Soviet director and actor Vladimir Menshov passed away on Sunday at age 82 from coronavirus, according to a press release released by Mosfilm. “We have lost a dear friend at Mosfilm, a man who used all his creative powers and rich talent in his work at the film studio,” they wrote.
He is best known for his directorial work. He debuted in 1976 with “Practical Joke”, and following a warm reception, released his best-known work, “Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears” (1980). The story follows three young women in Soviet Moscow and the trials and tribulations they face in their work, romantic, and family lives.
It broke Soviet box-office records but was met with mixed reviews from Western critics. Despite this, the film was awarded an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 1981, and Menshov was given the State Prize of the U.S.S.R., one of many awards he received for his work.
Menshov was also well-known as an actor. He is credited in over 100 films, most notably “How Czar Peter the Great Married Off His Moor” (1976), “Where is the Nophelet?” (1988), “Night Watch” (2004), “Day Watch” (2006) and “Legend № 17” (2013), for which he received a Golden Eagle Award as Best Supporting Actor in 2014.
In recent years, Menshov was the general director and art director of “Film Studio Genre,” a subsidiary of Mosfilm.
No announcements regarding funeral arrangements have been made.
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