Andrey Tutyshkin

Andrei Tutyshkin was a notable Russian actor and director best known for his roles in Volga - Volga (1938), Carnival Night (1956), and Anna Karenina (1967).

He was born Andrei Petrovich Tutyshkin, on January 24, 1910, in Kishinyov, Russia (now Chishinau, Moldova). His father, Petr Tutyshkin, was a well known medical doctor in Kishinyov. The Tutyshkins moved to Moscow during the turbulent years of the Russian revolution. In 1927, then 17-year-old Andrei Tutyshkin made his stage debut at the Vakhtangov Theatre in Moscow. From 1927 to 1930 he studied at the Vakhtangov Shool of Acting, graduating in 1930 as an actor.

From 1930 - 1952 he was a member of the troupe at Vakhtangov Theatre in Moscow. There his stage partners were such actors as Varvara Popova, Boris Zakhava, Mikhail Astangov, Vladimir Etush, Nikolai Plotnikov, Iosif Tolchanov, Yuliya Borisova, Lyudmila Maksakova, Lyudmila Tselikovskaya, Cecilia Mansurova, Nikolai Gritsenko, Yuriy Yakovlev, Andrei Abrikosov, Grigori Abrikosov, Boris Babochkin, Vladimir Osenev, Nikolai Timofeyev, Mikhail Sidorkin, Nikolai Pazhitnov, Vasili Kuza, Nikolai Bubnov, and Aleksandr Grave, among others. He made his directorial debut with staging of a popular comedy 'Solomennaya shlyapka' (aka.. A Straw Hat) starring Vladimir Osenev and Dina Andreeva.

On June 21, 1941, just one day before the Nazi invasion in WWII, Andrei Tutyshkin premiered his second directorial work, the highly praised 1941 production of 'Maskarad' (aka.. Masquerade) starring Iosif Tolchanov as Arbenin and Alla Kazanskaya as Nina. Tutyshkin's staging of the classic play by Mikhail Lermontov was acclaimed by critics and audiences. Tutyshkin's 'Maskarad' satirized the Soviet regime by comparing it to refined pre-revolutionary culture. 'Maskarad' was a multi-layered show peppered with jokes, hints, poses and gestures alluding to some Soviet political figures. Unfortunately, the Tutyshkin's 'Maskarade' had a very short run in Moscow. On July 23, 1941, the Nazi air-bombing had completely destroyed the Vakhtangov Theatre, killing many actors and personnel, including the principal actor Vasili Kuza, a close friend of Tutyshkin. The elaborate stage decorations for 'Maskarad' were also destroyed by the Nazi air-bombing. The war disrupted cultural life causing evacuation of surviving actors and staff. However, Tutyshkin continued successful performances of 'Maskarad' while in evacuation in Siberia.

Tutyshkin was a popular film star since his appearance opposite Lyubov Orlova in Volga - Volga (1938). Tutyshkin has many hilarious scenes in the film, including this song "America gave Russia a steamboat, but it's very, very, very slow." In 1942, the film was presented to president Franklin D. Roosevelt as a gift from Joseph Stalin, as a hint that the Allies were very, very, very slow to open-up the second front in Europe during WWII. Roosevelt requested full translation of the lyrics, and understood the humor, then instructed the US Ambassador Harriman to have a meeting with Stalin in Moscow. Although, Tutyshkin worked on the movie before the war started, his creativity revealed a premonition that helped international relations between the Allies.

After the war, Andrei Tutyshkin was designated Honorable Actor of Russia (1946), but then he suffered after the political attacks on Russian intellectuals in 1946 and 1948, under the dictatorship of Joseph Stalin. After the death of Stalin, Tutyshkin resumed his career as a stage director and actor. During the 1950s, Tutyshkin directed several stage productions in Moscow. In 1954 he made his debut as a film director together with his partner Vladimir Dostal in My s vami gde-to vstrechalis (1954). However, some Soviet political figures were holding old grudges against Tutyshkin, and made his life in Moscow unbearable, so he had to move to Leningrad.

Later, in the 60s, Tutyshkin directed several popular comedies. His best directorial work is Wedding in Malinovka (1967), starring Mikhail Pugovkin, Zoya Fyodorova, Mikhail Vodyanoy, Vladimir Samoylov, Lyudmila Alfimova, Nikolay Slichenko, and other notable actors. The film was awarded at the Leningrad-68 film festival, and became a comedy classic; it also propelled the Moldavian folk dance group "Zhok" to international recognition.

During the 1960s Tutyshkin lived and worked in Leningrad. He was artistic director of Musical Comedy Theatre, and later was artistic director of Lenkom Theatre in Leningrad. He died of a heart attack on November 30, 1971, and was laid to rest next to his father in Moscow, Russia.