Pyotr Glebov

Petr (Pyotr) Glebov was a Russian film and stage actor, best known as Grigori Melekhov in 'Tikhiy Don' trilogy (1957-1958) by director Sergey Gerasimov. He was born Petr Petrovich Glebov on April 14, 1915, in Moscow, Russia. His parents belonged to Russian Landed Gentry, having ancestral relations with Count Orlov-Denisov, ataman Platov, and writer Count Lev Tolstoy. Glebov's mother was aunt of writer Sergey Mikhalkov. His father, Petr Vladimirovich Glebov, was leader of Kashirskoe Nobility in Moscow, and owner of a profitable horse farming business. The Glebovs were wealthy landowners having properties in Moscow and in central Russia; but they lost all their wealth in the disaster of the Russian communist revolution of 1917. Many of their relatives fled the communist Russia, albeit Glebovs did not emigrate, and started their life again from scratch. Young Petr Glebov was an excellent equestrian, he had a natural physical strength, confidence, and masculinity. Being fond of movies, he was especially impressed with Andrei Abrikosov's acting in the silent film And Quiet Flows the Don (1930). After completion of an agricultural college, he worked in the countryside south of Moscow, albeit he had a dream of becoming an actor. From 1936 * 1940 he studied at the acting studio of Konstantin Stanislavski, graduating as an actor from the class of Mikhail Kedrov. In 1940 he became member of Stanislavski's Drama Theatre in Moscow. His acting career was interrupted by the Second World War. From 1941 - 1945 he served in the Red Army Artillery and was decorated for his courage in fighting the Nazis in the battle of Moscow. However, his acting career was very slow for another ten years. In 1956 Glebov came as an extra to a filming location of Tikhiy Don (1957). He was immediately noticed by director Sergey Gerasimov and soon was approved by the author, Mikhail Sholokhov, as Melekhov, the male lead in the film. After the 1957 premiere of 'Tikhii Don', Petr Glebov became an instant celebrity in the Soviet Union. He was personally congratulated by Leonid Brezhnev, and was promptly awarded the Oder of Lenin, and was designated People's Actor of the USSR. Upon Brezhnev's personal instruction all paperwork was done in one day, a unique case in the history of the Soviet Union. During the 1960s - 1990s Glebov enjoyed a wide popularity in the Soviet Union and Russia. However, he remained known as the star of one role, the definitive Grigori Melekhov in the Sergei Gerasimov's film-trilogy 'Tikhii Don' (1957 - 1958). Petr Glebov died aged 85, on April 17, 2000, at his home in Moscow, and was laid to rest in Novodevichi Cemetery in Moscow, Russia.