Vasily Kachalov

It was Kachalov who played Hamlet in the Symbolist production of 1911. His father was Ivan Shverubovich, a Belarusian Orthodox priest from Vilna. His schoolmates at Vilna Gymnasium included revolutionary Felix Dzerzhinsky and composer Konstantinas Galkauskas. In 1896, he left the law department of Saint Petersburg University in order to pursue an acting career. After four years of touring the Russian provinces and a brief stint at the Suvorin Theatre, Kachalov made his debut at the Moscow Art Theatre as Tsar Berendey in The Snow Maiden (spring 1900). • Illustration — Kachalov's portrait by Kazimir Malevich The snow maiden was played by Stanislavski's wife, Maria Lilina, who fell in love with Kachalov; she described their affair as "a touch of private happiness". Another of his lovers was Alisa Koonen. He met his wife, actress Nina Litovtseva, when they were acting in the Kazan Drama Theatre, one of Russia's oldest. Kachalov was greatly admired for his "magnetic" voice. He played Baron Tuzenbach after Vsevolod Meyerhold's departure from the theatre. In the original 1904 production of The Cherry Orchard he appeared as Trofimov. He starred in Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko's production of Ivanov later that year. All in all, he took more than 50 roles in Stanislavski's company. After the Russian Revolution, the Kachalov Group went touring Central Europe and did not return until the summer of 1921, under pressure from the theatre's founders. Kachalov was named one of the first People's Artists of the USSR after the title was instituted in 1936 and received a Stalin Prize in 1943. He was also the recipient of the two Orders of Lenin. The Kazan State Theatre was given his name in 1948. The Russian director and puppeteer, Sergey Obraztsov, described seeing Kachalov on stage: “That matchless voice of his sounded different each time. Different too was that amazing process of creating a phrase, and every visual image evoked by the word. One had the impression that Kachalov was not merely speaking but thinking aloud, and that the words one heard were only a part of what he was seeing with his inner eye. For that reason people did not merely listen to Kachalov, they watched what he was talking about.” • Illustration — Kachalov and Olga Knipper in Hamlet (1911)

Vasily Kachalov studied at Saint Petersburg State University. The recorded working language is Russian. The field of work recorded is acting and pedagogy of acting. Residence is recorded at Thälmann Street. Employment is recorded with Moscow Art Theatre. Distinctions recorded are State Stalin Prize, 1st degree, Order of Lenin, People's Artist of the USSR and Order of the Red Banner of Labour.

• Name — Vasily Kachalov • Born — February 11, 1875 • Birthplace — Vilna, Russian Empire • Died — 30 September 1948 • Place of death — Moscow, Soviet Union • Resting Place — Mount Auburn Cemetery • Occupation — Actor

• 1900 – Snow Maiden by Ostrovsky, directed by Stanislavski • 1900 – When We Dead Awaken by Ibsen, directed by Nemirovich-Danchenko • 1900 – The Death of Ivan the Terrible, by Al. Tolstoy, dir. by Stanislavski and Nemirovich-Danchenko • 1901 – Three Sisters by Chekhov, directed by Stanislavski • 1901 – The Wild Duck by Ibsen • 1901 – The Seagull by Chekhov, directed by Stanislavski • 1902 – Three Sisters, by Chekhov • 1902 – The Lower Depths, by Gorky • 1903 – The Pillars of Society, by Ibsen • 1903 – Julius Caesar, by Shakespeare • 1904 – The Cherry Orchard, by Chekhov • 1904 – Ivanov, by Chekhov • 1905 – Ghosts, by Ibsen • 1906 – Brand, by Ibsen • 1907 – Boris Godunov, by Pushkin • 1908 – Rosmersholm, by Ibsen • 1910 – The Brothers Karamazov, by Dostoevsky • 1910 – A Month in the Country, by Turgenev • 1911 – Hamlet, Shakespeare, directed by Gordon Craig • 1918 – Uncle Vanya, by Anton Chekhov • 1935 – Enemies, by Gorky

Vasily Kachalov was recorded at birth as Василий Иванович Шверубович. The authorities additionally record the headings Vasili Kachalov and Vasily Ivanovich Kachalov. His recorded language was Russian. He was the child of Ioann Shverubovich and Melitina Shverubovich. He married Nina Litovtseva. One child is recorded: V.

Vasily Kachalov is recorded as actor, drama teacher and pedagogue.