Andrey Myagkov(1938-2021)
- Actor
Andrey Myagkov, one of Russia's most familiar faces and a leading actor
of the Moscow Art Theatre (MXAT) who starred in the 1970's comedy
The Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath! (1976),
made a comeback in the sequel
The Irony of Fate 2 (2007).
He was born Andrey Vasilevich Myagkov on July 8, 1938, in Leningrad,
Russia, USSR (now St. Petersburg, Russia). His father, Vasiliy Myagkov,
was a professor at the Polytechnical Academy. Young Andrey was fond of
theatre and was involved in the drama club at his high school. However,
he focused on the study of chemistry and attended the Leningrad
Institute of Technology, graduating in 1960 as a chemical engineer. His
first job was as a research engineer at the Leningrad State Institute
of Plastics, although at the same time he continued playing on stage as
an amateur actor.
In 1961 he was admitted to the acting school of the Moscow Art Theatre
(MXAT) in Leningrad. Then he moved to Moscow and studied at the
Theatrical School of the Moscow Art Theatre (MXAT), graduating in 1965
as an actor. At that time he married actress
Anastasiya Voznesenskaya. From
1965 to 1977 he was a member of the troupe at the Sovremennik Theatre
in Moscow. There his stage partners were such actors as
Oleg Efremov,
Evgeniy Evstigneev,
Galina Volchek,
Stanislav Lyubshin,
Anatoliy Romashin,
Alla Pokrovskaya,
Oleg Tabakov,
Oleg Dal,
Igor Kvasha,
Valentin Gaft, and other notable Russian
actors.
In 1977 he became a member of the troupe at the Moscow Art Theatre
(MXAT). There he made his stage debut in the leading role as Zilov in
"Utinaya okhota" ("Duck Hunting") by
Aleksandr Vampilov, and eventually
established himself as a leading actor in other stage productions at
the MXAT. His stage partners there were such actors as
Innokentiy Smoktunovskiy,
Yekaterina Vasilyeva,
Tatyana Doronina,
Oleg Efremov,
Evgeniy Evstigneev,
Oleg Tabakov,
Aleksandr Kalyagin,
Andrei Popov, and other notable
Russian actors. Since the split of the troupe in 1987, he has been a
member of the Chekhov Moscow Art Theatre (Chekhov MXAT), named after
Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. His
stage partners there have been such notable Russian actors as
Alla Pokrovskaya,
Natalya Rogozhkina,
Anastasiya Voznesenskaya,
Irina Miroshnichenko,
Iya Savvina,
Stanislav Lyubshin,
Vyacheslav Nevinnyy,
Evgeniy Kindinov,
Viktor Sergachyov, and
Vladimir Kashpur, among others.
He made his film debut in the leading role as a dentist in
Pokhozhdeniya zubnogo vracha (1965),
by director Elem Klimov. He established
himself with such roles as the monk Alyosha in
The Brothers Karamazov (1969), then
as Khlebnikov, an obsessed chess grandmaster, in
Grossmeyster (1973) where he had several scenes with Lyudmila Kasatkina, Anatoly Solonitsyn, Mikhail Kozakov, Petr Shelokhonov, and other notable Russian actors.. He shot to fame
in the Soviet Union with the leading role as Zhenya in
The Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath! (1976),
by director Eldar Ryazanov. His fruitful
collaboration with Ryazanov continued in
Office Romance (1977),
The Garage (1980), and
A Cruel Romance (1984). Andrey
has played over 50 roles in film and on television. He declined offers
to play in such modern Russian films as
Night Watch (2004) and
The Turkish Gambit (2005).
However, he made a comeback reprising his most famous role as Zhenya
opposite Barbara Brylska in
The Irony of Fate 2 (2007),
a sequel to the Soviet comedy
The Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath! (1976).
In 1989, he made his directorial debut with a stage production of
"Spokoynoy nochi, Mama" ("Good Night, Mama") at the Moscow Art Theatre
(MXAT). In 2002 he directed the MXAT production of "Retro", a nostalgic
play about three middle-aged women courting one man; the play earned
him wide public acclaim, although evoking sharp criticism from some
contemporary Moscow critics. His last directorial work for the Moscow
Art Theatre was a 2006 production of "Osenniy charlston" ("Autumn
Charleston") based on the play "The Cemetery Club" by American
playwright Ivan Menchell.
He was awarded the State Prize of the USSR in 1977, the Brothers Vasiliev State Prize
in 1979, was designated a People's Artist of Russia in 1986, and also received several other significant awards and
nominations. Outside of his acting profession, Andrey Myagkov painted portraits,
and his paintings are owned by
Mikhail Gorbachev and
Galina Volchek, among others.
