Vasiliy Livanov

Vasili Borisovich Livanov was born on July 19, 1935, in Moscow, into the family of famous Russian actors. His grandfather, named Nikolai Livanov, was a notable theatre actor in Moscow. His father, named Boris Livanov, was a leading actor of the Moscow Art Theatre and a personal friend of Boris Pasternak, Aleksandr Dovzhenko, Nikolay Cherkasov, Olga Knipper-Chekhova and other Russian cultural figures. His mother, named Evgenia Kazimirovna, was a professional artist. Young Livanov was brought up in a highly intellectual environment. He was reading voraciously and also demonstrated his gift of an artist in numerous drawings and portraits. From 1950-1954 he studied as an artist at the Moscow Art School at the Academy of Fine Arts. In 1954 he passed the admissions exams to the Surikov Art Institute, but then he decided to become an actor, like his father. From 1954-1958 he studied acting under Boris Zakhava at Shchukin Theatrical School, from which he graduated with honors in 1958. After g