Top 50 Most Popular Russian Actors Of All Time

Nikita Sergeyevich Mikhalkov made his acting debut by playing an uncredited role in the 1959 feature film Solntse svetit vsem.

The actor was born into the distinguished, artistic Mikhalkov family. He is a three-time laureate of the State Prize of the Russian Federation and a Full Cavalier of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland".

For the film Close to Eden, Mikhalkov won the Golden Lion of the Venice Film Festival and was nominated for the Academy Award in the Best International Feature Film category.

The string of accolades does not stop here for the actor; for he even went on to earn an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and the Grand Prix of the Cannes Film Festival for the motion picture Burnt by the Sun.

Konstantin Yurievich Khabensky, besides being an actor of film and stage, is also a director and philanthropist. He made his screen debut in 1994 by playing a minor role in the motion picture Na kogo Bog poschlet.

His first few significant character projections came in feature films such as Women's Property and In Motion. However, he shot to fame among the Russian audience after having starred in the television series Deadly Force.

Yevgeny Mironov is a film and stage actor who has been honored with prestigious titles such as Merited Artist of the Russian Federation (1996), People's Artist of Russia (2004), and State Prize of the Russian Federation laureate (1995, 2010), respectively.

Even though had made an appearance as a child actor in 1976, his career flourished in the second half of the 1980s.

After playing his first significant role in 1988, the actor tasted enormous success with the release of the coming-of-age romantic drama Love in 1991.

For his performance in the same, Mironov was voted the Best Actor of 1992 by Russian film critics.

This Soviet and Russian actor, who also happens to be a director of cinema, is best known to the viewers for his character projection in popular motion pictures such as Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol and Behind Enemy Lines.

A competent actor, he has worked as a director, producer and writer for the 2004 Russian feature Papa, which made its way to the 26th Moscow International Film Festival.

Mashkov has been performing on the stage ever since he was a child. However, he started appearing in feature films after having made his big-screen debut in the second half of the 1980s.

Oleg Ivanovich Yankovsky made his acting debut in a feature film A Ballad of Love in 1966. The Soviet and Russian actor gained recognition for his portrayal of psychologically polished roles of modern-day intellectuals in his projects.

The respected actor was one of the last people to be named a People's Artist of the USSR in 1991. He was seen in motion pictures such as The Kreutzer Sonata, A Hunting Accident, Nostalghia, and Mirror.

This esteemed Soviet and Russian film and stage actor has been honored with the title of "People's Artist of Russia." He was a member of the jury at the 35th Moscow International Film Festival in 2013.

After having started acting professionally in 1984, he was seen in movies such as In the Shooting Wilderness, Wild Pigeon, and Ivan the Great.

Also, for his performance in the successful drama Tender Age, Garmash has been a recipient of the Nika Award and Golden Eagle.

Sergei Vytautovich Puskepalis made his acting debut in the 2003 film The Stroll. He is an actor and theater director who is best known for his roles in award-winning feature films Simple Things and How I Ended This Summer.

The actor delivered such fine performances in both the aforementioned projects that he ended up winning a Nika Award for Best Actor (2008) and a Silver Bear for Best Actor at the 60th Berlin International Film Festival (2010) for them.

His directorial debut, Clinch, had its premiere at the Yerevan International Film Festival.

One of the highest-paid and most popular actors in Russia, Aleksei Valeryevich Serebryakov made his professional acting debut on the television show Eternal Call in 1973.

He is known to have worked with two of Russia's most prominent theatrical companies, namely Russia: Tabakov Theatre and Lenkom Theatre.

The actor featured in several motion pictures after having graduated from the Russian Institute of Theatre Arts. Some of Serebryakov's better-known feature films are Silent Outpost, Accused of the Wedding, and Fan.

Not many people are aware of the fact that the man started to act at the young age of 13. Not only that but he is also known to have attended music school as a child. 

In 2015, 2016, and 2017, he was seen participating in television shows such as Farts, The Method, and Doctor Ritcher, respectively. 

