Arkady Raykin

Biography

Arkady Isaakovich Raykin was born on October 24, 1911, in Riga, Russian Empire (now Riga, Latvia). His father, named Isaak Raykin, worked at the Riga sea port. In 1922 his family moved to Petrograd (now St. Petersburg, Russia). There young Raykin took his first acting lessons at the local drama club. In 1935 he graduated from Leningrad Theater and Film Institute, where his classmate was actor Georgi Zhzhyonov. Raykin began his acting career at Leningrad Theater of Young Workers (TRAM). At that time Raykin also began his film career by playing small roles, often uncredited. His great acting talent unfolded in stand-up comedy. His hallmark momentalism, his razor-sharp wit, and a free-spirited humor won him the love of millions. In 1939 Raykin became the winner of the 1st National All-Soviet Competition of Comedians, where he performed two numbers, a parody of Charlie Chaplin and "Mishka" (Little Bear). In 1939 he became one of the founders of Leningrad Theater of Estrada and Miniature Comedy. During the Second World War, Arkady Raykin made numerous performances for the Red Army soldiers, who were fighting the Nazis on the front-line. In 1942, during the siege of Leningrad, Raykin became the Artistic Director of Leningrad Theater of Miniatures. His witty performances helped to lift the spirits of the survivors in Leningrad, while the city was besieged by the Nazis. Raykin was decorated for his courage and for the numerous stage performances he made during the war. Arkady Raykin was the undisputed leader among comedians in the Soviet Union. He was often called a Russian Chaplin. Raykin had a special way of using comedy to ridicule the Soviet communism by satirizing the inefficient bureaucracy and absurdity of the Soviet system. Despite the politically sensitive performances and despite his being a Jew, Arkady Raykin was lionized both popularly and officially. He performed to consistently "sold out" audiences and toured all over the former USSR and abroad for over 50 years. In 1982 he moved his theatre company from Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) to Moscow. There he opened the State Theatre of Miniatures which is now Arkady Raykin Satyricon Theatre, run by his son, actor Konstantin Raykin. Arkady Raykin was designated the title of People's Artist of the USSR (1968), was awarded the State Lenin Prize (1980), and also received the highest civilian award in the Soviet Union, the Hero of Socialist Labour (1981). He died of a heart failure on December 20, 1987, in Moscow, and was laid to rest in the Novodevichye Cemetery in Moscow, Russia.