Konstantin Zubov

Biography

Konstantin Aleksandrovich Zubov was born on August 20, 1888, in the village of Bazarny Syzgan, Simbirsk province, Russian Empire (now Ulyuanovsk, Russia). His father, Aleksandr Zubov, was a school teacher, his mother was a homemaker. Young Zubov was sent to study at Technical School in Nancy, France, then studied history at Sorbonne University in Paris until 1906. Back in Russia he studied history at St. Petersburg University. There he began acting at a student theatre club, then studied acting at St. Petersburg Theatrical School under V. N. Davydov, eventually becoming a permanent member of the Davydov's touring troupe. After years of touring all over Russia he was invited by Aleksandr Tairov and joined the troupe of Korsh theatre in Moscow, then worked as actor and director with other theatre companies in Moscow. From 1936-1956 Konstantin Zubov was a permanent member of the legendary troupe at Maly Academic Theatre in Moscow. There he worked on stage with such stars as Yelena Gogoleva, A. Yablochkina, Vera Pashennaya, Varvara Massalitinova, Aleksandr Yuzhin, Aleksandr Ostuzhev, Vladimir Davydov, Boris Babochkin, Mikhail Zharov, and many other notable Russian actors. Zubov was awarded for his powerful stage performances as Henry Higgins in George Bernard Shaw's classic drama 'Pygmalion'. Among his best known stage performances were such classic parts, as Famusov in 1947 staging of 'Gore ot uma' (Woe from Wit) based on the eponymous play by Aleksandr Griboyedov, Tsiganov in the 1941 staging of 'Varvary' (the Barbarians), based on a play by Maxim Gorky, and Gorodulin in the 1948 staging of 'Na Vsyakogo Mudretsa Dovolno Prostoty', a classic play by Aleksandr Ostrovskiy. Over the course of his acting career Konstantin Zubov established himself as one of the best performers in classic Russian plays. From 1947-1956 Zubov was the Artistic Director of Maly Academic Theatre. In the early 1950s Zubov's stage performances were captured on film in theatrical settings and with the support of his fellow actors at the Maly Theatre. He co-starred as Famusov in the classic film Gore ot uma (1952), based on the successful 1947 stage production, with Mikhail Tsaryov and Igor Ilyinsky and other fellow actors from Maly Theatre. In another film based on the theatrical production of Maxim Gorky's 'Varvary', Zubov co-starred as Tsiganov opposite Yevdokiya Turchaninova and Nikolai Annenkov among the ensemble of actors from the Maly Theatre. He also co-starred as Gorodulin in Na vsyakogo mudretsa dovolno prostoty (1952) with the same ensemble of actors. Konstantin Zubov was a reputable acting teacher since 1920. He taught at the Shchepkin Theatrical School in Moscow, where his student was Pavel Luspekayev and other notable actors. Zubov was designated People's Artist of the USSR. He was decorated with the Order of Lenin, was four times awarded with the State Prize of the USSR, and received other decorations and honors for his outstanding achievements as actor and director. Konstantin Zubov died on November 22, 1956, in Moscow, and was laid to rest in Novodevichi Cemetery in Moscow, Russia.