Person Biography:
Evgeniy Aleksandrovich Evstigneev was born on October 9, 1926, in Gorky, Russia, USSR (now Nizhni Novgorod, Russia). His father, Aleksandr Mikhailovich Evstigneev, was a metal worker, and his mother, Maria Ivanovna (nee Chernysheva),was an industrial metal-miller.
Evstigneev worked as an industrial metal-worker in Gorky and was rejected from the Gorky Theatrical School due to his physical appearance. However, he was able to express his creativity through music performances, playing drums with a local jazz-band in the city.
In 1946, Evstigneev was scouted by Vitali Lebsky, director of Gorky Theatrical School, who noticed his bright smile and musical virtuosity. Lebsky admitted Evstigneev to his acting class without an entrance exam. Evstigneev studied acting and graduated from the Gorky Theatrical school in 1951.
Evstigneev worked with the Vladimir City Drama Theatre from 1951-1954 and then moved to Moscow to pursue an acting career. He studied at the School of Acting of the Moscow Art Theatre (MKhAT) from 1954-1956 and became involved with the Moscow intellectual and artistic milieu.
In 1955, Evstigneev joined other student-actors to start an independent theatre company, named 'Studio of Young Actors'. In 1956, upon their graduation, Evstigneev and his fellow actors became co-founders of their own theatre company in Moscow, which became known as "Sovremennik".
Evstigneev married actress Galina Volchek in 1957, and their son Denis Evstigneev was born in 1961. He shot to fame after starring as Comrade Dynin in 'Dobropozhalovat, ili postoronnim vkhod vospreshchen' (Welcome, or No Trespassing 1964) by director Elem Klimov.
Evstigneev made remarkable performances in films from renowned Russian directors and was a permanent member of the troupe of Moscow Art Theatre (MKhAT) from 1971-1992. He was awarded the State Prize of the USSR (1974) for his theatrical work and was designated People's Artist of the USSR (1983).
Evstigneev suffered from a chronic heart condition and complications from a heart attack. He died on March 4, 1992, in London, England, and was laid to rest in the Novodevichy Convent Cemetery in Moscow, Russia.
