Donatas Banionis facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Donatas Banionis
Born	Donatas Banionis (1924-04-28)28 April 1924 Kaunas, Lithuania
Died	4 September 2014(2014-09-04) (aged 90) Vilnius, Lithuania
Occupation	Actor, theatre director
Years active	1944–2013

Donatas Banionis was a famous actor and theatre director from Lithuania. He was born on April 28, 1924, and passed away on September 4, 2014. He acted in over 80 films! Many people remember him for his main role as Kris Kelvin in the movie Solaris.

Donatas started acting in Lithuanian films. Later, he mostly appeared in Russian movies. He even acted in films made outside the Soviet Union. For example, he played the famous artist Francisco de Goya in a movie called Goya or the Hard Way to Enlightenment. He also played the composer Ludwig van Beethoven in another film.

Besides movies, he was a very popular stage actor. He performed in plays in Panevėžys from a young age. His first teacher was Juozas Miltinis. He also acted at the Lithuanian National Drama Theatre in Vilnius.

Early Life and Education

Donatas Banionis was born in Kaunas, Lithuania. His birthday was April 28, 1924. His parents were Juozas Banionis and Ona Blažaitytė Banionienė. They were working-class people.

He went to the First Kaunas Handicraft School. There, he learned about ceramics. While studying, he joined a drama club. This was where he first started acting.

In 1940, a professional theatre was created in Kaunas. It was led by a young director named Juozas Miltinis. Donatas Banionis joined this theatre group in 1941. The theatre soon moved to Panevėžys.

By 1944, Banionis finished his studies at the Panevėžys Theater studio. This made him a professional actor. Later, in 1984, he also graduated from the State Conservatory of the Lithuanian SSR. Today, this school is called the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theater.

Acting Career

Donatas Banionis had a long and successful career. He was known for his work in both theatre and film. He played many different kinds of characters.

Theatre Performances

On stage, Banionis played more than 100 different characters. He acted in many famous plays. These included "The Inspector General" by Nikolai Gogol in 1945. He also starred in Liar by Carlo Goldoni in 1952.

Other notable plays were Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen in 1957. He also performed in "The Chair" in 1980.

In the early 1980s, Banionis became the chief director of the Panevėžys Theater. He was in charge of both creative and business tasks. He led the theatre until 1988. During this time, he directed plays like "Amadeus."

In the 1990s, he continued to act in plays. He was in "Mindaugas" in 1994. He also performed in "On the Golden Lake" and "The Circle" in 1996.

Film Roles

Banionis in 2008

Donatas Banionis first appeared in a film called Marytė in 1947. However, his official film debut is often considered to be Adam wants to be a Man in 1959. This film was directed by Vytautas Žalakevičius.

Banionis became very famous after starring in the film Nobody Wanted to Die in 1965. His role in the movie Dead Season (1968) also made him very popular.

He acted in many other well-known films. These include The Little Prince (1966) and King Lear (1970). He also played the main role in Goya or the Hard Way to Enlightenment (1971).

One of his most famous roles was Kris Kelvin. He played this character in Andrei Tarkovsky's film Solaris (1972). He continued acting in films like The Flight of Mr. McKinley (1975) and Armed and Dangerous (1976). His final film role was in Tadas Blinda. Start in 2011.

Other Activities and Interests

Donatas Banionis was involved in more than just acting. He was a member of the Jurgis Baltrušaitis Foundation. This group works to connect the cultures of Lithuania and Russia.

He also wrote a book about his life. It is called "I've wanted to Act since My Childhood." This book was published in 2006.

Later Life and Passing

In his later years, Donatas Banionis had heart problems. He had a heart device put in. After that, he went through a long recovery process.

Donatas Banionis passed away on September 4, 2014. He was 90 years old. He died from a stroke.

Awards and Recognition

Donatas Banionis received many honors and awards. He was named a People's Artist of the USSR in 1974. This is a very high honor for artists.

He won the "Best Actor Award" at the All-Union Film Festival in 1966. He also received State Prizes of the USSR in 1967 and 1977. These were for his roles in Nobody Wanted to Die and The Flight of Mr. McKinley.

His awards also include the Order of Gediminas III degree from Lithuania in 1994. He received the Russian Friendship Orders in 1999 and Honor in 2009. In 2004, he got the Grand Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit for Lithuania. He also won the National Award of Lithuania for culture and art in 2013.

He won several awards at international film festivals. In 1999, he received a special prize at the Kinoshok film festival. This award was for his "courage and outstanding merits in creativity."

In 1999, he was made an Honorary Citizen of the city of Panevėžys.

Family Life

Donatas Banionis was married to actress Ona Banionis. She lived from 1924 to 2008. They had two sons together.

Their son Egidijus (1948-1993) was a historian. He received a State Prize for his work in science after he passed away. Their other son, Raymundas, was born in 1957 and became a director.

Selected Filmography