Biografia
Oleg Tabakov was a renowned Russian actor, director, and public figure who appeared in over 100 film and television roles. He is best remembered for portraying Count Nikita Rostov in Sergey Bondarchuk's War and Peace (1965) and Oblomov in Nikita Mikhalkov's adaptation of the same name.
Born Oleg Pavlovich Tabakov on August 17, 1935, in Saratov, Russia, USSR, his parents, Pavel Kondratevich Tabakov and Maria Andreevna Berezovskaya, were medical doctors. Following their separation during World War II, Tabakov was raised by his mother and grandmother. He attended an all-boys school in Saratov, actively participating in drama classes. Between 1950 and 1953, he studied acting at the Saratov House of Pioneers under the tutelage of the esteemed coach Natalia Iosifivna Sukhostav.
In 1953, Tabakov relocated to Moscow to enroll at the Moscow Art Theatre (MKhAT) School of Acting, studying under Vasili Toporkov and graduating in 1957. He made his film debut as Sasha in Sasha vstupayet v zhizn (1957), directed by Mikhail Shvejtser, in 1956. That year, he became the youngest of the six founding members of the Sovremennik Theatre, led by Oleg Efremov. He remained with Sovremennik from 1957 to 1983, playing major roles in productions such as Goly Korol (Naked King), Tri Zhelaniya (Three Wishes), and Obyknovennaya istoriya (Ordinary Story). From 1970 to 1976, Tabakov served as General Manager of Sovremennik, during which he appointed Galina Volchek as Principal Director.
Beginning in the 1970s, Tabakov taught acting master classes, mentoring many students who went on to successful stage and film careers. His teaching extended internationally, including workshops and productions at institutions like the Paris Conservatoire, British American Drama Academy, Akademie Der Künst in Hamburg, Max Reinhardt Seminar in Vienna, Carnegie Mellon, Juilliard, New York University, Florida State University, University of Delaware, and Harvard University.
In 1978, Tabakov and his students established the "Tabakerka" Theatre in central Moscow, where he produced and directed acclaimed plays such as Vesnoi ya vernus k tebe (I'll Be Back in Spring), Proschay Maugli (Farewell to Maugli), and Belosnezhka i sem gnomov (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs). Despite public success and critical praise, Soviet authorities refused to authorize the theatre, leading to its dissolution by 1982. Feeling disheartened, Tabakov joined MKhAT, delivering one of his finest performances as Salieri in Amadeus under Oleg Efremov's direction. Throughout his career, he appeared in approximately 150 roles and directed over 30 international stage productions.
During the 1990s, Tabakov was a vocal advocate for democratic reforms and freedom in post-Soviet Russia. He participated in public events and speeches promoting cultural transformation in the arts and theatre. Having endured Soviet censorship in his own career, he became a leading proponent of cultural reform, contributing to the revival of the Moscow Art Theatre under his leadership and engaging in various cultural and political initiatives. Over time, Tabakov emerged as a symbol of artistic freedom in Russia, though in his later years he publicly supported the Russian government, reportedly to aid his students and theatre actors.
After the death of his friend Oleg Efremov in 2000, Tabakov became the Artistic Director of the Moscow Art Theatre named after A. Chekhov. He also led the "Tabakerka" Theatre as Artistic Director and principal actor in both companies. His accolades included the USSR State Prize for the Arts, the Russian State Prize for the Arts, and several national and international honors from Hungary, France, Poland, and the USSR. He was named People's Artist of the USSR and Russia in the 1980s and was awarded the Order of Merit for the Fatherland II degree by President Vladimir Putin in 2005.
Tabakov was married twice. His first son, Anton Tabakov, is an actor and successful Moscow nightclub owner. Since 1996, he was married to actress Marina Zudina, with whom he had two children: Pavel (born 1996) and Maria (born 2006). Tabakov was hospitalized in late November 2017, and his condition gradually deteriorated, resulting in his death on March 12, 2018.
