Alexander Godunov | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Alexander Borisovich Godunov (1949-11-28)November 28, 1949 |
| Died | c. May 18, 1995(1995-05-18) (aged 45)[a] West Hollywood,California, U.S. |
| Citizenship | |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1958–1995 |
| Spouse | |
| Partner(s) | Jacqueline Bisset (1981–1988) |
Alexander Borisovich Godunov (Russian:Александр Борисович Годунов; November 28, 1949 – May 1995)[4] was a Russian-Americanballet dancer and film actor. A member of theBolshoi Ballet, he became the troupe'sPremier danseur. In 1979, he defected to the United States. While continuing to dance, he also began working as a supporting actor in Hollywood films. He had prominent roles in films such asWitness (1985) andDie Hard (1988).
Godunov was born inYuzhno-Sakhalinsk (Sakhalin,Russian SFSR,USSR) in theRussian Far East. He began his ballet studies at the age of nine inRiga in 1958 in the same class asMikhail Baryshnikov. He said his mother put him in ballet to prevent him from becoming "a hooligan".[5] He and Baryshnikov became friends and helped each other throughout their years there.
Godunov joined theBolshoi Ballet in 1971 and rose to becomePremier danseur. His teachers there includedAleksey Yermolayev.[6]
In 1973, Godunov won a gold medal at the Moscow International Ballet Competition.[3] He received the title ofHonored Artist of the RSFSR in 1976. After playing Vronsky in 1975'sAnna Karenina[3] and Lemisson, the Royal minstrel, in the 1978 film version ofJ. B. Priestley's31 June, he became well-known in the Soviet Union as a movie actor.
On August 21, 1979, while on a tour with theBolshoi Ballet in New York City, Godunov contacted authorities and asked for political asylum. After discovering his absence, theKGB responded by putting his wife,Lyudmila Vlasova, a soloist with the company, on a plane toMoscow, but the flight was stopped before takeoff. After three days, with involvement by PresidentJimmy Carter and Soviet leaderLeonid Brezhnev, the U.S.State Department was satisfied that Vlasova had chosen to return to the Soviet Union of her own free will and allowed the plane to depart.[7][8] The incident was dramatized in the Soviet docudrama film,Flight 222 (1985).[9] Vlasova later said that while Godunov loved American culture and had long desired to live in the United States, she felt she was "too Russian" to live in the United States.[10] The couple divorced in 1982.[5]
Godunov joinedAmerican Ballet Theatre and danced as aprincipal dancer until 1982, when he had a falling-out withMikhail Baryshnikov, the director of the company. A press release for American Ballet Theatre stated a change in the troupe's repertoire did not provide Godunov with sufficient roles. Following his release, he traveled with his own troupe and danced as a guest artist around the world with a number of prominent ballet troupes.
Godunov also began working inHollywood as a film actor.[1] His acting roles included anAmish farmer inWitness (1985), a comically narcissistic symphony conductor inThe Money Pit (1986), and one of the thieves inDie Hard (1988).[11] He declined roles that typecast him as a dancer or as an action villain, as inDie Hard.[1] In the mid-1990s, he appeared in Canadian television commercials forLabatt Ice beer.
Godunov marriedLyudmila Vlasova, a soloist with the Bolshoi Ballet, in 1971.[3] The couple had no children and divorced in 1982 after a long separation.[12]
In 1981, Godunov began dating actressJacqueline Bisset after meeting her at a party in New York City.[13] They broke up in 1988.[1]
According to authorHerbie J Pilato, Godunov had an affair with actressElizabeth Montgomery while she was in a relationship with (but not yet married to)Robert Foxworth.[14][15] Coincidentally, Godunov was found dead on the same day as Montgomery's death,[16] although it was believed he had been deceased for several days prior.
Godunov became anaturalized citizen of the United States in 1987.[5]
Godunov drank alcohol to excess, which affected his health as he got older. On May 18, 1995, Godunov's friends became concerned after an uncharacteristic lack of phone calls from him. A nurse, who had not heard from him since May 8, went to his home in the Shoreham Towers,West Hollywood, California, where his body was discovered. He had been dead for several days.[1] Godunov's death was determined to be due to complications fromhepatitis secondary to chronicalcoholism.[17][18]
Godunov was cremated, and his ashes were scattered into the Pacific Ocean. A memorial to him at Gates Mortuary in Los Angeles is engraved with the epitaph "His future remained in the past."[citation needed]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Carmen-suite | Jose | |
| 1971 | Moscow Fantasy | Young Dancer | Uncredited |
| 1975 | Anna Karenina | Alexei Vronsky | |
| 1978 | 31 June | Lemisson, The Royal Musician | |
| 1980 | A Portrait of Giselle | Himself | |
| 1983 | Godunov: The World To Dance In | Himself | |
| 1985 | Witness | Daniel Hochleitner | |
| 1986 | The Money Pit | Max Beissart, The Maestro | |
| 1988 | Die Hard | Karl Vreski | Main Cast |
| 1990 | The Runestone | Sigvaldson, The Clockmaker | |
| 1992 | Waxwork II: Lost in Time | Scarabis | |
| 1994 | North | Amish Dad | |
| 1995 | Dogfighters | Lothar Krasna | (final film role) |
