Andrei Konchalovsky.

The son of poet Sergey Mikhalkov and writer Natalia Konchalovskaïa, Andrei Konchalovsky was born in Moscow on August 20, 1937. He initially studied piano at the Central Music School and Moscow Conservatory before switching to film at the Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography VGIK. At VGIK, he studied under Mikhail Romm and collaborated with Andrei Tarkovsky on Ivan’s Childhood 1962 and Andrei Rublev 1966.

Konchalovsky made his feature debut with The First Teacher 1965, an adaptation of Chingiz Aitmatov’s novel. His next film, Istoriya Asi Klyachinoy 1966, was banned for a decade due to Soviet censorship. He gained critical acclaim for Uncle Vanya 1970 and Siberiade 1979, which brought him international attention. In the 1980s, he directed English-language films including Runaway Train 1985, which earned Oscar nominations for Eric Roberts and Jon Voight, and Tango & Cash 1989. He returned to Russia in the 1990s, directing theatre and the Emmy-winning TV miniseries The Odyssey 1997. Later works include House of Fools 2002, which won an award at Venice, and The Postman’s White Nights 2014, for which he won the Silver Lion for Best Director.

Konchalovsky has been married five times. His spouses include Natalya Arinbasarova mother of his son Yegor, Viviane Gaudet mother of Alexandra, born 1971, Irina Martynova mother of daughters Nataliya and Lena, and current wife Yuliya Vysotskaya mother of Maria, born 1999, and Pyotr, born 2003. He also has a daughter Darya with actress Irina Brazgovka. He is the older brother of filmmaker Nikita Mikhalkov.

Konchalovsky won the Silver Lion for Best Director at Venice in 2014 for The Postman’s White Nights. That award capped a six-decade career that bridged Soviet and international cinema. Siberiade 1979 brought him world attention, and he directed the Oscar-nominated Runaway Train 1985 and the Emmy-winning The Odyssey 1997. Uncle Vanya 1970 earned critical praise. His ability to shift between art-house and Hollywood films marked his career.