as Count Vielgorsky
- 1982: Golos – as Production Director
- 1983: Magistral – as Gadalov
- 1983: Mesto deistviya - as Ryabov
- 1984: Zaveshchanie professora Douela
- 1984: Two versions of one collision - as Pavlov
- 1985: Sofia Kovalevskaya – as Academician Sechenov
- 1985: Sopernitsy – as Semenich
- 1985: Kontract of the century - as Government Minister
- 1986: The last road - as Stefanovich
- 1986: "Red arrow" – as Yusov
- 1987: Sreda obitaniya – as Detective
- 1987: Vezuchiy chelovekLucky Man (film)Lucky Man is a 1995 Tamil film directed by Prathap K. Pothan and starring Karthik Muthuraman in the lead role. It is a remake of a 1994 hit Telugu film, Yamaleela, starring Ali and Indraja, and directed by S. V. Krishna Reddy....
- Cameo - 1987: MoonzundMoonzund (film)Moonzund is a 1987 Soviet war film by Aleksandr Muratov based on a novel with the same name by Valentin Pikul. The film's name is derived from the old name of West Estonian archipelago where the Battle of Moon Sound took place during World War I.- Cast :...
– as Andreev - 1988: "Khleb - Imya suschestvitelnoe" – as Akimych
- 1991: "My best friend, General Vasili, son of Joseph Stalin" – as Colonel Savinykh
- 1992: Richard II – as Lord Marshal
- 1997: Passazhirka – as Passenger
- 1997: Anna Karenina, a 1997 film by Bernard RoseBernard Rose (director)Bernard Rose is an English actor and film director most famous for his direction of the 1992 urban horror film Candyman and the 1994 historical romance film Immortal Beloved....
with Sophie MarceauSophie MarceauSophie Marceau is a French actress director, screenwriter, and author. She has appeared in 38 films. As a teenager, Marceau achieved popularity with her debut films La boum and La boum 2 , receiving a César Award for Most Promising Actress...
. – as Kapitonich, Karenin’s butler
Actor
- 1997: Passenger – as Passenger
- 1994: Barefoot in the ParkBarefoot in the ParkThis article is about the Broadway production. For the film adaptation see Barefoot in the Park .Barefoot in the Park is a romantic comedy by Neil Simon. The original Broadway production, directed by Mike Nichols, opened October 23, 1963, with the four lead roles taken by actors Elizabeth Ashley ,...
– as Victor Velasco - 1993: Antiquariat by Annie Puhkem – as Johansson
- 1992: Murder of Gonzago
- 1989: Photo FinishPhoto finishA photo finish occurs in a sporting race, when two competitors cross the finishing line at near the same time. As the naked eye may not be able to discriminate between which of the competitors crossed the line first, a strip photo, a series of rapidly triggered photographs, or a video taken at the...
by Peter UstinovPeter UstinovPeter Alexander Ustinov CBE was an English actor, writer and dramatist. He was also renowned as a filmmaker, theatre and opera director, stage designer, author, screenwriter, comedian, humourist, newspaper and magazine columnist, radio broadcaster and television presenter...
– as Sam - 1988: The Land of Promise by W. Somerset Maugham – as Mr. Wikham
- 1986: Round table under lamp
- 1985: A Grand Piano in the Sea
- 1983: Last Summer in Chulimsk - as Pomigalov
- 1980: Fifth decade
- 1980: Theme and Variations – as Dmitri Nikolaevich
- 1978: Gnezdo glukharia ( – as Sudakov
- 1977: Tsar Boris – as Mitropolite Job
- 1976: Tsar Fédor Ivanovitch - as Prince GolitsynGolitsyn-People:*Golitsyns noble family *Nicholas Galitzine, last Tsarist prime minister of Russia*Anatoliy Golitsyn, Soviet KGB defector*Georgy Golitsyn, Soviet physicist and writer on nuclear winter...
- 1974: Death of Ivan the Terrible – as Nikita RomanovichNikita RomanovichNikita Romanovich , also known as Nikita Romanovich Zakharyin-Yuriev, was a Muscovite Boyar in 1563 whose grandson Mikhail Feodorovich founded the Romanov dynasty of Russian tsars...
Zakharin Yuriev - 1970: Far from Moscow (aka.. Daleko ot Moskvy) – as Batmanov
- 1970: Dawns are quiet here ( – as Sergeant Vaskov
- 1969: Cyrano de BergeracCyrano de Bergerac (play)Cyrano de Bergerac is a play written in 1897 by Edmond Rostand. Although there was a real Cyrano de Bergerac, the play bears very scant resemblance to his life....
