Stanislav Lyubshin is a Russian actor whose recognition came after his role of a spy in
The Shield and the Sword (1968). He was born Stanislav Andreevich Lyubshin on April 6, 1933 in the village of Vladykino, a suburb of Moscow, Russia, Soviet Union. His father, Andrei Lyubshin, was an agricultural
engineer, his mother was a
milkmaid. Young Lyubshin was fond of theatre, he was encouraged by his parents to join the drama class at his school. From 1955 to 1959 he studied acting at
Mikhail Shchepkin Higher Theatre School in Moscow, graduating in 1959 as an actor. Lyubshin made his film debut in 1959, while a student, in
There Will Be No Leave Today (1959), by directors
Andrey Tarkovsky and
Aleksandr Gordon. He shot to fame in the Soviet Union with the leading role as Weiss/Belov, a Russian spy in
Nazi Germany, in the popular film
The Shield and the Sword (; 1968) by director
Vladimir Basov. During the 1960s and 1970s, Lyubshin was among the most popular actors of the Soviet cinema. From 1959 to 1964 Lyubshin was member of the troupe at
Sovremennik Theatre in Moscow. There he was stage partner of
Oleg Tabakov,
Oleg Yefremov,
Evgeni Evstigneev,
Galina Volchek, Viktor Sergachev,
Oleg Dal,
Igor Kvasha,
Valentin Gaft, and others. From 1964 to 1967 he was member of the
Taganka Theatre company in Moscow. His stage partners there were famous actors such as
Vladimir Vysotsky,
Valeriy Zolotukhin,
Leonid Filatov,
Alla Demidova,
Veniamin Smekhov,
Ivan Bortnik,
Zhanna Bolotova,
Natalya Sayko,
Nikolai Gubenko, and others. Since 1981, Lyubshin has been a permanent member of the
Moscow Art Theatre (MKhAT named after A. Chekhov). His stage partners there were famous Russian actors such as
Mark Prudkin,
Angelina Stepanova, Anastasiya Georgiyevskaya, Vasili Toporkov, Mikhail Bolduman, Pavel Massalsky, and many of the next generation MKhAT actors. His best known stage appearances included his roles in the classic plays by
Anton Chekhov, such as
The Cherry Orchard,
The Three Sisters and
Ivanov, among other plays. Stanislav Lyubshin is a designated People's Actor of Russia and decorated with the Order of Service to Fatherland. He is living and working in Moscow, Russia. ==Filmography==