13 Facts About Mark Zakharov

1.

Mark Anatolyevich Zakharov was a Soviet and Russian stage and film director, screenwriter and pedagogue best known for his fantasy parable movies.

2.

Mark Zakharov was named People's Artist of the USSR in 1991.

3.

Mark Zakharov gathered a "dream team" of actors and reestablished Lenkom as one of the leading Soviet theatres.

4.

Mark Zakharov was born in Moscow into a family of teachers.

5.

Mark Zakharov's maternal grandfather Sergei Nikolaevich Bardin was a White officer who fought under Alexander Kolchak before leaving for Australia; his wife Sophia Nikolaevna Bardina chose to stay in Russia and headed an orphanage.

6.

Mark Zakharov was raised in Moscow, where he was encouraged by his mother in his persistent efforts to become an actor.

7.

Mark Zakharov was admitted after several attempts, and graduated from the acting school of the State Theatre Institute in 1955.

8.

Mark Zakharov was the Artistic Director of Moscow's Lenkom Theatre since 1973, where he helped to define the landscape of Moscow's theatrical culture.

9.

Mark Zakharov's name appeared on a petition opposing Russian annexation of Crimea he himself denied ever signing it.

10.

Mark Zakharov stated in an interview that he opposed Russian soldiers being deployed to Ukraine as it reminded him the start of the Afghanistan conflict he couldn't imagine Russia without Crimea.

11.

Mark Zakharov stated that had he been offered to sign a letter supporting the annexation, he would've signed it.

12.

Mark Zakharov died in Moscow on 28 September 2019,15 days before his 86th birthday.

13.

Mark Zakharov was buried at the Novodevichy Cemetery near Stanislav Govorukhin, Leonid Bronevoy and Oleg Tabakov.