Borisov, Aleksandr

Born Apr. 18 (May 1), 1905, in St. Petersburg. Soviet Russian actor. Became People’s Artist of the USSR in 1951.

In 1927, Borisov graduated from the studio of the Leningrad Academic Theater of Drama (as a student of Iu. M. Iur’ev) and was accepted first into the theater’s studio, and in 1928, into the theater’s company (now the Leningrad Pushkin Theater of Drama). His first major role was Boris Volgin (in Afinogenov’s The Eccentric). Deep charm, emotional purity, and the modesty of everyday heroism distinguished Borisov’s heroes—Pavel Korchagin (How the Steel Was Tempered, after N. Ostrovskii’s novel, 1947) and the fighting man Stepan (Chirskov’s The Victors, 1946). He later played the roles of Semen Kotko (A Soldier Was Returning From the Front by Kataev), the Pretender (Pushkin’s Boris Godunov), Meluzov, Gavrila, and Arkashka Schastlivtsev (in A. Ostrovskii’s Talents and Admirers, A Passionate Heart, and The Forest, respectively), Rekalo (For Those at Sea by Lavrenev), Kisel’nikov (A. Ostrovskii’s The Abyss), Krivokhatskii (Gorbatov’s One Night), and Kuzovkin (Turgenev’s The Parasite).

An actor with great dramatic strength, Borisov also plays comic roles and creates brilliant character parts. Since 1937 he has appeared in movies-for example, as Pavlov (Academician Ivan Pavlov) and the composer Mussorgsky (Mussorgsky). Borisov received the State Prize of the USSR in 1947 and 1950, and twice in 1951. He was awarded two orders and medals.