Vladimir Safronov, People's Artist of the Russian Federation, actor of the Maly Theater. Biography

Vladimir Safronov was born on November 1, 1940 in Moscow. Already in his youth, he showed interest in theater, which led him to the Mikhail Shchepkin Higher Theater School (VTU), from which he graduated in 1962. His teachers were leading masters of the stage, including People's Artist of the USSR Valentina Sperantova.

Safronov began his theatrical career at the First Moscow Regional Drama Theater, where he worked until 1965. Then he joined the Pushkin Theater and remained a part of its troupe until 1972. During this period, he embodied several vivid images on stage: Mikhail Zykov in the production of "Zykov" based on the play by Maxim Gorky, Volkov in the play "Oblomov" based on the novel by Ivan Goncharov, Boris from Konstantin Finn's "Diary of a Woman", etc.

The young artist also tried his hand at directing — in the production of "Dramatic Song" he co-directed Boris Ravensky, and also played the main role.

In 1972, Safronov joined the State Academic Maly Theater, to which he devoted the rest of his life. Over the years, he has performed more than 50 roles covering a wide range of genres and trends. Russian Russians by Konstantin Simonov, Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand, Kasatka by Alexei Tolstoy, Bereg by Yuri Bondarev, Nedorosl by Denis Fonvizin and others were remembered by the audience for their performances based on the works of classics of Russian and foreign literature, such as Konstantin Simonov's "Russian People", Alexei Tolstoy's "Kasatka", Yuri Bondarev's "The Shore", Denis Fonvizin's "Nedorosl" and others. Critics, in turn, noted the subtle psychology of the artist's performance and the versatility of his characters.

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However, Safronov became most famous for his roles in Alexander Ostrovsky's plays. He embodied on stage many heroes of famous works, including Anton Pogulyaev from "The Abyss", Boris from "The Storm", Dosuzhev from "Profitable Place", Salai Saltanych from "The Last Victim" and others.

An equally important part of Safronov's life was his teaching career. Since 1975 (with interruptions), he taught at the Shchepkin VTU, and in 1991-1997 he was the head of the Department of plastic education of an actor. During his time at the Shchepkin College, he graduated more than 130 students, including Olga Drozdova, People's Artist of Russia, and Gleb Podgorodinsky, winner of the State Prize of the Russian Federation.

In 2001-2009, Safronov directed the Reutov Municipal Drama Theater, created on the basis of his graduation course at the Shchepkin College. There he staged such plays as "The Marriage of Belugin", "Minna von Barnhelm, or A Soldier's Happiness" and "Petrushka the Foreigner". In parallel, since 2002, Safronov has been teaching acting at the Faculty of Arts of Moscow State University.

The actor is known not only for his theatrical images, but also for acting in films and working on television. In 1967, he played one of the central roles in the film "Autumn Weddings" directed by Boris Yashin, and in 2005 he played in the TV series "Star of the Epoch" by Yuri Kara. The actor also appeared in other films: "The Artist from Gribov", "Granite Islands", "A particularly dangerous criminal is wanted", "Disturbing Happiness", "Andrey Kolobov", "Experts are investigating", etc. In total, his filmography includes more than 10 films and TV series.

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In the 1970s and 80s, Safronov hosted army-related programs on the Central Television of the USSR State Television and Radio Station. In 1997-2001, he was the host of the program "For the Future" on NTV, and in 2001-2004, he was the host of the show "Expertise" on RTR (modern. "Russia-1").

In 2006, Safronov was awarded the title of People's Artist of Russia. Among his recent theatrical works is Redozubov in the production of "Varvara" based on Gorky's play of the same name. The artist has performed this role on the stage of the Maly Theater since 2020.

Vladimir Safronov — personal life

Little is known about Vladimir Safronov's personal life. His wife, Irina Safronova, is a candidate of technical Sciences. The couple has two children: Vladimir and Julia. Following her father, her daughter chose a theatrical career and became an actress at the Maly Theater.

Vladimir Safronov death

Vladimir Safronov's death became known on August 6, 2025. The actor died at the age of 85.

"Vladimir Alekseevich will be missed by everyone, as they say now, he was distinguished by his incredible charisma both in life and on stage, being a surprisingly attractive, distinctive feature of his personality. His love of life and curiosity, interest in life and creativity never left him," the Maly Theater's press service said in a statement.