( - as Montfleury, Jodelet - 1968: PlatonovPlatonov (play)Platonov is the name in English given to an early, untitled play written in Russian by Anton Chekhov in 1878. It was the first large-scale drama by Chekhov written specifically for Maria Yermolova, rising star of Maly Theatre...
– as Platonov - 1967: In the name of Revolution – as Lenin
- 1967: Lecture by Lenin – as Lenin
- 1967: The Cherry OrchardThe Cherry OrchardThe Cherry Orchard is Russian playwright Anton Chekhov's last play. It premiered at the Moscow Art Theatre 17 January 1904 in a production directed by Constantin Stanislavski. Chekhov intended this play as a comedy and it does contain some elements of farce; however, Stanislavski insisted on...
- as Gayev, as Lopakhin - 1967: Three SistersThree Sisters (play)Three Sisters is a play by Russian author and playwright Anton Chekhov, perhaps partially inspired by the situation of the three Brontë sisters, but most probably by the three Zimmermann sisters in Perm...
– as Tuzenbach - 1966: The night of Moon eclipse - as Dervish Divana
- 1966: The SeagullThe SeagullThe Seagull is the first of what are generally considered to be the four major plays by the Russian dramatist Anton Chekhov. The Seagull was written in 1895 and first produced in 1896...
(" – as Treplev - 1965: Ivanov – as Ivanov
- 1964: Uncle Vania – as Vanya
- 1964: “104 pages about love”
- 1964: Grave accusation ( - Male lead
- 1963: The Lower DepthsThe Lower DepthsThe Lower Depths is perhaps Maxim Gorky's best-known play. It was written during the winter of 1901 and the spring of 1902. Subtitled "Scenes from Russian Life," it depicted a group of impoverished Russians living in a shelter near the Volga. Produced by the Moscow Arts Theatre on December 18,...
– as Satin - 1963: Armoured train 14-69 – as Vaska Okorok
- 1963: Friends and Years – as Derzhavin
- 1963: Ocean (" – as Captain Sotnikov
- 1962: Ocean (" – as Captain Chasovnikov
- 1961: Golden Boy - as Joe, the Golden Boy
- 1961: Credit with Nibelungen
- 1960: An Irkutsk story – as Victor
- 1960: A little student - as Larisov
- 1960: DubrovskyDubrovskyDubrovsky is an unfinished novel by Alexander Pushkin, written in 1832 and published after Pushkin’s death in 1841.-Plot summary:Vladimir Dubrovsky is a young nobleman whose land is confiscated by a greedy and powerful aristocrat, Kirila Petrovitch Troekurov...
- as Dubrovsky - 1959: HamletHamletThe Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
– as Hamlet - 1957: Poem of bread - as Senya
Director of theatre
- 1993 – Isabella (play by Irving A. Leitner)
- 1968 – Platonov (play by Chekhov)
- 1967 - Lecture by Lenin (play by M. Shatrov)
- 1967 - Girls from the street of hope (play by A. Mamlin)
- 1966 – Obelisque (play by A. Mamlin)
- 1965 - Ivanov (play by Chekhov)
- 1965 – Shadowboxing (play by B. Tour)
- 1964: 104 pages about love (play by Eduard Radzinsky)
- 1964 – Sacred night (play by A. Chavrin)
- 1963 - Friends and years (play by L. Zorin)
Sources
- Book "My best friend Petr Shelokhonov" (2009, Russian) by actor Ivan I. Krasko - Saint Petersburg, Russia: SOLO Publishing, 2009. ISBN 978-5-904666-09-5
- Biography of Petr Shelokhonov (Russian) by film critic Dmitri Ivaneev
- Lenfilm Studios personal file on film actor Peter Shelokhonov.
- Petr Shelokhonov at the IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0791282
- Petr Shelokhonov (Russian Encyclopedia: Петр Шелохонов) http://www.enci.ru/w/index.php?oldid=13023189
- Petr Shelokhonov (Russian: Петр Шелохонов) http://www.kinopoisk.ru/level/4/people/285818/
- Petr Shelokhonov (Russian: Петр Шелохонов) in Russian source: Stranitsy russkoĭ literatury serediny deviatnadtsatogo veka By M. L. Semanova, Page 172 http://books.google.com/books?q=Шелохонов&um=1&as_brr=0
- Publications in THEATER magazine 1963 - 1989
- Petr Shelokhonov's father (Russian: И. Шелохонов) in Russian source: Page 22 in Kooperativno-kolkhoznoe stroitelʹstvo v Belorusskoĭ SSR, 1917-1927 gg ... By Mikhail Pavlovich. Published by "Nauka i tekhnika" 1980 http://books.google.com/books?q=Шелохонов&um=1&as_brr=0