Andrey Vasilevich Myagkov died on 18 February 2021 in Moscow and was laid to rest in Troekurovskoe Cemetery in Moscow, Russia.
of the Moscow Art Theatre (MXAT) who starred in the 1970's comedy
The Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath! (1976),
made a comeback in the sequel
The Irony of Fate 2 (2007).
He was born Andrey Vasilevich Myagkov on July 8, 1938, in Leningrad,
Russia, USSR (now St. Petersburg, Russia). His father, Vasiliy Myagkov,
was a professor at the Polytechnical Academy. Young Andrey was fond of
theatre and was involved in the drama club at his high school. However,
he focused on the study of chemistry and attended the Leningrad
Institute of Technology, graduating in 1960 as a chemical engineer. His
first job was as a research engineer at the Leningrad State Institute
of Plastics, although at the same time he continued playing on stage as
an amateur actor.
In 1961 he was admitted to the acting school of the Moscow Art Theatre
(MXAT) in Leningrad. Then he moved to Moscow and studied at the
Theatrical School of the Moscow Art Theatre (MXAT), graduating in 1965
as an actor. At that time he married actress
Anastasiya Voznesenskaya. From
1965 to 1977 he was a member of the troupe at the Sovremennik Theatre
in Moscow. There his stage partners were such actors as
Oleg Efremov,
Evgeniy Evstigneev,
Galina Volchek,
Stanislav Lyubshin,
Anatoliy Romashin,
Alla Pokrovskaya,
Oleg Tabakov,
Oleg Dal,
Igor Kvasha,
Valentin Gaft, and other notable Russian
actors.
In 1977 he became a member of the troupe at the Moscow Art Theatre
(MXAT). There he made his stage debut in the leading role as Zilov in
"Utinaya okhota" ("Duck Hunting") by
Aleksandr Vampilov, and eventually
established himself as a leading actor in other stage productions at
the MXAT. His stage partners there were such actors as
Innokentiy Smoktunovskiy,
Yekaterina Vasilyeva,
Tatyana Doronina,
Oleg Efremov,
Evgeniy Evstigneev,
Oleg Tabakov,
Aleksandr Kalyagin,
Andrei Popov, and other notable
Russian actors. Since the split of the troupe in 1987, he has been a
member of the Chekhov Moscow Art Theatre (Chekhov MXAT), named after
Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. His
stage partners there have been such notable Russian actors as
Alla Pokrovskaya,
Natalya Rogozhkina,
Anastasiya Voznesenskaya,
Irina Miroshnichenko,
Iya Savvina,
Stanislav Lyubshin,
Vyacheslav Nevinnyy,
Evgeniy Kindinov,
Viktor Sergachyov, and
Vladimir Kashpur, among others.
He made his film debut in the leading role as a dentist in
Pokhozhdeniya zubnogo vracha (1965),
by director Elem Klimov. He established
himself with such roles as the monk Alyosha in
The Brothers Karamazov (1969), then
as Khlebnikov, an obsessed chess grandmaster, in
Grossmeyster (1973) where he had several scenes with Lyudmila Kasatkina, Anatoly Solonitsyn, Mikhail Kozakov, Petr Shelokhonov, and other notable Russian actors.. He shot to fame
in the Soviet Union with the leading role as Zhenya in
The Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath! (1976),
by director Eldar Ryazanov. His fruitful
collaboration with Ryazanov continued in
Office Romance (1977),
The Garage (1980), and
A Cruel Romance (1984). Andrey
has played over 50 roles in film and on television. He declined offers
to play in such modern Russian films as
Night Watch (2004) and
The Turkish Gambit (2005).
However, he made a comeback reprising his most famous role as Zhenya
opposite Barbara Brylska in
The Irony of Fate 2 (2007),
a sequel to the Soviet comedy
The Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath! (1976).
In 1989, he made his directorial debut with a stage production of
"Spokoynoy nochi, Mama" ("Good Night, Mama") at the Moscow Art Theatre
(MXAT). In 2002 he directed the MXAT production of "Retro", a nostalgic
play about three middle-aged women courting one man; the play earned
him wide public acclaim, although evoking sharp criticism from some
contemporary Moscow critics. His last directorial work for the Moscow
Art Theatre was a 2006 production of "Osenniy charlston" ("Autumn
Charleston") based on the play "The Cemetery Club" by American
playwright Ivan Menchell.
He was awarded the State Prize of the USSR in 1977, the Brothers Vasiliev State Prize
in 1979, was designated a People's Artist of Russia in 1986, and also received several other significant awards and
nominations. Outside of his acting profession, Andrey Myagkov painted portraits,
and his paintings are owned by
Mikhail Gorbachev and
Galina Volchek, among others.
Andrey Vasilevich Myagkov died on 18 February 2021 in Moscow and was laid to rest in Troekurovskoe Cemetery in Moscow, Russia.