Advanced search

Aleksandr Kuznetsov is a Ukrainian-Russian actor based in London, UK. He was born on July 22, 1992, in Sevastopol, Ukraine. His father was a sailor, and Aleksandr briefly worked alongside him before beginning his acting career. Kuznetsov felt creatively limited in Sevastopol and moved first to Kiev and then Moscow to pursue his education. In 2015, he graduated from the Russian Institute of Theatre Arts (GITIS) and received offers to work at three of Moscow's most reputable theaters. He chose the Chekhov Moscow Art Theatre where he started as a leading actor the same year. In addition to film and television, he had performed in numerous theater productions for a several years, before he made a decision to quit theater and focus on the movie career.

After the release of his first film, "The Scythian," followed soon after by the film "Leto" (The Summer), which was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, Kuznetsov became a rising star in Russia and parts of Europe. In addition to several roles in Russian films and television series, he was a lead in the internationally syndicated Russian Netflix television series "Better Than Us" and the French film "Mon Legionnaire" (Our Men), by director Rachel Lang. He also starred as the character Krzystof in the HBO series "Kamikaze." His role as Helmut in "Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore" is his first role in a major international film franchise.

Kuznetsov has criticized the war in Ukraine and, as of April of 2022, no longer resides in Russia.

Kuznetsov plays guitar and sings vocals for an alternative rock band, which performs in English. His music and theatrical performances have been heavily influenced by Brit pop and punk music. He has been trained in acrobatics and as a stuntman and has a black belt in Aikido. He is also an avid boxer.

Kseniia Mishyna was born on 18 June 1989 in Sevastopol, Ukrainian SSR, USSR. She is an actress, known for The Silence (2021), #Selfieparty (2016) and Black Rose (2014).

Viktoriya Dov was born on 1 May 1992 in Sevastopol, Ukraine. She is an actress and producer, known for Dave (2020), Hollywood Heist and Alice in Chains: Black Antenna (2019).

Aleksandra Nikiforova was born on 16 February 1993 in Sevastopol, Ukraine. She is an actress, known for Detective Anna (2016), Doktor Krasnov (2023) and Komandir (2024).

Ivy Bethune was born on 1 June 1918 in Sevastopol, Russia [now Crimea, Ukraine]. She was an actress, known for Back to the Future (1985), Get Smart (2008) and Will to Die (1971). She was married to Stuart Lancaster and William Charles Bethune. She died on 19 July 2019 in Woodland Hills, California, USA.

Igor Voloshin was born in 1974 in Sevastopol. He worked as an actor and director at the Sevastopol Youth Drama Theatre before graduating from the Russian State Institute of Cinematography (VGIK) in 2000. His short documentary Bitch won the award for Best First Appearance at the IDFA in Amsterdam as well as the FIPRESCI Award for Best Debut.

In 2004 Igor Voloshin was awarded the Triumph Prize for achievement in the art. In 2005 Mr. Voloshin received a grant for screenwriting from the Hubert Bals Fund at the Rotterdam IFF.

2008 - World Premiere Berlinale 2008 - "Nirvana" first feature.

2010 - World Premiere Berlinale 2010 - "I'am" second feature.

In 2010 jointly with producer Alexander Orlov Voloshin sets up a film production company Bulldozerfilms. In 2011 Bulldozerfilms enters the market with short Atlantic motion picture as part of Experement 5ive project starring Denis Lavant("Holy Motors, director Leos Carax) and Marc Barbe ("La Vie en rose", director Olivier Dahan). In July 2011 the international premier of Bedouin, Voloshin's latest full-length feature film, was celebrated at 46th International Karlovy Vary Film Festival.

Presently Igor Voloshin is elaborating a new project starring Russian comedy icon Sergey Svetlakov.

Irina Grigoreva was born on 10 July 1973 in Sevastopol, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Russia]. She is an actress, known for Sezon okhoty (1997), Khoroshie i plokhie (2000) and Black Sea 213 (2000).

