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Andrei Smirnov | |
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| Born | Andrei Sergeyevich Smirnov (1941-03-12)March 12, 1941 (age 84) |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, film director, screenwriter |
| Years active | 1962–present |
Andrei Sergeyevich Smirnov (Russian:Андpeй Сepгeeвич Смирнов; born March 12, 1941) is a Soviet and Russian actor and filmmaker who is known for directing the filmsBelorussian Station (1971),Autumn (1974)[1][2][3] andA Frenchman (2019). He was a member of the jury at the38th Berlin International Film Festival in 1988.[4]
In 2003 he was awarded the title ofPeople's Artist of Russia.
Andrei Smirnov was born inMoscow to the family of writerSergey Smirnov, author of books about the defenders of the Brest Fortress. When he was in seventh grade, the family moved toMaryina Roshcha District, where Andrei continued his studies in a special French school.
After finishing school, he was accepted into the directing department ofVGIK in Moscow,Mikhail Romm's workshop. He graduated in 1962.
As a director, he made his debut with the war filmThe Land of the Earth (1964, together with Boris Yashin) based on the story of the same name byGrigory Baklanov.
Andrei Smirnov's first great success came when he directed the 1971 drama filmBelorussian Station, which showed the psychological atmosphere of events closely intertwined with the memory of theGreat Patriotic War.
In his next film,Autumn (1974), he turned to the theme of love, with an unusual for that time boldness about the relationship between the thirty-year-old man and woman.
After the filmFaith and Truth (1979), devoted to different stages of the construction of Moscow, Smirnov decided to leave filmmaking. The reason was the criticism of various authorities and dissatisfaction with his own work.
Smirnov began to work mainly as a screenwriter and playwright. His playMy Own in 1985 was staged by theMoscow Satire Theatre.
He wrote screenplays for the filmsSentimental Journey to Potatoes (1986),I Did Everything I Could (1986), and also the episodesThe Medicine of Fear in the second season of television seriesBeyond the Wolves (2004).
In the 1990s, Smirnov staged television performances, television concerts, and theater productions. Among them -Dinner in theMoscow Art Theatre - Theater-Studio O. Tabakov (1994),A Month in the Country inComédie-Française (1997).
In 2011, he returned to filmmaking and made a national dramaOnce Upon a Time There Lived a Simple Woman, acting simultaneously as a screenwriter and producer. The film won theNika Award for best film. It also received four more Nika Awards - for best script work, best female role, best supporting actor and best costume design.
His 2019 filmA Frenchman won several awards, includingNika Awards for best film and best director.[5]
Smirnov has starred in a number of notable roles as an actor, including the main roles in the filmsChernov (1990) bySergei Yursky,His Wife's Diary (2000) byAlexei Uchitel,Fathers and Sons (2008) by Avdotya Smirnova andElena (2011) byAndrey Zvyagintsev. Smirnov also starred in the seriesThe Right to Defense (2002),The Idiot (2003),The Instructor (2003),Moscow Saga (2004),The First Circle (2006),The Apostle (2008) ),Heavy Sand (2008),Churchill (2009),The Thaw (2013), andBlack Cats (2013).
Smirnov was engaged in public activities. In 1988-1990, he was Acting First Secretary of the Union of Cinematographers of the USSR.
Between 1987-1995 he was the artistic director of the studio "Debut".
He taught at theHigh Courses for Scriptwriters and Film Directors.
Andrei Smirnov is married with a second marriage to Honored Artist of Russia Elena Prudnikova. His first wife was actress Natalia Rudnaya. Smirnov has two daughters from his first marriage —Avdotya and Alexandra, from the second — a daughter, Aglaya, and a son, Alexey.Dunya Smirnova is a well-known screenwriter and director, she co-hosted the television program "School of Scandal". Andrei acted in her filmsGisele's Mania,His Wife's Diary,Fathers and Sons,Two Days.
He condemned theannexation of Crimea in 2014 and supported the2020–2021 Belarusian protests.