Sergei Fyodorovich Bondarchuk made his feature film debut in the film The Young Guard in 1948. An actor, director, and screenwriter, he was one of the most distinguished personalities of Russian cinema of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s.

The man won both the Golden Globe and Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film for his screen adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace; a film that he both starred in and directed.

While Bondarchuk was made both a Hero of Socialist Labour and a People's Artist of the USSR, he was also posthumously awarded an honorary diploma for contribution to cinema at the 19th Moscow International Film Festival in 1995.

The well-regarded Innokenty Mikhailovich Smoktunovsky is yet another stage and film actor from Russia who was named People's Artist of the USSR in 1974 and a Hero of Socialist Labour in 1990.

The actor shot to fame after being cast in the role of Hamlet in Grigori Kozintsev's screen adaptation of the beloved William Shakespeare play.

Smoktunovsky was so good in his role play that many English critics went on to assert that he played the same character better even than the celebrated actor Laurence Olivier.

The actor continued to amuse the audience with his performances in feature films such as Beware of the Car and Tchaikovsky, among others.

This Russian-American performer is most popular for his work on television. He is also a film, theatre, and voice actor who happens to live and work in the United States of America.

Ever since he moved to the States during the 1990s, he could be seen in numerous television movies, series, and feature films.

Best known for playing the character of the telegraph operator Blazanov in HBO's Deadwood series, one can also catch Lychnikov appearing as Howard Wolowitz's Russian cosmonaut crewmate in another hit television series The Big Bang Theory.

Andrei Sergeyevich Smirnov was first seen in the 1960 feature film Northern Rainbow. He is a Soviet and Russian actor and filmmaker who was one of the jury members at the 38th Berlin International Film Festival in 1988.

Known for directing motion pictures such as Belorussian Station and Autumn, he was honored with the title of People's Artist of Russia in 2003.

While he has worked on the screenplay of a lot many mainstream projects, one can also find the man making an appearance in movies such as Chernov, His Wife's Diary, and Elena.

Andrei Vladimirovich Panin is an actor whose popularity skyrocketed in Russia following his participation in the hit television show Kamenskaya.

The actor won a well-deserved Best Actor award at the Golden Ram film festival for his character play in The Wedding.

Features such as Mama, Don't Cry and Mama are credited with bringing him fame. However, before he started appearing on the screen more often, he was a stage performer at the Minusinsky theater.

This good-looking Russian film and stage performer was seen making his screen debut on the television show Simple Truth in 1999.

Danila Valeryevich Kozlovsky is not only an actor but he is also a director, scriptwriter, producer, and singer. It is amazing to see the multi-talented guy managing to find time for performing each of his aforementioned duties.

That said, the actor is best known for his roles in projects such as Soulless and Legend 17.

However, it was his character play in the sixth season of the popular series Vikings that made him even more popular in countries outside of his own.

Yuri "Yura" Alexandrovich Borisov is an actor who may not be very experienced, but he already has been a part of some well-acknowledged mainstream projects.

The actor was first seen playing a minor role in the television show Metod Freyda. He was chosen the Russian Actor of the Year by GQ Russia in 2020.

The following year, he was honored with the Golden Eagle Award. Even though he is only in his 30s, Borisov has a filmography that has the potential to rival many of Russia's seasoned performers.

The star actor has gone on to prove himself in a variety of genres and is known to bring a certain amount of authenticity to the complex characters that he plays on celluloid.

Borisov can be seen in projects such as AK-47 and Compartment No. 6, among others.

Vyacheslav Vasilyevich Tikhonov made his acting debut in the 1948 feature film The Young Guard. He was a well-known Soviet and Russian actor, who is perhaps best recognized for playing the part of a Soviet spy Stierlitz in the television series Seventeen Moments of Spring.

A recipient of People's Artist of the USSR and Hero of Socialist Labour Awards, Tikhonov gained prominence following the release of the rural family drama It Happened in Penkovo in 1958.

