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Mikhail Ivanovich Kononov (25 April 1940 – 16 July 2007) was a Soviet and Russian actor. People's Artist of Russia (1999).
Biography
He first appeared on stage at school. In 1963, Mikhail Kononov graduated from the Shchepkin Drama School and was admitted to the Maly Theatre. However, after five years of acting in theatre, in 1968 he quit the stage forever. He married to Natalya Pavlovna Kononova in 1969.
The typical image of his hero, a simple-hearted, kind and unaffected fellow, started taking its shape in his debut film Nash Obshchiy Drug (Our Common Friend) (1961) and further on in the revolutionary tragic comedy Nachalnik Chukotki (Chief of Chukotka) (1966), the war drama V ogne broda net (No Path Through Fire) (1967), the heroic comedy Na voyne, kak na voyne (At War as at War) (1968), among others.
As the actor stated himself, his best role was that of Foma in Andrei Tarkovsky's well-known historic drama Andrei Rublev. One of the most popular films starring Mikhail Kononov was the series Bolshaya Peremena (Big School-Break) (1972), where he played the young teacher Nestor Petrovich. He was also popular for his roles in children's films. Many Russian viewers remember Kononov as the sly and crafty space pirate Krys in the legendary children's sci-fi miniseries Gostya iz budushchego (Guest from the Future) (1985). Kononov considered himself a tragicomic actor.
In the last years of his life Mikhail Kononov rejected most of the roles offered to him due to his dislike of modern Russian cinema.
Two weeks before his death, he went to hospital with pneumonia. However, in the hospital, his condition only worsened as he did not have enough money to afford medicine. Mikhail Kononov died from tromboembolism on 16 July 2007 in Moscow. His body was cremated and buried in the Vagankovo cemetery.
