Valentin Gaft


Valentin Iosifovich Gaft was a Soviet and Russian actor. He was a People's Artist of the RSFSR.

Biography

Early life and education

Gaft was born in Moscow to Jewish parents, Iosif Ruvimovich Gaft, a lawyer, and Gita Davydovna Gaft. He had a sister, Rima Iosifovna Gaft-Shtrom. The family moved to Moscow from Poltava, Ukraine or Pryluky, Ukraine. During World War II Iosif Gaft served in the Red Army finishing with the rank of Major.
Gaft took a great interest in theater while in school and took part in the school theater amateur performance. He graduated from the School-Studio at the Moscow Art Theatre. Among the students of the same course were future popular actors Oleg Tabakov and Maya Menglet.

Theatre

After graduating Gaft worked for a number of theaters including the Mossovet Theatre, Lenkom Theatre and Theater of Satire. In 1969 he started to work for the Sovremennik Theatre and worked there until 2019.

Film

Gaft started his work for the cinema in 1956 in the Mikhail Romm's film Murder on Dante Street.
Later he starred in the movies The First Courier, Mad Gold, Centaurs, Black Hen, or Underground Villagers, Fuete. Prominent roles were played by Gaft in the musical comedy The Sorceress, the tragicomedy Through Main Street with an Orchestra, the action film Thieves in Law, The Visit of the Lady, Night Fun, Encore, Once More Encore!.
In 1994, Gaft played Woland in Yuri Kara's film The Master and Margarita, which was only released in 2011.
However, the real popularity came to Gaft only after cooperation with Eldar Ryazanov. In 1979, he played the chairman of the garage cooperative Sidorkin in the comedy The Garage, in 1980, starred in the tragicomedy Say a Word for the Poor Hussar, in 1987, starred in the movie Forgotten Melody for a Flute, and in 1991 in the film Promised Heaven.
In addition to theater and cinema, Gaft played many roles on television – the main character in the television series based on Thomas Mann's novel Buddenbrooks, Lopatin in Lopatin's Notes, Jasper in the four-part film Edin Druid's Secret, Kramin in the television movie For the Rest of His Life, Prince Borescu in the television show The Archipelago Lenoir, The Kid in Kings and Cabbage, Butler in the television film Hello, I'm Your Aunt! and others. Teleplays with Gaft's participation included Just a few words in honor of M. de Moliere, Widow's Home, Players, Aesop, and ''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?''

Personal life

Gaft was married to the actress Olga Ostroumova from 1996 until his death. He was the author of sharp and popular epigrams against many theatrical and movie figures. In the 2013 film Yolki 3, he read some of his own poetry.
Gaft converted to Orthodox Christianity in 1990; his wife persuaded him to get baptized.
In 2015 to the Ukrainian internet publishing "Gordon", Valentin Gaft proudly announced that he was a Putinist.
In 2016, Gaft was banned from entering Ukraine, for "statements contradicted the interests of our national security".
Gaft died on 12 December 2020 in Moscow at the age of 85.

Selected filmography

Murder on Dante Street as Marsel RuzheRussian Souvenir as Claude Gerard, French composerIntervention as DlinnyyFamily Happiness as SalesmanThat Sweet Word: Liberty! as Miguel Carrera Moscow, My Love as choreographerIvan and Marya as PaymasterFor the Rest of His Life as Lt. KraminHello, I'm Your Aunt! as BrassetStory of an Unknown Actor as ZnamenskyCentaurs as AndresThe Garage as SidorinDog in Boots as Lofty Say a Word for the Poor Hussar as colonel Ivan PokrovskyVertical Race as Lyokha DedushkinFuete as рoetForgotten Melody for a Flute as OdinokovThrough Main Street with an Orchestra as Konstantin VinogradovVisit to Minotaur as Pavel IkonnikovThe Life of Klim Samgin as Valery TrifonovThe Feasts of Belshazzar, or a Night with Stalin as Lavrentiy BeriaThe Suicide as entertainerLost in Siberia as BeriaPromised Heaven as Dmitry Loginov, “President“Encore, Once More Encore! as Fedor Vasilyevich VinogradovThe Master and Margarita as WolandSympathy Seeker as MagicianOld Hags as general DubovitskyTender Age as Saledon Sr.House for the Rich as Roman RumyanovThe Master and Margarita as Joseph Kaifa / NKVD general12 as 4th jurorThe Book of Masters as magic mirrorAttack on Leningrad as film directorBurnt by the Sun 2 as PimenThe Life and Adventures of Mishka Yaponchik as Mendel GershWings as Byvaly Yolki 3 as Nikolai Petrovich

Honors and awards

  • Order "For Merit to the Fatherland":
  • *4th class – for outstanding contribution to the development of culture and many years of creative activity
  • *2nd class – for outstanding contribution to the development of domestic theatrical art and many years of creative activity
  • *3rd class – for outstanding contribution to the development of theatrical art, and many years of creative activity
  • Order of Friendship – for services to the state and achievements in work and significant contribution to strengthening friendship and cooperation between nations
  • Honored Artist of the RSFSR
  • People's Artist of the RSFSR