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1-44 of 44
- Joseph Conrad was born in Berdichev, Kiev Province, now the Ukraine, to Polish parents Apollo Korzeniowski and Ewa Bobrowska. His father was a political activist and he and his family were exiled after he was suspected of involvement with revolutionary activities. Conrad had no friends as a child and rarely associated with boys or girls. His mother had always been a sickly person and died of tuberculosis in 1865. Conrad's father sent him to live with his uncle and pursue his education in France. Conrad's father died in 1869, also of tuberculosis. Conrad became an officer on British ships and spent two decades on various ships. Conrad was inspired to write "Heart of Darkness" after voyaging to Congo in 1890. In 1894, Conrad published his first novel and in 1896 he married Jessie George, an on-again off-again girlfriend. Conrad had few friends in adulthood, mainly fellow authors such as Stephen Crane and Henry James. Conrad died of a heart attack in 1924.
- Elena Yakovleva is a Russian film and stage actress known for the leading role in Intergirl (1989) and also as a lead of the popular Russian TV franchise 'Kamenskaya'.
She was born Elena Alekseevna Yakovleva on March 5, 1961, in Novograd-Volynsky, Zhitomir province, Ukraine republic of the Soviet Union (now Novohrad, Ukraine). Her father, Aleksei Nikolaevich Yakovlev, was an Army officer. Her mother, Valeria Pavlovna, was a science researcher. Her great-grandmother was an actress. Young Yakovleva was fond of theatre, she participated in school plays. In 1978 she graduated from a secondary school and took a job as a librarian at public library in Kharkov, then worked at a local electronics industry. In 1980 she moved to Moscow and enrolled in the State Institute for Theatrical Arts (GITIS). In 1984 she graduated from the class of Vladimir Andreev as an actress, and joined the troupe of Sovremennik Theatre in Moscow.
In 1983, while still a student, Yakovleva made her big screen debut as Lera opposite Innokentiy Smoktunovskiy in Dvoe pod odnim zontom: Aprelskaya skazka (1984). From 1986-1989 she was a member of the troupe at Moscow Theatre named after M.I. Ermopova, however, she was not very busy on stage. In 1989 Elena Yakovleva shot to fame with the leading role as Tatiana, a medical nurse turned prostitute because of the grim life in the Soviet Union, in Intergirl (1989), a film adaptation of the eponymous book by Vladimir Kunin. She received numerous awards and nominations for the role, and was named the "Best Actress" of 1990 in the Soviet Union. Elena Yakovleva became a celebrity in Russia after her portrayal of a compassionate prostitute, but she managed to overcome the drawback of her popularity and departed from being typecast as a "femme fatale" of Russian cinema. After the success of Intergirl (1989), she demonstrated her range and multifaceted talent playing a string of leading and supporting roles in about 20 films. Her role as Kamenskaya, a criminal investigator in modern day Moscow, turned into a six-year gig, and brought Yakovleva a new wave of popularity, becoming her most acclaimed work on television.
From 1984 - 1986, and since 1989, Elena Yakovleva has been a member of the troupe at "Sovremennik" Theatre in Moscow, under directorship of Galina Volchek. There her stage partners has been such actors as Sergey Shakurov, Dina Korzun, Valentin Gaft, Inna Churikova, Sergey Garmash, Marina Neyolova, Chulpan Khamatova and other notable Russian actors.
Elena Yakovleva has been married to actor Valeri Shalnykh, and the couple has one son, Denis, born in 1992. Yakovleva is a popular TV show host in Russia. Outside of her acting profession she spends time playing tennis, or walking her two dogs; she is also involved in public activity related to social causes. Yakovleva is residing with her family in Moscow, Russia. - Actress
- Writer
- Producer
Daryna Butryk was born in 1995 in Zhytomyr, Ukraine. She is an actress and writer, known for Love After Music (2023), Argentina, tierra de amor y venganza (2019) and Julio, felices por siempre (2022).- Writer
- Script and Continuity Department
Oscar-nominated Hollywood screenwriter Jo Swerling, who also was a Tony Award-winning Broadway writer and lyricist, was born in Berdichev, Ukraine in what was then the Russian Empire. His family emigrated from Czarist Russia and he grew up on the Lower East Side in New York City.
