Yuri Solomin is a renowned Russian stage and film actor and director, globally recognized for his outstanding work with the illustrious director Akira Kurosawa in the leading role of Arseniev in the groundbreaking Russian-Japanese film Dersu Uzala, released in 1975.
Born Yuri Mefodievich Solomin on June 18, 1935, in Chita, Siberian Russia, Soviet Union, he was raised in a family of musicians. His father, Mefodi Viktorovich, was a skilled cellist and violinist, while his mother, Zinaida Ananievna, was a talented mezzo-soprano; both parents taught classical music at the House of Pioneers in Chita.
After graduating from Chita high school in 1953, young Yuri Solomin moved to Moscow, where he enrolled in Shchepkin Theatrical School, studying acting under the esteemed Vera Pashennaya. He graduated in 1957 as an actor and immediately became a permanent member of the troupe at the prestigious Academic Maly Theatre in Moscow.
Since 1988, Solomin has held the esteemed position of Artistic Director of the Maly Theatre, and from 1990 to 1992, he served as Russian Minister of Culture. Throughout his illustrious career, he has played over 50 roles in films and on television, as well as approximately 60 roles in stage productions.
Solomin's remarkable achievements have been recognized with numerous awards and decorations from both the Soviet and Russian governments. He was elected president of the Association of Russian Theatres, designated People's Actor of the USSR, and has been living in Moscow, Russia.
