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Oleg Valerianovich Basilashvili was born on September 26, 1934, in Moscow, USSR. His father, Valerian Basilashvili, directed the Moscow Polytechnical College, while his mother, Irina Ilyinskaya, taught linguistics.
His father fabricated a story that his grandfather was a Colonel in Tsar Nicholas II’s Imperial Army, who married a Polish woman and later became a policeman. He also falsely claimed that his grandfather once arrested a dangerous criminal named Dzhugashvili, who was actually Joseph Stalin. In truth, Basilashvili's maternal grandfather was a Russian Orthodox priest and architect involved in constructing Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. During World War II, young Oleg was evacuated from Moscow to Georgia, where he attended primary school and lived with his paternal grandfather until the war ended.
In 1956, Oleg Basilashvili graduated from the Moscow Art Theatre's Acting School. He debuted in film as a young groom in Grigori Nikulin’s "Nevesta" (The Bride, 1956), based on Anton Chekhov’s story. Around this time, he and his first wife, Tatyana Doronina, joined the Bolshoi Drama Theatre (BDT) troupe in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), led by the renowned director Georgi Tovstonogov. Since 1959, Basilashvili has been a permanent member of the BDT troupe, sharing the stage with stars like Kirill Lavrov, Tatyana Doronina, Alisa Freyndlikh, Lyudmila Makarova, Svetlana Kryuchkova, Zinaida Sharko, Valentina Kovel, Innokentiy Smoktunovskiy, Sergey Yurskiy, and many other distinguished Russian actors. His most notable stage performances include "Gore ot Uma" by Aleksandr Griboyedov, Anton Chekhov’s "Uncle Vanya," "Kholstomer," based on a story by Lev Tolstoy, and Maxim Gorky’s "Na Dne," all directed by Georgi Tovstonogov at the BDT.
Basilashvili was a favorite actor of director Eldar Ryazanov, collaborating on popular films such as "Sluzhebny Roman" (1977), "Vokzal Dlya Dvoikh" (1982), "Nebesa obetovannye" (1991), and "Predskazanie" (1993), which were major box-office successes. His film co-stars included Alisa Freyndlikh, Lyudmila Gurchenko, Nikita Mikhalkov, Nonna Mordyukova, Evgeniy Leonov, Natalya Gundareva, and many other prominent Russian actors.
One of his most renowned film roles was in Georgiy Daneliya’s "Autumn Marathon" (1979), a blend of comedy and melodrama laced with bitter humor and satire of Soviet life. Basilashvili portrayed a man facing a midlife crisis, torn between his wife and mistress, all caught in a web of lies and personal demands while constrained by the stagnant Soviet reality. He formed a memorable ensemble with actors Natalya Gundareva, Evgeniy Leonov, Marina Neyolova, and Nikolay Kryuchkov. The film became a Soviet classic, earning director Daneliya awards at international festivals in Berlin and San Sebastian.
Basilashvili made a notable return to the screen playing Woland in "Master i Margarita" (2005), an adaptation of Mikhail Bulgakov’s novel directed by Vladimir Bortko. Basilashvili described Woland as resembling an authoritarian, manipulative bureaucrat, alluding to a Soviet-era dictator. He shared powerful chemistry with a stellar cast including Aleksandr Abdulov, Kirill Lavrov, Anna Kovalchuk, Aleksandr Galibin, and other distinguished Russian actors.
He was honored with the title of People’s Artist of the USSR, received the State Prize of the Soviet Union, and was decorated by the Russian government. In 1990, Basilashvili was elected as a representative of Leningrad (St. Petersburg). He supported President Boris Yeltsin and was part of the parliamentary group of democratic representatives. Basilashvili advocated for restoring the city’s original name, St. Petersburg. After 2000, he left politics to concentrate on his acting career.
Oleg Basilashvili currently lives in St. Petersburg with his second wife, Galina Mshanskaya, a well-known TV show host.
