 Russian "Spielberg" - Nikita Mikhalkov, also an Oscar winner was born on October, 21, 1945, a son of a well-known Russian poet Sergey Vladimirovich Mikhalkov, who provided lyrics for the Russian anthem, and Natalya Petrovna Konchalovskaya, also a poet.
As a child he was exposed to genuine literary talk at home, which was a fulcrum for a Russian art community. Mikhalkov was educated at the state film school VGIK and graduated in 1971 with a short film "Quiet Day at War's End" as his degree project.
He quickly established himself as one of the most promising Russian directors with a vision of his own. Fame and recognition came with "At Home among Strangers" (1974) - a crime story set against the backdrop of a civil war. A biopic about a silent movie star "Slave of Love" (1976), "An Unfinished Piece for a Player Piano" (1977), and "A Few Days in the Life of I.I.Oblomov" (1979) - the latter two inspired by the themes from the Russian classical literature - were praised for technical brilliance.
Mikhalkov often starred in his films and occasionally appeared in other directors` movies. "Five Evenings" (1979) and "Kinfolk" (1981) combined comedy and drama in consideration of important issues of the day. As his fame and international audience grew, his films never went unnoticed at prestigious European film festivals and earned him numerous awards. "Dark Eyes" (1987) - a love story loosely based on Chekhov`s novel, "Hitch-hiking" (1990), and "Close to Eden" (1991) enjoyed popularity with cinema-goers and got widespread critical acclaim.
Mikhalkov`s personal ambition was to repeat a success of "The Cranes Are Flying" - the only Russian film to have won the Palme d`Or at the Cannes Festival. In 1994 his Stalin era drama "Burnt by the Sun" was overshadowed by Tarantino`s Pulp Fiction at Cannes and upon returning home he made some unpleasant remarks about "those people in France neglecting masterpieces" and vowed never to take part in any film festival again. So far he has kept his promise. "Burnt by the Sun", however, became a hit of its own and won an Academy Award (Oscar) for the Best Foreign Film. Mikhalkov became the third Russian director to receive Oscar after Sergei Bondarchuk (in 1961) and Vladimir Menshov (in 1980). Because of his controversial political views he fell from public favor in the late 1990s, although his "The Barber of Siberia" (1998) - a grandiose, big budget romance set in the 19c. Russia became a runaway box office success. Opinions on his directing polarize. Some view him as the greatest living Russian film-maker. The others say that he is a typical old school director who fails to produce new ideas in his films.
Filmography as actor:
1.Utomlyonnye solntsem 2 (2007) (post-production) Burnt by the Sun 2
2.12 (2007)
3.Quiet Flows the Don (2006)
4.Mne ne bolno (2006) It Doesn't Hurt
5.Persona non grata (2005)
6.Zhmurki (2005) Blind Man's Bluff
7.Statskiy sovetnik (2005) The State Counsellor
8.Vera, nadezhda, krov' (2000) Belief, Hope and Blood
9.Sibirskiy tsiryulnik (1998) The Barber of Siberia
10.Revizor (1996) Inspector
11.Utomlyonnye solntsem (1994) Burnt by the Sun
12.Prekrasnaya neznakomka (1992) A Beautiful Stranger
13.Urga (1991) (uncredited) Territory of Love
14.Unizhennye i oskorblyonnye (1991) The Insulted and the Injured
15.Pod severnym siyaniyem (1990) Under Northern Lights
16.Zhestokiy romans (1984) A Cruel Romance
17.Inspektor GAI (1982) Traffic Officer
18.Polyoty vo sne i nayavu (1982) Flying Asleep and Awake
19.Vokzal dlya dvoikh (1982) A Railway Station for Two
20.Dva golosa (1981) (TV) Two Voices
21.Portret zheny khudozhnika (1981) A Painter's Wife Portrait
22.Priklyucheniya Sherloka Kholmsa i doktora Vatsona: Sobaka Baskerviley (1981) (TV) The Hound of the Baskervilles
23.Rodnya (1981) Relatives
24.Sibiriada (1979) Siberiade
25.Neokonchennaya pyesa dlya mekhanicheskogo pianino (1977) Unfinished Piece for Mechanical Piano
26.Raba lyubvi (1976) Slave of Love
27.Svoy sredi chuzhikh, chuzhoy sredi svoikh (1974) Friend Among Strangers, Stranger Among Friends
28.Stantsionnyy smotritel (1972) (TV) The Stationmaster
29.Derzhis za oblaka (1971) Hold on to the Clouds
30.Krasnaya palatka (1969) The Red Tent (USA)
31.Dvoryanskoe gnezdo (1969) Nobiliary Nest
32.Pesn o Manshuk (1969) Song About Manshuk
33.Voyna i mir (1968) (uncredited) War and Peace
34.Csillagosok, katonák (1967) The Red and the White
35.Ne samyy udachnyy den (1966) Not the Luckiest Day
36.Shutochka (1966) (TV) A Small Joke
37.Voyna i mir I: Andrey Bolkonskiy (1965) Year as Long as Life
38.Pereklichka (1965) Roll-Call
39.Ya shagayu po Moskve (1963) Walking the Streets of Moscow
40.Priklyucheniya Krosha (1961) Adventures of Krosh
41.Tuchi nad Borskom (1960) Clouds Over Borsk
42.Solntse svetit vsem (1959) The Sun Shines for All
As director:
1.Utomlyonnye solntsem 2 (2007) Burnt by the Sun 2
2.12 (2007)
3.Sibirskiy tsiryulnik (1998) The Barber of Siberia
4."Nikita Mikhalkov. Sentimentalnoe puteshestvie na rodinu. Muzyka russkoy zhivopisi" (1995) TV Series. Nikita Mikhalkov. A Sentimental Trip Home. Music of Russian Painting
5.Utomlyonnye solntsem (1994) Burnt by the Sun
6.Anna: Ot shesti do vosemnadtsati (1993) Anna: From Six Till Eighteen
7.Vspominaya Chekhova (1993) Remembering Chekhov
8.Urga (1991) Territory of Love
9.Avtostop (1990) Hitch-hiking
10.Illyuziya (1989) (TV)
11.Oci ciornie (1987) Dark Eyes
12.Bez svideteley (1983) In Private
13.Rodnya (1981) Relatives
14.Pyat vecherov (1979) Five Evenings
15.Neskolko dney iz zhizni I.I. Oblomova (1979) A Few Days in the Life of I.I. Oblomov
16.Neokonchennaya pyesa dlya mekhanicheskogo pianino (1977) Unfinished Piece for Mechanical Piano
17.Raba lyubvi (1976) Slave of Love
18.Svoy sredi chuzhikh, chuzhoy sredi svoikh (1974) Friend Among Strangers, Stranger Among Friends
19.Spokoynyy den v kontse voyny (1970) Quiet Day at War's End
20.Devochka i veshchi (1967)
As producer:
1.Utomlyonnye solntsem 2 (2007) Burnt by the Sun 2
2.Statskiy sovetnik (2005) (general producer) The State Counsellor
3.72 metra (2004) (producer) 72 Meters
4.Nezhnyy vozrast (2001) (producer) The Gentle Age
5.Sibirskiy tsiryulnik (1998) (co-producer) The Barber of Siberia
6.Utomlyonnye solntsem (1994) (producer) Burnt by the Sun
7.Anna: Ot shesti do vosemnadtsati (1993) (producer) Anna: From Six Till Eighteen
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