Boris Khmelnitsky

Boris Khmelnitsky

1940-06-27 – 2008-02-16 (age 67) Voroshilov, Primorskiy kray, RSFSR, USSR
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Biography

Boris Khmelnitsky was a popular Russian actor of film and theatre and a member of the legendary Taganka company under directorship of Yuriy Lyubimov.

He was born Boris Alekseevich Khmelnitsky on June 27, 1940, in Ussuriisk, a small town near Vladivostok in the Far East of the Soviet Union. His father, Aleksei Khmelnitsky, was a ranking officer in the Soviet Red Army who was manager of several Army clubs in the USSR. Young Khmelnitsky was brought up in a rather privileged environment; since childhood, he studied literature, arts, and music, and enjoyed a special atmosphere of his father's circle. He studied music at Lvov College of Music, graduating in 1961 as orchestral conductor, then studied acting at Shchukin Theatrical school in Moscow, graduating in 1966 as an actor. In 1966, he made his film debut in 'Kto vernetsa - dolyubit' by director Leonid Osyka. Khmelnitsky shot to popularity with roles in _Sofiya Perovskaya (1967)_ by director Lev Arnshtam, and in _Krasnaya palatka (1970)_. In the USSR, he was best known as Robin Hood in Strely Robin Guda (1975), and later reprized the role in The Ballad of the Valiant Knight Ivanhoe (1983).

From 1964 to 1984 Khmelnitsky was a member of the troupe under directorship of Yuriy Lyubimov at the Taganka Theatre company in Moscow. There his stage partners were Vladimir Vysotskiy, Leonid Filatov, Venyamin Smekhov, Alla Demidova, Zinaida Slavina, Ivan Dykhovichnyy, Boris Galkin, Aleksandr Porokhovshchikov, Valeriy Zolotukhin, Natalya Sayko, Nikolay Gubenko, Zhanna Bolotova, Nina Shatskaya, Leonid Yarmolnik, and other notable Russian actors. During the 60s and 70s, Khmelnitsky played leading roles in Taganka productions, such as 'Pugachev' and 'Master i Margarita', a stage adaptation of the eponymous book by Mikhail A. Bulgakov. He also wrote music for several Taganka productions.

Boris Khmelnitsky enjoyed recognition in the former Soviet Union, and was part of the intellectual milieu known as "the 60s generation." He was designated People's Actor of Russia (2000). He died of a chronic illness on February 16, 2008, and was laid to rest next to his parents in Kuntsevskoe cemetery in Moscow, Russia. He is survived by his ex-wife Marianna Vertinskaya and their daughter Darya Khmelnitskaya.

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Known For

Savage Hunt of King Stakh
Savage Hunt of King Stakh

1979

as Ales' Vorona

A Certificate of Poverty
A Certificate of Poverty

1979

as Геннадий, "Крест"

Sultan Beybars
Sultan Beybars

1989

as Sultan Kutuz

The Eve of Ivan Kupalo
Murder at Sunshine-Manor
🎦
The Hetman's Jewels

1993

as Zagrava

Prince Igor
Prince Igor

1969

as Prince Igor

The Black Arrow
The Black Arrow

1985

as Lord Shoreby

Interception
Interception

1986

as хулиган

Tragedy, Rock Style
Tragedy, Rock Style

1989

as Dmitriy Ivanovich's Friend

The Red Tent
The Red Tent

1969

as Alfredo Viglieri

Savraska
Savraska

1989

as Captain

A Story of the Forest: Mavka
A Story of the Forest: Mavka

1980

as Red (forest) Demon

Cocktail Mirage
Beybars
Beybars

1990

as Sultan Kutuz