Biografia
Alexander Petrov was born in the small town of Pereslavl-Zalesskiy, Russia. During his school years, he played for the national football team. After graduating, he enrolled at the University of Pereslavl in the Faculty of Economics. While studying, he participated in the city's cultural activities, including KVN (Club of Funny and Inventive People), the Student Council, and the theatre studio "Anterpise," directed by Veronika Ivanenko. At a theatre festival in Pohvistnevo (Samara region), he attended workshops led by teachers from the Russian Academy of Theatre Arts (GITIS).
Following the festival, he left the University of Pereslavl and moved to Moscow in 2008 to study at GITIS under Leonid Heifetz. From his second year, he began acting in films. His first role was in the TV show "Voices," directed by Nana Jorjadze, an Oscar nominee in 1997. His first leading role, which brought him initial recognition, was in the 2012 TV series "Poka tsvetet paporotnik" directed by Evgeniy Bedarev. While at GITIS, he appeared in 10 films.
Upon graduating, he joined the Moscow Theatre "Et Cetera," directed by Alexander Kalyagin. He portrayed Graziano in "Shylock" ("The Merchant of Venice") during a tour at the Riga Russian Drama Theater. Five months later, he was invited to Moscow's Ermolova Theater, led by Oleg Menshikov, to rehearse "Hamlet" directed by Valeriy Sarkisov, which premiered in December 2013. "Hamlet" became the theater's most sold-out production to date.
At the end of 2014, Evgeniy Pisarev, head of the Moscow Pushkin Theater, and director Vladimir Mirzoyev offered him the role of Lopakhin in Chekhov's "Cherry Orchard."
In 2015, he starred in the TV series "Fartsa," one of the first Russian series streamed on Netflix. He also played the charismatic police officer Grisha Izmailov in the popular TV series "Politseyskiy s Rublyovki v Beskudnikovo" (2017), directed by Ilya Kulikov, which gained him national fame.
In November 2016, he debuted his one-man dramatic show "TOBEBORNAGAIN," which consistently sold out until its closing.
In 2017, he starred in Fedor Bondarchuk’s "Prityazhenie," a major success in Russia with a box office exceeding $18 million and international release. That same year, he played the lead role of Nikolay Gogol in "Gogol'," the first TV series worldwide to be screened in cinemas. The series won awards at the Indie Gathering International Film Festival and received the "Award of Excellence" at the Accolade Global Film Competition.
Also in 2017, he appeared in his first international film, "Anna," directed by Luc Besson and released in 2019.
Over the following years, he featured in numerous box office-topping films in Russia with worldwide releases.
In the summer of 2020, amid the global pandemic, he starred in his second international project, "Man of God," filmed in Greece.
Awards and Honors:
* Event of the Year, The Hollywood Reporter Magazine 2015 – Audience Award for Achievements in Film and Television Industry
* GQ Magazine Man of the Year Awards 2018 – Actor of the Year
* Golden Eagle Awards 2019 (winner) – Best TV Actor, Drama Series ("Sparta")
* Event of the Year, The Hollywood Reporter Magazine – Best Actor ("Text")
* Golden Eagle Awards 2020 (winner) – Best Actor, Motion Picture ("Text")
