Pyotr Sergeyevich Velyaminov, a renowned Russian character actor, was born on December 7, 1926, in Moscow, into a family of ancient Russian nobility. His father, Sergei Velyaminov, was a descendant of the Norwegian Royals who, in 1027, founded the oldest Russian dynasty of landed gentry, later rivaling the Romanovs for the Russian throne.
At the tender age of 16, Pyotr Velyaminov was arrested for anti-Soviet activities and spent 10 years in GULAG prison-camps under the dictatorship of Joseph Stalin. Coincidentally, his father was fighting in World War II against the Nazis and was decorated for his bravery, but after the war, he too was arrested and imprisoned.
Father and son Velyaminov were reunited only after the death of Stalin. However, due to Soviet discrimination rules, Pyotr Velyaminov was restricted to living in Siberia. It was there that he began his acting career, performing in various stage productions for prisoners. He eventually became a professional actor, working with numerous troupes across Russia, including the Dzerzhinsk City Drama Theatre in the 1950s, Novocherkassk Drama Theatre from 1962 to 1963, and later with drama companies in Cheboksary, Ivanovo, and Sverdlovsk Drama Theatre in 1970.
Pyotr Velyaminov's breakthrough role came when he was cast as Zakhar Bolshakov in the popular Russian TV series Teni ischezayut v polden (1971),directed by Valeriy Uskov and Vladimir Krasnopolskiy.
Throughout his 50-year acting career, Pyotr Velyaminov played over 200 roles on stage, in film, and on television, without formal acting education. He was a member of the Moscow Studio of Film Actors from 1974 to 1994 and the Theatre of Comedy in St. Petersburg from 1995 to 2009.
Pyotr Velyaminov was honored with numerous awards, including the title of People's Artist of Russia (1985) and the State Prize of the USSR (1978). He was also a reputable professor, teaching acting at the Baltic Institute in St. Petersburg.