Vladimir Korenev was born on 20 June 1940 in Sevastopol, Krymskaya ASSR, RSFSR, USSR [now Ukraine]. He was an actor, known for Amphibian Man (1961), Ya - aktrisa (1980) and Much Ado About Nothing (1973). He was married to Aleftina Konstantinova. He died on 2 January 2021 in Moscow, Russia.

Natalya Buzko was born on 27 November 1963 in Sevastopol, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Russia]. She is an actress, known for Vtorostepennye lyudi (2001), Diskzhokey (1988) and Angely voyny (2012).

Ekaterina Kopanova was born on 26 May 1985 in Sevastopol, Ukrainian SSR, USSR. She is an actress, known for V ozhidanii chuda (2007), S.S.D. (2008) and Tarif Novogodniy (2008). She has been married to Pavel Palkin since 2008. They have four children.

Natalya Shvets was born on 28 March 1979 in Sevastopol, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Russia]. She is an actress, known for Sputnik (2020), Rasputin (2011) and Mnogoetazhka (2022).

Igor Cassini was born Igor Aleksandrovich Loiewski on September 15, 1915, in Russia. Igor Cassini and his elder brother, Oleg Cassini, were the sons of Russian diplomat Alexander Loiewski and his wife, Countess Marguerite Cassini, a Russian-Italian aristocrat. His maternal grandfather, Arthur Paul Nicholas, Marquis de Capuzzuchi di Bologna, Count de Cassini, worked for the Russian Tsar Nicholas II as a diplomat in China and the United States.

Igor Cassini spent his early childhood between Russia and Kopenhagen, Denmark, where his father was a diplomat with the Russian Embassy. His family were landed aristocracy in Russia until 1917, when the communists seized their ancestral estate. At that time his father adopted his wife's Italian name of Cassini, and the family fled to Florence, Italy. There Igor Cassini and his brother helped his mother, who worked as a fashion designer of hats at the salon of Countess Fabricotti. He also traveled with his mother and elder brother to Paris twice a year, where he studied French and became fascinated with the new French fashions and lifestyle. In the 1920s-1930s Igor Cassini studied art and literature in Florence.

In 1936, fleeing from the dictatorship of Benito Mussolini, Igor Cassini moved to the United States together with his parents and elder brother. He made a career as a journalist for the Hearst newspaper chain. In 1940 he married Austine McDonnell, also a Hearst journalist and a tireless storyteller, also known as Bootsie. At the time of their marriage Igor Cassini and Bootsie both worked for the Washington Times-Herald. They had no children, and she divorced him in 1947, to become the third wife of William Randolph Hearst.

Igor Cassini ascended to the height of his influence during the 1950s, when he was a syndicated gossip columnist for the Hearst newspaper chain reaching 20 million readers. Cassini's popular 'Cholly Knickerbocker' gossip column was in fact a product of a group effort, after he hired a Texan journalist Liz Smith as a ghostwriter, who worked for him during the 1950s and early 1960s. He also was a television personality in the 1950s and 1960s and hosted 'The Igor Cassini Show' in 1953 and 1954, as well as his other television program, 'Igor Cassini Million Dollar Showcase'. Cassini was credited for coining the term "Jet set" to describe the global movements of the rich and aimless globe-hopping travelers.

He was married five times. His second wife was Elizabeth Waters, a fashion model, they had one daughter, Marina. His third wife was Charlene Stafford Wrightsman, the younger daughter of Charles B. Wrightsman, an oil mogul whose art collection fills several rooms at the Metropolitan Museum. She and Cassini had one son, Alexander. His fourth wife was Nadia Cassini, an actress and model known as Gianna Lou Muller. His fifth wife was Brenda Mitchell, with whom he had two sons, Nicholas, a professional golfer, and Dmitri and actor and skier.

Cassini was a co-director of the fashion company House of Cassini, founded by his brother, fashion designer Oleg Cassini. He also worked as a publicist and an editor. Igor Cassini died on January 5, 2002, in New York.

