Igor Vasiliev died

His star role was played thirty years ago in “Option Omega” by Baron von Schlosser - a major, then an Abwehr colonel, the main opponent of the Soviet intelligence officer Skorin (played by Oleg Dal) sent to Tallinn occupied by the Germans. Schlosser, naturally, lost the fight - not because he was stupider, but because the Russian was capable of greater sacrifices. Vasiliev played a smart intellectual who turned off his conscience for some time, and the country saw a man who could think wonderfully on the screen. Don’t puff yourself up, don’t try to pretend to be smart, but sit down in a chair and bend your head a little - and it was immediately clear that the man was planning a large-scale reconnaissance operation.

This skill was then exploited by more than one director. And also the appearance of an aristocrat, a noble manner. A rare type in the seventies, eighties and beyond, who had already forgotten how nobles could and could not behave. He was constantly called to play such roles - and even though his heroes betrayed the interests of their class, like the investigator in “Tavern on Pyatnitskaya”, who agreed to serve the workers’ and peasants’ militia and daily received from this police only tons of distrust and buckets of insults, they never betrayed the cause of your life. The homeland is above class, the interests of the country are above one’s own interests - this is in fact an exemplary principle of noble service. A rare theme for Soviet cinema - and a rare actor who embodies this theme.

He was born in 1938, graduated from the Art Theater School-Studio in 1961, and since then his life has been connected with the Moscow Art Theater. Yes, with some interruption - from 1964 to 1970 he served in Sovremennik (roles included Henry in The Naked King and Christian in Cyrano de Bergerac), but then he returned and never left . The theater also exploited the proud bearing, the inner feeling of being “above the crowd” (among the roles were Glumov and Oberon - a good range, right?), the ability to play the process of solving a riddle or a dead end in not solving it (and Zilov was also among the roles), but People's Artist of Russia Igor Vasiliev, having become one of the masters of the Moscow Art Theater, never became a landmark artist of the Art Theater. He's been playing a little lately - and the very recent premiere, "Tutish", where, even in the image of a Tajik pensioner, Vasiliev showed his usual proud demeanor and slightly arrogant charm, became a holiday for his fans. On December 30, this performance will be performed without him - in his honor. Farewell at the Moscow Art Theater today, from 11.30. Burial at Troekurovskoye Cemetery.

Anna GORDEEVA