Grigori Abrikosov

Grigori Abrikosov was a notable Russian actor of the 1950s - 1980s, who starred as Gritsian in a popular musical comedy Wedding in Malinovka (1967).

He was born Grigori Lvovich Abrikosov on August 30, 1932, in Moscow, Russia, USSR. His father, Lev Abrikosov, was a notable Russian actor. Young Grigori Abrikosov was brought up in the artistic environment of his father's circle; he was so impressed with the personality of his father, that no other influences could change his choice to follow his father's steps. From 1949 - 1954 he studied acting at the Shchukin Theatrical School of the Vakhtangov Theatre in Moscow, where his father was artistic director. In 1954, he graduated as an actor, and joined his father on stage and in film.

From 1954 - 1993 Grigori Abrikosov was a permanent member of the troupe at Vakhtangov Theatre. There he played leading and supporting roles in stage productions of such classic plays as 'Talanty i poklonniki' (aka.. Talents and admirers) by 'Aleksandr Ostrovsky', a production that was later made into a film adaptation by director Isidor Annensky with the music by Tikhon Khrennikov. Abrikosov's best known role in film was Gritsian in Wedding in Malinovka (1967) a popular musical comedy by director Andrey Tutyshkin.

During the peak of their acting career, in the 1950s and 1960s, Abrikosov's success brought the attendant pressure, and he developed addiction to alcohol. Both father and son Abrikosovs were notorious in Moscow for their frequent stage appearances after and between their routine drinks, and acting under the influence. However, their performances were usually so good that both were able to get away with alcohol abuse at work. Some performances by the father and son Abrikosovs under the influence were described in famous jokes about their ability to improvise on stage when they were drunk and completely forgot their lines, so they borrowed random phrases from several other plays and were able to get away with it brilliantly, often leaving the public amazed with their improvisations.

After the death of his famous father, Grigori Abrikosov fell into depression and became an alcoholic. Although he was largely ignored by the new generation of filmmakers, he continued working with the Vakhtangov Theatre, and his stage acting remained strong, albeit he played only one role, appearing as doctor in a popular comedy 'Be well'. He was designated People's Actor of Russia (1983). He died of a heart failure on April 13, 1993, and was laid to rest in Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow, Russia.