Famous Russian Actors

Regarded as one of the first American movie stars, Yul Brynner became known for his performance as King Mongkut in the musical The King and I. He became identified with the role, so much so that he continued shaving his head after having shaved it for the role. A statue of Brynner was unveiled at Yul Brynner Park in 2012.

Danila Kozlovsky is a Russian actor best known for his portrayal of Max Andreev in the 2012 black comedy-drama film Soulless, for which he won the Golden Eagle Award in 2012. Also known for his good looks, Kozlovsky was named Man of the Year by GQ Russia in 2013. He was also regarded as a sex symbol for many years.

Legendary Soviet and Russian theatre-practitioner Konstantin Stanislavski, who played an instrumental role in promoting new Russian drama of his time, is best-known for co-founding the world-renowned Moscow Art Theatre and developing the Stanislavski's system of training and preparing actors. Sergeyevich was considered one of the prominent theatre directors of his day and also earned repute as a remarkable character actor.

Best known for his performances as Viktor Goraya in the series Years and Years and Stepan in the film Mr. Bean's Holiday, Russian-origin English actor Maxim Baldry also played Liam Donovan in the British series Hollyoaks. The London-born actor spent his youth in Moscow and Warsaw, before returning to London.

A Soviet cultural icon, singer Vladimir Vysotsky was known for his social commentary in his songs. In his early years, he quit engineering to study acting. He later ruled the stage as an actor, before stepping into music. He even distributed his recordings after being banned in the country.

Eugene Mirman is a Russian-American actor, writer, and comedian. He is best known for his portrayal of Yvgeny Mirminsky in the American television series, Delocated. He is also known for his voice role in the animated TV sitcom, Bob's Burgers, in which he voices Gene Belcher. As a comedian, Eugene Mirman has performed in many festivals, including Just for Laughs.

Best known for playing detectives such as The Falcon and Sherlock Holmes, British actor Tom Conway also appeared in 2 Tarzan movies and a few Val Lewton cult horror movies. His performance in an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents was appreciated by critics. He also voiced a role in 101 Dalmatians.

The son of Communist author Sergey Mikhalkov, Nikita Mikhalkov is best known for his Academy Award-winning direction in the movie Burnt by the Sun. He has also been a versatile actor and has been involved in Russian politics, too. He is also a 3-time winner of the State Prize of the Russian Federation.

Initially a talented football player, Russian actor Alexander Petrov switched to theater after an injury. Known for his roles in films such as Attraction, Invasion, and the Gogol franchise, he also played the lead in the Russian Netflix criminal drama Fartsa. He has also won prestigious awards, such as the Golden Eagle.

Konstantin Yurievich Khabensky, PAR, counted among the most acclaimed actors in Russia, gained international attention playing protagonist, Anton Gorodetsky in the film Night Watch and its sequel Day Watch. As a theatre actor Khabensky remained part of Saint Petersburg Lensoviet Theatre and is presently associated with Moscow Art Theatre. The Russian war-drama film Sobibor marked the directorial debut of Khabensky.

Soviet and Russian stage and film actor, director, writer and producer Vladimir Mashkov gained-attention of Western audiences performing in the blockbuster-hit American films Behind Enemy Lines and Mission: Impossible–Ghost Protocol. He directed and starred in the Russian drama film Daddy that entered into the 26th Moscow International Film Festival. Mashkov publicly supports Vladimir Putin and Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Popular Russian actor Aleksei Serebryakov made his acting debut at age 13. His performance in Accidental Waltz won him a Locarno Film Festival award, while the drama Leviathan won him an IFFI award. He later moved to Canada, stating he was unhappy with the political situation in Russia.

Best known for his role of Styr in the iconic fantasy series Game of Thrones, Russian actor Yuri Kolokolnikov also played Gennadi Bystrov in the spy series The Americans. While he initially aspired to become an actor in Hollywood, he returned to Moscow after he failed to make a breakthrough in the US.

Markus Dupree is a Russian porn actor and director. The recipient of the prestigious AVN Award for Male Performer of the Year, Dupree is considered an influential figure in the porn industry. He has received more than three dozen industry award nominations so far.

Russian actor Pasha D. Lychnikoff started his career in the Moscow stage circuit before moving to the US. Apart from appearing in series such as NYPD Blue and The Big Bang Theory, and movies such as Chernobyl Diaries, he also played lead roles in HBO’s Deadwood and in the Russian series Fizruk.

Armenian-origin American film and TV actor Akim Tamiroff is best remembered for his Academy Award-nominated performances in The General Died at Dawn and For Whom the Bell Tolls. Considered the first big Armenian-American star, he also appeared in several series, such as Naked City and Tales of the Vikings.

