{{short description|Soviet and Russian actor (1935-2020)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}} {{Infobox person | name = Valentin Gaft | native_name = Валентин Гафт | native_name_lang = ru | image = Valentin Gaft (mos.ru, cropped) 02.jpg | caption = | birth_name = Valentin Iosifovich Gaft | birth_date = 2 September 1935 | birth_place = Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union | death_date = 12 December 2020 (aged 85)<ref>[https://tass.ru/kultura/10240093 Умер Валентин Гафт]. Tass. ru. 12 December 2020</ref> | death_place = Zhavoronki, Moscow Oblast, Russia | restingplace = | restingplacecoordinates = | othername = | occupation = Actor | yearsactive = 1956–2020 | spouse = | domesticpartner = | children = | parents = | website = | awards = Order of Friendship<br>40 px|link=Order of Friendship (1995) | signature = Автограф Гафта.png }}
'''Valentin Iosifovich Gaft''' ({{langx|ru|Валенти́н Ио́сифович Гафт}}; 2 September 1935 – 12 December 2020) was a Soviet and Russian actor. He was a People's Artist of the RSFSR (1984).<ref name="ria">{{Cite web|url=https://ria.ru/spravka/20100902/271025924.html|publisher=RIA Novosti|title=Валентин Иосифович Гафт. Биографическая справка|date=2 September 2010 |trans-title=Valentin Iosifovich Gaft. Biographical reference}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.peoples.ru/art/theatre/actor/gaft/|title=Биография Валентин Гафт|trans-title= Biography of Valentin Gaft|publisher=peoples.ru}}</ref>
==Biography== ===Early life and education=== Gaft was born in Moscow to Jewish parents, Iosif Ruvimovich Gaft (1907–1969), a lawyer, and Gita Davydovna Gaft (1908–1993). He had a sister, Rima Iosifovna Gaft-Shtrom (1930–2021). The family moved to Moscow from Poltava, Ukraine<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://sevastopol.su/news/valentin-gaft-ya-obyazatelno-priedu-v-russkiy-sevastopol|publisher=sevastopol.su|title=Валентин Гафт: " Я обязательно приеду в русский Севастополь!"|date=14 March 2014 }}</ref> or Pryluky, Ukraine.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://ktoestkto.ru/names/namesG/2008/04/09/namesG_12463.html |publisher=ktoestkto.ru (archived)|title=Гафт Валентин Иосифович|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304133211/http://ktoestkto.ru/names/namesG/2008/04/09/namesG_12463.html |access-date=2024-04-08 |archive-date=4 March 2016 }}</ref> During World War II, Iosif Gaft served in the Red Army finishing with the rank of Major.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vokrug.tv/person/show/gaft_valentin/|publisher=VokrugTV|title=Валентин Гафт|date=18 May 2024 }}</ref>
Gaft took a great interest in theater while in school and took part in the school theater amateur performance.<ref name="ria"/> He graduated from the School-Studio at the Moscow Art Theatre (1953–1957). Among the students of the same course were future popular actors Oleg Tabakov and Maya Menglet.
===Theatre=== thumb|Gaft in a theatrical play After graduating, Gaft worked for a number of theaters including the Mossovet Theatre, Lenkom Theatre (under famous director Anatoly Efros) and Theater of Satire. In 1969 he started to work for the Sovremennik Theatre and worked there until 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.aif.ru/culture/20328|publisher=Argumenty i Fakty|title=Валентин Гафт: "Театр "Современник" — это мой дом"|author=Lena Chugui|date=2 September 2010}}</ref>
===Film=== Gaft started his work for the cinema in 1956, in Mikhail Romm's film ''Murder on Dante Street''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vesti.ru/doc.html?id=117447|publisher=Vesti.ru|title=Валентин Гафт. Биография|trans-title=Valentin Gaft. Biography}}</ref>
Later he starred in the movies ''The First Courier'' (1968), ''Mad Gold'' (1977), ''Centaurs'' (1979), ''Black Hen, or Underground Villagers'' (1981), ''Fuete'' (1986). Prominent roles were played by Gaft in the musical comedy ''The Sorceress'' (1982), the tragicomedy ''Through Main Street with an Orchestra'' (1986), the action film ''Thieves in Law'' (1988), ''The Visit of the Lady'' (1989), ''Night Fun'' (1991), ''Encore, Once More Encore!'' (1992).<ref name="ria"/>
In 1994, Gaft played Woland in Yuri Kara's film ''The Master and Margarita'', which was only released in 2011.<ref name="ria"/>
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''.<ref name="ria"/>
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?''<ref name="ria"/>
==Personal life== Gaft was married to the actress Olga Ostroumova from 1996 until his death.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.starhit.ru/novosti/olga-ostroumova-o-brake-s-valentinom-gaftom-mne-hotelos-dosadit-prejnemu-muju-133057/|publisher=StarHit|title=Ольга Остроумова о браке с Валентином Гафтом: "Мне хотелось досадить прежнему мужу"|date=23 September 2017}}</ref> He was the author of sharp and popular epigrams against many theatrical and movie figures.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.ryazan.kp.ru/daily/26127/3019252/|publisher=Komsomolskaya Pravda|title=Самые колкие эпиграммы Валентина Гафта|author=Viktor Grakov|newspaper=Ryazan.kp.ru - |date= 2 September 2013}}</ref> In the 2013 film ''Yolki 3'', he read some of his own poetry.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://kp.ru/daily/26139.4/3028157/|title="Елки-3" предсказали Сергею Светлакову судьбу|author=Yulia Khozhateleva|newspaper=Kp.ru - |publisher=Komsomolskaya Pravda|date= 26 September 2013}}</ref>
Gaft converted to Orthodox Christianity in 1990; his wife persuaded him to get baptized.<ref>[https://zavtra.ru/events/tiho_ushyol_valentin_gaft Тихо ушёл Валентин Гафт]</ref>
In 2015, to the Ukrainian internet publishing "Gordon", Valentin Gaft proudly announced that he was a Putinist.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Гафт: Я – путинец, я уважаю Путина|url=http://gordonua.com/news/worldnews/Gaft-YA-putinec-ya-uvazhayu-Putina-97780.html| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20150916011704/http://gordonua.com/news/worldnews/Gaft-YA-putinec-ya-uvazhayu-Putina-97780.html|archive-date=2015-09-16|website=gordonua.com|date=14 September 2015 |language=ru}}</ref>
In 2016, Gaft was banned from entering Ukraine, for "statements contradicted the interests of our national security".<ref>[http://www.unian.info/society/1608241-sbu-issues-entry-ban-against-140-russian-artists.html SBU issues entry ban against 140 Russian artists], UNIAN (5 November 2016)<br>[http://tass.com/world/910576 Ukraine’s State Security Service bans 140 Russian cultural figures from entering country], TASS news agency (5 November 2016)</ref>
Gaft died on 12 December 2020, in Moscow, at the age of 85.<ref>{{Cite news|title=В Москве скончался актёр театра и кино Валентин Гафт|url=https://www.svoboda.org/a/30997107.html|access-date=2020-12-12|website=Радио Свобода|date=12 December 2020 |language=ru}}</ref>
