Georgy Vitsin

Biography

Vitsin was born in St. Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd, in 1917 (official data, in truth, says he was born in Terijoki, former Finland, now Zelenogorsk near St. Petersburg). He enjoyed a long acting career and continued performing until close to the end of his life. Apart from playing with Yuri Nikulin and Yevgeny Morgunov, he appeared in dozens of films that earned him the adoration of millions.

Modest and sympathetic characters played by Vitsin evoked kindly feelings of viewers. At the same time the actor played in detective, historical and lyrical feature films.

His first film roles date to the 1940s. He gained nationwide popularity in the former Soviet Union with the emergence of a series of 1960s comedies by director Leonid Gaidai. He played the role of the Coward among a trio of colorful, scheming characters in such Gaidai movies as Bootleggers (1962), Operation Y and Other Adventures of Shurik (1965), and Kidnapping, Caucasian Style (1967). The last two subsequently beat the Soviet all time record of ticket sales. The trio of actors, including the late Yuri Nikulin and Yevgeny Morgunov, was "the most popular ensemble in the history of the national cinema." In 1990, he was awarded the top artistic title of the Soviet era, that of People's Artist of the Soviet Union.

In spite of the plenty of his characters Vitsin’s talent deserved something greater and he never played the major role of his life. “Vitsin is awfully gifted and both of us together are not worth his finger”, his partners Nikulin and Morgunov said about him.

According to an Oscar-winning film director Nikita Mikhalkov, Vitsin "was one of those rare people and actors whom upon meeting, you immediately feel as if they must know just as much about you as you know about them." According to Mikhalkov, Vitsin was also rare in that his popularity did not affect his personality. He was modest to the point that even in the years leading up to his death, when his financial circumstances were abysmal, he never asked for help. Russian media reported that Vitsin had declined into alcoholism and vagrancy but these reports were false.

During the last seven years of his life Georgi Vitsin did not act in films and appeared only in comic concerts of the Theatre of Film Actor.

On October 22, 2001 at 4:30 p.m. the People’s Artist of the Soviet Union died. Georgy Vitsin was buried at Vagankovo Cemetery, Moscow.

A monument to Georgi Vitsin was established in Zelenogorsk in 2008 marking the town’s 460th jubilee and the 90th anniversary since the actor’s birthday.

Filmography

1. 1945 — Hello Moscow! — railwayman
2. 1946 — The Great Glinka - spectator
3. 1951 — Belinsky — Nikolai Gogol
4. 1952 — Composer Glinka — Nikolai Gogol
5. 1954 — The Boys from Leningrad — Vasia Vesnushkin
6. 1955 — The Mexican — Billy Carthey
7. 1955 — Maxim Perepelitsa — grandpa Musiy
8. 1955 — Twelfth Night — sir Andrew
9. 1956 — She Loves You — Kostya Kanareykin
10. 1956 — Murder on Dante Street — Pitu
11. 1957 — Wrestler and a clown — Enrico
12. 1957 — Don Quixote — Sanson Carrasco
13. 1957 — New attraction — Semion Iljich
14. 1958 — A Groom from the Other World — Ficusov
15. 1958 — Girl with guitar — buyer
16. 1959 — Vasily Surikov — Ilya Repin
17. 1959 — I was a companion of the Sun
18. 1960 — End of old Beryozovka
19. 1961 — Dog Barbos and Unusual Cross — Coward
20. 1961 — Bootleggers — Coward
21. 1961 — Artist from Kokhanivka — Grandfather Kuzma
22. 1962 — The Way to the pier — intellectual in the sobering-up station
23. 1962 — Strictly Business — Sam
24. 1963 — Short stories
25. 1963 — Kain XVIII — executioner
26. 1963 — The first trolleybus — drunk man
27. 1963 — Blind Bird — train passenger
28. 1964 — Balzaminov's Marriage — Misha Balzaminov
29. 1964 — Zaychik — assistant director
30. 1964 — A Tale of Lost Times — evil wizard Andrew
31. 1964 — Spring chores — uncle Pudya
32. 1965 — Give Me a Book of Complaints — Coward
33. 1965 — Operation Y and Other Adventures of Shurik — Coward
34. 1965 — Road to the sea
35. 1966 — Who invented the wheel?
36. 1966 — Kidnapping, Caucasian Style — Coward
37. 1966 — The Formula of the Rainbow - Director of the toy factory
38. 1967 — Save the drowning
39. 1968 — Seven Old Men and One Girl — Coward
40. 1968 — The old, old story — wizard
41. 1969 — In the thirteenth hour of the night — Ovinny
42. 1969 — Kabacjok "13 chairs" — pan Cypa
43. 1970 — Step off the roof — englishman
44. 1970 — As we were looking Tishka — Petty Officer Stepanov
45. 1970 — Guardian — Tebenkov
46. 1971 — Spring tale — Tsar Berendey
47. 1971 — The Twelve Chairs — монтёр Мечников
48. 1971 — Gentlemen of Fortune — Gavrila Sheremetev (Sad Sack)
49. 1971 — The Shadow — doctor
50. 1972 — Tobacco Captain — cook
51. 1972 — The mortal enemy
52. 1973 — Have you ever loved?
53. 1973 — The Sannikov Land — Ignaty
54. 1973 — Incorrigible liar — Aleksey Ivanovich Tiutiurin
55. 1973 — Chipollino — lawer Vetch
56. 1974 — Honey boy — Macintosh
57. 1974 — My destiny — drunk man
58. 1974 — North Rhapsody — seller
59. 1974 — Tsarevich Prosha — «King Katorz IX»
60. 1975 — Finest, the brave Falcon — Agafon
61. 1975 — Shag navstrechu — people at the buffet
62. 1975 — Car, Violin and the Dog Klyaksa — Banjo/Guitar
63. 1975 — It Can't Be! — daddy
64. 1975 — The big attraction — Gankin
65. 1976 — Shepherd Yanka — Prince Kukimor
66. 1976 — Merry dreams or Laughter and Tears — Krivello
67. 1976 — Until the clock strikes — Grandfather , The Great Gardener
68. 1976 — The Blue Bird — Sugar
69. 1976 — Twelve Chairs — Bezenchuk
70. 1977 — Marinka, Yanka and the secrets of the royal castle — Prince Kukimor
71. 1977 — The sun, the sun again
72. 1980 — Borrowing Matchsticks — Tahvo Kenonen, tailor
73. 1980 — Comedy of bygone days — Coward
74. 1982 — Sorcerers — cat (voice)
75. 1985 — Rivals — old man
76. 1985 — Dangerous for Your Life! — Alexander Chokolov
77. 1986 — Travel Pan Klyaksa
78. 1986 — I counselor outpost
79. 1992 — Shot in a coffin — Colonel Zakusnyak
80. 1993 — Brave guys — Griboyedov
81. 1994 — Lord actors — Nil Palych
82. 1994 — A Few Love Stories — Fornari
83. 1994 — Hagi-Tragger — Genrikh Yanovich