Garik (Bulldog) Kharlamov

Igor Yuryevich Kharlamov, who goes by his stage name Garik (Bulldog) Kharlamov, is a comedian, actor, and producer. He is best known for his 2008 movie The Best Movie, in which he both acted and co-wrote the script.

Kharlamov was born in Moscow on February 28, 1981, with the name Andrei, but after a few months, his parents renamed him Igor to honor his late grandfather. Once he entered school, his friends started calling him "Garik," which is where he gets the first part of his stage name. Kharlamov's parents divorced when he was a teenager, and his father moved to Chicago. He joined his father and learned English while attending acting school. He later returned to Russia and attended the State University of Management.

After Kharlamov earned his college degree and went on to have a role on the popular Russian comedy show called KVN. He was on "Team Moscow" on the show and stayed there for several years. He then worked for a channel called Muz-TV, where he was part of other comedy shows and at one point portrayed a bulldog, leading to his nickname "Bulldog." Kharlamov also developed and worked on a show called Comedy Club, on which he remained an active participant as a comedian and host until 2022. One of his more recent performances can be seen on the comedy TV show HB-2, which airs on Russia's TNT network.

Karlamov also works in film, and in 2008, he wrote and starred in the comedy The Best Movie, which grossed more than $30,000,000 worldwide. The success of the film led to the production of The Best Movie 2 and The Best Movie 3, in which he also co-wrote and co-starred.