Igor Efimov

Igor Yefimov was a Russian character actor, writer, and dubber who played supporting roles in over a 100 Soviet and Russian films. He was born Igor Konstantinovich Efimov (Yefimov) on September 1, 1932, in Russia (at that time Soviet Union). During his youth Efimov survived the drama of the Second World War and the Nazi occupation of his country. After the war he lived and studied in Moscow; he attended the famous Shchepkin Theatrical School at Maly Drama Theatre in Moscow, graduating in 1957, as an actor, and making his stage acting debut there while a student. His stage credits included performances in classic and contemporary Russian plays, as well, as in student productions of Shakespeare's plays 'Romeo and Juliet' and 'Hamlet' among others. In 1957, Igor Efimov made his big screen debut co-starring in 'Smert Pazukhina' by director Grigori Nikulin, produced at the Lenfilm Studios. He made an impressive performance opposite Innokentiy Smoktunovskiy in Nochnoy gost (1958), a psychological drama based on book by Yuriy Nagibin. From 1957 - 2000 Igor Efimov was a staff actor with the Lenfilm Studios in St. Petersburg, Russia. There he enjoyed a life-long collaboration with many notable Russian directors who made several award-winning films with Efimov as a character actor. Igor Efimov's range may be seen in his film appearances over the years, such as Grisha in a German - Russian TV production Die andere Front (1965), as Cossac Timofei in a period drama Dauriya (1972), and as a member of Stalin's entourage in the Soviet political comedy Moy luchshiy drug, general Vasiliy, syn Iosifa (1991). Igor Efimov's last role in film was as Servant in Bernard Rose's underrated masterpiece Anna Karenina (1997). Igor Efimov also made a reputation for his mastery of dubbing various international stars in films released on the Russian market, as well as for his use of a variety of voice tones in dubbing characters in more than a hundred films and cartoons. He earned compliments from directors for dubbing such Russian actors as Armen Dzhigarkhanyan and Vasiliy Shukshin among others. Efimov was designated Honorable Artist of Russia. He died on November 16, 2000, in St. Petersburg, Russia.