Advanced search
- TITLES
- NAMES
- COLLABORATIONS
Search filters
Enter full date
to
or just enter yyyy, or yyyy-mm below
to
Only includes names with the selected topics
to
or just enter yyyy, or yyyy-mm below
to
1-50 of 734
- Actress
- Producer
- Stunts
Natalie Burn is an accomplished actress of Ukrainian heritage, now holding American citizenship. She boasts a distinguished career, marked by her commitment to excellence in the performing arts. Natalie is proud to be a lifetime member of The Actors Studio and an active member of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
In her latest project, "Til Death Do Us Part," which was released in AMC theaters nationwide, Natalie received critical acclaim for her portrayal as a runaway bride in danger. Several reviewers and articles like Hollywood Reporter, CBS News and LA Times praised Burn's ability to do her own stunts as well as her dramatic performance alongside esteemed actors Cam Gigandet and Jason Patric. Her recent credits encompass a range of notable productions, including Warner Brothers' DC Comic film "Black Adam," starring Dwayne Johnson, and "The Enforcer," opposite Antonio Banderas and Kate Bosworth. She shone in "The Expendables 3" alongside Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Mel Gibson. Her upcoming film, "The Movers," features Academy Nominee Terence Howard and Jena Malone.
Natalie's television work includes co-starring roles in the Amazon Prime Emmy Award-winning Limited Drama Series "Studio City," which earned her an Indie Series Award Nomination for Best Supporting Actress, and the Lifetime Original movie "Vanished: Search for My Sister.
Also recognized for her exceptional skills in martial arts, Natalie has starred in several action movies across industry legends like Bruce Willis and Jason Statham. Recently, she commanded the screen as the lead in the action-packed thriller "Acceleration," alongside Dolph Lundgren and Sean Patrick Flanery. Later this year she can be seen starring in the upcoming medieval epic "The Last Redemption."
In addition to her acting prowess, Natalie is a classically trained ballet dancer, having graduated from The Royal Ballet School in London and Bolshoi Ballet Academy. Fluent in four languages, she brings a global perspective to her artistic endeavors.
As a producer, Natalie owns two production companies, 7Heaven Productions and Born To Burn Films, with a track record of producing a dozen successful films to date and several more in pre-production.
Driven by a desire to inspire and empower women in the entertainment industry worldwide, Natalie Burn sets a high standard as a role model for artistic excellence and professionalism.- Alec Utgoff is a British actor best known for playing 'Dr. Alexei' in the Netflix hit show, Stranger Things (2016). He was born in Kiev, Soviet Union. After moving to UK at a young age, Alec pursued acting and attended the prestigious Drama Centre London where he graduated in 2010 after completing his BA and MA degrees. He appeared in numerous films and TV series including Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014), Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015), San Andreas (2015) and others.
- Producer
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Gene Stupnitsky was born on 26 August 1977 in Kiev, Ukrainian SSR, USSR. He is a producer and writer, known for The Office (2005), Good Boys (2019) and No Hard Feelings (2023).- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Writer
Ilia Volok trained at the Moscow Art Theatre School under Russian actor Aleksandr Kalyagin and is a lifetime member of The Actors Studio. He has appeared in over 150 films, television shows, and video games. He is known for his work on Gemini Man opposite Will Smith for director Ang Lee, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull directed by Steven Spielberg; Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol with Tom Cruise; Air Force One opposite Harrison Ford directed by Wolfgang Peterson, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button opposite Brad Pitt, directed by David Fincher, Water For Elephants opposite Reese Witherspoon, Swordfish opposite John Travolta and Hugh Jackman and The Immigrant opposite Marion Cotillard, Joaquin Phoenix and Jermey Renner directed by James Grey, .
Additionally, he has guest starred in major television including "The Punisher", "Magnum PI", "McGuyver", "Counterpart", "Shameless", "NCIS" and "NCIS: New Orleans", "Criminal Minds", "The Americans", "Baskets", recurring roles on Michael Bay's series "The Last Ship" and "Scandal" and an episode at the height of 'Friends" in which reference was made to the Air Force One without mentioning him as one of its actors.
The character Vladimir Kamarivsky in the Electronic Arts video game Battlefield 3 is modeled after and voiced by Volok.
His life took an unexpected turn when after being a professional athlete, 3rd place at the world championship in rowing, he left to pursue acting at one of the most prestigious acting colleges, the Moscow Art Theatre School. To the complete surprise of his friends and relatives, he passed a rigorous competition (200 hundred contestants per one spot) and was accepted to study under the direction of one of the top stars of Russian theatre and cinema - Alexandr Kalyagin. Upon graduation he was invited to work in several top theatre companies the Moscow Art Theatre being one of them. But once again he changed the direction of his life, and with $300.00 in his pocket, without any knowledge of English, he came to America to pursue his dream of being a working as Hollywood actor.
