Distinguished Artist of Russia

(Born 25. 08. 1939). 

Arkady Volgin graduated from the Leningrad State Theater Institute named after A. Ostrovsky in 1960 (B. Petrovykh’s class) and was immediately admitted to the Pushkin Academy Drama Theater. His excellent looks, good professional training, and emotional contagiosity allowed the young actor to play a whole number of bit part roles and several major roles in the very first seasons at the theater.

Among the roles of those years are such different characters as Botvel from the romantic A. Grin’s fable “Running over the Waves” (1961),  Seva from the popular piece “The Living Flowers” by N. Pogodin (1961), Loboda from “The Friends and the Years” by L. Zorin (1961), Alexey from the “Optimistic Tragedy” by V. Vishnevsky (1962), Pilot Ya Sun from the “A Good Person of Sezuan” by B. Brecht (1962), Egmont from “Before the Sunset” by H. Hauptmann (1963),  Belkin (“Boldino Autumn” by Yu. Svirin (1969).  In the years 1960-1969, he played over 40 in the Russian and foreign classic and modern repertoire; in 1970, he was rightly awarded with a Medal “For Meritorious Labor.” In 1976, he was promoted with the honorable title of the Distinguished Artist of Russia.

His characters - be this the Duke in “The Little Tragedies” by A. Pushkin (1965), Fearless doctor Ustimenko in “The Cause you Serve To” by Yu. German (1968), writer Saint-Exupery in “The Life of Saint-Exupery” by L. Malyugin, intellectual Kshishtof Maksimovich in the “Rush Hour” by Ye. Stavinsky (1973), Vernon in “The Airport” by A. Heily (1977) - possessed some internal force and sharpened feeling of dignity; they had the passion and intellect. Often in the role of a “social hero,” he would get away from habitual schemes; an intelligent actor, he contributed his personal irony and humor into his characters who did not try to avoid a risky game with the life. That could be the reason why Arkady Volgin was so popular among very different directors: Vladimir Erenberg and Alexander Musil, Igor Gorbachev and Arseny Sagalchik liked him a lot and invited him to play major characters in their performances. Quite unexpectedly, his acute drama talent revealed itself in the performance after Gorky’s “Children of the Sun” (1976), where the actor played the role of Chepurnoy.

The repertoire of the 90s not always allowed this talented actor to implement his talent in full scale. His most prominent role of the period was the part of the Holy Fool in “Boris Godunov” by A. Pushkin (1999, director Arseny Sagalchik). Arkady Volgin’s Holy Fool is not at all an exposer of the new ruler Boris Godunov, not a possessed annunciator on the square. As if prematurely understanding the fatality of the Herodian Tzar and foreseeing the awful disasters for Russia, the Holy Fool leads his quiet conversation with the heavens, helpless to change or prevent anything. His sorrowful “lonely human voice” drowns down in the racket and chaos of the Russian mutiny.

In Arkady Volgin’s repertoire there are such roles as Colonel Pickering (“Pygmallion,” B. Shaw, 1998) Adrey Filippovich (“The Double,” Fedor Dostoyevsky, 2005). He was awarded with the second degree order “For Distinguished Service to the Motherland” (Verdict of the President of Russia ?392 as of April 17, 2006).

Presently, the actor’s repertoire  includes the roles of the Court Investigator (The Living Corps by L. Tolstoy, Director Valery Fokin, 2006); Merchant Starikov (The Marriage by N. Gogol, Director Valery Fokin, 2008);  Van, the Tibet Pagoda Bonze (Man Equals Man by Berthold Brecht, Director Yury Butusov, 2008); Hollander Marcel Yan (Izotov by M. Durnenkov, Director A. Moguchy, 2009); Baopkhin (Vampilov. Plays,  Director Oleg Yeremin, 2009).

In 2006, Arkady Volgin was awarded with the medal “ORDER OF MERIT FOR COUNTRY” of II Degree (Verdict of the President of the Russian Federation #392 as of April 17, 2006).