Mikhail Zharov

Biography

Mikhail Ivanovich Zharov was a renowned Soviet and Russian stage and film actor and director. He debuted in Yakov Protazanov's Aelita (1924) and gained widespread popularity with his role as Zhigan in Nikolai Ekk’s Road to Life (1931). As an actor, he excelled at infusing characters with a common quality: great lovers of life, charming, confident, and in control. He was awarded People's Artist of the USSR in 1949 for his contributions to Soviet cinematography.