Besides being a screen actor, Klim Alekseevich Shipenko is also a director, screenwriter, and producer. He made his acting debut in the 2009 feature film Neproshchennye.

He is only one of the few performers to have shot portions of a science fiction film aboard the International Space Station.

Even though not a lot has been revealed about the project, it is tipped to be the first feature-length fiction film to be filmed in space.

It has tentatively been titled The Challenge.

Oleg Evgenyevich Menshikov has been among the most recognized actors of Russian cinema ever since he made his debut in 1980.

In addition to being a screen performer, he is also a theatre director and occasional singer. Currently the artistic director of the Yermolova Theatre, he won the Laurence Olivier Theatre Award in 1992 for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his character projection in When She Danced.

Some of his better performances came in projects such as Burnt by the Sun, The Barber of Siberia, Burnt by the Sun 2: Exodus, Burnt by the Sun 2: Citadel, and East/West.

Matter of fact, the aforementioned features are the reason he was able to make a name for himself internationally during his time.

A recipient of the Order of Honour of the Russian Federation, he is also a three-time winner of the annual State Prize of the Russian Federation. These recognitions are justified if one takes into account his contributions to cinema.

Grigoriy Eduardovich Dobrygin made his acting debut in the 2009 feature film Black Lighting. He is yet another multi-talented Russian performer to make it to our story.

Not only is Dobrygin a film and theatre actor but he is also a director and producer. And, if that wasn't enough, the man is also a classically trained ballet dancer.

After gaining prominence for his role in the Russian drama feature How I Ended This Summer, the actor was seen in Western productions such as A Most Wanted Man, Black Sea, and Our Kind of Traitor.

Dobrygin is often referred to as one of Russia's top acting exports in the recent past. Many even call him Russia's James Franco.

Sergey Vitalyevich Bezrukov made his acting debut by playing an uncredited role in the 1990 feature film Pokhorony Stalina. He has been an actor in films and stage, and also happens to be a singer.

A member of the Supreme Council of the party United Russia, the actor was seen partaking in the satirical program Puppets for five years between 1995 to 2000.

The crime drama television show Brigada is credited with making Bezrukov a household name in Russia. He was soon seen playing some of his better roles in film and television projects such as Admiral, The Master and Margarita, High Security Vacation, and The Irony of Fate 2.

This Soviet Latvian-born Russian-American dancer, choreographer, and actor is one of the most distinct personalities to make it to this list.

Even though he acted in quite a few motion pictures and television series, Mikhail Nikolayevich Baryshnikov was actually a distinguished male classical dancer of the 1970s and 1980s.

The White Nights actor received a nomination for Best Supporting Actor at both the Academy Awards and Golden Globe Awards for his character projection in the 1977 feature The Turning Point.

Aleksandr Nikolaevich Baluev made his acting debut in the 1984 feature film Egorka. He is known to be fluent in French, German, and English languages.

The Soviet and Russian theatre and film actor has appeared in more than 100 films and television productions throughout his career.

Our readers would find it interesting to learn that his first roles in theatre saw him playing in productions of Clock Without Hands and Lady of the Camellias.

Included in the coveted list of the Top 100 Most Beautiful People in Moscow in 2001, Aleksandr Yurievich Domogarov was born in the family of theatrical figure Yuri Domogarov.

The actor, who is known for his macho personality, has been seen playing historical roles quite often in his screen career.

As a child, Domogarov developed a taste in music and, therefore, was given an education in the same. It is not surprising then that aside from acting, he's also been seen performing complex vocal parts in stage plays.

Projects such as Midshipmen III and Grafinya de Monsoro brought him fame during the 1990s.

Yul Brynner was as popular for his shaved head as for the roles that he portrayed in mainstream feature films during his career.

It is said that the actor liked to keep his personal life wrapped in mystery. Therefore, not a lot about his life was known to the public; not until the publication of the books "Yul: The Man Who Would Be King" and "Empire and Odyssey" by his son, Yul "Rock" Brynner.

Since he looked exotic to the producers, Brynner was provided with a range of roles to play on the silver screen.

