Kopelian, Efim Zakharovich

Born Mar. 30 (Apr. 12), 1912, in Rechitsa, Gomel’ Oblast; died Mar. 6, 1975, in Leningrad. Soviet Russian actor. People’s Artist of the USSR (1973).

In 1935, Kopelian graduated from the studio of the Leningrad Bolshoi Drama Theater and was accepted into its company. From 1941 to 1943 he performed with the Leningrad Theater of the People’s Militia. His roles included the convict Jackson in Douglas and Smith’s The Invincible, Mario in Nicolai’s Señor Mario Writes a Comedy, and Vershinin in Chekhov’s The Three Sisters. He also appeared in motion pictures. Kopelian portrayed Savva Morozov in the film Nikolai Bauman and in Kapralov and Tumanov’s play The Third Guard.