He was working at a cemetery as a funeral service attendant where he enjoyed quiet surroundings and fresh air, later he was promoted to selling cemetery plots. Volok got his acting break in the movie Hail Ceaser, opposite Samuel Jackson, Robert Downey Jr. and Michael Anthony Hall. Volok also appeared in Oliver Stone's U-Turn, The Soloist, Abduction, GI Joe 2 and Pawn Sacrifice.
Ilia often performs on stage. His Theater credits include: "The Awful Grace of God" at The Actors Company, "The Revisionist" at The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing arts, co-starred opposite Tony award winner Deanna Dunagan, "Who Killed Comrade Rabbit" at the Blank Theater), co writer and producer, "Vivien" at the Actor's Circle, co-produced, the one man show "Diary of a Madman", Just a Song at Twilight at Write Act Repertory, Cat's Paw at the Actor's Studio, "Ferdinand" at Promanade Playhouse, "Cassat & Degas" at The Hudson Theater, "Destiny's Calling" at the Stella Adler Theater, "Chekhov in Yalta" at Theater 40) and "Fakov in America" at the American Renegade Theater. His one-man show Diary of A Madman won the LA Weekly Theater Award for Best Solo Performance. Ilia is a Faculty of the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in Los Angeles. Volok is represented at Endorse Management Group.- Larisa Polonsky was born on 30 March 1982 in Kiev, USSR [now Ukraine]. She is an actress, known for Person of Interest (2011), Leaving Circadia (2014) and Trust, Greed, Bullets & Bourbon (2013).
- Oleg Zagorodnii is an Ukrainian film, theater and TV actor. Zagorodnii was born on October 27, 1987 in Kyiv. He studied Kyiv National I. K. Karpenko-Kary Theatre, Cinema and Television University, graduating in 2010. Since 2010, the actor of the Lesya Ukrainka National Academic Theater. In 2015 he was invited to the troupe of the Moscow Theater Gogol Center. Since 2010, he has been acting in films, making his debut in the films "Demons" and "1942". In 2021, Zagorodnii starred in Firebird as Roman. The film is set in the 1970s at the height of the Cold War and tells about the love relationship that broke out between Soviet Air Force Lieutenant Roman Matveev (Oleg Zagorodnii) and Private Sergey Serebrennikov.
- Actor
- Director
- Producer
Alex Feldman was born in Kiev, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Ukraine]. He is an actor and director, known for The Americans (2013), Eternity Hill (2016) and Law & Order (1990).- Actress
- Soundtrack
Ana Layevska was born on 10 January 1982 in Kiev, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Ukraine]. She is an actress, known for The War Next-door (2021), La Muchacha Que Limpia (2021) and Yankee (2019). She has been married to Rodrigo Moreira since 13 April 2014.- Composer
- Music Department
- Additional Crew
Al Sherman was born into a musical family on 7 September 1897 in Czarist Russia. Father Samuel Sherman fled a Cossack pogrom in 1903, settling in Prague which was then part of Austria-Hungary. Luck turned for Samuel and he landed a job as concertmaster, first violinist and sometimes court composer in the Royal Court of Emperor Franz Josef. Within a short time, Samuel was able to send for his family to live with him in Prague.
As a young boy, Al would stand in the wings to hear his father play for the Bohemian Emperor, thus sparking the young boy's love of music. Once, when Al was about six years old, the Emperor sent guards to find out who was rustling around behind the curtains. He then asked the frightened youngster (Al) to sit on his knee for the duration of the concert.
In 1909 Samuel decided to take his family to America, but in America Samuel's luck turned again, this time for the worse. In New York City, Samuel was just another out-of-work musician. The pressure became too much for Samuel and he eventually left his wife Lena and their five children, Olga, Al, Edith, Regina and new born baby Harold.
At age thirteen, Al became the "man" of the family and quit school to work. Nevertheless, Al had a very "accepting" attitude and kept in close contact with Samuel until Samuel's death in 1947. Because the American music scene had been so disillusioning for Samuel, the last thing that Samuel wanted his young son, Al, to do was to become a musician. But Al had a burning desire to do just that. Al taught himself piano learning from the "Beyers Book for Beginners".
Despite Al's youth and scant knowledge of English, his natural talent for piano improvisation soon earned him a reputation as a top "Mood Music" pianist. His services to improvise inspirational music were sought by many silent film stars including Pauline Frederick, Mae Murray and Olga Petrova. In 1916, Universal signed Al to do bit parts in silent films as well. He later appeared in motion pictures with Mary Pickford, Mary Fuller, Clara Kimball Young and William Powell.
