Biography

Vladimir Basov was a notable Soviet actor and director best known for the leading role as Bruno in The Shield and the Sword (1968), which he also directed, and his numerous supporting roles, such as Floor Polisher in Walking the Streets of Moscow (1964) (aka.. Walking the Streets of Moscow (1963), among other works.

He was born Vladimir Pavlovich Basov on September 17, 1923, in a small town of Urazov, Kursk province, central Russia. His father died in a tragic accident, and young Basov was raised by a single mother. During the Second World War he was wounded in the battlefield fighting the Nazis, and was decorated for his courage. From 1947 - 1951 he studied acting and directing under Mikhail Romm and Sergei Yutkevich at Soviet State Insitute of Cinema (VGIK), graduating in 1952 as film director. From 1952 to 1987 he was a film director at Mosfilm Studios in Moscow.

Basov shot to fame with the leading role as Bruno in popular Soviet war drama The Shield and the Sword (1968) which he also directed. At that time Basov was among the most popular Soviet filmmakers. He directed such TV movies as Opasnyy povorot (1972), and the popular series Dni Turbinykh (1976) adapted after the eponymous book by Mikhail A. Bulgakov. However, with his success came the attendant pressures, and he suffered from chronic alcoholism, depression, and had several strokes and heart attacks.

Vladimir Basov was designated People's Actor of USSR (1983), and was awarded the State Prize of Russia (1982). He died of a second heart attack on September 17, 1987, in his Moscow home, and was laid to rest in Moscow, Russia.
- IMDb mini biography by: Steve Shelokhonov

Soviet film director, screenwriter, actor. Honored Artist of the RSFSR (03.17.1964). People's Artist of the RSFSR (7.01.1977). People's Artist of the USSR (10/14/1983). Vladimir Basov went to the front in July 1941. First, the lieutenant of the quartermaster's service, Basov served as the head of the club of the 4th Separate Rifle Brigade, for the excellent organization of amateur performances in combat conditions, he was awarded the medal "For Military Merit". And then his military fate makes a sharp turn and Vladimir Basov becomes a mortar man. A lot of feats were made by the mortar battery of senior lieutenant Basov, he was wounded on February 23, 1945, returned to service after being wounded. The war ended with the rank of captain and as deputy chief of the operational department of the 28th separate artillery division of the breakthrough of the reserve of the High Command. In 1947 he entered the directing department (workshop of Yutkevich and Romm). Member of the CPSU (b) since 1948. Since 1952 - director of the Mosfilm film studio. In 1952, after graduating from VGIK, as an assistant director, he participated in the filming of the film "Przhevalsky" (the director of the film was his teacher Sergei Yutkevich). The first directorial work was a film adaptation of the performance of the Theater Studio of the film actor "The Workman" (1953, together with Mstislav Korchagin). As a film actor he made his debut in his film School of Courage (1954). He starred in more than 80 films. Vladimir Basov is a brilliant character and comedian. One of the best directorial work of Vladimir Basov was the film "Shield and Sword" (1968). Vladimir Basov died on the morning of September 17, 1987 from a second stroke in his Moscow apartment. He was buried at the Kuntsevsky cemetery in Moscow.
- IMDb mini biography by: zoroman2008