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Quick facts for kids Valentin Gaft

Born	Valentin Iosifovich Gaft 2 September 1935 Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Died	12 December 2020 (aged 85) Zhavoronki, Moscow Oblast, Russia
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1956–2020
Awards	Order of Friendship (1995)
Signature

Valentin Iosifovich Gaft (Russian: Валенти́н Ио́сифович Гафт; 2 September 1935 – 12 December 2020) was a Soviet and Russian actor. He was People's Artist of the RSFSR (1984).

Biography
Personal life
Selected filmography
Honors and awards
See also

Biography

Early life and education

Gaft was born in Moscow to Jewish parents and sister, Iosif Ruvimovich Gaft (1907–1969), a lawyer, and Gita Davydovna Gaft (1908–1993). Rima Iosifovna Gaft-Shtrom (1930-2021). The family moved to Moscow from Poltava, Ukraine. During World War II Iosif Gaft served in the Red Army finishing with the rank of Major.

Gaft took a great interest in theater while in school and took part in the school theater amateur performance. He graduated from the School-Studio at the Moscow Art Theatre (1953–1957). Among the students of the same course were future popular actors Oleg Tabakov and Maya Menglet.

Theatre

Gaft in a theatrical play

After graduating Gaft worked for a number of theaters including the Mossovet Theatre, Lenkom Theatre (under famous director Anatoly Efros) and Theater of Satire. In 1969 he started to work for the Sovremennik Theatre and worked there until 2019.

Film

Gaft started his work for the cinema in 1956 in the Mikhail Romm's film Murder on Dante Street.

Later he starred in the movies The First Courier (1968), Mad Gold (1977), Centaurs (1979), Black Hen, or Underground Villagers (1981), Fuete (1986). Prominent roles were played by Gaft in the musical comedy The Sorceress (1982), the tragicomedy Through Main Street with an Orchestra (1986), the action film Thieves in Law (1988), The Visit of the Lady (1989), Night Fun (1991), Encore, Once More Encore! (1992).

In 1994, Gaft played Woland in Yuri Kara's film The Master and Margarita, which was only released in 2011.

However, the real popularity came to Gaft only after cooperation with Eldar Ryazanov. In 1979, he played the chairman of the garage cooperative Sidorkin in the comedy The Garage, in 1980, starred in the tragicomedy Say a Word for the Poor Hussar, in 1987, starred in the movie Forgotten Melody for a Flute, and in 1991 in the film Promised Heaven.

In addition to theater and cinema, Gaft played many roles on television – the main character in the television series based on Thomas Mann's novel Buddenbrooks, Lopatin in Lopatin's Notes, Jasper in the four-part film Edin Druid's Secret, Kramin in the television movie For the Rest of His Life, Prince Borescu in the television show The Archipelago Lenoir, The Kid in Kings and Cabbage, Butler in the television film Hello, I'm Your Aunt! and others. Teleplays with Gaft's participation included Just a few words in honor of M. de Moliere, Widow's Home, Players, Aesop, and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Personal life

Gaft was married to the actress Olga Ostroumova from 1996 until his death. He was the author of sharp and popular epigrams against many theatrical and movie figures. In the 2013 film Yolki 3, he read some of his own poetry.

Gaft converted to Orthodox Christianity in 1990; his wife persuaded him to get baptized.

In 2016, Gaft was banned from entering Ukraine, for "statements contradicted the interests of our national security".

Gaft died on 12 December 2020 in Moscow at the age of 85.