Antonina Nikolaevna Shuranova was born on April 30, 1936, in Sevastopol, Crimea, USSR (now in Crimea, Ukraine). She was one of three sisters raised by a single mother. Her father, named Nikolai Shuranov, was a Navy officer; he died when she was 3 years old. Her mother moved with three daughters to Leningrad just before the beginning of the siege of Leningrad during the Second World War. The Shuranovs were lucky because they were evacuated out of Leningrad at the very beginning of the siege. They returned to Leningrad after the end of WWII.

Young Shuranova was fond of art. She studied painting at children's studio at the Hermitage Museum in Leningrad (St. Petersburg). There she had her first acting experience at the Hermitage Theatre. During the 1950's she studied at Leningrad Horticultural College; after graduation she worked at the Leningrad Department of Parks and Gardens for three years. From 1958-1962 Shuranova studied at the Leningrad Institute of Theatre, Music, and Cinematography with professor Tatiana Soinikova, and graduated with honors as an actress.

From 1962-1988 she was a permanent member of the Bryantsev Theatre for Young Audience in St. Petersburg. There she worked with the renown theatrical director Zinovi Korogodsky. During the 1960's and 1970's she was at the height of her film career. In 1976, Shuranova left her husband, a medical doctor, and married her stage partner actor Aleksandr Khochinsky. Their home at Pokrovsky area in St. Petersburg was an informal meeting place for the St. Petersburg cultural milieu.

Shuranova shot to fame in 1966 after her film debut as Princess Mariya opposite Anatoli Ktorov in War and Peace (1965) by director Sergey Bondarchuk. She made a remarkable performance as Nadezhda von Mekk opposite Innokentiy Smoktunovskiy in _Chaikovskiy (1969)_. Shuranova was designated the title of People's Artist of Russia (1980). She was awarded the "Golden Seashell" for her role in Unfinished Piece for the Player Piano (1977). She played over 20 roles in film and television, and also played over 50 roles on stage.

From 1995-2003 Shuranova was a permanent member of the troupe at Theatre of Satire on Vasilevsky in St. Petersburg. Her last work on stage was her remarkable performance in the role of Vassa Zheleznova in the eponymous play by Maxim Gorky. Antonina Shuranova died on February 5, 2003, in St. Petersburg, Russia and was laid to rest in Serafimovskoe Cemetery in st. Petersburg, Russia.

Nikolai Trofimov was born on January 20, 1920, in Sevastopol, USSR (now Ukraine). His parents were industrial workers. Young Trofimov began acting at school from the age of 10. From 1937- 1946 he studied under Boris Zon at the Theatrical Institute in Leningrad. His studies were interrupted by the Second World War. Trofimov worked as an actor with the troupe of Isaak Dunaevskiy during the siege of Leningrad. He was entertaining defenders and survived the hunger and horrors of the Second World War. From 1946-1963 he worked at the Lenigrad Theatre of Comedy under Nikolai Akimov.

From 1964-2005 Trofimov was a permanent member of the legendary troupe of Bolshoi Drama Theatre (BDT) in St. Petersburg (Leningrad) under directorship of Georgi Tovstonogov. Trofimov worked with Tovstonogov for 25 years. After the death of Tovstonogov, Trofimov continued his work with an outstanding ensemble of actors at BDT. There his stage partners were such stars as Oleg Basilashvili, Tatyana Doronina, Alisa Freyndlikh, Lyudmila Makarova, Svetlana Kryuchkova, Zinaida Sharko, Valentina Kovel, Innokentiy Smoktunovskiy, Sergey Yurskiy, Kirill Lavrov, Oleg Borisov, Vladislav Strzhelchik, Yefim Kopelyan, Evgeniy Lebedev, Vsevolod Kuznetsov, Pavel Luspekayev, Georgiy Shtil, Leonid Nevedomsky, Vadim Medvedev, Yuriy Demich, Roman Gromadskiy, Gennadiy Bogachyov, Andrey Tolubeev, and many other remarkable Russian actors. Among Trofimov's best remembered stage works were the roles in "Tri sestry" (The Three Sisters) by Anton Chekhov (1968), "Khanuma", and "Revizor" (Inspector-General) by Nikolay Gogol.