From a youthful job peddling newspapers, he worked his way up to becoming a journalist, working on newspapers and magazines in the 1920s, including the prestigious "Vanity Fair". He became a playwright, like other famous journalists of the era (most notably Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur of The Front Page (1931) fame). Swerling wrote the stage show "Street Cinderella" for the The Marx Brothers and the screenplay for their first film, the 1921 comedy short Humor Risk (1921), starring Chico, Groucho, Harpo and Zeppo. Groucho supposedly hated it so much, he burned the negative. The movie was never released.
Swerling's first legitimate production on the Great White Way was the musical-revue "The New Yorkers", which ran for a then-respectable 52 performances in March and April 1927. Swerling wrote the book and the lyrics for the songs. His next foray on Broadway was the more successful "Kibitzer", an original comedy he co-wrote with Edward G. Robinson (who also co-starred in the show). It ran for 120 performances in February through June 1929.
Wall Street famously laid an egg in October 1929, and Swerling would not be back on Broadway for 21 years. Hollywood beckoned.
In 1929, Universal adapted his play "The Understander" into the movie Melody Lane (1929) while Paramount released The Kibitzer (1930) the following year (without the participation of Edward G. Robinson). Columbia Pictures, the premier studio on Hollywood's "Poverty Row", hired Swerling, and his first screen credit was for the screenplay for Frank Capra's Ladies of Leisure (1930). He would received screen credit on Capra's next five films in the period 1930-32, before Capra turned to Robert Riskin as his main collaborator. (Jo would work on the screenplay for Capra's classic It's a Wonderful Life (1946), providing additional scenes.)
Swerling worked on scores of films before he received his last screen credit for King of the Roaring 20's: The Story of Arnold Rothstein (1961) in 1961. He received his sole Oscar nomination for The Pride of the Yankees (1942). He was one of the many screenwriters, including Ben Hecht, who worked uncredited on the Oscar-winning Gone with the Wind (1939) screenplay (won by Sidney Howard).
Swerling's greatest professional success came when he returned to Broadway, co-writing the book for the classic musical Guys and Dolls (1955) with Abe Burrows, for which he shared the Tony and the New York Drama Critics' Circle Awards for Best Musical. The show was a smash, running from November 1950 to November 1953 for a total of 1,200 performances. The screenplay for the 1955 movie adaptation was written by director Joseph L. Mankiewicz, whose brother Herman J. Mankiewicz shared an Oscar nod for Best Screenplay in 1943 with Swerling.
Jo Swerling died in Los Angeles, California on October 23, 1964. He was 71 years old.- Producer
- Editor
- Cinematographer
Valentyn Vasyanovych was born on 21 July 1971 in Zhytomyr, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Ukraine]. He is a producer and editor, known for Atlantis (2019), Black Level (2017) and Reflection (2021).- Andrey Saminin was born on 26 April 1974 in Zhitomir, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Zhytomyr, Ukraine]. He is an actor, known for Pes (2015), Kredens (2013) and Zhuchok (2015). He has been married to Lesya Samaeva since 2001. They have one child.
- Actress
- Writer
Raisa Nedashkovskaya was born on 17 February 1943 in Malin, Zhitomir Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Malyn, Zhytomyr Oblast, Ukraine]. She is an actress and writer, known for The Commissar (1967), Cara ligava (1964) and Lisova pisnya (1961).- Music Department
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Svyatoslav Richter, one of the greatest pianist of the 20th century who was largely self-taught, had survived traumatic events and restrictions on his concert tours during the Soviet era and was widely recognized as the leading pianist of his time.
