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Georgiy Millyar was a Soviet theater and film actor.
Born in Moscow to French bridge engineer Franz de Millieu from Marseille, who had come to Russia for work, Georgiy lost his father in 1906 in Yalta when he was not yet three years old. His mother was Elizaveta Zhuravlyova, daughter of an Irkutsk gold miner. Raised in comfort, the boy was educated by French governesses, learning languages, music, and reading extensively. From an early age, he showed an interest in art. His aunt, a theater actress, nurtured his passion for theater. At just seven years old, he first experimented with makeup, attempting to transform himself into Mephistopheles from Faust.
In the 1920s, after finishing school, Millyar began working as a prop man at the Gelendzhik theater. His acting career started unexpectedly when a performer fell ill, allowing him to step in. His debut was a success, leading to roles in new productions and establishing him as one of the theater's leading actors. By 1924, he was a renowned provincial actor and enrolled in the Junior School at the Moscow Theater of the Revolution (now the Mayakovskiy Theater).
Though successful on stage, Millyar aspired to work in cinema. His initial attempts to join film studios, including a tryout with Aleksandr Rou, were unsuccessful due to his nervousness during auditions. He began his film career with minor roles in several productions. This marked the start of a lifelong friendship with director Aleksandr Rou, who cast Millyar in all of his films, often assigning him multiple roles. Millyar became best known for portraying characters from Russian fairy tales, especially Baba Yaga. He first took on the role of Baba Yaga in the 1940 fairy tale film Vasilisa the Beautiful. Many actresses, including Faina Ranevskaya, auditioned for the part, but Rou struggled to find the right fit and eventually sought Millyar’s advice. In 1944, Millyar played Kashchey the Immortal in the film of the same name, performing with minimal makeup and relying on his slender frame and distinctive voice. After this role, Millyar described himself as becoming "the official representative of evil spirits in cinema."
Critics highly praised Millyar's performances, with each role considered a small masterpiece. He was a character actor skilled in grotesque and buffoonery. His unique voice, quivering like that of an old man and breaking into a deep snuffle, perfectly suited his portrayals of fairy-tale villains such as Baba Yaga and Koschey the Immortal.
