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Biography

Oleg Menshikov was born on November 8, 1960 in Serpukhov, a small town located 100 km from Moscow. In 1977, he entered the M.C. Shtchepkin Theater School (Театральноe училищe им. М.С. Щепкина) in Moscow.
He began his acting career in 1981 in Moscow at the Maly Theater (Малый театр), then at the Central Theater of the Soviet Army (Центральный Академический Театр Soviet Army) (1982-1985) and finally at the Ermolova Theatre (Театр им. М. Н. Ермоловой) (1985-1989).
It was at this time that he played the role of Caligula (1990 - 1992) under the direction of Pyotr Fomenko and that of the dancer Nijinsky in "N" (1993).
One of his best-known roles is that of the poet Sergei Yesenin in Martin Sherman's play When she danced at the Globe Theatre in London, his partner is Vanessa Redgrave.
For his performance, he received the Laurence Olivier Award (Laurence Olivier Theatre Awards: Best actor in a supporting role) from the British Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1992.
The play was revived in Paris in 1994 at the Comédie des Champs Elysées, Menshikov's partner, in the role of Isadora Duncan, is Anny Duperey.
In 1995, he founded and directed the Theatre Society 814 (Театральное Товарищество 814) whose objective is to support young, talented and still unknown actors. He directed the first play staged by TT814, The Misfortune of Being Too Witless (Gore ot ouma), a classic written by A.S Griboedov, in which he played the leading role (1998-2000).
Then came The Kitchen (2000, directed and starring), a play written by a young playwright Maxim Kurochkin, The Gamblers (2001-2003, directed and starring as Utechitelnyj) by N.V. Gogol and The Demon (2003, directed by Kirill Serebrennikov and starring for him) by M.Y. Lermontov.

In the cinema, he made his mark with the role of Kostik in Pokrovskije Vorota, a film TV by Mikhail Kozakov.
Two films by Nikita Mikhalkov made him particularly famous:
Deceptive Sun
(Утомленные солнцем) and
The Barber of Siberia
, as well as the film by Régis Wargnier: East-West, and that of Sergei Bodrov, The Prisoner of the Caucasus Oleg Menshikov is the recipient of several Russian awards: Nika, Triumpf, Kinotavr Festival Prize, Russian State Prize (Государственная премия российской Федерации), etc.
Since 2001, Oleg Menshikov has represented the Longines watch brand in Russia and is recognized by Longines as the most elegant actor in his country.

 

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Commentaries

- Олег Меньшиков , Elga LYNDINA, 2005, ЭКСМО

 

 

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Photos, videos, texts

With Valessa Redgrave in When she danced


Dans le rôle de Essénine avec Anny Duperey


Avec Catherine Deneuve et Sandrine Bonnaire dans Est-Ouest


Avec Serguei Bodrov dans Le Prisonnier du Caucase