Al's composing career began in 1918 when he became a staff pianist for the Remick Music Company. There, he worked alongside George Gershwin and Vincent Youmans. During this time, Al also organized and directed a small orchestra which played both in New York and Miami Beach, Florida.
In the summer of 1921, Al was at the piano leading his orchestra when he met a beautiful green-eyed actress named Rosa (pronounced "Rose") Dancis. The couple was married in 1923.
Al and Rosa's older son, Robert Bernard Sherman was born on 19 December 1925. Their younger son, Richard Morton Sherman was born on 12 June 1928. Both boys were born in New York City. "The Sherman Brothers" would one day prove to be Al's greatest songwriting achievement, forming one of the most formidable songwriting teams in family entertainment to date (Mary Poppins (1964), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968)).
In the 1920s, 30s and 40s, Al collaborated with songwriters including Sam Coslow, Irving Mills, Charles O'Flynn, Al Dubin, Pat Flaherty, 'B.G. deSylva', Harold Tobias, Howard Johnson, Harry M. Woods, Al Bryan, Buddy Fields, Archie Fletcher, Al Lewis, Abner Silver, Edward Heyman and many others. Al quickly rose to become one of "Tin Pan Alley's" most sought after songwriters.
Between 1931 and 1934, during the last days of Vaudeville, Al and several of his fellow hitmakers formed a sensational review called "Songwriters On Parade", performing all across the Eastern seaboard on the Loew's and Keith circuits.
Some of Al Sherman's most well known songs also include, "Save Your Sorrow", "Lindbergh (The Eagle Of The U.S.A.)", "Pretending", On the Beach at Bali-Bali", "Over Somebody Else's Shoulder", "For Sentimental Reasons" and "Ninety-Nine Out of a Hundred (Want To Be Kissed)".
Maurice Chevalier's American breakthrough hit was an Al Sherman/Al Lewis song entitled "Livin' In the Sunlight - Lovin' in the Moonlight" from the Paramount Picture The Big Pond (1930). "You've Gotta Be A Football Hero" has been played, sung and marched to since 1933 when Fred Waring and his Pennsylvanians introduced it on the radio. More than just a hit of its day, "Football Hero" became a part of the fabric of the American sports scene.
The Sherman/Fletcher song "On A Little Bamboo Bridge" became a hit for Louis Armstrong. Artists who recorded Al Sherman songs include Benny Goodman, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Tommy Dorsey, Frank Sinatra, Al Jolson, Bing Crosby, Eddie Cantor, Rudy Vallee, Ozzie Nelson, Lawrence Welk, Peggy Lee, Patti Page, Duke Ellington and his Cotton Club Orchestra, among many others.
Some of his most memorable songs include songs for major Broadway revues, including the "Ziegfeld Follies", "George White's Scandals", "The Passing Show" and "Earl Carroll's Vanities".
Beside writing "Living in the Sunlight" for The Big Pond (1930), Al also wrote for many other films including songs for the motion pictures: Sweetie (1929), The Sky's the Limit (1938) and Sensations of 1945 (1944).
His romantic style and favored settings are suggested by such song titles as "Got the Bench, Got the Park", "Woodland Reverie", "Never a Dream Goes By" and "When You Waltz With the One You Love".
Although he would continue to write songs and musical compositions until his death, Al wrote his last big song in 1952. It was entitled: "Comes Along A Love" and was sung by Kay Starr.
In 1973, the Associated Press wrote, "Al Sherman helped raise the spirits of a Depression-era generation with his hit "Potatoes Are Cheaper - Tomatoes Are Cheaper - Now's the Time To Fall In Love!". Al wrote more than five hundred songs but gained his greatest fame for that happy tune". Always capable of finding the "silver lining", "Potatoes Are Cheaper" became Al's signature song. In 1973, he wrote his autobiography entitling it, "Potatoes Are Cheaper" for this reason.
On 16 September 1973, Al Sherman died in Los Angeles, California. He was 76 years old.- Director
- Producer
- Writer
Vadim Perelman was born in 1963 in Kiev, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Ukraine]. He is a director and producer, known for House of Sand and Fog (2003), Persian Lessons (2020) and The Life Before Her Eyes (2007).- Actor
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Soundtrack
Eugene Hutz was born on 6 September 1972 in Boyarka, Kiev Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Ukraine]. He is an actor, known for Everything Is Illuminated (2005), Wristcutters: A Love Story (2006) and Filth and Wisdom (2008).- Actor
- Soundtrack
Igor Youskevitch was born on 13 March 1912 in Kiev, Russian Empire [now Ukraine]. He was an actor, known for Invitation to the Dance (1956), The Gay Parisian (1941) and Fireside Theatre (1949). He died on 13 June 1994 in New York City, New York, USA.- Director
- Producer
- Writer
The distinguished film director Anatole Litvak was born in the Ukrainian city of Kiev, the son of Jewish parents. His very first job was as a stage hand. In 1915, he became an actor, performing at a little-known experimental theater in St. Petersburg, Russia. As a teenager, he witnessed the 1917 Russian Revolution and the consequent nationalization of all theaters and drama schools. It was at this time Litvak decided to quit the stage and join the burgeoning Soviet film industry. He was given a job at the Leningrad Nordkino studio as a set designer, but, before long, he worked his way up to directing short features, notably Tatiana (1925), a film about children.
