Pavel Massalsky

Biography

Pavel Massalsky was a Russian actor of Moscow Art Theatre. He was born Pavel Vladimirovich Massalsky on September 4, 1904, in Moscow, Russia. From 1922 - 1924 he studied acting at the studio of Yuri Zavadsky, graduating in 1924 as an actor. From 1925 - 1979 Pavel Massalsky was a permanent member of the troupe at Moscow Art Theatre (MKhAT). There his stage partners were such renown Russian actors as Ivan Moskvin, Nikolay Khmelyov, Nikolai Sosnin, Alla Tarasova, Anatoli Ktorov, Olga Androvskaya, Angelina Stepanova, Anastasiya Georgievskaya, Mikhail Yanshin, Aleksey Gribov, Boris Livanov, Mikhail Kedrov, Viktor Stanitsyn, Vasili Toporkov, Mark Prudkin, Mikhail Bolduman, and the next generation of MKhAT actors - Oleg Efremov, Innokentiy Smoktunovskiy, Oleg Tabakov, Kira Golovko, Nina Gulyaeva, Tatyana Lavrova, Iya Savvina, Olga Barnet, Irina Miroshnichenko, Anastasiya Voznesenskaya, Andrey Myagkov, Vladimir Kashpur, Vladlen Davydov, Viktor Sergachyov, Vyacheslav Nevinnyy, Stanislav Lyubshin, Sergey Sazontev, Avangard Leontev, Igor Vasilev, and others. Massalsky gave acclaimed performances in classic plays by Anton Chekhov, such as Tuzenbakh in 'Tri sestry' (aka.. The Three Sisters), and as Gayev in 'Vishnevy sad' (aka.. The Cherry Orchard). He shone as Vronsky opposite Alla Tarasova in 'Anna Karenina', the legendary adaptation of Lev Tolstoy's novel by directors Konstantin Stanislavski and Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko. Massalsky's acting career spanned over 60 years, and he was a member of the board at Moscow Art Theatre (MKhAT). Pavel Massalsky was designated People's Actor of the USSR. He taught acting at the Acting School of Moscow Art Theatre. Massalsky died of natural causes on December 15, 1979, in Moscow, Soviet Union.