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Yuri Yakovlev is a renowned Russian actor, celebrated for his performances in Soviet comedies such as *Ironiya sudby*, *Ivan Vasilevich*, and *Kin-dza-dza!* (1986).
Born Yuri Vasilevich Yakovlev on April 25, 1928, in Moscow, Soviet Union, his father Vasili Vasilevich Yakovlev was a lawyer, and his mother Olga Mikhailovna Ivanova was a homemaker. From a young age, Yakovlev was passionate about acting and theater. Between 1948 and 1952, he studied acting at the Shchukin Theatrical School of the Vakhtangov Theatre in Moscow.
Since 1952, Yakovlev has been a member of the Vakhtangov Theatre troupe in Moscow, sharing the stage with actors like Mikhail Ulyanov, Ruben Simonov, Boris Zakhava, Mikhail Astangov, Varvara Popova, Irina Kupchenko, Natalya Tenyakova, Yuliya Borisova, Lyudmila Maksakova, Lyudmila Tselikovskaya, Marianna Vertinskaya, Nina Ruslanova, Nikolai Plotnikov, Vasiliy Lanovoy, Vladimir Etush, Vyacheslav Shalevich, Andrei Abrikosov, Grigori Abrikosov, Boris Babochkin, Nikolai Gritsenko, Nikolai Timofeyev, Aleksandr Grave, Evgeniy Karelskikh, Sergey Makovetskiy, among others. His standout stage roles include Triletsky in Anton Chekhov's *Play without a Title* (1968), Karenin in *Anna Karenina* (1983) directed by Roman Viktyuk, and the title character in *Kasanova* (1985). Since portraying Pantalone in 1963, Yakovlev has received acclaim for his performances in Vakhtangov's legendary production of Carlo Gozzi's comedy *Princess Turandot*.
Yakovlev rose to fame with his lead role as Prince Myshkin in *The Idiot* (1958), directed by Ivan Pyrev. From the 1960s through the 1980s, he was one of the Soviet Union's most popular actors, renowned for roles such as Ivan Vasilyevich Bunsha in Leonid Gaidai’s *Ivan Vasilevich Changes His Profession* (1973) and Ippolit in Eldar Ryazanov’s *The Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath!* (1976).
He was honored as a People's Artist of the USSR and received State Prizes from both the USSR and Russia. Yakovlev was awarded the Order of Lenin (1988), the Order of the Red Banner of Labour (1978), and numerous other honors for his contributions to stage and film. He is married to Irina Leonidovna Sergeeva, with whom he has two sons and a daughter. Outside his acting career, Yakovlev enjoys reading classical Russian literature and listening to classical music with friends and family.
In 1997, Yakovlev published his memoir, *Albom sudby moyey* (The Album of My Destiny). He currently resides with his family in Moscow, Russia.
