Oleg Mirochnikov
Born (1960-12-04) 4 December 1960 (age 63)
Alma materBelarusian Academy of Theatre and Art
Occupation(s)Actor, Director, Voice-over Artist, Acting Coach
Years active1980–present

Oleg Mirochnikov (Russian: Олег Мирошников; born 4 December 1960) is a Russian actor, director, voice-over artist, and renown acting coach. Since the early 1990s, he is active and based in London, England. As a teacher of Russian theatre and acting, he has been teaching exclusively at Drama Centre London and at Central Saint Martins.[1] He trained a generation of high-profile actors such as Michael Fassbender, Tom Hardy, Emilia Clarke, Regé-Jean Page, Gwendoline Christie, and Russell Brand.[2]

Early life and education

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Mirochnikov was born in Minsk, