Georgy Vitsin

Georgy Vitsin

Georgy Mikhailovich Vitsin (Russian: Гео́ргий Миха́йлович Ви́цин; April 23, 1917 – October 23, 2001) was a Soviet and Russian actor.

Biography

Born in St. Petersburg, then Petrograd, in 1918 (official data, but, as a matter of fact, he was born in Terioki, former Finland, now Zelenogorsk near St. Petersburg, Russia), Vitsin enjoyed a long acting career and continued performing until close to the end of his life. Apart from playing with Nikulin and Morgunov, he appeared in dozens of films that earned him the adoration of millions.

Modest and sympathetic characters played by Vitsin evoked kindly feelings of viewers. At the same time the actor played in detective, historical and lyrical feature films.

His first film roles date to the 1940s. He gained nationwide popularity in the former Soviet Union with the emergence of a series of 1960s comedies by director Leonid Gaidai. He played the role of the Coward among a trio of colorful, scheming characters in such Gaidai movies as Bootleggers (1962), Operation Y and Other Adventures of Shurik (1965), and Kidnapping, Caucasus Style (1967). The last two subsequently beat the Soviet all time record of ticket sales. The trio of actors, including the late Yuri Nikulin and Yevgeny Morgunov, was "the most popular ensemble in the history of the national cinema." In 1990, he was awarded the top artistic title of the Soviet era, that of People's Artist of the Soviet Union.

In spite of the plenty of his characters Vitsin’s talent deserved something greater and he never played the major role of his life. “Vitsin is awfully gifted and both of us together are not worth his finger”, his partners Nikulin and Morgunov said about him.

According to an Oscar-winning film director Nikita Mikhalkov, Vitsin was "was one of those rare people and actors whom upon meeting, you immediately feel as if they must know just as much about you as you know about them." According to Mikhalkov, Vitsin was also rare in that his popularity did not affect his personality. He was modest to the point that even in the years leading up to his death, when his financial circumstances were abysmal, he never asked for help.

During the last seven years of his life Georgi Vitsin did not act in films and appeared only in comic concerts of the Theatre of Film Actor.

On October 23, 2001 the People’s Artist of the Soviet Union died. Georgy Vitsin was buried at Vagankovo Cemetery, Moscow.

A monument to Georgi Vitsin was set up in Zelenogorsk in 2008 marking the town’s 460th jubilee and the 90th anniversary since the actor’s birthday.

Awards

• People's Artist of the USSR (1990)

Filmography

1. 1944 — Ivan the Terrible — oprichnik
2. 1951 — Belinsky — Nikolai Gogol
3. 1952 — Man of Music — Nikolai Gogol
4. 1954 — The Reserve — Vasia Vesnushkin
5. 1955 — Мексиканец
6. 1955 — Maxim Perepelitsa — дед Мусий
7. 1955 — Twelfth Night — sir Andrew
8. 1956 — She loves you — Kostya Canareykin
9. 1956 — Murder on Dante Street — Pitu
10. 1957 — Борец и клоун — Enrico
11. 1957 — Don Quixote — Sanson Carrasco
12. 1957 — Новый аттракцион — Semion Iljich
13. 1958 — Жених с того света — Ficusov
14. 1958 — Девушка с гитарой — buyer
15. 1959 — Василий Суриков — Ilya Repin
16. 1959 — Я был спутником Солнца
17. 1960 — Конец старой Берёзовки
18. 1961 — Пёс Барбос и необычный кросс — Coward
19. 1961 — Bootleggers — Coward
20. 1961 — Артист из Кохановки — Дед Кузьма
21. 1962 — Путь к причалу — интеллигент в вытрезвителе
22. 1963 — Short stories
23. 1963 — Kain XVIII — executioner
24. 1963 — Деловые люди — Sam
25. 1963 — Первый троллейбус — drunk man
26. 1963 — Слепая птица — Эпизод
27. 1964 — Balzaminov's Marriage — Misha Balzaminov
28. 1964 — Зайчик — помощник режисс`ра
29. 1964 — Сказка о потерянном времени — злой волшебник Андрей Андреевич
30. 1964 — Весенние хлопоты — Дядя Пудя
31. 1965 — Дайте жалобную книгу — Coward
32. 1965 — Operation Y and Other Adventures of Shurik — Coward
33. 1965 — Дорога к морю
34. 1966 — Кто придумал колесо?
35. 1966 — Kidnapping, Caucasian Style — Coward
36. 1966 — Формула радуги
37. 1967 — Спасите утопающего
38. 1968 — Семь стариков и одна девушка — Coward
39. 1968 — Старая, старая сказка — wizard
40. 1969 — В тринадцатом часу ночи — Овинный
41. 1969 — Кабачок «13 стульев» — pan Cypa
42. 1970 — Шаг с крыши — englishman
43. 1970 — Как мы искали Тишку — Старшина Степанов
44. 1970 — Опекун — Тебеньков
45. 1971 — Весенняя сказка — Tsar Berendey
46. 1971 — 12 стульев — монтёр Мечников
47. 1971 — Gentlemen of Fortune — Gavrila Sheremetev (Sad Sack)
48. 1971 — Тень — doctor
49. 1972 — Табачный капитан — cook
50. 1972 — Смертный враг
51. 1973 — … А вы любили когда-нибудь? — Вторая бабушка и Олин папа
52. 1973 — The Sannikov Land — Ignaty
53. 1973 — Неисправимый лгун — Алексей Иванович Тютюрин
54. 1973 — Chipollino — lawer Vetch
55. 1974 — Дорогой мальчик — Macintosh
56. 1974 — Моя судьба — пьяный
57. 1974 — Северная рапсодия — Продавец
58. 1974 — Tsarevich Prosha — «King Katorz IX»
59. 1975 — Finist - Yasnyy sokol — Agafon
60. 1975 — Шаг навстречу — человек в буфете
61. 1975 — Автомобиль, скрипка и собака Клякса — Banjo/Guitar
62. 1975 — Не может быть! — папаша
63. 1975 — Большой аттракцион — Gankin
64. 1976 — Пастух Янка — Принц Кукимор
65. 1976 — Весёлое сновидение, или Смех и слёзы — Кривелло
66. 1976 — Пока бьют часы — Дедушка, Великий садовник
67. 1976 — The Blue Bird — Shugar
68. 1976 — Двенадцать стульев — гробовщик Безенчук
69. 1977 — Маринка, Янка и тайны королевского замка — Принц Кукимор
70. 1977 — Солнце, снова солнце
71. 1980 — Borrowing Matchsticks — Tahvo Kenonen, tailor
72. 1980 — Комедия давно минувших дней — Coward
73. 1982 — Чародеи — cat's voice
74. 1985 — Соперницы — Дедушка
75. 1985 — Опасно для жизни! — Чоколов
76. 1986 — Путешествие пана Кляксы
77. 1986 — Я вожатый форпоста
78. 1992 — Выстрел в гробу — полковник Закусняк
79. 1993 — Бравые парни — Griboyedov
80. 1994 — Господа артисты — Neil Palych
81. 1994 — A Few Love Stories — Форнари
82. 1994 — Hagi-Tragger — Genrikh Yanovich

External links

• Georgy Vitsin at the Internet Movie Database
• Georgi Vitsin