In 1925, he left the Soviet Union for Berlin and was hired by the renowned director Georg Wilhelm Pabst to edit The Joyless Street (1925) starring Greta Garbo. He then began directing numerous short films for Ufa, and, eventually, moved on to full-length features. The most important of these was the romantic comedy Dolly macht Karriere (1930). Litvak's stay in Germany was cut short by the rise to power of Adolf Hitler. Litvak moved to France, and directed Mayerling (1936), starring Charles Boyer and Danielle Darrieux. This production was the turning point in Litvak's career, being a major hit on both sides of the Atlantic. He received effusive praise from critic Frank S. Nugent of the New York Times, who commented on the director's "superb assembling of scenes" and the "matchless performances" of the stars (September 14,1937). Hollywood soon beckoned, and, from 1937 to 1941, Litvak became a contract director for Warner Brothers. His first film was The Woman I Love (1937), which starred his future wife Miriam Hopkins. His experience with diverse aspects of stagecraft, as well as his fluency in four languages (Russian, German, French and English), enabled him to competently tackle a wide variety of subjects: from sophisticated continental comedy (Tovarich (1937)) to historical drama (Anastasia (1956)) and romance (All This, and Heaven Too (1940)).
Litvak was at his best directing taut, suspenseful crime dramas, such as The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse (1938) with Edward G. Robinson and Humphrey Bogart, hailed by Variety as "an unquestionable winner"; and two tough action films starring John Garfield: Castle on the Hudson (1940) and Out of the Fog (1941). Having become an American citizen in 1940, Litvak enlisted in the US army and collaborated with Frank Capra on the wartime "Why we Fight" series of documentaries. At war's end he left the army with the rank of colonel and returned to Hollywood to direct the classic thriller Sorry, Wrong Number (1948) with Barbara Stanwyck. Arguably his best film was the superb psychological drama The Snake Pit (1948), Hollywood's first attempt to seriously examine the treatment of mental illness. Indeed, the film was so influential that it precipitated changes in the American mental health system. Litvak was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Director, but lost out to John Huston for The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948).
In 1949, the director -- who had once described Hollywood as a "Mecca" -- returned to Europe and settled in Paris, working only infrequently. He undertook several projects under contract to 20th Century Fox (in 1951, and from 1955 to 1956). Notable among his later efforts are two contrasting films with Ingrid Bergman: the lavishly produced Anastasia (1956), about a woman claiming to be the Romanoff dynasty's last living direct descendant; and the moody, introspective romantic drama Goodbye Again (1961), shot on location in Paris. In stark thematic contrast to these, he also directed the suspenseful wartime thriller The Night of the Generals (1967), starring Peter O'Toole.
Anatole Litvak died in a hospital in Neuilly, Paris, in December 1974 at the age of 72.- Actor
- Additional Crew
Andy Scott Harris began performing in commercials and industrial films at age four, after being spotted by an agent in a talent show. By age seven, he had decided that acting was his true calling. He moved with his family from Minneapolis to Los Angeles in 2008 and immediately booked the lead in the award-winning short film, "The Closet". He broke into Prime Time television later that year when he co-starred on House "Big Baby", earning him his SAG membership. Andy was a stand-up comedian with the comedy troupe "Standing Tall Comedy Kids & Teens", and regularly performed at the Improv Comedy Club.- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Born in Russian Empire to a Ukrainian father and a Swedish mother, Anna Sten studied at the Russian Film Academy and joined the Moscow Art Theater. Strikingly beautiful, she went on to appear in a number of Russian silent films, but it was in the German film Der Mörder Dimitri Karamasoff (1931) that Anna gained notice. Samuel Goldwyn saw a picture of Anna in the paper and rushed to view the film. After the first reel he sent word to sign her, hoping to develop her into a star of the magnitude of Greta Garbo or Marlene Dietrich. His agent signed Anna to a contract but forgot to mention the fact that she didn't speak a word of English, which made her appearance in sound pictures questionable. She spent a year studying English every day and working out makeup and acting. Goldwyn publicity called her "The Passionate Peasant" and sold her image to papers all over America. However, her first American picture, Nana (1934), even though almost completely rewritten and re-shot from the original, didn't bring audiences into the theaters. While Anna was looked great, the script and picture were average. Her second film, We Live Again (1934), marginally better suited to her style, also died within weeks at the box office. After her third film for Goldwyn, The Wedding Night (1935), also flopped, she and Goldwyn parted company after it became known around Hollywood as "Goldwyn's Last Sten." Anna made a few more movies, but by the end of the decade she was forgotten.- Director
- Writer
- Actress
Maya Deren came to the USA in 1922 as Eleanora Derenkowsky. Together with her father Solomon Derenkowsky, a psychiatrist, and her mother Maria Fidler, an artist, she fled the pogroms organized by the Bolsheviks against the Jews. She studied journalism and political science at the Syracuse University in New York, finishing her BA at the New York University (NYU) in June 1936, and then received her MA in English literature from the Smith College in 1939.
