Molchanov, Pavel Stepanovich

Born Mar. 1(14), 1902, in the village of Ivol’sk, in present-day Buda-Koshelevo Raion, Gomel’ Oblast. Soviet Byelorussian actor. People’s Artist of the USSR (1949). Member of the CPSU since 1945.

From 1922 to 1926, Molchanov studied at the Byelorussian Theatrical Studio in Moscow. Between 1926 and 1930 and 1936 and 1951 he performed intermittently at the Second Byelorussian State Drama Theater in Vitebsk (now the la. Kolas Byelorussian Theater). In 1951 he joined the troupe of the la. Kupala Byelorussian Theater in Minsk. Among his best parts have been the title role in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Sorin in Chekhov’s The Seagull, Perchikhin in Gorky’s Smug Citizens, Oswald in Ibsen’s Ghosts, the Doctor in Nazym Khikmet’s Forgotten by All, Fedor in Leonov’s Invasion, and Koliberov in Makaenok’s Excuse Me, Please! He created the role of V. I. Lenin in the plays Man With a Gun and The Kremlin Chimes by Pogodin, The Eternal Source by Zorin, and The Year of Dread by Kapler. A versatile actor, Molchanov is at his best in dramatic and tragic roles. He is able to completely immerse himself in a particular role. He has acted in and directed films. A recipient of the State Prize of the USSR in 1946, he has been awarded three orders and various medals.