Selected filmography

Murder on Dante Street (1956) as Marsel Ruzhe
Poet (1957) as French soldier
Oleko Dundich (1958)
Normandie - Niémen (1960) as Mille
Russian Souvenir (1960) as Claude Gerard, French composer
My, russkiy narod (1966)
O lyubvi (1966) as Nikolai
Dva goda nad propastyu (1966) as Standartenfuehrer Grause
Parviyat kurier (1968) as Fon Getsberg
Intervention (1968) as Dlinnyy
Novenkaya (1969) as Konstantin Barantsev trener
Zhdi menya, Anna (1969)
Family Happiness (1970) as Salesman
Koroli i kapusta (1970)
Udivitelnyy malchik (1971) as Doctor Kapa
Doroga na Ryubetsal (1971) as Apanasenko
Noch na 14-y paralleli (1971) as Journalist Stepanov
Chelovek s drugoy storony (1972) as Andrey Izvolskiy
Razreshite vzlyot! (1972) as Viktor Azancheyev
That Sweet Word: Liberty! (Это сладкое слово — свобода!, 1973) as Miguel Carrera (voice)
Moscow, My Love (Москва, любовь моя, 1974) as choreographer
Zhrebiy (1974) as Kesha
Sergeyev ishchet Sergeyeva (1974) as Anatoliy Anatolyevich Petelin
Ivan and Marya (1975) as Paymaster
For the Rest of His Life (На всю оставшуюся жизнь, 1975, TV Mini-Series) as Lt. Kramin
Hello, I'm Your Aunt! (Здравствуйте, я ваша тётя!, 1975, TV Movie) as Brasset
Chudo s kosichkami (1976) (uncredited)
Beshenoe zoloto (1977)
Kísértés (1977) as Szép Miska, Béla apja
Story of an Unknown Actor (1977) as Znamensky
Skhvatka v purge (1977)
Prazdnik neposlushaniya (1977)
Devochka, khochesh snimatsya v kino? (1978) as Pavel Vladimirovich
Centaurs (Кентавры, 1978) as Andres
Tsirkachonok (1980) as Georges
The Garage (Гараж, 1980) as Sidorin
Utrenniy obkhod (1980) as Alik
Dog in Boots (Пёс в сапогах, 1981) as Lofty (voice)
Say a Word for the Poor Hussar (О бедном гусаре замолвите слово..., 1981, TV Movie) as colonel Ivan Pokrovsky
Chyornaya kuritsa, ili Podzemnye zhiteli (1981) as Deforzh
Tamozhnya (1982) as Vladimir Nikolayevich Nikitin
Vertical Race (Гонки по вертикали, 1982, TV Movie) as Lyokha Dedushkin
Pokhozhdeniya grafa Nevzorova (1983) as Narrator (voice)
Esli vrag ne sdayotsya... (1983) as Wilhelm Stemmermann
Vosem dney nadezhdy (1984)
Kontrakt veka (1985)
Puteshestviye gospodina Perrishona (1986)
God telyonka (1986) as Valerian Sergeyevich
Fuete (1987)
Forgotten Melody for a Flute (Забытая мелодия для флейты, 1987) as Odinokov
Through Main Street with an Orchestra (По главной улице с оркестром, 1987) as Konstantin Vinogradov
Vremya letat (1987)
Visit to Minotaur (Визит к Минотавру, 1987, TV Mini-Series) as Pavel Ikonnikov
The Life of Klim Samgin (Жизнь Клима Самгина, 1988, TV Series) as Valery Trifonov
Vory v zakone (1988) as Artur
Dorogoe udovolstvie (1988)
Aelita, ne pristavay k muzhchinam! (1988)
The Feasts of Belshazzar, or a Night with Stalin (Пиры Валтасара, или Ночь со Сталиным, 1989) as Lavrentiy Beria
Samoubiytsa (1990)
Futbolist (1990)
Lost in Siberia (1991) as Beria
Terroristka (1991)
Nochnye zabavy (1991) as Yezopov
Promised Heaven (Небеса обетованные, 1991) as Dmitry Loginov, “President“
Encore, Once More Encore! (Анкор, ещё анкор!, 1992) as Fedor Vasilyevich Vinogradov
Khochu v Ameriku (1993)
Ya svoboden, ya nichey (1994)
Karera Arturo Ui (1996)
Sympathy Seeker (1997) as Magician
Tayna Marchello (1997)
Nebo v almazakh (1999)
Old Hags (Старые клячи, 2000) as general Dubovitsky
Tender Age (Нежный возраст, 2000) as Saledon Sr.
House for the Rich (Дом для богатых, 2000) as Roman Rumyanov
Snezhnaya lyubov, ili Son v zimnyuyu noch (2003)
The Master and Margarita (Мастер и Маргарита, 2005) as Joseph Kaifa / NKVD general
The Master and Margarita (Мастер и Маргарита, 2006) as Woland
Karnavalnaya noch 2, ili 50 let spustya (2007) as Spin doctor
12 (2007) as 4th juror
The Book of Masters (Книга Мастеров, 2009) as magic mirror
Attack on Leningrad (2009) as
Burnt by the Sun 2 (Утомлённые солнцем 2, 2010) as Pimen
The Life and Adventures of Mishka Yaponchik (Жизнь и приключения Мишки Япончика, 2011, TV Series) as Mendel Gersh
Wings (2012) as Byvaly (voice)
Käshbasshy zholy (2013) as Professor
Yolki 3 (Ёлки, 2013) as Nikolai Petrovich
Tyghyryqtan zhol tapqan (2014)
Mlechnyy put (2016)

Honors and awards

Gaft awarded with the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" (4th class) by President Vladimir Putin on 10 March 2016

Order "For Merit to the Fatherland":
- 4th class (15 February 2016) – for outstanding contribution to the development of culture and many years of creative activity
- 2nd class (2 September 2010) – for outstanding contribution to the development of domestic theatrical art and many years of creative activity
- 3rd class (2 September 2005) – for outstanding contribution to the development of theatrical art, and many years of creative activity
Order of Friendship (11 August 1995) – for services to the state and achievements in work and significant contribution to strengthening friendship and cooperation between nations
Honored Artist of the RSFSR (1978)
People's Artist of the RSFSR (1984)