In 1943, she made her first film Meshes of the Afternoon (1943), co-starring with Alexander Hammid. Through this association, at Hammid's suggestion, she changed her name to Maya, meaning "illusion." Overall, she made six short films and several incomplete films, including Witch's Cradle (1944) starring Marcel Duchamp.
Deren is the author of two books, "An Anagram of Ideas on Art, Form, and Film" 1946 (reprinted in "The Legend of Maya Deren," vol 1, part 2) and "Divine Horsemen: The Living Gods of Haiti" (1953)--a book that was made after her first trip to Haiti in 1947 and which is still considered one of the most useful on Haitian Voudoun. Deren wrote numerous articles on film and on Haiti. Maya Deren shot over 18,000 feet of film in Haiti from 1947 to 1954 on Haitian Voudoun, parts of which can be viewed in Divine Horsemen: The Living Gods of Haiti (1993) made after her death by her then-husband Teiji Ito and his new wife Cherel Ito.
In 1947, Maya Deren became the first filmmaker to receive a Guggenheim grant for creative work in motion pictures. She wrote film theory, distributed her own films, traveled across the USA, and went to Cuba and Canada to promote her films using the lecture-demonstration format to teach film theory, and Voudoun and the interrelationship of magic, science, and religion. Deren established the Creative Film Foundation in the late 1950s to reward the achievements of independent filmmakers.- Additional Crew
- Producer
- Actor
Mayer was born Lazar Meir in the Ukraine and grew up in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada after his parents fled Russian oppression in 1886. He had a brutal childhood, raised in poverty and suffering physical and emotional abuse from his nearly-illiterate peddler father. In the early 1890s, he changed his name to Louis and fudged his birth date to reflect the more "patriotic" date of July 4, 1885. He moved to Boston in 1904 and struggled as a scrap-metal dealer until he was able to purchase a burlesque house. Although he made large sums by showing films (he made a sizable fortune off The Birth of a Nation (1915)), his early business ventures favored legitimate theater in New England. As his theater empire expanded, he had acquired and refurbished enough small movie theaters that he was able to move his business to Los Angeles and venture into movie production in 1918. Along with Samuel Goldwyn and Marcus Loew of Metro Pictures, he formed a new company called Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM).
Over the next 25 years, MGM was "the Tiffany of the studios," producing more films and movie stars than any other studio in the world. Mayer became the prime creator of the enduring Hollywood of myth, home to stars like Clark Gable, Judy Garland, Joan Crawford, and Jean Harlow. Mayer became the highest-paid man in America, one of the country's most successful horse breeders, a political force and Hollywood's leading spokesman. Both he and MGM reached their peaks at the end of World War II, and Mayer was forced out in 1951. He died of leukemia in 1957.- Mikhail A. Bulgakov was a Russian writer and medical doctor known for big screen adaptations of his books, such as Beg (1971) and Master i Margarita (2006).
He was born Mikhail Afanasievich Bulgakov on May 15, 1891, in Kiev, Russia (now Kiev, Ukraine). He was the first of six children in the family of a theology professor. His family belonged to the intellectual elite of Kiev. Bulgakov with his brothers took part in the demonstration commemorating the death of Lev Tolstoy. Bulgakov graduated with honors from the Medical School of Kiev University in 1915. He married his classmate Tatiana Lippa, who became his assistant at surgeries and in his Doctor's office. He practiced medicine, specializing in venereal and other infectious diseases from 1915 to 1919.
Bulgakov wrote about his experiences as a doctor in his early works "Notes of a Young Doctor." In 1917-1919, he suffered from an infection that caused him an unbearable painful itch requiring him to take morphine; which he became addicted to, but he managed to overcome the dependency and quit. He joined the anti-communist White Army in the Russian Civil War. After the Civil War, he tried to emigrate from Russia, to reunite with his brother in Paris. But he became trapped in Soviet Russia. Several times he was almost killed by opposing forces on both sides of the Russian Civil War, but soldiers needed doctors, so Bulgakov was left alive. He provided medical help to the Chehchens, Caucasians, Cossacs, Russians, the Whites, the Reds... Bulgakov was the Doctor to all the sick people.
