Kri︠u︡chkov, Nikolaĭ Afanasʹevich, 1911-1994

Nikolai Afanasyevich Kryuchkov (6 January 1911 [O.S. 24 December 1910] – 13 April 1994) was a Soviet and Russian stage and film actor. He appeared in around 130 films between 1932 and 1993. After the 1939 film Tractor Drivers, Kryuchkov became the most filmed actor in Soviet cinema. That role also won him a Stalin Prize, 1st class, in 1941. Later he gained even greater popularity thanks to the movies Lad from Our Town (1942) and Heavenly Slug (1945). A prolific actor, he could work in five films simultaneously and also played in theatre. He was named Merited Artist of the RSFSR in 1942, People's Artist of the RSFSR in 1950 and People's Artist of the USSR in 1965. In 1991, he received a Nika Award for Lifetime Achievement, which is given by the Russian Academy of Cinema Arts and Science to one person per year. Kryuchkov was awarded the Hero of Socialist Labor title (1980) and two Orders of Lenin (1940, 1980).