Sergei Bondarchuk

Leading post-WWII actor who later turned to directing with epic reults. While studying under Sergei Gerasimov, Bondarchuk was cast with other students in the director's "The Young Guard" (1948) and later took lead roles in such noted Soviet films as "Taras Shevchenko" (1951) and "Othello" (1955), excelling at tragic, heroic parts.