Sergei Fyodorovich Bondarchuk[a] (25 September 1920 – 20 October 1994) was a Soviet and Russian actor and filmmaker who was one of the leading figures ofSoviet cinema in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.[1] He is known for his sweepingperiod dramas, includingWar and Peace (1966-67), his internationally acclaimed four-part film adaptation of Leo Tolstoy'snovel, and forWaterloo (1970), aNapoleonic War epic.
Sergei Fyodorovich Bondarchuk was born in the village ofBilozerka (now inKherson Raion,Kherson Oblast, Ukraine) on September 25, 1920, in the family ofOrthodox Christian peasants Fyodor Petrovich and Tatyana Vasilievna (nee Tokarenko). His paternal grandfather, Pyotr Konstantinovich Bondarchuk, was ethnicallyBulgarian, the grandmother, Matryona Fyodorovna Sirvulya, wasSerbian. At the time of his birth, his father was serving in theRed Army. His mother, being a deeply religious person, named her son in honor ofSergius of Radonezh and baptized him in the Annunciation Monastery nearKherson.[3]
Bondarchuk spent his childhood in the cities ofYeysk andTaganrog, graduating from the Taganrog School Number 4 in 1938. His first performance as an actor was onstage of theTaganrog Theatre in 1937. He continued studies at theRostov College of Arts (1938–1942).
After his studies, he was conscripted into theRed Army duringWorld War II againstNazi Germany. Bondarchuk took part in the initial stage of theBattle of the Caucasus, then was reorganized into theDon Front. From October 19 to December 8, 1942, he fought atStalingrad, took part inOperation Uranus. He was decorated for his courage in battle and was discharged with honors in 1946.
In 1948, Bondarchuk made his film debut inThe Young Guard directed bySergei Gerasimov. In 1952, he was awarded theStalin Prize for the leading role in the filmTaras Shevchenko; that same year, at the age of 32, he became the youngest Soviet actor ever to receive the top dignity ofPeople's Artist of the USSR. In 1955, he starred with his future wifeIrina Skobtseva inOthello. In 1959, he made his directorial debut withFate of a Man, based onMikhail Sholokhov's short story of the same name. The film was internationally acclaimed upon its release.[1]
His first English-language film was 1970'sWaterloo, produced byDino De Laurentiis. In Europe, the critics called it remarkable for theepic battle scenes and details in capturing theNapoleonic era. However, it failed at the box office. To prevent running into hurdles with the Soviet government[citation needed], he joined theCommunist Party in 1970. A year later, he was appointed president of the Union of Cinematographers, while he continued his directing career, steering towardpolitical films, directingBoris Godunov before being dismissed from the semi-governmental post in 1986.
Bondarchuk's last feature film, and his second in English, was an epic TV version ofSholokhov'sAnd Quiet Flows the Don, starringRupert Everett. It was filmed in 1992–1993 but premiered onChannel One only in November 2006,[8] as there were disputes concerning the Italian studio that was co-producing over unfavorable clauses in his contract, which left the tapes locked in a bank vault. After his death, the film remained locked for several years until it was recovered and released in 2006.
He met his second wifeIrina Skobtseva when both were appearing inOthello, and they married in 1959. They had two children, actressYelena Bondarchuk (1962–2009) and sonFyodor (born 1967), (who starred with Bondarchuk inBoris Godunov), a popular Russian film actor and director best known for his box-office hitThe 9th Company (2005).
Bondarchuk died on October 20, 1994, at the age of 74 in Moscow from myocardial infarction. Before his death, he was confessed and given communion by Hieromonk Tikhon (Shevkunov). He is buried in theNovodevichy Cemetery, Moscow. In June 2007, his wifeIrina Skobtseva unveiled a bronze statue of Bondarchuk in his nativeYeysk.
