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Iosif Tolchanov was an actor and director at the Vakhtangov Theatre in Moscow, Soviet Union.
Born Iosif Moiseevich Tolchan (later changed to Tolchanov) on May 11, 1891, in Moscow, Russia, he studied at Liege University in France from 1911 to 1914. Between 1917 and 1918, he trained in acting under Boris Zakhava in Moscow, followed by studies with Yevgeni Vakhtangov from 1918 to 1920. Tolchanov made his stage debut in 1918 in "Vory" (Thieves), a play by Anton Chekhov.
From 1918 until 1980, Tolchanov was a permanent member of the Vakhtangov Theatre troupe in Moscow. He shared the stage with notable actors such as Boris Zakhava, Yuri Zavadsky, Mikhail Ulyanov, Mikhail Astangov, Nikolai Plotnikov, Ruben Simonov, Vladimir Etush, Varvara Popova, Yuliya Borisova, Lyudmila Maksakova, Lyudmila Tselikovskaya, Marianna Vertinskaya, Nina Ruslanova, Irina Kupchenko, Vasiliy Lanovoy, Yuriy Yakovlev, Vyacheslav Shalevich, Andrei Abrikosov, Grigori Abrikosov, Boris Babochkin, Nikolai Gritsenko, Nikolai Timofeyev, Nikolai Bubnov, Mikhail Sidorkin, Nikolai Pazhitnov, Aleksandr Grave, and Evgeniy Karelskikh, among others. Since originating the role of Barah in 1922, Tolchanov portrayed this character in the original, celebrated Vakhtangov production of Carlo Gozzi's comedy "Princess Turandot." His most notable stage roles included Pino in "Zagovor obrechennykh" and Arbenin in "Maskarad" (1941) by Yuri Lermontov, directed by Andrey Tutyshkin.
Tolchanov co-directed several productions at the Vakhtangov Theatre, including "Pyaty gorizont" (Fifth Horizon) by Perets Markish and "Dalekoe" (1935) by A. Afinogenov. He was honored as a People's Artist of the USSR in 1962 and received the Stalin State Prize in 1950 for his portrayal of Pino in "Zagovor obrechennykh" (Treason of the Doomed). Iosif Tolchanov passed away from heart failure on August 24, 1981, in Moscow, Soviet Union, and was buried at Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow.