He was born Svyatoslav Teofilovich Richter on March 20, 1915, in Zhitomir, Russian Empire (now Zhitomir, Ukraine). Young Richter grew up in Odessa, He took some music lessons from his organist father, but remained largely self-taught and practiced his piano rigorously. He was an excellent sight-reader, and was hired as accompanist at opera rehearsals at Odessa Conservatory and Odessa Opera House. At the age of 22 Richter was already an accomplished pianist; he was admitted to Moscow Conservatory without an entrance exams, because his talent was so obvious to Heinrich Neuhaus, the Chair of piano. While a student at the Moscow Conservatory Richter performed the 5th Piano Concerto by Sergei Prokofiev - to a sensational success. Richter was not informed by authorities, that at the same time his father was executed by firing squad in Odessa, upon the order of the Soviet authorities, in 1941.
After such a painful experience Richter became a very quiet man. He expressed himself by playing music. He never joined the communist party or any of its affiliations, and was known for skipping compulsory political lessons and being expelled from Moscow Conservatory twice. For political reasons Richter was restricted to concerts only within the Soviet Union until 1959, when the "Thaw" was initiated by Nikita Khrushchev. In 1960 Richter was invited by impresario Sol Hurok and made eight sensational concerts in Carnegie Hall. His following world-wide concert tours brought him international acclaim and unofficial status of the leading pianist. His regular stage partners were David Oistrakh, whom Richter knew from their childhood in Odessa, and Mstislav Rostropovich. Starting from 1946 Richter often performed with his wife, Nina Dorliak, a mezzo-soprano. Richter was especially partial to baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau.
Richter possessed a legendary ability of memorizing new musical material and playing it flawlessly. In one well-known episode Richter had only one night to memorize a difficult ninth piano sonata by Sergei Prokofiev, and he gave an acclaimed premiere performance of the sonata on the next day. Richter was also highly sought after as an ensemble player. His sight-reading of a new score was impeccable which also made him a highly demanded recording artist. He had a special talent for harmonizing the sound within ensembles he played with, due to his gift of listening, instant attunement, and complementing the performances of his fellow musicians.
Svyatoslav Richter was widely recognized as the leading classical pianist of the 20th century. His live concerts as well as his recordings belong among the highest achievements in the art of piano performance. Richter was widely admired for his ability to create magic with his piano playing and for his special presence on stage, as well, as for his wit and wisdom off stage. In his numerous concert performances he demonstrated a rare technical finesse, exquisite phrasing, and impressive tone control. He was very serious about the quality of his piano and was known for touring with his own piano which was maintained exclusively by his technician.
Svyatoslav Richter was the founder of several international music festivals, such as the famous December Nights Festival at the Pushkin Museum of Arts in Moscow. He launched the Music Festival in Touraine, France. In his later years Svyatoslav Richter moved from Russia to Europe. He died in France in 1997.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Lyusena Ovchinnikova was born on 10 September 1931 in Olevsk, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Zhytomyr Oblast, Ukraine]. She was an actress, known for The Girls (1962), Mowgli. Raksha (1967) and The Big Space Travel (1975). She was married to Vladimir Khramov, Aleksandr Kholodkov and Valentin Kozlov. She died on 8 January 1999 in Moscow, Russia.- Vasiliy Grossman was born on 12 December 1905 in Berdichev, Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire [now Berdychiv, Zhytomyr Oblast, Ukraine]. He was a writer, known for Stalingrad (2013), Stepan Kolchugin (1957) and The Commissar (1967). He was married to Olga Guber, Ekaterina Zabolotskaya and Galina Matsuk Petrowna. He died on 15 December 1964 in Moscow, Russian SFSR, USSR [now Russia].
