Yursky was born in
Leningrad,
USSR, on 16 March 1935 to the family of Yuri Sergeyevich Yursky. He studied at the Faculty of Law of
Zhdanov Leningrad State University. In 1959 he graduated from
Ostrovsky Leningrad Theatrical Institute, Leonid Makaryev's course. After completing his second year, in 1957, he was invited to the
Gorky Bolshoi Drama Theater. From 1957 to 1979 he was one of the leading actors of Gorky Bolshoi Drama Theater in Leningrad. The leading part in Wit Works Woe (1962) by Alexander Griboedov made him one of the most significant actors of his generation. His director's debut,
Moliere (also known as
The Cabal of Hypocrites), by
Mikhail Bulgakov in 1977 was highly acclaimed, but was not accepted by
Georgy Tovstonogov and led to Yursky's departure from the theatre. His first major film role was Chudak in the film
The Man from Nowhere (1961). The actor gained wide fame for his roles as Vicknicksor in the film
The Republic of ShKID (1966) and
Ostap Bender in The Little Golden Calf (1968). From 1979, he was an actor and director of
Mossovet Theater in Moscow. He also worked as an actor and director in
Moscow Art Theatre, as well as in Belgium, France and Japan. Yursky performed one-man recitals of poetry and prose, touring widely with them in the USSR, then Russia and beginning in the 1990s many countries with a Russian-speaking population. From 1961 to 1968, Yursky was married to actress Zinaida Sharko. From his second marriage, he had a daughter, Daria Yurskaya, who became an actress at the
Moscow Chekhov Art Theatre. On 8 February 2019, the actor felt unwell while at home. By the time the ambulance arrived, he had died. A civil memorial service was held on February 11 at the Mossovet Theater. He was buried at the Troyekurovskoye Cemetery. On 8 February 2021, a monument was erected on the actor's grave. == Partial filmography ==