Grigorii Belov

Born Dec. 6 (18), 1895, in the village of Vakhon’kino, Vologda Province; died Sept. 13, 1965, in Iaroslavl’. Soviet Russian actor. People’s Artist of the USSR (1956). Member of the CPSU from 1942.

Belov began his stage career in 1917. From 1933 to 1940 he worked in the Arkhangel’sk Theater and beginning in 1945, in the Volkov Theater in Iaroslavl’. The dramatic works of M. Gorky occupied an important place in his art. Belov played Nil in The Petite Bourgeoisie, Petr in The Last (1936), Vlas in Summer Residents (1937), Cherkun in Barbarians (1939), Vas’ka Pepel, Satin, and Baron in The Lower Depths, and Somov in Somov and Others (1953). He created a series of significant roles in the plays of Soviet playwrights: Vershinin in Vs. Ivanov’s Armored Train 14–69, Chapaev in the play of the same name based on D. Furmanov’s novella, and Voropaev in Pavlenko’s Happiness. Belov also played Boris Godunov in A. K. Tolstoi’s tragedy Tsar Fedor Ioannovich (1956) and other characters. He appeared in motion pictures and won the State Prize of the USSR in 1949 for his portrayal of Michurin in the film of the same name. He was awarded the Order of Lenin.