- Lesya Ukrainka was born on 25 February 1871 in Novograd-Volynsky, Volhynian Governorate, Russian Empire [now Novohrad-Volynskyi, Zhytomyr Oblast, Ukraine]. She was a writer, known for Lisova pisnya (1961), The Enticement of Don Juan (1985) and Lisova pisnya. Mavka (1981). She died on 1 August 1913 in Surami, Tiflis Governorate, Russian Empire [now Shida Kartli, Republic of Georgia].
- Producer
- Writer
- Actor
Screenwriter/producer Alex Gottlieb got into show business writing gags and scripts for such radio stars as Al Jolson and Eddie Cantor. He went to work for Universal Pictures as a writer, mostly of "B" westerns and action pictures. He let it be known that he wanted to become a producer, and in 1941 Universal execs called him in and told him that they were giving him a chance to produce the debut film of a new comedy duo the studio was grooming for stardom--Bud Abbott and Lou Costello. He took the job and the result was Buck Privates (1941), which turned out to be one of the studio's biggest hits of the year, raking in more than $4 million on a $180,000 budget. Gottlieb produced nine of the team's films altogether, the last being Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd (1952) in 1952. He was also a producer on several episodes of their TV series, The Abbott and Costello Show (1952), and soon got into TV in a big way, writing and producing such series as The Gale Storm Show: Oh! Susanna (1956), Dear Phoebe (1954) and Sugarfoot (1957), among others.
He died in Los Angeles at age 81 on 10/9/1988.- Valeri Nikitenko was born on 30 March 1940 in Ovruch, Zhitomir Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Zhytomyr Oblast, Ukraine]. He is an actor, known for Chetvyortaya planeta (1995), The Snow Queen (1967) and Gosudarstvennyy prestupnik (1964).
- Valerii Fedorovych Zaluzhnyi was born on 8 July 1973 in Novohrad-Volynskyi, Zhytomyr Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union [now Ukraine].
- Nina Visaroff was born on 15 March 1885 in Radomyshl, Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire [now Zhytomyr Oblast, Ukraine]. She was an actress, known for Paddy O'Day (1936). She was married to Michael Visaroff. She died on 14 December 1938 in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Leonid Stadnyk was born on 5 August 1969 in Zhitomir Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Zhytomyr Oblast, Ukraine]. He died on 24 August 2014 in Podolyantsi, Chudniv Raion, Zhytomyr Oblast, Ukraine.
- Mieczyslaw Pawlikowski was born on 9 January 1920 in Zhytomyr, Ukraine. He was an actor, known for Colonel Wolodyjowski (1969), Przygody pana Michala (1969) and Inspekcja pana Anatola (1959). He died on 23 December 1978 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland.
- Antonina Girycz was born on 20 February 1939 in Berdichev, Zhitomir Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Berdychiv, Zhytomyr Oblast, Ukraine]. She was an actress, known for Interrogation (1989), Polowanie na muchy (1969) and Gracze (1995). She was married to Maciej Dzienisiewicz. She died on 19 January 2022 in Poland.
- Tadeusz Borowski was born on 12 November 1922 in Zhitomir, Ukrainian SSR [now Zhytomyr, Ukraine]. He was a writer, known for Landscape After Battle (1970), Pozegnanie z Maria (1993) and Szkice warszawskie (1970). He died on 3 July 1951 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland.
- Director
- Actor
- Producer
Villen Novak was born on 3 January 1938 in Glezno, Zhitomir Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Hlezne, Zhytomyr Oblast, Ukraine]. He is a director and actor, known for Printsessa na bobakh (1998), Gu-Ga (1989) and Krasnye dipkurery (1977).- Producer
- Writer
Adolpho Bloch was born on 8 October 1908 in Zhitomir, Russian Empire [now Zhytomyr, Ukraine]. He was a producer and writer, known for Kananga do Japão (1989), Dona Beija (1986) and Tocaia Grande (1995). He was married to Anna Bentes Bloch. He died on 19 November 1995 in São Paulo, Brazil.- Mark Kharitonov was born on 31 August 1937 in Zhytomyr, Kiev Oblast, Ukranian SSR, USSR. He was married to Galina Edelman. He died on 8 January 2024 in Moscow, Russia.
- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
Israel Freedman was born on 15 May 1977 in Zhitomir, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Zhytomyr, Ukraine]. He is a cinematographer, known for Dark Night (2005), Medinat hagamadim (2016) and Ubiystvo po neostorozhnosti (2013).- Lev Nikulin was born on 20 May 1891 in Zhitomir, Russian Empire [now Zhytomyr, Ukraine]. He was a writer, known for Diplomaticheskaya tayna (1923), V Lapah Zheltago Dyavola (1916) and Serdtse dyavola (1918). He died on 9 March 1967.
- Director
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Art Director
Timofei Levchuk was born on 19 January 1912 in village Bystrievka, Skvira uyezd, Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire [now Ruzhyn Raion, Zhytomyr Oblast, Ukraine]. He was a director and assistant director, known for Zakon Antarktidy (1963), Bukhta smerti (1991) and Esli vrag ne sdayotsya... (1983). He died on 14 December 1998 in Kyiv, Ukraine.- Sergei P. Korolev was born on 12 January 1907 in Zhitomir, Russian Empire [now Zhytomyr, Ukraine]. He died on 14 January 1966.
- Aleksander Sewruk was born on 17 January 1912 in Kornin, Volhynian Governorate, Russian Empire [now Zhytomyr Oblast, Ukraine]. He was an actor, known for Orzel (1959), Rachunek sumienia (1964) and Ashes and Diamonds (1958). He died on 23 November 1974 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland.
- Writer
- Director
- Producer
Gennadiy Ostrovskiy was born on 9 March 1960 in Berdichev, Zhitomir Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Berdychiv, Zhytomyr Oblast, Ukraine]. He is a writer and director, known for Volk (2020), Lyubovnik (2002) and Bednye rodstvenniki (2005).- Halina Luszczewska was born on 30 December 1895 in Zhitomir, Russian Empire [now Zhytomyr, Ukraine]. She was an actress, known for Milczenie (1963) and Ktokolwiek wie... (1966). She died on 17 November 1970 in Skolimów, Konstancin-Jeziorna, Mazowieckie, Poland.
- Ivan Sadovskiy was born on 10 July 1876 in Zhitomir, Zhitomir uyezd, Volhynian Governorate, Russian Empire [now Zhytomyr, Zhytomyr Oblast, Ukraine]. He was an actor, known for The Self-Seeker (1929) and Makar Nechay (1940). He died on 1 April 1948 in Vinnitsa, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Vinnytsia, Ukraine].
- Script and Continuity Department
- Director
- Actor
Aleksandr Pereguda was born on 9 August 1893 in Zhytomyr, Volhynian Governorate, Russian Empire (now Ukraine). He was a director and actor, known for Mortvaya petlya (1929), Devushka s paluby (1929) and Fedka's Truth (1925). He died on 6 May 1969.- Writer
- Cinematographer
- Producer
Kostyantyn Ignatchuk was born on 7 April 1975 in Zhitomir, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Zhytomyr, Ukraine]. Kostyantyn is a writer and cinematographer, known for Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom (2015), Pray for Ukraine (2015) and Vykhodte bez dzvinka (2018).- Production Designer
- Art Director
- Art Department
Morits Umansky was born on 8 March 1907 in Zhitomir, Zhitomir uyezd, Volhynian Governorate, Russian Empire [now Zhytomyr, Zhytomyr Oblast, Ukraine]. Morits was a production designer and art director, known for Secret Agent (1947), Strogiy yunosha (1935) and Molodost (1934). Morits died on 19 December 1948 in Kiev, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Ukraine].- Actor
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Benedikt Nord was born on 26 October 1901 in Brusilov, Radomyshl uyezd, Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire [now Brusyliv District, Zhytomyr Oblast, Ukraine]. He was an actor and assistant director, known for Nenavist (1930). He died on 5 October 1965 in Moscow, RSFSR, USSR [now Russia].- Composer
- Soundtrack
Boris Lyatoshinsky was born on 3 January 1895 in Zhytomyr, Russian Empire [now Ukraine]. He was a composer, known for Taras Shevchenko (1951), Karmelyuk (1931) and Vysota No. 5 (1932). He died on 15 April 1968 in Kiev, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Ukraine].- Polina Nyatko was born on 21 October 1900 in village Karabachin, Radomyshl uyezd, Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire [now Brusyliv District, Zhytomyr Oblast, Ukraine]. She was an actress, known for V odin prekrasnyy den (1956), Deprived of the Day (1927) and The Wrestler and the Clown (1957). She died on 12 October 1994 in Kyiv, Ukraine.
