Levitan, Iurii

Levitan, Iurii Borisovich

 

Born Sept. 19 (Oct. 2), 1914, in Vladimir. Announcer for the State Committee on Radio and Television of the Council of Ministers of the USSR. People’s Artist of the RSFSR (1973). Member of the CPSU since 1941.

Levitan became an announcer for the All-Union Radio in 1931. He has a voice of rare timbre and expressiveness. During the Great Patriotic War (1941–45), Levitan, reading reports from Sovinformbiuro, orders of the Supreme Commander, and other news, performed a great agitation and propaganda service with a powerful emotional impact on his listeners. Levitan reads most important political documents, gives reports from Red Square and the Kremlin Palace of Congresses, and does voice-overs for motion pictures. He has been awarded two orders and several medals.