Russian Actor Vyacheslav Nevinny Dies at 75

The famous Russian actor and People's Artist of the USSR (1986) Vyacheslav Nevinny/Вячеслав Михайлович Невинный died of diabetes in Moscow on Sunday, May 31, 2009. He was 75 years old. The time and place of his funeral will be announced on June 1.

Various Russian press accounts at Rambler.ru (5-31-09) report that Vyacheslav Mikailovich Nevinny had been in declining health. Doctors had amputated his left leg in 2005 due to gangrene. His right leg was amputated in 2006. He was living on a small pension and died at his apartment at #8 Tver Street.

Vyacheslav Mikailovich [Google search] acted in more than 60 Russian movies and in the theater. He also did the voices for Russian cartoons. His distinctive voice was known to every Russian. Vyacheslav Mikailovich worked for many years at Moscow's Small Theater/Maly Theater.

Vyacheslav Mikailovich, who was born on November 30, 1934, began his acting career at a pioneer palace in his hometown of Tula while he was still a secondary school student. He later studied acting at Moscow's MXAT, a drama school affiliated with Moscow's MXT, Moscow Artists' Theater. He was not accepted the first time he tried out, but he was accepted the following year in 1955.

Vyacheslav Mikailovich's wife, the actress Nina Gulyaeva was with him in his final minutes.

Watch clips from Vyacheslav Nevinny's films and news accounts about his life here. Nevinny narrates the part of the bear cub in the famous cartoon The Hedgehog in the Fog.

Nevinny appears in the role of Sobakevich, a "strong, silent, economical man, square and bearlike," in the 1984 television series [described] based on Nikolai Gogol's famous novel Dead Souls/Мертвые души [Text of the novel].