Nikita Mikhalkov

Nikita Mikhalkov
Nikita Mikhalkov, May 2013
Born	Nikita Sergeyevich Mikhalkov (1945-10-21) 21 October 1945 (age 71) Moscow, Soviet Union
Alma mater	Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography
Occupation	Filmmaker, actor
Years active	1959–present
Spouse(s)	Anastasiya Vertinskaya, 1 child; Tatiana Mikhalkova, 3 children
Awards	Academy Awards

Nikita Sergeyevich Mikhalkov (Russian: Ники́та Серге́евич Михалко́в; born 21 October 1945) is a Russian filmmaker, actor, and head of the Russian Cinematographers' Union.

Mikhalkov was born in Moscow into the distinguished, artistic Mikhalkov family. His great grandfather was the imperial governor of Yaroslavl, whose mother was a princess of the House of Golitsyn. Nikita's father, Sergei Mikhalkov, was best known as writer of children's literature, although he also wrote lyrics to his country's national anthem on three different occasions spanning nearly 60 years – two different sets of lyrics used for the Soviet national anthem, and the current lyrics of the Russian national anthem. Mikhalkov's mother, poet Natalia Konchalovskaya, was the daughter of the avant-garde artist Pyotr Konchalovsky and granddaughter of another outstanding painter, Vasily Surikov. Nikita's older brother is the filmmaker Andrei Konchalovsky, primarily known for his collaboration with Andrei Tarkovsky and his own Hollywood action films, such as Runaway Train and Tango & Cash.

Mikhalkov studied acting at the children's studio of the Moscow Art Theatre and later at the Shchukin School of the Vakhtangov Theatre. While still a student, he appeared in Georgi Daneliya's film I Step Through Moscow (1964) and his brother Andrei Konchalovsky's film Home of the Gentry (1969). He was soon on his way to becoming a star of the Soviet stage and cinema.