Starting his career with the Moscow Art Theatre in Russia, actor Michael Chekhova later moved to the US, making a successful career in Hollywood. His role of Dr. Alex in Spellbound earned him an Academy Award nomination. He also had his own drama studio, where he taught acting by mingling movement and imagination.

Sergey Lazarev is a Russian singer, actor, and dancer. He is best known for his contribution to the success of the pop duo, Smash. Lazarev has represented Russia twice in the Eurovision Song Contest, finishing third on both occasions. As an actor, Sergey Lazarev is involved in the Russian theatre scene.

Russian actor and former mixed martial artist Oleg Taktarov is known for winning the UFC 6 tournament. Other accomplishments of Taktarov as an MMA fighter include becoming one of the ten UFC Viewer's Choice Awardees during UFC 45, and winning the 1994 Iron Gladiators Competition. As an actor, Taktarov has performed in hit films like Bad Boys II and Predators.   

Sergei Bondarchuk was a Soviet and Russian actor, screenwriter, and film director. One of the leading personalities of Russian cinema during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, Bondarchuk is best remembered for his period dramas, including War and Peace and Waterloo. Sergei Bondarchuk's work earned him numerous international accolades, including the Golden Globe Award.

Soviet and Russian actor Aleksei Yevgenyevich Kravchenko, PAR,  gained attention starring in his debut film, the Soviet anti-war movie Come and See, counted among the greatest films of all time. He worked on his next acting-project after over a decade and meanwhile served in the Navy and graduated from Boris Shchukin Theatre Institute. He later joined the Moscow Art Theatre.   

Initially part of the Moscow Art Theatre, Russian director-actor Vsevolod Meyerhold is remembered for pioneering avant-garde theories of symbolism in theater. He also paved the path for biomechanics in Russian theater and created masterpieces such as The Magnificent Cuckold. He was executed, and his wife was murdered, during the Great Purge.

The son of Russian film director Sergei Bodrov, Sergei Bodrov Jr. started his career with his father’s movies, such as Prisoner of the Mountains. His performance in Brother made him a star in Russia. He went missing along with his crew after an avalanche hit them in the Caucasus while directing The Messenger.

Viktoriya Agalakova is a Russian actress best known for her portrayal of Nastya in the 2017 film The Bride. She achieved international fame in 2019 when she started playing Polina in the popular Netflix series To the Lake.

Lev Gorn is a Russian-born American actor best known for his work in the American film and TV industry. Gorn achieved popularity when he played Arkady Ivanovich Zotov in the popular period spy drama television series, The Americans. Lev Gorn has also played supporting roles in films like Ace the Case and Café Society.

Alexey Vorobyov is a Russian actor and singer best known for his performances in the English and Russian languages. Alexey Vorobyov is also known for his appearance on the Russian version of the popular music competition show, The X Factor.

Silver Bear-winning Soviet actor Anatoly Solonitsyn is best known for his roles in the films of legendary director Andrei Tarkovsky. Known for his signature reddish beard, he was an unknown theater actor before being discovered by Tarkovsky. Mirror and Solaris remain 2 of his best-known films.

Bulgarian-Russian singer Kristian Kostov was 6 when he began training in music and was already performing solo by 11. He soared to fame with the Russian version of The Voice Kids and then became the runner-up on X Factor Bulgaria. At 18, he was the youngest contestant on the Chinese reality show Singer.

Aleksandr Kuznetsov is a Ukrainian-Russian actor best known for his work in the Russian film and television industry. He achieved international fame in 2022 when he played Helmut in the fantasy film, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. Over the course of his career, Aleksandr Kuznetsov has received several awards including the Chopard Talent Award for his performance in Acid.

Yevgeny Dzhugashvili was a Soviet Air Force colonel. Best known as the grandson of Joseph Stalin, Dzhugashvili gained recognition as a fierce defender of Stalin's reputation. On 22 December 2016, Yevgeny Dzhugashvili was found dead in Moscow.

Kirill Käro is a Russian actor best known for his portrayal of the title role in a detective TV series titled The Sniffer. He has also achieved popularity by playing lead roles in popular series' like Better Than Us and To the Lake.

Russian actor and director Alexander Kaidanovsky initially trained to be a welder but switched to acting later. Known for his roles in Soviet films such as At Home Among Strangers and Stalker, he also directed the drama A Simple Death, which was featured at the Cannes. His career was eventually ruined by alcoholism.

Sam Levene was a Russian Empire-born American actor who made contributions to various entertainment mediums such as radio, TV, Broadway, and film. Levene is credited with originating some of the most iconic comedic roles in the history of American theater in a career that spanned over five decades. In 1984, Levene was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame.

