Valentin Gaft
| Valentin Gaft | |
|---|---|
 Valentin Gaft in 2005 | |
| Born |
Valentin Yosifovich Gaft September 2, 1935  Moscow, Soviet Union |
| Occupation | actor |
| Years active | 1956-present |
| Awards |
Order of Friendship (1995) |
Valentin Yosifovich Gaft (Russian: Валенти́н Ио́сифович Гафт; born 2 September 1935 in Moscow) is a Russian and Soviet actor, People's Artist of Russia (1984).
Biography
Valentin Gaft was born in Moscow to a family of a lawyer Iosif Romanovich Gaft (1907–1969) and Gita Davydovna Gaft (1908–1993). The family moved to Moscow from Poltava, Ukraine. During World War II Iosif Gaft served in the Red Army finishing with the rank of Major.
Valentin Gaft graduated from the School-Studio at the Moscow Art Theatre (1953–1957). Among the students of the same course were future popular actors Oleg Tabakov and Maya Menglet. Gaft started his work for the cinema in 1956 in the Mikhail Romm's film Murder on Dante Street.
After graduating Gaft worked for a number of theaters including the Mossovet Theater, Leninski Komsomol Theatre (under famous director Anatoly Efros), Theater of Satire. In 1969 he started to work for the Sovremennik Theatre and works there to the present time.
Today Gaft is one of the most popular Russian actors both as a stage and as a movie actors. He also the author of poisonous but extremely popular epigrams against many theatrical and movie figures. Gaft is married to Olga Ostroumova, a popular actress.
For "statements contradicted the interests of our national security" Gaft is banned from entering Ukraine.[1]
Selected filmography
- The Master and Margarita (miniseries) (Мастер и Маргарита, 2005) as Joseph Kaifa / NKVD general
- Tender Age (Нежный возраст, 2000) as Saledon Sr.
- Old Hags (Старые клячи, 2000) general Dubovitsky
- The Master and Margarita (1994 film) (Мастер и Маргарита, 1994) as Woland
- Promised Heaven (Небеса обетованные, 1991) as Dmitry Loginov, “President“
- The Feasts of Belshazzar, or a Night with Stalin (Пиры Валтасара, или Ночь со Сталиным, 1989) as Lavrentiy Beria
- Visit to Minotaur (Визит к Минотавру, 1987) as Pavel Ikonnikov
- Say a Word for the Poor Hussar (О бедном гусаре замолвите слово..., 1981) as colonel Ivan Pokrovsky
- Moscow, My Love (Москва, любовь моя, 1974) as choreographer
Honours and awards
- Order of Merit for the Fatherland;
- 2nd class (2 September 2010) - for outstanding contribution to the development of domestic theatrical art and many years of creative activity
- 3rd class (2 September 2005) - for outstanding contribution to the development of theatrical art, and many years of creative activity
- Order of Friendship (11 August 1995) - for services to the state and achievements in work and significant contribution to strengthening friendship and cooperation between nations
- People's Artist of the RSFSR (1984)
References
- ↑ SBU issues entry ban against 140 Russian artists, UNIAN (5 November 2016)
Ukraine’s State Security Service bans 140 Russian cultural figures from entering country, TASS news agency (5 November 2016)
Sources
- Article Valentin Gaft on peoples.ru (in Russian)
- Biography (in Russian)
- Epigrams by Valentin Gaft (in Russian)