==Selected filmography== {{Div col}} * ''Murder on Dante Street'' (1956) as Marsel Ruzhe * ''Russian Souvenir'' (1960) as Claude Gerard, French composer * ''Intervention'' (1968) as Dlinnyy * ''Family Happiness'' (1970) as Salesman * ''That Sweet Word: Liberty!'' (1973) as Miguel Carrera (voice) * ''Moscow, My Love'' (1974) as choreographer * ''Ivan and Marya'' (1975) as Paymaster * ''For the Rest of His Life'' (1975, TV Mini-Series) as Lt. Kramin * ''Hello, I'm Your Aunt!'' (1975, TV Movie) as Brasset * ''Story of an Unknown Actor'' (1977) as Znamensky * ''Centaurs'' (1978) as Andres * ''The Garage'' (1980) as Sidorin * ''Dog in Boots'' (1981) as Lofty (voice) * ''Say a Word for the Poor Hussar'' (1981, TV Movie) as colonel Ivan Pokrovsky * ''Vertical Race'' (1982, TV Movie) as Lyokha Dedushkin * ''Fuete'' (1987) as рoet * ''Forgotten Melody for a Flute'' (1987) as Odinokov * ''Through Main Street with an Orchestra'' (1987) as Konstantin Vinogradov * ''Visit to Minotaur'' (1987, TV Mini-Series) as Pavel Ikonnikov * ''The Life of Klim Samgin'' (1988, TV Series) as Valery Trifonov * ''The Feasts of Belshazzar, or a Night with Stalin'' (1989) as Lavrentiy Beria * ''The Suicide'' (1990) as entertainer * ''Lost in Siberia'' (1991) as Beria * ''Promised Heaven'' (1991) as Dmitry Loginov, “President“ * ''Encore, Once More Encore!'' (1992) as Fedor Vasilyevich Vinogradov * ''The Master and Margarita'' (''Мастер и Маргарита'', 1994) as Woland * ''Sympathy Seeker'' (1997) as Magician * ''Old Hags'' (2000) as general Dubovitsky * ''Tender Age'' (2000) as Saledon Sr. * ''House for the Rich'' (2000) as Roman Rumyanov * ''The Master and Margarita'' (2005) as Joseph Kaifa / NKVD general * ''12'' (2007) as 4th juror * ''The Book of Masters'' (2009) as magic mirror * ''Attack on Leningrad'' (2009) as film director * ''Burnt by the Sun 2'' (2010) as Pimen * ''The Life and Adventures of Mishka Yaponchik'' (2011, TV Series) as Mendel Gersh * ''Wings'' (2012) as Byvaly (voice) * ''Yolki 3'' (2013) as Nikolai Petrovich {{div col end}}
==Honors and awards== [[File:Vladimir Putin at award ceremonies (2016-03-10) 02.JPG|thumb|Gaft awarded with the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" (4th class) by President Vladimir Putin on 10 March 2016]] * Order "For Merit to the Fatherland": **4th class (15 February 2016) – for outstanding contribution to the development of culture and many years of creative activity **2nd class (2 September 2010) – for outstanding contribution to the development of domestic theatrical art and many years of creative activity **3rd class (2 September 2005) – for outstanding contribution to the development of theatrical art, and many years of creative activity * Order of Friendship (11 August 1995) – for services to the state and achievements in work and significant contribution to strengthening friendship and cooperation between nations *Honored Artist of the RSFSR (1978) * People's Artist of the RSFSR (1984)
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{Commons category|Valentin Gaft}} *{{IMDb name|0300781}} *{{Find a Grave}} *[http://lib.ru/ANEKDOTY/gaft.txt Epigrams by Valentin Gaft] {{in lang|ru}} {{Golden Eagle Lifetime Achievement Award}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaft, Valentin}} Category:Male actors from Moscow Category:1935 births Category:2020 deaths Category:Burials at Troyekurovskoye Cemetery Category:Recipients of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", 2nd class Category:People's Artists of Russia Category:Academicians of the Russian Academy of Cinema Arts and Sciences "Nika" Category:Converts to Eastern Orthodoxy from Judaism Category:Academicians of the National Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences of Russia Category:Soviet poets Category:Soviet male writers Category:20th-century Russian male writers Category:Russian male poets Category:Recipients of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", 4th class Category:Jewish Russian actors Category:Moscow Art Theatre School alumni Category:Audiobook narrators Category:20th-century Russian Jews Category:Recipients of the Golden Mask