Published on: 2026-09-02
Source: Moscow Government – Правительства Москвы –
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Yevgeny Leonov was born on September 2, 1926, into a very simple family: his father was an engineer working at an aircraft factory, and his mother took care of the household and raising the sons. The theatrical stage interested him from a very young age, and already in fifth grade the boy joined a drama club. The Great Patriotic War made adjustments: by the summer of 1941, he had completed only seven grades. He had to interrupt his studies and became an apprentice turner at the same factory where his father worked.
In 1942, Evgeny enrolled in an aviation technical school, and his passion for theater resurfaced. After three years of study at the technical school, he decided to apply to the drama department of the Moscow Theater Studio. In 1947, he joined the Moscow Dzerzhinsky District Theater, which did not last long and was disbanded. Nevertheless, Evgeny Leonov was lucky: he was accepted into Moscow Dramatic Theatre named after K.S. Stanislavsky (“Electroteatr Stanislavsky”, subordinate to the Moscow Department of Culture), where he served for almost 20 years and played more than 30 roles. It was here that his comedic talent, beloved by the audience, was revealed, but the actor easily embodied completely opposite characters as well. One of his most successful theatrical performances of that period was the role in the play “Antigone” (1966): his King Creon was harsh, pragmatic, and quite cynical.
“Clearly, the issue here is not antiquity, but that our contemporaries, people who faced the beastly face of fascism, were resolving the same problems for themselves — problems of honor and duty, life and death. So why, half a century later, can we no longer enter into the circumstances of these people, relive their ordeal anew, and instead must present suffering and feats as an elaborate intellectual puzzle? Naturally, what problem preoccupied the author? The problem of the enslavement of the human personality and the resistance of the individual to violence. Has this problem been resolved in the modern world, become purely historical for us? Not at all. Every day we must defend ourselves, our personality, from thousands of encroachments: global — the threat of war, and petty, vile bureaucratic obedience that has penetrated almost all institutions and organizations. You see, son, a truly genuine play can only be about us. The rest is adaptation, packaging, method, but the essence is about us; such is the mechanism of living art, for acting art is alive, it is not separate from human life. A character, in whatever costume he may be dressed, breathes with your chest and cries with your tears” — so Evgeny Pavlovich reflected on this work in his famous “Letters to a Son.”
1968 — the beginning of a new period: Leonov left for Mayakovsky Theatre, which was led by his former teacher Andrey Goncharov. He served there for several years, played three roles, all — bright and memorable. Even years later, the artist said that Sancho Panza in <em>The Man of La Mancha</em> (1972) was one of his favorite roles. And overall, the play became iconic: almost for the first time in the history of Soviet theater, the word “musical” appeared on the posters. Leonov’s partners — by then already a famous film actor — were Alexander Lazarev and Tatiana Doronina. After that, he was awarded the title of People’s Artist of the USSR.
“Man of La Mancha.” Remembering the legendary play of the Mayakovsky Theatre
Lenkom
In 1974, Yevgeny Leonov, being a recognized master of comedy, moved into Lenin Komsomol Theater (now the Lenkom Theatre of Mark Zakharov). He had seven roles in this theatre, but it was in these that the actor’s dramatic talent was fully revealed. Mark Zakharov immediately entrusted him with the most complex material — the role of Lamme Goedzak, the friend of the main character in the play “Till” based on the novel “The Legend of Ulenspiegel” by Charles de Coster. The play told of the heroic liberation struggle of the Dutch people against Spanish oppression. The play was a tremendous success, and Lamme Goedzak became one of the actor’s favorite roles. He later wrote:
“Zaharov’s first performances stunned many. Mark Anatolyevich was known as a capable, searching director from the productions of the MSU student theater and especially the Satire Theater. And then — “Til,” “The Star and Death of Joaquin Murieta”: loud, colorful, with plenty of music, dance, physicality, movement… One review wrote that Zaharov uses techniques of modern pop shows in these performances. Whether the critic was praising or lamenting… For me, as for many, the theater’s appeal to the experience of cinema, television, pop music, and other forms of mass culture seems quite natural. By the way, cinema, television, and pop music themselves actively use theatrical means. Zaharov proved the legitimacy of such a theatrical style at least by the fact that these performances have been successful for several years with a wide range of audience, especially the youth. Let this direction live and develop in our theater. I’m in favor. It’s a pity I — being fat and clumsy — cannot participate in it. But I repeat: I’m for it.”
The next work was in the production “Ivanov” based on the play of the same name by Anton Chekhov, whom Yevgeny Leonov adored. He played the main role in it. In 1978, he transformed into the father in the play “The Thief,” and in 1979 — into a peasant messenger in the “Revolutionary Etude” based on the work of Soviet playwright Mikhail Shatrov. The play was dedicated to the 110th anniversary of Vladimir Lenin’s birth and illustrated one day in the life of the leader. Oleg Yankovsky shone in the lead role, and his dialogue with Leonov became one of the most powerful scenes of the production.
In “The Optimistic Tragedy” based on the play by Vsevolod Vishnevsky, Leonov once again appeared before the public in a deep dramatic role, playing a cruel but insanely charismatic leader. This work, like other similar ones, was not easy for the actor (although the audience was delighted): there was no cruelty in his own character.
In 1986, Mark Zakharov offered him the role of the defendant in the play “Dictatorship of Conscience” based on the work of the same Shatrov. The theater toured extensively with this production, including abroad, and in Hamburg the actor fell ill — he experienced clinical death and spent 16 days in a coma.
“Memorial Prayer”
Having barely recovered from the coma, he immediately returned to the stage — to work. He was awaited by the play “Fiddler on the Roof” and the leading role of Tevye the milkman. The play was written by Grigory Gorin based on the cycle of stories by Sholom Aleichem “Tevye the Milkman” (translation by Mikhail Shambadal) — a classic of Jewish literature. In this play, the actor appeared on stage with his son Andrey Leonov — who played the young scribe Fedya.
