Sergey Bezrukov

Sergey Vitalyevich Bezrukov (Russian: Серге́й Вита́льевич Безру́ков, born 18 October 1973) is a Soviet and Russian screen and stage actor, singer, People's Artist of Russia,[1] the laureate of the State Prize of the Russian Federation. He currently works at Tabakov Studio (the theatre of Oleg Tabakov).[2] He is a member of the Supreme Council of the party United Russia.

Early life and education

Sergei Bezrukov was born on 18 October 1973 in Moscow. His father was Vitali Bezrukov, an actor and director who worked at the Moscow Satire Theatre. Sergei's mother was Natalia Bezrukova (née Surova), she graduated from the Gorky College of Soviet Trade and worked as a shop manager.[3][4] Sergei Bezrukov was named in honor of his father's favorite poet, Sergei Yesenin.[5]

After graduating from secondary school No. 402 in the Perovsk district of Moscow in 1990, he entered the Moscow Art Theater School.[6] In 1994 he graduated from the acting department of the Moscow Art Theater School, with the specialization being Actor of Drama Theater and Cinema (Oleg Tabakov's workshop),[7] and was immediately accepted into the troupe of the Moscow Theater Studio under Oleg Tabakov.[8]

Career

Sergei Bezrukov made his cinematic debut in Nocturne for Drum and Motorcycle.[9]

From 1995 until 2000, he worked on the satirical program Puppets which aired on the NTV channel. Puppets were used on the show to represent famous people, mainly politicians. He voiced twelve characters on the show, among them such famous personalities as Boris Yeltsin and Vladimir Zhirinovsky. Bezrukov gained more exposure as an actor with the show.[10]

In 2002 Bezrukov gained his big break; he got the role of gang leader Sasha Belov in the popular crime TV show Brigada. After the series aired Sergei Bezrukov became a household name in Russia.[10][11] In the same year Bezrukov played Ivan Brilling in the historical detective miniseries Azazel, based on The Winter Queen by Boris Akunin.

Other roles followed, such as Irakliy in The Irony of Fate 2, Kappel in Admiral, Sumarokov in High Security Vacation, and Rzhevskiy in The Ballad of Uhlans.

In 2005 Bezrukov fulfilled his childhood dream, when he portrayed the poet Sergei Yesenin, after whom he was named, in the 2005 miniseries Yesenin. It was based on the novel Yesenin. Story of a Murder written by his father, Vitaly, who also portrayed Yesenin in a 1969 film, titled Anna Snegina.

Another notable role was Yeshua Ha-Nozri in the 2005 series The Master and Margarita.

He voiced the title character of Prince Vladimir animated film. He is also known for his theatre role of Chichikov in Dead Souls (which won the Moskovskij Komsomolets' award). In 2006, he portrayed Alexander Pushkin, revered as the Russian language's greatest poet, in Pushkin: The Last Duel.

Sergei portrayed the popular Soviet singer Vladimir Vysotsky in the 2011 film Vysotsky. Thank You For Being Alive. CGI and heavy makeup was used to make the actor look like Vysotsky. Bezrukov was not credited for his role and it was only later revealed that he was the actor.

In 2017, Sergei acted in the film After You're Gone, directed by his wife Anna Matison. The comedy-drama told the story of a ballet dancer who suffered a spinal injury and decides to stage an original ballet performance.

According to the survey of ROMIR Monitoring, in Russia he was called the favorite actor of 2005.[12]

In March 2014 he signed a letter in support of the position of the President of Russia Vladimir Putin on Russia's military intervention in Ukraine.[13]

Sergei Bezrukov reads poetry at the National Control Center of Defense, June 2015

In 2020, he advocated 2020 amendments to the Constitution of Russia, which, in particular, are defining marriage as a relationship between one man and one woman. He explained his position by saying, that the terms 'parent 1 and parent 2' shouldn't be allowed to exist in Russia. "I propagate love between a man and a woman, and prefer not to have a deal with gender equality", he also said.[14]

Personal life

From 2000 to 2015 he was married to actress Irina Bezrukova (to marry Bezrukov she broke up with actor Igor Livanov,[15] they became officially married when Sergei was acting in the TV series Brigada). In 2015 the couple separated.[16][17]

Sergei Bezrukov married director and screenwriter Anna Matison on 11 March 2016.[18] On 4 July 2016 they had a daughter, Maria.[19]

At the end of 2013, the media, citing Bezrukov's father, reported that Sergei has young children: daughter Alexandra and son Ivan; their mother was identified as a St. Petersburg actress by the name of Kristina Smirnova (born 1983 in Latvia).[20][21]