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Andrei Popov was a Russian actor best known as Iago in Othello (1956) by director Sergey Bondarchuk, and as Zakhar in A Few Days from the Life of I.I. Oblomov (1980) by director Nikita Mikhalkov
He was born Andrei Alekseevich Popov, on April 12, 1918, in Kostroma, Russia. His father, Aleksei Popov, was a film and stage actor. Andrei Popov made his film debut in 1930, as a schoolboy in silent film 'Krupnaya nepriyatnost'; that film was eventually lost or destroyed in the turbulent history of Soviet Union. From 1935 to 1939 Popov studied acting at the Drama Studio of the Red Army Theatre in Moscow, graduating in 1939, as actor. During the Second World War, Andrei Popov was member of a touring Red Army Theatre, which entertained soldiers at the front-lines.
From 1940 - 1974 Popov was a permanent member of the troupe at the Central Theatre of the Soviet Army (aka.. The Red Army Theatre), there his stage partners were notable Russian actors, such as Vladimir Zeldin, Lyudmila Kasatkina, Mikhail Gluzskiy, Nikolay Pastukhov, Vsevolod Larionov, and other actors. From 1963 to 1974 Popov was artistic director of the Central Theatre of the Soviet Army. There he shone as Ivan the Terrible in the popular play 'Death of Ivan the Terrible' by A.K. Tolstoy. Popov continued playing the role as Ivan the Terrible though the 1970s, even after he left the Soviet Army company and joined the troupe of Moscow Art Theatre.
He shot to fame with the role as Iago opposite Sergey Bondarchuk in the 1955 Soviet adaptation of the Shakespeare's tragedy 'Othello'. Over the course of his career Andrei Popov played leading and supporting roles in over 40 films. He also made memorable recordings on the Moscow radio focusing on stories by Anton Chekhov and other Russian literature classics. From 1974 - 1983 Popov was a member of the troupe at Moscow Art Theatre (MKhAT). There his stage partners were such stars as Innokentiy Smoktunovskiy, Oleg Efremov, Iya Savvina, Oleg Tabakov, Anastasiya Vertinskaya, and other notable Russian actors. Among Popov's best known stage performances at the Moscow Art Theatre were his appearances as Ivanov in the eponymous play by Anton Chekhov, and his performances as Sorin opposite Anastasiya Vertinskaya as Chaika in 'The Seagull'.
Andrei Popov was designated People's Actor of USSR (1966) and was awarded the State Prize of USSR for his acting. From 1960s to 1982 he taught acting at Moscow State Theatrical Institute (GITIS). He died of natural causes on June 14, 1983, and was laid to rest in Vvedenskoe Cemetery in Moscow, Russia.