Nikolai Trofimov was designated the title of People's Artist of the USSR. He received numerous awards and decorations for his works on stage and in film. His filmography includes over 60 roles, he also played over 100 roles on stage. Nikolai Trofimov died on November 7, 2005, in St. Petersburg, and was laid to rest in the "Literatorskie mostki" Necropolis of The Masters of Art at Volkovskoe Cemetery in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Rimma Bykova was born on 5 May 1926 in Sevastopol, Crimean ASSR, RSFSR, USSR. She was an actress and production manager, known for Gribnoy dozhd (1982), Osennyaya istoriya (1979) and Pod znakom Krasnogo kresta (1987). She was married to Viktor Leskov, Innokentiy Smoktunovskiy and Yasinskiy. She died on 11 April 2008 in Moscow, Russia.

Valeriy Yaremenko was born on 21 October 1961 in Sevastopol, Ukrainian SSR, USSR. He is an actor, known for Police Academy: Mission to Moscow (1994), Mona (2012) and Savva Morozov (2007).

Elena Kolesnichenko was born on 8 November 1982 in Sevastopol, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Russia]. She is an actress, known for Inseparable (2013), Pes (2015) and Ametistovaya seryozhka (2018).

Nikita Tezin was born on 9 July 1987 in Sevastopol, Ukraine, USSR. He is an actor, known for Battle for Sevastopol (2015), Better Than Us (2018) and Ya ne mogu bez tebya (2024).

Valeria Shpak (born on May 5th) is an actress of Ukrainian origin. Valeria speaks and acts in Ukrainian, English, Russian and German. Also starred in 'SHTTL' in Yiddish language, which she worked on with an accent coach specially for filming. She was born in Sevastopol, Ukraine. At the age of 17 moved to Kyiv to get a Degree in IT (studying in English, the only Program in Ukraine) in National Aviation University. During this time she visits an Acting Studio as a hobby. After getting a Degree in IT, she decides to get a Degree in Acting, so she passes exams successfully and enters the National Academy of Culture and Arts. This moment her Acting career begins.

Elza Lezhdey was born on 19 February 1933 in Sevastopol, Crimean ASSR, Russian SFSR, USSR [now Crimea, Ukraine]. She was an actress, known for Sledstvie vedut znatoki (1971), Ballad of a Soldier (1959) and Poludennyy vor (1985). She was married to Vsevolod Safonov and Vladimir Naumov. She died on 13 June 2001 in Moscow, Russia.

Nikolai Gusarov was born on 20 November 1940 in Sevastopol, Crimean ASSR, Russian SFSR, USSR [now Crimea, Ukraine]. He was an actor and director, known for Vverkh tormashkami (1992), Kazachya byl (1999) and Dikoe pole (1991). He died on 17 April 2022.

Ekaterina Dubakina was born on 2 November 1989 in Sevastopol, Crimean Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, USSR. She is an actress, known for Moya prekrasnaya nyanya (2004), Zhara (2006) and The Method (2015).

Anton Shkaplerov was born on 20 February 1972 in Sevastopol, USSR. He is an actor, known for The Challenge (2023), Astrosamantha, the Space Record Woman (2016) and Vremya (1968).

Pavel Stont was born on 30 September 1995 in Sevastopol, Russia. He is an actor, known for Skhvatka (2024), Elastiko. Dvenadtsatyy igrok (2022) and Streets of Broken Lights (1998).

Lenny Levi was born on 21 June 1979 in Sevastopol, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Ukraine]. He is an actor and producer, known for Guardians (2017), Coma (2019) and Mafia: Game of Survival (2016).