The 100th Anniversary of Yevgeny Yevstigneyev's Birth — commemorative events held on October 9–10, 2026, in Nizhny Novgorod and Moscow in honor of the centenary of People's Artist of the USSR Yevgeny Aleksandrovich Yevstigneyev (1926–1992), a native of the Kanavino District of Nizhny Novgorod. For Nizhny Novgorod Region, the anniversary was an occasion to underscore the connection between one of the most prominent Soviet actors and his hometown: it was here that his childhood, youth, and first professional steps took place.[1]

Events in Nizhny Novgorod

On the day of the anniversary, the youth editorial team of Nizhegorodskaya Pravda toured the places in the city associated with Yevstigneyev and published a video about them, including the theater school that bears the actor's name.[1]

The Governor of Nizhny Novgorod Region, Gleb Nikitin, published an address on his MAX channel, calling Yevstigneyev one of his favorite actors and admitting that he came to love his work even before he learned of the actor's connection to Nizhny Novgorod Region.[2] He singled out the character of Professor Preobrazhensky and his words "The devastation is not in the toilets, but in the heads!", calling this phrase his inner compass.[3] Concluding his address, Nikitin stressed that, despite his Moscow fame, Yevstigneyev remains above all a native of Nizhny Novgorod, and expressed the importance of preserving and enhancing his memory in his hometown.[2]

Events in Moscow

On Chistoprudny Boulevard in Moscow — next to the Sovremennik Theater, with which Yevstigneyev was closely associated — a mural with his portrait appeared during the anniversary days.[4] Governor Nikitin personally thanked the theater's director and artistic director, Vladimir Mashkov, for his careful treatment of the memory of its founder.[3]

For the actor's 100th anniversary, the Moscow portal "Uznai Moskvu" launched a walking route through places connected with his biography. The route covers five addresses: the Moscow Art Theater School-Studio, which accepted Yevstigneyev in 1954 directly into the second-to-last year, in the class of the teacher Pavel Massalsky (his classmates included Oleg Basilashvili, Tatyana Doronina, and Mikhail Kozakov); Triumfalnaya Square, where in February 1961 Sovremennik received its first building (demolished in 1974); the Pushkin Theater on Tverskoy Boulevard, where the play "The Naked King" was staged; and the Chekhov Moscow Art Theater in Kamergersky Lane, to which the actor moved in 1971 following Oleg Yefremov.[4]

Biographical Context

Yevgeny Yevstigneyev was born on October 9, 1926, in the Kanavino District of Nizhny Novgorod. Before his acting career, he worked at a factory and played in an amateur jazz ensemble. In 1951 he graduated from the Gorky (Nizhny Novgorod) Theater School, then entered the Moscow Art Theater School-Studio directly into the third year and graduated from it in 1956.[1] Over his lifetime, the actor played more than 100 film roles; among the best known are the pioneer camp director Dynin in the film "Welcome, or No Trespassing," Professor Preobrazhensky in "Heart of a Dog," Professor Pleishner in "Seventeen Moments of Spring," Koreiko in "The Golden Calf," as well as roles in the films "Beware of the Car," "Old Robbers," "We Are from Jazz," and "Winter Evening in Gagra."[1][4]

For more on the actor's life and work, see the article Evgeniy Evstigneev.

Sources

  1. Nizhegorodskaya Pravda — The 100th anniversary of Evgeniy Evstigneev's birth will be marked in Nizhny Novgorod on October 9, 2026
  2. Newsroom24 — On Evstigneev's 100th anniversary, Nikitin spoke of his love for the actor's talent — Details
  3. Zhivyom v Nizhnem — Nikitin confessed his love for the talent of the great Nizhny Novgorod native Evstigneev — Zhivem v Nizhnem
  4. Newsroom24 — In Moscow, a mural and a walking route were opened for Evstigneev's 100th anniversary