May 29: the birthday of Igor Dmitriev, the "People's Marquis" of Soviet cinema
Igor Dmitriev, a theater and film actor who appeared in nearly two hundred films, was born in Leningrad on May 29, 1927. His aristocratic appearance and refined manners made him indispensable in the roles of officers, princes, barons, and marquises—so much so that he was nicknamed the "People's Marquis."
From school amateur performances to the Moscow Art Theatre School
Dmitriev's mother was a ballerina, performing in the theater, music hall, and circus. This inspired the future actor to become fascinated with the stage from an early age. From the age of seven, he participated in school performances and in the Song and Dance Ensemble at the local Palace of Pioneers, led by Isaak Dunaevsky.
At 13, he starred in his first film, "Taras's Voice," playing a cameo role as a high school student. He used his first paycheck to buy smoked eel and Napoleon cakes, and gave the rest to his mother for housekeeping.
During the war, Dmitriev was evacuated near Perm, performing concerts in military hospitals. In 1943, he enrolled in the Perm Theatre Studio, staying after classes to watch performances and act as an extra. In 1948, he graduated from the Moscow Art Theatre School and returned to Leningrad.
"Talent is like sugar in tea—either it's there or it's not. But it must be backed by professional work."
"An actor must take the blows of fate like a boxer in the ring."
An entire officer battalion
In Leningrad, Dmitriev performed at the Komissarzhevskaya Drama Theater, the Bolshoi Drama Theater, the Film Actor's Theater, and the Comedy Theater. He hosted the music program "Rhythms of the Planet" on All-Union Radio.
His aristocratic appearance, refined manners and speech, and gentle self-irony made him indispensable in the roles of White officers, princes, barons, ministers, marquises, generals, governors, scientists, detectives, teachers, and doctors. His characters were mostly comedic.
"I've played so many white men in films that there would probably be enough to form an entire officer battalion."
One of his first significant roles was Captain Yevgeny Listnitsky in "And Quiet Flows the Don." Dmitriev also played Inspector Gregson in "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes," Count Federico in "The Dog in the Manger," a plastic surgeon in "The Golden Mine," a colonel in "The Adventures of Prince Florizel," and a prison director in "Die Fledermaus."
An aristocrat by blood
Later, in his memoirs, the actor admitted that his aristocracy was not feigned, but genuine: according to family legend, his father was a descendant of the maid of honor of Empress Maria Feodorovna, who became the prototype for Anna Pavlovna Scherer in War and Peace—the scene in her salon is where Leo Tolstoy's novel begins.
“I used to write in questionnaires that I came from serfs, but now I can confidently say that I am from the nobility.”
"My grandfather was once a tsarist officer and spent a lot of time with me. For example, he'd bring the tsar's horses and dogs to the cemetery. This was very important to him, since he served in the cavalry. But I wasn't eager to play steelworkers or district party secretaries."
Dmitriev remained an aristocrat in life as well: he was always elegant, had impeccable taste, a sense of style, and a proud bearing. He met his future wife in school—she was his classmate. Many years later, when they were vacationing in Dagomys and she knocked out all the targets at the shooting range, he proposed marriage as a reward. They lived together for 30 years and raised a son.
Voiceover and work in the West
Dmitriev voiced dozens of foreign films, as well as Soviet and Russian cartoons, including Smeshariki. He was one of the few Soviet actors sought after by Western filmmakers: he filmed in the United States, Morocco, and Algeria, and acted alongside Elizabeth Taylor and Ava Gardner.
"I never played a formula. Even if the villain's role didn't have any positive lines, scenes, or emotions, I tried to find some detail that humanized the character, and they came out alive and believable. For example, when giving the order to execute someone, you could smell the beautiful flowers or enjoy the sunset. You can't paint everyone with the same brush, especially complex roles."
After his first stroke in 2006, Dmitriev continued to work in the performing arts, performing on stage and in films until his final days. He died in January 2008, after a second stroke, in his sleep, at the age of 80.
"We have plenty of people who can play bandits, but now there are no more who can play aristocrats" (director Yevgeny Tatarsky, at a civil funeral)
