Mikhail Shchepkin

He distinguished between two kinds of actors, both of whom are dedicated to the art of acting: those who have developed the art of pretense based on intelligence and reason; and those who express feelings experienced by the actor in performance and work based on "a flaming-soul, heavenly spark." Shchepkin considered the effect of the latter approach superior to that of the former. He was opposed to the principles advanced by the French playwright and philosopher Denis Diderot in his Paradox of the Actor (published posthumously in 1830), which inverted Shchepkin's evaluation.

• Name — Mikhail Shchepkin • Birthplace — Krasnoye, Kursk Governorate, Russia • Died — (aged 74) • Place of death — Yalta, Russia • Occupation — Actor • Language — Russian • Period — 19th-century theatre • Movement — Realism • Notable Work — Memoirs • Years Active — 1805—1863

Shchepkin was born in the village of Krasnoye, Yakovlevsky District, Belgorod Oblast, Kursk Governorate, to a serf family owned by Count G. S. Volkenshtein. Shchepkin's freedom had to be bought by his admirers in 1821. Three years later, he joined the Maly Theatre in Moscow, which he would dominate for the next 40 years—it became known as the 'House of Shchepkin'. Shchepkin was the first to play Famusov in the Woe from Wit (1831) and the Mayor in The Government Inspector (1836). His acting was acclaimed by Alexander Pushkin, Nikolai Gogol, Alexander Herzen, and Ivan Turgenev for its subtlety, with much attention given to realistic detail and understatement.

In 1812, Shchepkin married Elena Dmitrievna ("Alyosha") who was a Turkish captive during the Siege of Anapa. They had five children, including the philologist Dmitry Mikhailovich Schepkin; the publisher and teacher Nikolai Mikhailovich Schepkin; the lawyer Petr Mikhailovich; and the actresses Fyokla (Faina) Mikhailovna and Alexandra Mikhailovna.

The authorities additionally record the headings Mikhail Semyonovich Shchepkin and Mijaíl Schepkin. His recorded language was Russian. One child is recorded: Nikolaj Mihajlovič Ŝepkin.