Vasily Livanov
Vasily Borisovich Livanov OBE (born
19 July,
1935) is one of the most easily recognizable
Russian film actors and the only one to receive an
Order of the British Empire (of the second degree, for his portrayal of
Sherlock Holmes).
His father was
Boris Livanov, a preeminent actor of the
Moscow Art Theatre and probably the most acclaimed stage actor of his generation. Vasily was brought up in the artistic milieu, as many of the greatest Russian actors (such as
Olga Knipper and
Alla Tarasova) worked with his father and frequented the Livanov house.
Livanov graduated from the
Vakhtangov Theatre school and started his film career in
1959. His breakthrough role came in the
1963 adaptation of
Vasily Aksyonov's
Colleagues, in which he co-starred with
Vasily Lanovoy and
Oleg Anofriev.
Livanov's rather dissipated bohemian lifestyle all but derailed his film career. He made very few appearances in the movies produced in the late 1960s and 1970s, using his newly acquired hoarse voice to become the voice behind the famous Russian cartoon characters -
Karlsson-on-the-Roof and
Crocodile Gena. His other major contribution to the
Soyuzmultfilm cartoon industry was the modernized adaptation of
Town Musicians of Bremen, which went on to become a cult Soviet cartoon film of the 1970s.
In the late 1970's and in the 1980's, Livanov returned to film stardom in what became the greatest success of his acting career - the role of
Sherlock Holmes in
The Hound of the Baskervilles and other TV series directed by
Igor Maslennikov. The Russians believe that Livanov was the most believable and authentic Holmes to ever grace the screen. His other notable roles from the period included
Don Quixote and
Tsar Nicholas I.
Russian Sherlock Holmes stories and novels that were filmed in Livanov's movies included:
A Study In Scarlet,
The Adventure of the Speckled Band,
The Hound of the Baskervilles,
The Scandal In Bohemia,and
A Sign of the Four. Those movies were filmed between 1979 and 1986. Vasily Livanov played Sherlock Holmes and Vitaly Solomin played Doctor Watson.
To most Russians, Livanov represents the true
Sherlock Holmes, even though the character that he portrayed is slightly different than what
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle described. For many, Livanov IS Sherlock Holmes.
Livanov's first name Vasily is Russian translation of
Basil. Coincidentally, in the West, the actor best known for portrayal of
Sherlock Holmes was
Basil Rathbone. Not only do the two share the same name and the same main role, but they had very similar facial features.
*
Internet site dedicated to Vasiliy Livanov*
The Sherlock Holmes Museum
