Sergei Bondarchuk facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sergei Bondarchuk
Bondarchuk at the November 1969 premiere of Battle of Neretva in Sarajevo.
Born	Sergei Fyodorovich Bondarchuk (1920-09-25)25 September 1920 Belozerka, Kherson Governorate, Ukrainian People's Republic
Died	20 October 1994(1994-10-20) (aged 74) Moscow, Russia
Resting place	Novodevichy Cemetery, Moscow
Years active	1948–1994
Notable work	War and Peace (1965-67) Waterloo (1970)
Title	Hero of Socialist Labour (1980) People's Artist of the USSR (1952)
Spouse(s)	Inna Makarova (1949–1956) Irina Skobtseva (1959–1994)
Children	Natalya Bondarchuk (b. 1950) Yelena Bondarchuk (1962–2009) Fyodor Bondarchuk (b. 1967)
Awards	Academy Awards (1969)

Sergei Fyodorovich Bondarchuk (born September 25, 1920 – died October 20, 1994) was a famous Soviet and Russian actor, film director, and screenwriter. He was a very important person in Russian movies during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s.

Bondarchuk was known for making big historical movies. His most famous works include the four-part film War and Peace, based on Leo Tolstoy's book, and the movie Waterloo about the Napoleonic Wars.

His film War and Peace was a huge success around the world. It won the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1968 and the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1969. Sergei Bondarchuk directed this movie and also played the main character, Pierre Bezukhov. He received many important awards for his work.

Early Life and Education

Sergei Bondarchuk was born on September 25, 1920, in a village called Bilozerka, which is now in Ukraine. His parents were Fyodor Petrovich and Tatyana Vasilievna. His family had roots from different countries, including Bulgaria and Serbia.

He spent his childhood in the cities of Yeysk and Taganrog. He finished school in Taganrog in 1938. Sergei started acting on stage at the Taganrog Theatre in 1937. He then studied at the Rostov-on-Don theater school from 1938 to 1942.

After his studies, he joined the Red Army during World War II to fight against Nazi Germany. He showed great bravery in battles and was honorably discharged from the army in 1946.

Film Career Highlights

Sergei Bondarchuk began his film career in 1948. His first movie was The Young Guard, directed by Sergei Gerasimov. In 1952, he won the USSR State Prize for his main role in the film Taras Shevchenko. At just 32 years old, he became the youngest Soviet actor to be named a People's Artist of the USSR. This was a very high honor.

In 1955, he acted alongside his future wife, Irina Skobtseva, in the movie Othello. In 1959, he directed his first movie, Fate of a Man. This film was based on a short story by Mikhail Sholokhov and was praised around the world.

Directing War and Peace

Bondarchuk became famous internationally for his huge movie production of War and Peace. This epic film was based on Leo Tolstoy's famous book. It took six years to make and was over seven hours long when it first came out. Bondarchuk directed the film and also played the main character, Pierre Bezukhov.

The movie won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1969. This was a major achievement for Soviet cinema.

Later Films and Directing

After War and Peace, Bondarchuk continued to work on big international films. In 1969, he acted in the Yugoslavian movie Battle of Neretva.

His first English-language film was Waterloo in 1970. This movie was known for its amazing battle scenes and historical details about the Napoleonic era. Even though critics liked it, the movie did not do well at the box office.

To avoid problems with the Soviet government, he joined the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in 1970. A year later, he became the president of the Union of Cinematographers. He kept directing movies, often focusing on political themes. He directed Boris Godunov before leaving his government film post in 1986.

In 1975, he directed They Fought for Their Country, which was shown at the 1975 Cannes Film Festival. In 1982, he made Red Bells. His 1986 film Boris Godunov was also shown at the Cannes Film Festival that year.

Bondarchuk's last movie was an epic TV version of Mikhail Sholokhov's And Quiet Flows the Don. It was filmed in 1992–1993 but was not released until 2006, after his death. There were problems with the Italian company that helped make the film, which kept the movie from being shown for many years.

In 1995, after he passed away, he received an honorable award for his contributions to cinema at the 19th Moscow International Film Festival.

Personal Life

Sergei Bondarchuk was married twice. His first wife was Inna Makarova. They had a daughter named Natalya Bondarchuk (born 1950). Natalya is also an actress and is known for her role in Andrei Tarkovsky's 1972 film Solaris.

He met his second wife, Irina Skobtseva, while they were both acting in the movie Othello. They got married in 1959. They had two children: a daughter, Yelena Bondarchuk (1962–2009), and a son, Fyodor Bondarchuk (born 1967). Fyodor is a well-known Russian film actor and director, famous for his movie The 9th Company (2005).

Death

Sergei Bondarchuk passed away on October 20, 1994, in Moscow. He was 74 years old. He is buried in the Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow, a famous burial place for many important Russian figures. In June 2007, a bronze statue of Bondarchuk was put up in his hometown of Yeysk.

Honours and Awards

• USSR State Prize (1952)
• Lenin Prize (1960)
• Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film (1968) – for War and Peace
• Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film (1968) – for War and Peace
• Vasilyev Brothers State Prize of the RSFSR (1977)
• Hero of Socialist Labour (1980)
• Shevchenko National Prize (1982)
• USSR State Prize (1984)
• Order of Lenin, twice
• Order of the October Revolution
• Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd class
• Order of the Red Banner of Labour
• Honored Artist of the RSFSR (1951)
• People's Artist of the USSR (1952)

Filmography

Writer

• Battle of Sutjeska (1973)

Images for kids

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  Bondarchuk at the November 1969 premiere of Battle of Neretva in Sarajevo.

See also

In Spanish: Serguéi Bondarchuk para niños]