
Acting
Aug 29, 1934
Bogorodsk, Gorkovskaya oblast, RSFSR, USSR
Anatoliy Solonitsyn
Acting
Biography
Anatoly Alekseyevich Solonitsyn (August 30, 1934, Bogorodsk – June 11, 1982, Moscow) was a Soviet actor of remarkable intensity and philosophical depth, best known for his collaborations with Andrei Tarkovsky. Born in 1934 in Bogorodsk, he became the face of inner struggle and metaphysical searching in Soviet cinema, most famously portraying Andrei Rublev, the tormented painter of icons, and the introspective Writer in Stalker. Solonitsyn’s performances were marked by a quiet magnetism—his stoic presence and penetrating gaze gave form to Tarkovsky’s spiritual explorations. Though he appeared in a range of Soviet films, his legacy is inseparable from Tarkovsky’s cinema, where he embodied characters wrestling with art, faith, and the weight of history. His life was cut short in 1982 by cancer, yet his work remains timeless—an imprint of the soul etched in celluloid.
Feature Films (46)

An expansive Russian drama, this film focuses on the life of revered religious icon painter Andrei Rublev. Drifting from place to place in a tumultuous era, the peace-seeking monk eventually gains a reputation for his art. But after Rublev witnesses a brutal battle and unintentionally becomes involved, he takes a vow of silence and spends time away from his work. As he begins to ease his troubled soul, he takes steps towards becoming a painter once again.
Andrei Rublev

A psychologist is sent to a space station orbiting a planet called Solaris to investigate the death of a doctor and the mental problems of cosmonauts on the station. He soon discovers that the water on the planet is a type of brain which brings out repressed memories and obsessions.
Solaris

Near a gray and unnamed city is the Zone, a place guarded by barbed wire and soldiers, and where the normal laws of physics are victim to frequent anomalies. A stalker guides two men into the Zone, specifically to an area in which deep-seated desires are granted.
Stalker

In December 1917, a Finnish delegation arrives in St. Petersburg to meet Vladimir Lenin to seek recognition of Finland's independence.
Trust

In the liberated village, in the premises of an orphanage, they find the case of a German soldier who took pity on Soviet soldiers and was sentenced to death.
The Kurt Clausewitz Case

Chess player Sergei Khlobnikov never set winning as his goal in the game. Emotional and averse to pragmatism, he rarely won tournaments. But eventually, his time came.
Grandmaster

A story about the famous Russian weightlifter Ivan Zaikin, who left the circus arena at the peak of his fame to dedicate himself to the art of aviation.
The Balloonist

Experiences of a Tatra factory driver during demanding load tests of Tatra 148 trucks in extremely harsh climatic conditions during the construction of the Nizhnevartovsk oil pipeline.
Trasa

In the small town of Krutovo, three friends live — Mitrya, Andrian and Lenka. From the director of the Museum of local lore, the children learn about the theft of the portrait "The Old Man with a Candle" from the museum collection of Prince Meshchersky. The valuable painting is somewhere in the city. The guys are starting the search...
The Mysterious Old Man

Following the Russian Civil War, a loyal Red, Shilov, must prove he is at home among strangers as he attempts to recapture a shipment of gold that he was supposed to deliver to Moscow. Needed as a means of buying food for the people, the gold Shilov was entrusted with is stolen, initially by a group of assassins and then by a group of bandits. In tracking the gold’s whereabouts, Shilov’s motives are questioned and he is suspected of treason, in part because his brother was a devoted White. In an effort to clear his name, Shilov locates the gold, but he also discovers rampant greed and corruption.
At Home Among Strangers, a Stranger Among His Own

Shot in 1971 but banned until 1986, this distinctly Russian war story takes place in 1942 behind enemy lines. A regiment of partisans captures former Red Army lieutenant Lazarev who is dressed in a German uniform. He’s a Nazi defector and collaborator but now desires to switch back and fight with Russian partisans.
Trial on the Road

A talented girl is trying to find happiness amidst the Russian revolution of 1917 and the civil war that split the nation.
No Path Through Fire
Television & Series (2)

A story about the first post-war years in Leningrad. The film's protagonist, Maria, a Leningrad native, was left a widow with three children after the war. Life is hard and difficult, and suddenly the family is struck by new grief—the death of her eldest son, Sergei... And when Igor, who has recently returned from the front, wants to offer help and care to Maria and her children, a conflict erupts in the family: her daughter Marina does not want to come to terms with forgetting the memory of her father...