In 1921, Bulgakov moved to Moscow. There he became a writer and made friends with Valentin Kataev, Yuriy Olesha, Ilya Ilf, Yevgeni Petrov, and Konstantin Paustovsky. Later, he met Mikhail Zoschenko, Anna Akhmatova, Viktor Ardov, Sergey Mikhalkov, and Korney Ivanovich Chukovskiy. Bulgakov's plays at the Moscow Art Theatre were directed by Konstantin Stanislavski and Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko. "Days of the Turbins," about the demise of the White Army, was performed more than 200 times at the Moscow Art Theatre, and also at other Soviet theatres until it was banned.
The play was later restored to the repertoire and at least fifteen performances of this play were attended by Joseph Stalin. Stalin liked the play and later, in his official speeches, he used some of the well-written lines that were spoken from the stage by the Bulgakov's characters. In 1941, after the Nazi invasion in Russia during the Second World War, Joseph Stalin started his first radio address to the people of the Soviet Union with Bulgakov's words from the play, "Brothers and Sisters..."
Bulgakov's political independence was expressed in his article on the death of the first Soviet dictator Vladimir Lenin, "He killed a river of people..." wrote Bulgakov in 1924.
Bugakov's own way of life and his witty criticism of the ugly realities of life in the Soviet Union caused him much trouble. In 1925 he released 'Heart of a Dog', a bitter satire about the loss of civilized values in Russia under the Soviet system. Soon after, Bulgakov was interrogated by the Soviet secret service, OGPU. After interrogations, his personal diary and several unfinished works were confiscated by the secret service.
His plays were banned in all theaters, which terminated his income. Being financially broke, he wrote to his brother in Paris about his terrible life and poverty in Moscow. Bulgakov distanced himself from the Proletariat Writer's Union because he refused to write about the peasants and proletariat. He made adaptation of the "Dead Souls" by Nikolay Gogol for the stage; it became a success but was abruptly banned.
He took a risk and wrote a letter to Joseph Stalin with an ultimatum: "Let me out of the Soviet Union, or restore my work at the theaters." On the 18th of April of 1930, Bulgakov received a telephone call from Joseph Stalin. The dictator told the writer to fill an employment application at the Moscow Art Theater. Gradually, Bulgakov's plays were back in the repertoire of the Moscow Art Theatre. But most other theatres were in fear and did not stage any of the Bulgakov's plays for many years.
Joseph Stalin, who was increasingly paranoid, ordered massive extermination of intellectuals during the repressions known as the "Great Terror" (aka.. Great Purge). Many of Bulgakov's friends and colleagues, like Vladimir Mayakovsky, Osip Mandelstam, Vsevolod Meyerhold, Anna Akhmatova, Mikhail Zoschenko and many others were censored, banned, prosecuted, exiled, imprisoned, executed, found dead, or just disappeared without a trace.
At that time Bulgakov started his masterpiece - "Master and Margarita." It was slowly evolving from the series of chapters, initially titled "The Black Magician" in 1929. That was changed to "The Prince of Darkness" in 1930. Then it was changed again to "The Great Chancellor" in 1934. Finally, the novel was titled as "Master and Margarita" in 1934 and was rewritten and updated constantly until the writer's death in 1940.
While writing the novel, Bulgakov met Elena Sergeevna Shilovskaya, who became his wife. She was, in part, the model for Margarita in the novel. Secret service agents were spying on Bulgakov and learned about his new novel. Bulgakov was interrogated again and was ordered to destroy the manuscript under the threat from the government agents. He had to be very cautious. Bulgakov split the manuscript in two parts and destroyed one half in a fire.
Soon, he restored the missing part from memory and continued writing the novel. He was writing the novel in secrecy, hiding its manuscript for many years until his death in 1940. The main character in the novel, Voland, alludes to Stalin, or Beria, or any dictator who plays a semi-god. Voland was modeled after Satan in "Faust" by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. The novel has many parallels with the Bible and the "Divine Comedy" by Dante Alighieri. The characters and events in "Master and Margarita" are alluding to Bulgakov's experiences in Moscow under the dictatorship of Joseph Stalin.
Five days before his death, Bulgakov accepted an unusual promise from his loving wife. She swore to live a humble life and wait as long as it would take for Bulgakov's masterpiece to be published. The original manuscript of "The Master and Margarita" was preserved by Bulgakov's wife, Elena Sergeevna, until its first publication in 1966. It is a Menippean satire, a cross-genre comedy, drama, and fantasy, regarded by many as the best of the 20th century Russian novels.
