Andrey Myagkov, one of Russia's most familiar faces and a leading actorof the Moscow Art Theatre (MXAT) who starred in the 1970's comedyIroniya sudby, ili S legkim parom! (1976),made a comeback in the sequelIroniya sudby. Prodolzhenie (2007).

He was born Andrey Vasilevich Myagkov on July 8, 1938, in Leningrad,Russia, USSR (now St. Petersburg, Russia). His father, Vasiliy Myagkov,was a professor at the Polytechnical Academy. Young Andrey was fond oftheatre and was involved in the drama club at his high school. However,he focused on the study of chemistry and attended the LeningradInstitute of Technology, graduating in 1960 as a chemical engineer. Hisfirst job was as a research engineer at the Leningrad State Instituteof Plastics, although at the same time he continued playing on stage asan amateur actor.

In 1961 he was admitted to the acting school of the Moscow Art Theatre(MXAT) in Leningrad. Then he moved to Moscow and studied at theTheatrical School of the Moscow Art Theatre (MXAT), graduating in 1965as an actor. At that time he married actressAnastasiya Voznesenskaya. From1965 to 1977 he was a member of the troupe at the Sovremennik Theatrein Moscow. There his stage partners were such actors asOleg Efremov,Evgeniy Evstigneev,Galina Volchek,Stanislav Lyubshin,Anatoliy Romashin,Alla Pokrovskaya,Oleg Tabakov,Oleg Dal,Igor Kvasha,Valentin Gaft, and other notable Russianactors.

In 1977 he became a member of the troupe at the Moscow Art Theatre(MXAT). There he made his stage debut in the leading role as Zilov in"Utinaya okhota" ("Duck Hunting") byAleksandr Vampilov, and eventuallyestablished himself as a leading actor in other stage productions atthe MXAT. His stage partners there were such actors asInnokentiy Smoktunovskiy,Yekaterina Vasilyeva,Tatyana Doronina,Oleg Efremov,Evgeniy Evstigneev,Oleg Tabakov,Aleksandr Kalyagin,Andrei Popov, and other notableRussian actors. Since the split of the troupe in 1987, he has been amember of the Chekhov Moscow Art Theatre (Chekhov MXAT), named afterRussian playwrightAnton Chekhov. Hisstage partners there have been such notable Russian actors asAlla Pokrovskaya,Natalya Rogozhkina,Anastasiya Voznesenskaya,Irina Miroshnichenko,Iya Savvina,Stanislav Lyubshin,Vyacheslav Nevinnyy,Evgeniy Kindinov,Viktor Sergachyov, andVladimir Kashpur, among others.

He made his film debut in the leading role as a dentist inPokhozhdeniya zubnogo vracha (1965),by directorElem Klimov. He establishedhimself with such roles as the monk Alyosha inKaramazohu no Kyoudai (1969), thenas Khlebnikov, an obsessed chess grandmaster, inGrossmeyster (1973) where he had several scenes with Lyudmila Kasatkina, Anatoly Solonitsyn, Mikhail Kozakov,Petr Shelokhonov, and other notable Russian actors.. He shot to famein the Soviet Union with the leading role as Zhenya inIroniya sudby, ili S legkim parom! (1976),by directorEldar Ryazanov. His fruitfulcollaboration with Ryazanov continued inSluzhebnyy roman (1977),Garazh (1980), andZhestokiy romans (1984). Andreyhas played over 50 roles in film and on television. He declined offersto play in such modern Russian films asNochnoy dozor (2004) andTuretskiy gambit (2005).However, he made a comeback reprising his most famous role as ZhenyaoppositeBarbara Brylska inIroniya sudby. Prodolzhenie (2007),a sequel to the Soviet comedyIroniya sudby, ili S legkim parom! (1976).

In 1989, he made his directorial debut with a stage production of"Spokoynoy nochi, Mama" ("Good Night, Mama") at the Moscow Art Theatre(MXAT). In 2002 he directed the MXAT production of "Retro", a nostalgicplay about three middle-aged women courting one man; the play earnedhim wide public acclaim, although evoking sharp criticism from somecontemporary Moscow critics. His last directorial work for the MoscowArt Theatre was a 2006 production of "Osenniy charlston" ("AutumnCharleston") based on the play "The Cemetery Club" by AmericanplaywrightIvan Menchell.

He was awarded the State Prize of the USSR in 1977, the Brothers Vasiliev State Prizein 1979, was designated a People's Artist of Russia in 1986, and also received several other significant awards andnominations. Outside of his acting profession, Andrey Myagkov painted portraits,and his paintings are owned byMikhail Gorbachev andGalina Volchek, among others.

Andrey Vasilevich Myagkov died on 18 February 2021 in Moscow and was laid to rest in Troekurovskoe Cemetery in Moscow, Russia.