Yury Mefodievich Solomin (18 June 1935 – 11 January 2024) was a Soviet and Russian actor and director who was an art director of the Maly Theatre in Moscow from 1988. He previously served as Minister of Culture of the RSFSR from 1990 to 1991.

Biography

Solomin studied at the Malyi Theatre School and joined its troupe in 1957. He was acclaimed as Khlestakov in Igor Ilyinsky's production of The Government Inspector (1966), Tsar Feodor in Tsar Feodor Ioannovich (1976), Slavin in TASS Is Authorized to Declare... TV series (1984), Nicholas II in Az Vosdam... (1990), and Famusov in his own production of Woe from Wit (2000). Solomin was cast as a Russian imperial officer in many Soviet movies, including Akira Kurosawa's Dersu Uzala (1975), which won him a Japanese decoration for the outstanding contribution to the world culture (1993). Solomin served as the Russian Minister of Culture from 1990 to 1992. On 11 March 2014, he signed the appeal of culture of the Russian Federation in support of the policies of Russian President Vladimir Putin in Ukraine and Crimea. In December 2015, he supported the policy of Putin with respect to Ukraine and the annexation of the Crimea. His younger brother Vitaly Solomin (1941–2002) was also a noted actor. Yury Solomin died of complications from a stroke on 11 January 2024, at the age of 88.

Honors and awards

Selected filmography