Mark Prudkin

Mark Prudkin

Born	Mark Isaakovich Prudkin (1898-09-13)13 September 1898 Klin, Moscow Governorate, Russian Empire
Died	24 September 1994(1994-09-24) (aged 96) Moscow, Russia
Resting place	Novodevichy Cemetery, Moscow
Occupation	Actor
Spouse	Yekaterina Prudkina

Mark Isaakovich Prudkin (Russian: Марк Исаакович Прудкин; 13 September 1898 – 24 September 1994) was a Soviet and Russian stage and film actor. People's Artist of the USSR (1961). Hero of Socialist Labour (1989). Laureate of three Stalin Prizes (1946, 1947, 1949).

Biography

Mark Isaakovich Prudkin was born on 1 September (13), 1898 (according to other sources – 2 September (14), 1898^[1]) in the town of Klin (now the Moscow Region) in the family of tailor Isaak Lvovich Prudkin (1871–1949) and musician Rakhil Lazarevna Prudkina (maiden name - Sot, 1880–1945).

He became interested in theater while still studying in the Klin Realschule, took part in amateur theater performances. From 1918 to 1924 he was a student and actor in the 2nd Studio of the Moscow Art Theater (in parallel from 1918 to 1919 he studied at the Faculty of Law of Moscow State University).

Since 1924, Mark Prudkin worked in the Moscow Art Theatre^[2]^[3] (since 1989 - in the Moscow Art Theater named after Chekhov).

In the studio, he especially succeeded in the roles of the heroic-romantic type - Karl Moor, "The Robbers" by Friedrich Schiller (1923), Don Luis in "The Invisible Lady Calderon" (1924), Chatsky in "Woe from Wit" by Alexander Griboedov (1925). Over time, the creative range of Prudkin expanded, which contributed to his talent of transformation, the ability to delve into the psychological essence of the created image, attention to external attributes – costume, makeup, facial expressions. All this allowed the actor to show on the stage a variety of characters, sometimes opposite in character, such as the frivolous adjutant Shervinsky, "The Days of the Turbins" by Mikhail Bulgakov (1926), the gloomy captain Nezelasov, "Armored train 14–69" by Vsevolod Ivanov (1927), the self-confident and cowardly Kastalsky, "The Fear" by Alexander Afinogenov (1932), Vronsky (1937) and Karenin (1957) in "Anna Karenina" by Leo Tolstoy, Dulchin, The Last Victim by Nikolai Ostrovsky (1946), ambitious careerist engineer Mehti-Aga, "Deep exploration" by Alexander Kron, Fyodor Karamazov, "The Brothers Karamazov" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky (1961), Baker, "The Winter of our Discontent" based on the novel by John Steinbeck (1964).

Together with Olga Androvskaya and other "great old men" of the Moscow Art Theater – Alexey Gribov, Viktor Stanitsyn and Mikhail Yanshin played in a specially staged for them famous play "Solo for Clock Chime" based on the play by Osvald Zahradník (1973). In 1983, he played Pontius Pilate in the play "The Candle Ball" based on the novel by Mikhail Bulgakov "The Master and Margarita", staged by his son, Vladimir Prudkin.

In 1969, The Brothers Karamazov was released, with Mark Prudkin in the role of Fyodor Karamazov – the same one that he played on stage. Apart from a tiny episode in the silent film by Yakov Protazanov Man from the Restaurant, it was his first role in the cinema at the age of 71. He played small but memorable roles in the films The Twelve Chairs, The Blonde Around the Corner, Autumn Wind, in the television movie Uncle's Dream by Fyodor Dostoyevsky and others.

In 1943, Mark Prudkin was one of the supervisors of the Moscow Art Theater – the artistic and director's union, which consisted of five people.

In 1987, a gramophone record was released with records of fragments of the best works by Mark Prudkin in recent years in the theater, on television and radio.

He lived in Moscow, in Glinischevsky Lane, house 5/7.

Mark Isaakovich Prudkin died on 24 September 1994 at the age of 96, 75 of which he devoted to the theater. He was buried in Moscow at the Novodevichy Cemetery (site No. 10).^[4]

Personal life

Wife – Ekaterina Ivanovna Prudkina (1918–2007), assistant director (MAT). Honored Worker of Culture of the RSFSR (1975)
Son – Vladimir Prudkin, filmmaker, lives in Europe and Israel
- Grandson – Lev Prudkin, filmmaker