Some of his best performances came in features such as The Ten Commandments, Anastasia, and The Magnificent Seven.

The man received the National Board of Review Award for Best Actor for his strong character projection in the Cecil B. DeMille epic The Ten Commandments in 1956.

While most people got to know him as a diligent actor, only a few were well-served by his skills as a photographer, model, and writer, respectively. 

Konstantin Nikolaevich Lavronenko made his motion picture debut in 1985. He studied acting at the Rostov Art College from 1978 to 1979.

He is best recognized for playing the role of an enigmatic father of two boys in the 2003 drama feature film Vozvrashcheniye.

For his memorable character projection in The Banishment, Lavronenko won the Best Actor prize at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival.

He has been honored with the Order of Friendship by the state of Russia in 2016.

This Soviet and Russian actor has been making his presence felt in the movies since the second half of the 1950s. He has also served as the Artistic Director of the Moscow Art Theatre.

While Oleg Tabakov has appeared in more than 100 feature films, he has also had a career in theater to look forward to.

The actor was honored with the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" for his contributions in the development of domestic theatrical and creative art.

Even though Aleksey Vladimirovich Batalov was seen playing an uncredited role in his maiden motion picture Zoya, he soon became well-known within the Russian film industry for playing noble and encouraging characters.

Named a People's Artist of the USSR (1976) and a Hero of Socialist Labour (1989), he was one of the most popular Soviet actors during the Khrushchev Thaw.

One of his most admired films, The Cranes Are Flying, won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

Batalov was honored with a well-deserved Lifetime Achievement Award at the 29th Moscow International Film Festival for his contribution to cinema.

Vladimir Vladimirovich Vdovichenkov was first seen making an appearance in the show Kamenskaya - 1 in 1999. He gained fame during the early years of his career.

This is because he got the opportunity to star in two popular projects, Boomer and Brigada, both of which went on to develop a cult following of their own in Russia.

One of his other flicks, Leviathan, won the Golden Globe and was also nominated for an Oscar.

It opened to rave reviews both at the 45th International Film Festival of India and the 2014 BFI London Film Festival.

Being born into a family of famous actors certainly has its perks and nobody knows it better than Vasily Borisovich Livanov.

Livanov, who was brought up in an intellectually sound environment, was a voracious reader as a child and also displayed great interest in art.

Little did the kid know that he would soon evolve into an actor, animation and film director, and screenwriter in the Russian film industry.

The actor was named People's Artist of the RSFSR in 1988 and is best known for playing the prominent role of Detective Sherlock Holmes in the popular Soviet TV series.

One of the most esteemed performers in the history of Russian entertainment, Yuri Nikulin had been appearing in motion pictures since the late 1950s.

A Soviet and Russian actor and clown, he is known to have participated in quite a few popular domestic releases.

Some of his best performances came in comedy features such as The Diamond Arm and Kidnapping, Caucasian Style. Having said that, one could also find Nikulin playing dramatic roles and partaking in the famed Moscow Circus.

Nikulin, who was born just after the culmination of the Russian Civil War, was awarded the title of People's Artist of the USSR in 1973. In 1990, he was also acknowledged as the Hero of Socialist Labour.

Not only that but he has also won a number of state awards throughout his noted career. 

Oleg Konstantinovich Popov was a Soviet and Russian clown and circus artist who ensured to make his admirable presence felt in motion pictures as well.

Honored with the People's Artist of the USSR award, the entertainer was seen in film projects such as Ring of Daring, Ma-Ma, and The Blue Bird, to mention a few.

He is also known to have performed in German circuses and television. Popov's book of memoirs, titled "Russian Clown", has been translated into a lot many languages, including English.

Yury Mefodievich Solomin has been art director of the Maly Theatre in Moscow since 1988. He made his acting debut in 1960.

This acclaimed Soviet and Russian actor and film director was Minister of Culture of the RSFSR from 1990-1991. He was praised for his performances in Igor Ilyinsky's production of The Government Inspector, TASS Is Authorized to Declare..., and Woe from Wit.

