Ivan Dmitriev

He was born Ivan Petrovich Dmitriyev on 30 July 1915, in Vyshny Volochiok, Tver Province, Russia.

From 1932 to 1936 he studied acting under the legendary Yuri Yuriev at the Leningrad Institute of Theatre, Music, and Cinematography, graduating with honors in 1936. That same year he made his stage debut in the Lermontov's "Masquerade" by director Vsevolod Meyerhold. Ivan Dmitriyev had a stellar career as a stage actor. For several years he worked at various stage companies in Leningrad, such as, Theatre of Comedy and Theatre of the Baltic Fleet.

From 1948 to 1973 he was a permanent member of the troupe and the leading actor at the Theatre of Komissarzhevskoi in St. Petersburg. There his stage partners were such actors as Alisa Freyndlikh, Galina Korotkevich, Ivan Krasko, Vladimir Chestnokov, Valentina Chemberg, Tamara Abrosimova, Natalya Chetverikova, Tatiana Samarina, Sergey Boyarskiy, Nikolay Boyarskiy, Yefim Kamenetsky, Mikhail Khrabrov, Stanislav Landgraf, Georgiy Korolchuk, Vladimir Osobik, Boris Sokolov, Pyotr Shelokhonov, and other notable Russian actors. There, Ivan Dmitriyev made memorable appearances in various classic and contemporary plays under such directors, as Leonid Vivyen, Aleksandr Belinsky, Zinovi Korogodsky, Igor Vladimirov and Ruben Agamirzyan.

Ivan Dmitriyev was a Russian character actor known as Gorelov in the criminal drama Krutye gorki (1956) by director Nikolai Rozantsev.

Besides his appearance as Gorelov in the criminal drama Krutye gorki (1956) by director Nikolai Rozantsev, Dmitriev also appeared in several memorable supporting roles, such as, Starpom in Striped Trip (1961) and as Varentsov in criminal drama Menya eto ne kasaetsya (1976) by director Gerbert Rappaport.

From 1974 to 2000 he was a permanent member of the troupe and the leading actor of the Pushkin Drama Theatre in Leningrad (St. Petersburg). There his stage partners were such remarkable actors as Nikolay Cherkasov, Nikolai Simonov, Vasiliy Merkurev, Konstantin Skorobogatov, Yuriy Tolubeev, Aleksandr Borisov, Bruno Frejndlikh, Vladimir Chestnokov, Vladimir Erenberg, Konstantin Adashevsky, Leonid Vivyen, Olga Lebzak, Nina Mamaeva, Lidiya Shtykan, Nina Urgant, Igor Gorbachyov, and other notable Russian actors. His most memorable stage appearance was as Satin in "The Lower Depths" by Maxim Gorky.

Ivan Dmitriyev was designated People's Artist of the USSR (1980). He also taught acting as professor at the Institute of Theatre, Music, and Cinematography.