Mikhail Bulgakov died of a kidney failure, on March 10, 1940, in Moscow. He was laid to rest in the Novodevichy Monastery Cemetery, next to other Russian cultural luminaries. - Actress
- Composer
- Producer
Anna Sedokova was born on 16 December 1982 in Kiev, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Ukraine]. She is an actress and composer, known for Anna Sedokova: Santa Barbara (2019), Anna Sedokova: Ne tvoja vina (2017) and Anna Sedokova: Graal (2020). She has been married to Jannis Timma since 6 September 2020. She was previously married to Maksim Shevchenko and Valentin Belkevich.- Actress
Ireesha was born in Kiev, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Ukraine]. She is known for Click (2006), Q: Secret Agent (2008) and Two and a Half Men (2003).- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Juliette Marquis was born on 16 April 1980 in Kiev, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Ukraine]. She is an actress and producer, known for This Girl's Life (2003), Horn Maker and Into the Sun (2005).- Actress
- Additional Crew
Janina Elkin is a British-German actress. Born in Kiev (Ukraine) and raised in Germany, she works between London, Berlin, and Los Angeles. Known for her roles in "The Queen's Gambit," "The Undeclared War," "Tatort," and "Sayonara Loreley," She speaks fluent German, Russian, English, Spanish, and Ukrainian. She studied acting at the Lee Strasberg Institute in New York and has been working as an actress on stage as well as in film and television.- Joseph Conrad was born in Berdichev, Kiev Province, now the Ukraine, to Polish parents Apollo Korzeniowski and Ewa Bobrowska. His father was a political activist and he and his family were exiled after he was suspected of involvement with revolutionary activities. Conrad had no friends as a child and rarely associated with boys or girls. His mother had always been a sickly person and died of tuberculosis in 1865. Conrad's father sent him to live with his uncle and pursue his education in France. Conrad's father died in 1869, also of tuberculosis. Conrad became an officer on British ships and spent two decades on various ships. Conrad was inspired to write "Heart of Darkness" after voyaging to Congo in 1890. In 1894, Conrad published his first novel and in 1896 he married Jessie George, an on-again off-again girlfriend. Conrad had few friends in adulthood, mainly fellow authors such as Stephen Crane and Henry James. Conrad died of a heart attack in 1924.
- Producer
- Writer
- Director
Julia Davis is a Columnist for The Daily Beast, Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) and a Washington Post contributor. Julia is a Russian Media Analyst and served as a featured Russian expert with the Atlantic Council's Disinformation Portal in Washington, DC, targeting Russian propaganda, disinformation and corruption.
Julia served as a former Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), federal law enforcement officer, in the new Department of Homeland Security she served as an Acting Supervisor, Customs and Border Protection, Port Enforcement Team (PET) at the San Ysidro, CA, Port of Entry.
Julia has provided her expertise on National Security, Counterterrorism and Immigration matters to various media outlets. She graduated with honors from the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) and received a certificate of outstanding achievement upon graduation. Julia studied Basic Farsi at Cal-State Northridge, CA prior to her federal service. Julia is fluent in Ukrainian (Native), Russian (Native), Spanish and conversive in several other languages. Her coverage of Russian propaganda has exposed the Kremlin's cyber-warfare, fake news and disinformation efforts against the United States and other countries.
Julia created and is Editor-In-Chief of the website "Russian Media Monitor," (TV News Series) and "RussiaLies.com," (ongoing TV series) both of which actively debunk propaganda and monitor Russian media. Julia showcases foreign policy, international and domestic affairs, and other issues. Her articles about Russian propaganda have been read, translated, and shared all over the world. Julia's investigative reports and articles debunking Russian propaganda have prompted retractions and corrections by RT (formerly Russia Today) and other media outlets, domestically and internationally.
Julia Davis appears on prime-time news outlets in her diverse fields of expertise, including "CBS Mornings," "CBS News," "CBS Evening News with Norah O'Donnell," "CNN," "Erin Burnett: Out Front," "Reliable Sources with Brian Stelter," "New Day with John Berman & Brianna Keilar," "CNN ," "Rachel Maddow," "The 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle," "The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell," "Morning Joe," "The ReidOut," "Politics Nation with Rev. Al Sharpton," "Alex Witt Reports," "The Beat with Ari Meltzer," "Ayman Mohyeldin Reports," "The News with Shepherd Smith," "MSNBC LIVE," "PBS," "AM Joy," "BBC," "The 11th Hour," "News Nation," "MSNBC LIVE," "The Doctors", "Access Hollywood", "Good Morning America", "Inside Edition", "Entertainment Tonight", "HLN", "Nancy Grace", "BBC/Discovery Channel, "Wake Up Australia," CBS Austin, and others.