Solomin was often seen playing a Russian imperial officer in Soviet movies. He has also worked with Japan's top director Akira Kurosawa in Dersu Uzala.

Alexander Andreevich Petrov made his acting debut on the television show Golosa in 2010. He was a part of a number of movie and television projects between 2012 to 2020.

While he was seen portraying an iconic Russian writer in The Beginning, the actor has also made his presence felt in science fiction and melodramatic motion pictures.

However, it was his character projection in the television show Call DiCaprio that truly revealed Petrov's talent and passion for performing.

Petrov, who has also been a committed theater actor, has appeared in the disaster-themed movie Attraction and its sequel Invasion as well.

Elya Baskin is one of the most recognized Russian-American character actors to have performed in Hollywood productions.

After having grabbed eyeballs by playing a part in Moscow on the Hudson, the actor was also seen playing tiny roles in flicks such as Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man 3.

In his stint in the American film industry, he is mostly seen portraying Eastern European characters.

Yuri Andreyevich Kolokolnikov is a well-recognized Russian stage and film actor who made his acting debut in the 1998 feature film Retro vtroyom.

Ardent fans of the insanely popular television show Game of Thrones would remember him for appearing in its fourth season as Styr, Magnar of Thenn.

Having said that, Kolokolnikov also made a name for himself by portraying Gennadi Bystrov in The Americans. He's also featured in the American action-comedy The Hitman's Bodyguard.

This Soviet Russian and American actor was a director and producer who starred in about 50 productions ever since the beginning of his professional acting career in 1961.

Thanks to his caliber, he was noticed by a few foreign filmmakers, which, ultimately, allowed him to appear in international features such as Battle of Neretva, Hagbard and Signe, and Waterloo. That being said, Vidov applied for and was granted U. S. citizenship.

Known for his broad and charming smile, Vitaly Mefodievich Solomin was a Soviet and Russian actor, director, and screenwriter who made his acting debut during the first half of the 1960s.

After being able to grab a significant role in the 1966 film Elder Sister, he was seen gaining prominence after being cast as the main lead in the epic film Dauria.

During the 1980s, Solomin continued to make his presence among the audience felt by playing the popular role of Dr. Watson in a series of full-length feature films about Sherlock Holmes.

Yevgeni Nikolayevich Lazarev was sometimes also credited as Eugene Lazarev in his projects. He was a Russian-American screen performer and director who was born in Minsk.

He was yet another Russian actor who decided to emigrate to the United States of America looking for better cinematic opportunities.

Needless to say, he was seen in Hollywood films such as The Saint, The Sum of All Fears, Lord of War, and Iron Man 2, to mention a few.

In addition, Lazarev also made his presence felt in television shows such as The West Wing, Alias, and 24, among others.

Yevgeny Vladimirovich Sidikhin is quite popular in Russia courtesy of being the television host of his own show. He made his acting debut in the 1991 feature film Za posledney chertoy.

Also a professional martial arts and boxing champion, he's played several roles during the initial years of his career banking on his martial arts skills.

Sidikhin is also known to have served in Turkmenistan and the military intelligence in Afghanistan.

The grandson of the late Soviet-era actors Vadim Beroev and Elvira Brunovskaya, Egor Vadimovich Beroev made his acting debut in 1994.

He made his debut screen appearance even before he graduated from the Mikhail Shchepkin Higher Theatre College in 1998.

Besides being an actor in mainstream cinema, Beroev has also featured in television and stage productions throughout his career.

He has been married to the Russian actress Ksenia Alfyorova since November 2001.

Michael Chekhov was a Russian-American actor who was best known for his work on stage.

Besides being an actor, he was also a director, author, and theatre practitioner, and a student of Konstantin Stanislavski.

Known for using a technique of acting that comprised physical movement and a ton of imagination, Chekhov was seen playing the Freudian analyst in Alfred Hitchcock's 1945 flick Spellbound.

For his performance in the film, he received his only Academy Award nomination.

