Tolubeev Y.V., (1906-1979), actor

Categories / Art/Music, Theatre/Personalia
TOLUBEEV Yury Vladimirovich (1906 - 1979, Leningrad), actor, People's Artist of the USSR (1956), Hero of Socialist Labour (1976). Graduated from the Leningrad Dramatics School (1929; today Academy of Dramatic Arts). In 1926-27, he worked at the Vsevolodsky-Gerngross Experimental Theatre, in 1927-28 at the Laboratory Theatre (the theatre of the Dramatics School ), and in 1928-32 at the Leningrad Theatre of Acting Mastery (from 1931, a branch of Akdrama). In 1932-33, he worked at the Regional Drama Theatre of Samara. In 1933-35 he acted at the Leningrad Region Red Army Theatre; in 1935-41 at the Leningrad Red Theatre and Lenin Komsomol Theatre (today Theatre-Festival Baltic House), which was an integration of the Leningrad Red Theatre and the Theatre of Working Youth (1936); in 1942-78 at the Leningrad Pushkin Drama Theatre; and in 1978-79 at the Bolshoy Drama Theatre. A spirited actor with an outstanding individuality, he invested characters with his own personality. Tolubeev 's characters were true to life down to the smallest social and psychological details, and were noted for their dramatic tenseness and masterfully prominent portrayal. He played the parts of Polonius in W. Shakespeare's Hamlet, Neshchastlivtsev in A.N. Ostrovsky's The Forest, and the Governor in N.V. Gogol's The Inspector General in both films and stage productions. He played Sobakevich in Dead Souls by Gogol and Sorin in The Seagull by A.P. Chekhov both on the stage and on television. Tolubeev's part as the Leader in Optimistic Tragedy by V.V. Vishnevsky, staged by G.A. Tovstonogov (1955), became the highlight of his career. His other famous theatre roles include Bubnov in The Lower Depths by M. Gorky, Khlynov and Gradoboev in Fervent Heart by Ostrovsky, Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman by A. Miller, and Christophor Blokhin in Old Arbat Fairy Tales by A.N. Arbuzov. In 1935, he began appearing in films, going on to act over 80 parts, including Sancho Panza in Don Quixote, Petrovich in The Overcoat, and Kuzmichev in Dive-Bomber Chronicle. In 1966-79, he was the chairman of the Leningrad Department of the All-Union Theatre Society (see Union of Theatre Workers). He wrote a book called The Way to the Character (Moscow, 1952), and was awarded the Stalin Prize (1947), Lenin Prize (1958), and State Prize of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (1969). In 1953-63, he lived at 56 Suvorovsky Avenue (memorial plaque installed). Buried at Literatorskie Mostky.

References: Капралов Г. А. Юрий Толубеев. Л.; М., 1961; Юрий Толубеев: Воспоминания. Ст. Письма. М., 1988.

A. A. Kirillov. Arbuzov Alexsey Nikolaevich
Chekhov Anton Pavlovich
Gogol Nikolay Vasilievich
Miller Arthur
Ostrovsky Alexander Nikolaevich
Shakespeare William
Tolubeev Yury Vladimirovich
Tovstonogov Georgy Alexandrovich
Vishnevsky Vsevolod Vitalievich
Vsevolodsky-Gerngross Vsevolod Nikolaevich
Suvorovsky Ave/Saint Petersburg, city, house 56
Капралов Г. А. Юрий Толубеев. Л.; М., 1961
Юрий Толубеев: Воспоминания. Статьи. Письма. М., 1988 Alexandrinsky Theatre
Tovstonogov Bolshoy Drama Theatre
Theatre Workers of the Russian Federation, Union of
Literatorskie (Literary) Mostki, the museum-necropolis