As an Investigative Journalist, Julia Davis has been published, featured and quoted by the United Nations, The Daily Beast, Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA), The Washington Post, CBS, CNN, MSNBC, BBC, Newsweek, Rolling Stone, Forbes, Atlantic Council, Atlantic Council's Disinformation Portal, The Pentagon, The Hill, International Business Times, The Hollywood Reporter, People, Cosmopolitan, Time Magazine, The Wrap, Entertainment Weekly, Yahoo! News, Fox News, US Magazine, Politico, E!-Online, Miami Herald, Bulwark+, The Guardian, MSN, The International Business Times, Metro (UK), Salon, Wall Street Journal, San Diego Reader, Dallas News, Kyiv Post, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, New York Daily Post, Rand Corporation, Democratic National Committee, US House of Representatives, Kennan Institute of the Woodrow Wilson International Center, IMDB IN THE NEWS, Business Ukraine, multiple other publications and media outlets domestic and internationally. Featured Guest Speaker at Yale and Stanford University, amongst others.
Julia earned a Master's Degree in Aviation and Spacecraft Engineering. Julia's parents were both accomplished engineers in their respected fields. Julia's creative experience is vast, as an investigative journalist, accredited producer, director, award-winning screenwriter for film and television.
Julia is featured in a long list of Top Ukrainian Producers, Directors, Writers and on-screen Talent in the entertainment industry on IMDb, along with fellow Ukrainian, Academy Award winner, the late, great Jack Palance, both having been featured in the Academy Awards 70th Annual presentation.
Julia produced the first American film score utilizing the talent of the world renowned National Ukrainian Orchestra for Paramount Pictures. Julia was honored with the Order of "Yaroslav the Wise," having been recognized as a "Friend of Ukraine" by the Kyiv Post newspaper.
Julia created, wrote, produced, and directed the first "Medal of Honor" television series in conjunction with the Medal of Honor Society and former MOH President Paul Bucha, hosted by the late, great Academy Award nominee Burt Reynolds.
During her years in the film industry, Julia Davis served as a stunt double to Academy Award winners Angelina Jolie and Helen Hunt, worked in the international film franchise, "The Amazing Spider-Man 2," served as a Stunt Coordinator and Second Unit Director in her multi-faceted career. Julia is well-versed in production from all aspects, from concept to delivery, as a writer, producer and director for feature and television, for all media venues.
Julia is a member in good standing with the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, Screen Actors Guild, Women In Film and Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association.
Julia Davis works in support of charitable organizations, such as the City of Hope, Wounded Warriors, Therapeutic Living Center for the Blind (sponsored by the Conrad Hilton Foundation), American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Humane Society and Feeding America.
Julia is the former CEO of Fleur De Lis Film Studios and dedicates her career to fulltime journalism.
IMDB, IMDB, Amazon, Amazon Fulfillment Services, Col Needham, its agents, representatives and contributors, John Does 1-25, have censored this resume and biography of Julia Davis, BJ Davis, Fleur De Lis Film Studios, their intellectual properties, titles and placard card credits, titles, film and episodic television series data and information, to include but not limited to "IMDB Exposed," "Russian Media Monitor," "Russia Lies," "Workers Con", "Room and Board," "Whistleblowers: The Untold Stories", "Rogues In Robes," "Confessions Of A Hollywood Stuntman".
IMDB and affiliates, third party volunteers allowed with no indemnification, and assumes all legal and financial liabilities in disrupting their economic entitlements, making these copyright infringements, censorship, discrimination, harassment any and all unconstitutional, first amendment right violations.- Director
- Writer
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Born in Kyiv (Ukraine) in 1974, Myroslav Slaboshpytskyi graduated from the filmmaking department of the Kyiv National I. K. Karpenko-Kary Theatre, Cinema and Television University, majoring in feature film directing. He has worked at various Ukrainian film studios in Kyiv (such as the Dovzhenko Film Studio) and Russian film studios in St. Petersburg (such as the Lenfilm Studios). He also worked as a script writer on numerous TV films and published a number of stories, one of which The Chornobyl Robinson won the prize of the All-Ukrainian Script Contest Coronation of the Word (2000). His debut short "The Intsydent" has competed in 25 festivals in 17 countries. His second feature film "Diagnosis" has been nominated for Golden Bear. His latest short film "Deafness" is his second Berlinale outing that got him another Golden Bear nomination. In autumn 2010 Myroslav received a grant to create his first full-length feature film 'The Tribe" from the Hubert Bals Fund of Rotterdam Film Festival. In 2012, Myroslav won the Silver Leopard of the Locarno Film Festival's competition program "Pardi di domani" for his film "Nuclear Waste". "Nuclear Waste" was nominated for an EFA Award in 2013. His latest film, "The Tribe" (2014), won the Nespresso Grand Prize for La Semaine de la Critique in 2014.