Oleg Borisovich Vidov, a renowned actor, was born on June 11, 1943, in the Moscow suburbs to Varvara Vidova, a dedicated teacher, and Boris Nikolaievich Garnevich, a brilliant economist. As a child, Oleg resided with his mother, who worked for the Soviet government in the field of education in Mongolia and East Germany, before being sent to China on assignment. He then went to live with his aunt Anuta in Kazakhstan, eventually reuniting with his mother and aunt in Moscow.
At the tender age of 18, Oleg successfully competed against hundreds of aspiring actors to secure a spot in the acting department of the prestigious state film school, VGIK. His impressive filmography boasts an astonishing 50 films since 1961, with many of his starring roles still captivating audiences on Russian television today. Some of his notable credits include "Red Heat," Wild Orchid (1989),and Thirteen Days.
In 1985, Oleg made the bold decision to defect to the United States, where he continued to hone his craft in films and television. Together with his wife, he acquired international distribution rights to the esteemed Soyuzmultfilm Studio animation library in 1992, helping to popularize Russian animation globally. They went on to produce numerous series based on restored animations from the library, including "Animated Classic Showcase," Mikhail Baryshnikov's "Stories from My Childhood" (1998),Rudyard Kipling's "Jungle Book," "Masters of Russian Animation," "The Adventures of Cheburashka and Friends," and "Animated Soviet Propaganda."
In 2007, they sold the library to a Russian oligarch, bringing an end to their remarkable journey in preserving and promoting Russian animation.
