Yefim Kopelyan


Yefim Zakharovich Kopelyan was a Soviet actor of theatre and cinema, one of the legendary masters of the Bolshoi Theatre of Drama in Leningrad. He performed bright, characteristic roles in the films The Elusive Avengers, Intervention, Eternal Call, The Straw Hat, and many others. He is also known for the voice-over in the hit TV series Seventeen Moments of Spring.
He was born in the Belarusian town Rechytsa into a Jewish family. After graduation, he worked as a metal craftsman at the plant Krasny Putilovets in Leningrad. In 1930, he entered the architectural department of the Academy of fine arts. In his students years he earned additionally as supernumerary in the BTD, entered to the studio of this theatre.
At the end of his education, Kopelyan became an actor on the main staff of the BTD. These early years in the theatre were not notable for any special successes.
Later he played many roles, from the romantic Don Cesar de Bazan to the sailor Shvandya in Lyubov Yarovaya, roles of the classical repertoire and modern. He was a "social hero", playing character roles in comedies and tragedies. Georgi Tovstonogov employed Kopelyan almost in all premiers of theatre. With his name are connected all best plays BDT.
Operation Barbarossa found BTD in Baku on tour. On the return of the theatre on 4 July 1941 to Leningrad, Kopelyan entered the People's militia and played in the Theatre of the People's militia, which soon became the Front-line propaganda platoon of Leningrad.
Kopelyan acted in film and on TV a lot, and was the brilliant master of small roles: Steersman, Priest Gapon, Sergo Ordzhonikidze, Nalbandov, Burnash, 1971: Cossack Leader Ataman in epic film Dauria (1971 film) , Burtsev, Beybutov, etc. Among his best cinematic roles were Savva Morozov, Svidrigaylov. He acted in television films Old fortress, Crash of engineer Garin, and Eternal call.
His reading the text from the author in films Seven notes in silence, Meetings with Gorky, Memory and television film Seventeen Moments of Spring was unique.
Kopelyan married actress Lyudmila Makarova in 1941. He was named a People's Artist of the USSR in 1973. He died in 1975 in Leningrad.

Selected filmography

The Gadfly as Head of the frontierAlexander Popov as Marquis SolariOld Khottabych as driller Jafar Ali MohammedMister Iks as Theodora's fanGoodbye, Boys as The Sheet Metal Worker Time, Forward! as NalbandovThe Elusive Avengers as Ataman BurnashSofiya Perovskaya as Mikhail Loris-MelikovThe New Adventures of the Elusive Avengers as Ataman BurnashWoman's World as KasparDead Season as Smith Secret Agent's Destiny as General SergeevCrime and Punishment as SvidrigailovThe Seagull as DornDauria as Cossack Leader AtamanThe Crown of the Russian Empire, or Once Again the Elusive Avengers as BurnashSeventeen Moments of Spring as voice behind the sceneEternal Call as Mikhaylo Lukic KaftanovFailure of Engineer Garin as Gaston Leclerc