Emerging from Tula, he overcame an early rejection from the Moscow Art Theatre school, gained admission in 1955 and graduated in 1959 under Viktor Stanitsyn. He then joined the Moscow Art Theatre, performing in classics such as The Government Inspector, The Seagull, Uncle Vanya and The Cherry Orchard, establishing a reputation as a versatile stage actor. He entered cinema in 1960 as a policeman in…