Honors and awards

Honored Artist of the RSFSR (1933)
People's Artist of the USSR (1961)
Hero of Socialist Labour (18 August 1989) – for outstanding achievements in the development of Soviet theatrical art
Two Orders of Lenin (1948, 1989)
Order of the October Revolution (1978)
Order of the Red Banner of Labour (1973)
Order of Friendship of Peoples (1983)
Order of the Badge of Honour (1937)
Medal "For the Defence of Moscow" (1946)
Medal "For Valiant Labour in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" (1946)
Stalin Prize of the first degree (1946) – for the performance of the role of engineer Mehti-aga in the performance "Deep exploration" by AA Kron
The Stalin Prize of the First Degree (1947) – for the performance of the role of Krivenko in the play "The Winners" by Boris F. Chirskov
The Stalin Prize of the first degree (1949) – for the role of Krutilin in the play "Green Street" by AA Surov
State Prize of the RSFSR named after Stanislavsky (1974) – for high performing skills in the play "Solo for Clock Chime" O. Zahradnik

Theatre

1918 – "The Green Ring" by Zinaida Gippius – Volodya
1918 – "The Pattern of Roses" by Fyodor Sologub – Priklonsky
1923 – "The Robbers" by Friedrich Schiller – Karl Moor
1924 – "Invisible Lady" by Pedro Calderon – Don Lewis
1925 – "Woe from Wit" by Alexander Griboedov – Alexander Chatsky
1925 – "Pugachevshchina" by Konstantin Trenev – Lysov
1926 – "The Days of the Turbins" by Mikhail Bulgakov – Leonid Shervinsky
1926 – "Nicholas I and the Decembrists" by Alexander Kugel – Prince Golitsyn
1927 – "Armored train 14–69" by Vsevolod Ivanov – Captain Nezelasov
1929 – "Mad Day, or The Marriage of Figaro" by Pierre Beaumarchais – Figaro
1930 – "Resurrection" by Leo Tolstoy – Prosecutor Breve
1931 – "The Fear" by Alexander Afinogenov – Kastalsky
1933 – "Talents and Admirers" by Alexander Ostrovsky – Grigory Bakin
1935 – "The Enemies" by Maxim Gorky – Mikhail Skrobotov
1937 – "Anna Karenina" by Leo Tolstoy – Count Alexei Vronsky
1941 – "Scandalous School" by Richard Sheridan – Sir Joseph Serfes
1942 – "Front" of Alexander Korneichuk – Gaidar
1943 – "Deep exploration" of Alexander Kron – Mehti-Aga
1944 – "The Last Victim" by Alexander Ostrovsky – Vadim Dulchin
1948 – "The Green Street" by Anatoly Surov – Krutilin
1951 – "The Lost House" by Sergei Mikhalkov – Ustinov
1952 – "The Volley of the Aurora" by Manuel Bolshintsov and Mikhail Chiaureli – Alexander Kerensky
1953 – "Summer Residents" by Maxim Gorky – Sergei Basov
1956 – "Kremlin chimes" by Nikolai Pogodin – English writer
1957 – "Anna Karenina" by Leo Tolstoy – Alexei Karenin
1957 – "The Golden Carriage" by Leonid Leonov – Nikolai Kareev
1960 – "The Brothers Karamazov" by Fyodor Dostoevsky – Fyodor Karamazov
1961 – "The Master" I. Sobolev – Kruglakovsky
1963 – "Egor Bulychov and Others" by Maxim Gorky – Vasily Dostigayev
1964 – "Winter of our Anxiety" by Joseph Steinbeck – Baker
1971 – "The Last" by Maxim Gorky – Yakov Kolomiytsev
1973 – "Enough Stupidity in Every Wise Man" by Alexander Ostrovsky – Krutitsky
1973 – "Solo for Clock Chime" Osvald Zahradník – Pan Hmelik
1976 – "Ivanov" by Anton Chekhov – Count Matvey Shabelsky
1977 – "Chekhov pages" based on the plays and stories by Anton Chekhov – Svetlovidov
1979 – "It's Over" by Edward Olby – Friend
1982 – "The Living Corpse" by Leo Tolstoy – Sergei Abrezkov
1983 – "Candle Ball" by Georgiy Epifantsev for Mikhail Bulgakov's "Master and Margarita" – Pontius Pilate

Filmography

1927 – Man from the Restaurant – the officer
1969 – The Brothers Karamazov – Fyodor Karamazov
1970 – The Strokes to the Portrait of V. I. Lenin – Dr. V.M. Minz
1970 – Kremlin Chimes – Yegor Dmitriyevich Nikolsky
1971 – Day after Day – Victor Bogdanov
1974 – Take Aim – Albert Einstein (uncredited)
1975 – Swan Song (short film) – actor
1976 – The Twelve Chairs – Bartholomew Korobeinikov
1983 – Two Chapters from the Family Chronicle – Gammer
1983 – The Blonde Around the Corner – Gavrila Maksimovich Poryvaev, Nikolai's father (voiced by Zinovy Gerdt)
1984 – Lost in the Sands – old man
1986 – Autumn Wind – Georges