Yevgeni Lazarev

Biography:

Yevgeni Nikolayevich Lazarev (March 31, 1937 – November 18, 2016), also known as Eugene Lazarev, was a Russian actor and director.

He studied at the Moscow Art Theatre School-Studio and went on to perform at the Riga Russian Drama Theatre and the Mayakovsky Theatre.

In the 1990s, he moved to the United States, where he appeared in several Hollywood films such as The Saint, The Sum of All Fears, Lord of War, and Iron Man 2 (as Anton Vanko). He also took roles in television series including The West Wing (episode “The Lame Duck Congress”), Alias, and 24.

Lazarev served as a professor at the Moscow Art Theatre Studio School and the Russian Academy of Theatre Arts, and was honored with the title of People’s Artist of Russia. From 2003 until 2016, he taught at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in Los Angeles and at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. Additionally, he provided the voice of Imran Zakhaev in Activision’s Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007). He passed away on November 18, 2016, at the age of 79.