Yuri Zavadsky

Biography

Yuri Zavadsky was a notable theatrical actor and director in Moscow, Soviet Union. He was born Yuri Aleksandrovich Zavadsky on June 30, 1894, in Moscow, Russian Empire (now Moscow, Russia). In 1915 he graduated from the Acting Studio of Evgeni Vakhtangov in Moscow, then worked with Vakhtangov's Theatre until 1923. From 1924 - 1931 he was a member of Moscow Art Theatre, there he played such roles as Chatsky in 'Gore ot uma' (aka.. "Woe from Wit") by Aleksandr Griboyedov, and Count Almaviva in 'The Marriage of Figaro'. From 1932 - 1935 he was artistic director of the Central Theatre of the Red Army in Moscow. From 1936 - 1940 he was artistic director of the Gorky Theatre in Rostov-na-Donu. From 1940 - 1977 Yuri Zavadsky was artistic director of the Theatre of Mossovet in Moscow. There he staged many patriotic and official Soviet plays, such as 'Lyubov Yarovaya' by Konstantin Trenev, 'Nashestvie' by L. Leonov, and 'Brandenburgskie vorota' (aka "The Brandenburg Gates") by Mikhail Svetlov, among other plays. He also staged several classical plays, such as the Shakespeare's 'Ukroshchenie stroptivoy' (aka.. The Taming of the Shrew) and 'Othello', among other plays. At Theatre of Mossovet, Zavadsky worked with the exceptional troupe of actors, such as Faina Ranevskaya, Vera Maretskaya, Valentina Talyzina, Margarita Terekhova, Olga Ostroumova, 'Larisa Kuznetsova', Rostislav Plyatt, Georgi Zhzhyonov, Leonid Markov, Georgiy Taratorkin, 'Gennadi Bortnikov', Evgeniy Steblov and other notable Russian actors. Yuri Zavadsky was designated People's Actor of the USSR (1948), was awarded the State Stalin's Prize (twice, in 1946 and 1951). Zavadsky was awarded the Lenin's Prize (1965) for his production of the 'Maskarade' (aka.. "The Masquerade"), a classic play by 'Yuri Lermontov'. He was decorated with the Order of Lenin tree times, and received numerous other decorations and awards from the Soviet State. Yuri Zavadsky was married to actress Vera Maretskaya. He died of a heart failure on April 1, 1977, in Moscow, and was laid to rest in Vagankovskoe Cemetery in Moscow, Russia.