Alexander Borisovich Godunov is another Russian actor who was popular for a skill other than acting.

He was the premier dancer of the internationally renowned classical ballet company, The Bolshoi Ballet. While continuing to do justice to his love of dance, he started working as a supporting actor in mainstream Hollywood feature films.

Needless to say, the actor could be seen playing several small but significant roles in titles such as Witness and Die Hard.

It is imperative to mention that while Godunov was touring New York City with the Bolshoi Ballet, he got in touch with the authorities there and requested political asylum in the United States of America; an event that, ultimately, led to his divorce.

Savely Viktorovich Kramarov started acting in feature films at the beginning of the 1960s. He was best known for his character play of a thief in the cult classic Soviet comedy Gentlemen of Fortune.

While the Russian actor participated in over 40 motion pictures in his home country, he was later seen in plenty more after he immigrated to the United States of America.

Kramarov was modestly successful during his stint in American cinema, where he was mostly seen playing minor Russian roles in mainstream feature films.

Igor Vitalievich Jijikine is a Russian-American actor who can be seen in productions of both nations. He made his feature film debut in 2002.

The actor studied drama and acrobatics during the first half of the 1980s while also performing compulsory military service with the Soviet Special Forces unit Spetznaz.

Over the years, Jijikine has had the privilege of working with renowned directors such as Steven Spielberg, Clint Eastwood, and J.J. Abrams.

Two very successful motion pictures that he has been a part of are Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and The Tourist.

Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Kuznetsov is a Ukrainian-Russian actor who started his acting career by participating mostly in independent projects that received little to no support from the Government of Russia.

The actor has played key roles in Russian films and television and has also been a consistent stage performer in his home country.

He is best known for playing a character in projects such as Better Than Us, Why Don’t You Just Die?, and Leto, to name a few.

This Russian film and television actor made his debut in 1979 with Inzhener Graftio. Currently residing in the United States of America, Vitali Aleksandrovich Baganov was seen playing the guest character of Valery the Russian gangster in the hit television show The Sopranos.

After having appeared in a few episodes of the aforementioned series, the actor could also be seen featuring in other United States television series such as Louie and The Americans.

Oleg Nikolaevich Taktarov made his acting debut by playing a key role in the 1996 film Total Force.

What is interesting about this performer is that he is a retired mixed martial artist who was also a practitioner of Sambo and Judo.

After having retired from mixed martial arts temporarily, Taktarov decided to concentrate on his acting career.

Sooner than later, he was seen participating in features such as 15 Minutes, Bad Boys II, 44 Minutes: The North Hollywood Shoot-Out, Air Force One, and the 2002 version of Rollerball.

Mikhail Vitalievich Gorevoy made his acting debut in the late 1980s. He has occasionally been credited as Michael Gor in numerous English language productions.

The viewers got familiar with the actor after having seen him portray Vladimir Popov in the James Bond feature film Die Another Day.

Gorevoy is also known to have played the part of Ivan Alexandrovich Schischkin in the critically acclaimed Steven Spielberg directorial venture Bridge of Spies.

Alexander Konstantinovich Kuznetsov was a Russian-American actor who graduated from Schukin Theatrical College. The actor made his acting debut in a television movie in 1983.

He went on to participate in a lot of Russian feature films and television shows throughout his career.

A key member of the Malaya Bronaya Theater from 1985 to 1989, Kuznetsov was also seen making an appearance in American shows such as NYPD Blue, Crossing Jordan, Alias, and 24, to mention a few.

Ravil Akhmedullovich Isyanov was one of the better-known Russian actors in the United States of America during his heyday.

He appeared in over 70 film and television projects throughout his career. The actor, who served in the Soviet Air Force for two years, is most well-known for his character projection of Anatoli Kirkin on NCIS: Los Angeles.

Isyanov studied at the British American Drama Academy and could be seen working in British feature films such as GoldenEye and Two Deaths in 1995.

He continued to stay and work in Los Angeles until the very last moment of his life.