Dobrovolskii, Viktor

Dobrovol’skii, Viktor Nikolaevich

 

Born Jan. 10 (23), 1906, in Odessa. Soviet Ukrainian actor. People’s Artist of the USSR (1960).

Dobrovol’skii began his acting career in 1922. He worked in drama theaters in Odessa, Kharkov, and Donetsk. From 1939 he performed in the I. Franko Ukrainian Theater in Kiev. Dobrovol’skii effectively portrays courageous, spiritually strong characters; his art is distinguished by optimism. Dobrovol’skii’s roles have included: Gurman (Stolen Happiness by Franko), Platon Krechet, Ognev, Vetrovoi, Bogdan (Platon Krechet, Front, Viburnum Grove, and Bogdan KhmeVnitskii by Korneichuk), Lopakhin (The Cherry Orchard by Chekhov), Egor (Egor Bulychov and Others by Gorky), and Benedict (Much Ado About Nothing by Shakespeare). Since 1964 he has been performing at the Lesia Ukrainka Kiev Drama Theater. His roles there include: Litvinov (On the Wild Shore by Polevoi), Dimitrov (The First Blow by Kiuliavkov), and Bersenev (The Break by Lavrenev). Since 1926, Dobrovol’skii has appeared in motion pictures. He received the State Prize of the USSR in 1951, the Order of Lenin, the Order of the Red Banner of Labor, and medals.