- Denis Zhalinsky (born June 22, 1981, in Zhytomyr). Graduated from the PFUR Faculty of Economics and Postgraduate Studies, as well as the Law Faculty of the Moscow Academy of Economics and Law. Acting CEO of Yellow, Black and White, one of Russia's most prominent Film and TV studios, since 2010. Executive Producer of SUPER TV and the subscription based video service START. Executive Producer of the feature films and TV series, The Kitchen, Hotel Eleon, Grand, Fitness, The Last of the Magikyans, The Cleaned Up, Better Than Us, Forever Young, One for All, Daddy's Daughters, The Kitchen in Paris, The Kitchen. Mortal Combat, SuperFamily, The Last Warrior, Son of a Rich, and others.
- Producer
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Nikolay Makovsky was born in 1956 in Zhitomir, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Zhytomyr, Ukraine]. He is a producer and writer, known for Hoffmaniada (2018), Restlessness and Wet socks of Bertha Reise (2020).- Composer
Zinoviy Feldman was born in 1893 in Berdichev, Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire [now Berdychiv, Zhytomyr Oblast, Ukraine]. Zinoviy is known for Gaychi (1938).- Director
- Writer
- Editor
Julia Charakter was born in 1984 in Zhytomyr, Ukraine. Julia is a director and writer, known for The Man Who Was Not There (2020), unbarmherzig (2017) and Die Kinder aus Korntal (2023).- Director
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Writer
Stanislaw Mozdzenski was born on 11 February 1916 in Berdichev, Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire [now Berdychiv, Zhytomyr Oblast, Ukraine]. He was a director and assistant director, known for Zuzanna i chlopcy (1961), Yokmok (1963) and Zolnierz królowej Madagaskaru (1958). He died on 24 June 1980.- Composer
- Music Department
Alexander Schirmann was born on 13 February 1876 in Zhytomyr, Ukraine. He was a composer, known for Die Zigeunerbaronin (1917), Die Lieblingsfrau des Maharadscha (1916) and Katharina Karaschkin (1917). He died on 3 December 1942 in Oswiecim, Malopolskie, Poland.- Aleksandr Khazin was born on 29 April 1912 in Berdichev, Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire [now Berdychiv, Zhytomyr Oblast, Ukraine]. He was a writer, known for Nevskiye melodii (1960), Povest o molodozhyonakh (1960) and Arkadiy Raykin (1968). He died on 20 November 1976 in Leningrad, Russian SFSR, USSR [now St. Petersburg, Russia].
- Director
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Sulamif Tsybulnik was born on 25 May 1913 in Ovruch, Ovruch uyezd, Volhynian Governorate, Russian Empire [now Ovruch Raion, Zhytomyr Oblast, Ukraine]. Sulamif was a director and assistant director, known for Budni ugolovnogo rozyska (1973), Karantin (1968) and V myortvoy petle (1963). Sulamif died on 25 December 1996 in Kyiv, Ukraine.