The life story of the Jewish milkman Tevye is a series of trials: his daughters, whom he loves more than life itself, one after another choose their own difficult paths, challenging traditions and the patriarchal order. And through all the misfortunes, Tevye carries his faith, humor, and fierce dignity. The role was performed masterfully, and the audience did not hide their tears: Tevye’s monologues, addressed to the heavens—sometimes sorrowful, sometimes ironic—set the right tone for the entire production. For this work, in 1992 the actor was awarded the State Prize of the Russian Federation in the field of literature and arts.
On the evening of January 29, 1994, Yevgeny Leonov was preparing to go to the theater for another performance of “A Mourning Prayer,” but in an instant, he was gone — a blood clot had broken free. Instead of the curtain rising, the audience received the devastatingly sad news. Yet no one went to the box office to return their tickets that day — the spectators mourned together with the family and the troupe, standing for several hours at the theater entrance holding candles.
Today at Lenkom, the legacy of Evgeny Pavlovich is treated with great care. The theater continues to stage performances dedicated to him. After the actor’s death Memorial prayer For a long time it was not performed, but in 2021 the production was revived by director and actor Alexander Lazarev. The honor to play the role of Tevye was given to Andrey Leonov and Sergey Stepanchenco.
On the 100th anniversary of the actor’s birth, the premiere of the production will take place “The Elder Son, or Letters to a Son. Dedicated to Yevgeny Leonov” starring Andrey Leonov. In it, the artistic director of the theater, director Vladimir Pankov, combines the plot of Alexander Vampilov’s play with material from Yevgeny Leonov’s memoirs. It refers to the book “Letters to My Son,” published in 1992. In it, the actor talks about his work, offers kind parental advice, and reflects on life:
“Maybe my life in the theater seems like some kind of ascent to you. From the outside, many think: here is a lucky person who has gradually, but always, moved forward, climbed up. You know, I have these ‘sanitary days,’ that’s what I call them myself. I live, live, and then I start to think: what have I played? and what does it mean to me? and aren’t these roles too similar? Sometimes I can’t understand if something is good or not so good…”
Associate Professor, Shuleikin and the voice of Winnie the Pooh
Yevgeny Leonov was one of the most famous and beloved film actors in the country. His debut took place in 1948, when he played minor roles in the films “Happy Flight” and “Pencil on Ice” by Vladimir Nemolyaev. But he truly became a star, recognized on the streets, in 1961 when Vladimir Fetin’s comedy “Striped Trip” was released. He brilliantly played the buffet attendant Shuleykin, who by fate had to tame predators. The actor recalled in his book:
“We arrived at the ship, very beautiful. The director and the cameraman came up to me and said: ‘Don’t worry, we’ve come up with a very funny episode. We’ll put you in a cage, release the tigers, and see what happens.’ I said: ‘No, I don’t agree. I have a family, a small son, I’m against it.’ Of course, they persuaded me, since I had agreed to appear in this film. They all hid themselves.”
In 1964, he starred in “Don Tale” based on stories by Mikhail Sholokhov. The role of the Cossack Yakov Shibalok, a machine gunner in the Red detachment torn between military duty and love, earned him awards at the All-Union Festival in Kiev and the 3rd International Festival in New Delhi. Another award, a prize at the festival of contemporary cinematography in Karlovy Vary, he received for the role of locksmith, former intelligence commander Ivan Prikhodko in the film “Belorussian Station.” His co-stars included Anatoly Papanov, Alexei Glazyrin, Vsevolod Safonov. The film about front-line friends meeting many years after Victory is considered one of the best films about the Great Patriotic War.
The entire country also applauded Volodya Oreshnikov’s roles in Eldar Ryazanov’s “Zigzag of Luck.” But the truly iconic film was Alexander Serov’s work based on the screenplay by Georgy Danelia and Viktoria Tokareva “Gentlemen of Fortune,” where Leonov played two characters at once: the quiet, intellectual Yevgeny Ivanovich Troshkin, the director of a kindergarten in Cheremushki, and the dangerous recidivist Docent. The lines spoken by the actor instantly became widely quoted. To prepare for the role, the actor visited a real prison, observing the everyday life and habits of the inmates.
One of his most remarkable works is in the film “Eldest Son” by Vitaly Melnikov, where he played the father of the Sarafanov family, raising the children alone. The role of the student Busygin, pretending to be his third son, was performed by Nikolai Karachentsov.
Leonov has more than 70 film roles to his credit. He can be seen in films such as “Say a Word for the Poor Hussar,” “Thirty-Three,” “To Kill a Dragon,” “Mimino,” “Kin-dza-dza,” and “An Ordinary Miracle.” For his work in “Autumn Marathon,” he received awards at film festivals in San Sebastian and Dushanbe, as well as the RSFSR State Prize named after the Vasilyev brothers; for “The Prize,” he received the USSR State Prize; and for the series “And That’s All About Him,” he was awarded the Lenin Komsomol Prize.
Yevgeny Leonov did a lot of dubbing. For example, he lent his voice to the good-natured bear Winnie-the-Pooh in the famous cartoons, the Tsar in “Vasilisa the Beautiful,” and many other characters. And his appearance was shared with the hobbit Bilbo Baggins — the actor’s image inspired artist Mikhail Belomlinsky to create illustrations for the famous 1976 Soviet edition of “The Hobbit.”
Behind the comedic charm of the actor always hid a true dramatic depth. Those fans of his work who want to truly get to know Yevgeny Leonov can read his “Letters to his son” or attend the tribute performance at Lenkom, where the father’s work is continued by the son.
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