Kazakhstani-born Russian actor Pavel Priluchny soared to fame as Igor Sokolovsky in Silver Spoon. He also played Soviet singer-actor Leonid Utyosov in the series The Life and Adventures of Mishka Yaponchik. He made headlines after being accused of domestic violence by his Russian actor wife Agata Mutsenietse.

Yuri Nikulin was a Soviet and Russian clown and actor. He is best remembered for playing important roles in Leonid Gaidai's comedy films like Kidnapping, Caucasian Style and The Diamond Arm. Apart from acting in films, Yuri Nikulin also performed in Moscow Circus. Nikulin was honored with many state awards, including the Order of Lenin.

Grigori Dobrygin is a Russian actor, director, and producer. He is best known for playing Russia's first superhero, Dimitri Maykov, in the 2009 film Black Lightning. A versatile actor and a classically trained ballet dancer, Grigoriy Dobrygin is considered one of the finest of his generation. He has won several awards, including the prestigious Silver Bear for Best Actor Award.

While he was initially trained in both theater and sports, Russian actor Ravil Isyanov later chose acting and joined the Moscow Art Theater. He later pursued an acting career in the UK and the US and gained recognition with his performance as Anatoli Kirkin in the action series NCIS: Los Angeles.

Igor Jijikine is a Russian-American actor best known for playing prominent roles in films directed by famous directors like J. J. Abrams, Clint Eastwood, and Steven Spielberg. Igor Jijikine achieved international fame after playing Colonel Dovchenko in the 2008 action-adventure film, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

Popular Russian host and actor Ivan Urgant is best known to audiences as Boris from the Yolki comedy film series. Dubbed the Russian Jimmy Kimmel, he is believed to have fled to Israel, as his show Evening Urgant was taken off the air soon after he criticized Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Mikhail Yefremov is a Russian actor who performed on stage and in films like The Romanovs: An Imperial Family and The State Counsellor. In 2020, Yefremov was sentenced to eight years in prison for causing the death of a person while driving under the influence of alcohol; Mikhail Yefremov was involved in a head-on collision with another car.

Soviet and Russian actor-singer Mikhail Boyarsky was a regular swashbuckler in films such as d'Artagnan and Three Musketeers and The Dog in the Manger. He married his acting-school mate, Russian actor Larisa Luppian, who had also been his co-star. He is known to have campaigned for the rights of smokers.

Dmitry Nagiyev is a Russian actor, musician, TV host, showman, and radio host. He is perhaps best known for his performances in series like Kamenskaya and Kitchen. Apart from appearing in films and TV host, Dmitry Nagiyev has also made contributions to the Russian theatre scene.

Oleg Menshikov is a Russian actor, occasional singer, and theatre director. He is currently associated with the Yermolova Theatre where he is the artistic director. Menshikov is best known for playing important roles in Nikita Mikhalkov's films like The Barber of Siberia and the Burnt by the Sun movie series. Oleg Menshikov is the recipient of the Laurence Olivier Award.

Vyacheslav Tikhonov was a Soviet and Russian actor best remembered for his portrayal of Max Otto von Stierlitz in the popular Soviet television series, Seventeen Moments of Spring. Vyacheslav Tikhonov was a recipient of many state awards. In 1974, he was named People's Artist of the USSR. In 1982, he was honored with the Hero of Socialist Labour title.

Initially associated with the Moscow Art Theatre, Vladimir Sokoloff later starred in countless productions in Germany and Austria and then moved to the US, where he was typecast in roles of foreigners. He is best remembered for his character roles in For Whom the Bell Tolls and The Magnificent Seven.

Fyodor Bondarchuk is a Russian film actor, director, and producer. He is also known as a TV producer and host. Bondarchuk specializes in making science fiction, war, and action films. Over the years, he has won many awards, including Golden Eagle Awards and Nika Award. Fyodor Bondarchuk is credited with founding the popular filmmaking company, Art Pictures Studio.

Oleg Tabakov was a Soviet and Russian actor who had a prolific career in both theatre and films. He is credited with founding the Sovremennik Theatre in Moscow. An influential and popular figure, Tabakov was honored with many prestigious awards such as the Golden Mask Award and USSR State Prize. He was named People's Artist of the USSR in 1988.

Feodor Chaliapin Jr. was a Russian Empire-born actor best remembered for playing important roles in numerous Italian and American films. Among his most popular roles is Jorge de Burgos in the 1986 historical mystery film, The Name of the Rose. Feodor Chaliapin Jr. also achieved international fame when he appeared in American films like Moonstruck and Stanley & Iris.

Alex Veadov is an American actor best known for playing important roles in films like Air Force One, We Own the Night, and Alterscape. Alex Veadov is also known for voicing prominent characters in popular video games like Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow and Call of Duty: Finest Hour.