Igor Kvasha

Igor Vladimirovich Kvasha (4 February 1933 – 30 August 2012) was a Soviet and Russian theater and film actor born in Moscow. His father, Vladimir Ilich Kvasha, was a scientist on the faculty of the Mendeleev Russian University of Chemistry and Technology. Kvasha trained at the Moscow Art Theater School under Aleksander Karev, and upon graduating joined the Moscow Art Theater troupe, where he performed from 1955 to 1957.

In 1957, Kvasha became part of the founding group of the newly established Sovremennik Theater, alongside Galina Volchek, Oleg Yefremov, Yevgeniy Yevstigneyev, and Oleg Tabakov. He remained a leading actor of the Sovremennik for the rest of his career. He was awarded the title People's Artist of Russia in 1978 and People's Artist of the USSR in 1968. In 2006, he received the Order for Merit to the Fatherland, 3rd class, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the development of theater and his many years of creative activity. He also received a presidential honor in January 2008 for his contribution to the development of Russian theater and film, and was a recipient of the National Prize named for actor Andrei Mironov, known as the Figaro Prize, in the category For Service to the Fatherland Theatre.

Kvasha appeared on Broadway between 1996 and 1997, performing in two plays: The Cherry Orchard and The Three Sisters. His film career spanned several decades and included roles across a wide range of genres. Among his screen credits are Sergeant Fetisov (1961), Adventures of a Dentist (1965), Property of the Republic (1972), The Straw Hat (1975), The Flight of Mr. McKinley (1975), Forever Alive (1976), The Very Same Munchhausen (1979), A Man from the Boulevard des Capucines (1987), Passport (1990), The Master and Margarita (1994), Turning (2002), The First Circle (2006), in which he portrayed Joseph Stalin, The White Guard (2012), and the animated film Ku! Kin-dza-dza (2013).

In his later years, Kvasha hosted the television talk show Wait for Me on Russia's Channel One. He was also publicly outspoken on political matters, speaking in support of the NTV journalistic team in 2001 and criticizing President Vladimir Putin's actions at that time. In October 2008, he signed an open letter calling for the release of Yukos Oil Company lawyer Svetlana Bakhmina. In December 2011, he criticized Dmitry Medvedev, Vladimir Putin, and United Russia, and called for participation in a protest rally against electoral fraud on 24 December of that year. Kvasha died in Moscow on 30 August 2012 at the age of 79.