Zhakov, Oleg Petrovich

Born Mar. 19 (Apr. 1), 1905, in Sarapul, in present-day Udmurt ASSR. Soviet Russian actor; People’s Artist of the USSR (1960).

Zhakov graduated from the film division of the Leningrad Performing Arts Technicum in 1929. He began acting in films in 1925. His first important role was the radio operator Kurt Shefer in The Bold Seven (1936). Here and in subsequent roles Zhakov’s acting was characterized by restraint and a profound psychological quality. His roles include Ian Draudin (We Are From Kronstadt, 1936), Toivo Antikainen (For the Soviet Fatherland, 1937), Rol’f (Professor Mamlok, 1938), Paul’(The Swamp Soldiers, 1938), Tomilin (Courage, 1939), Kostrov (Submarine T-9, 1943), Zhavoronkov (March to April, 1944), lanis (The Sons, 1946), Dudyrev (The Trial, 1962), and Gastev (The Road to the Moorage, 1962). His portrayals of negative characters were multifaceted—for example, Docent Vorob’ev (The Baltic Deputy, 1937) and Borovskii (The Great Citizen, 1938–39). Zhakov’s best role was Fedor Talanov in The Invasion (1945; State Prize of the USSR, 1946). In 1970 he played Barmin in At the Lake (State Prize of the USSR, 1971). He has received three orders.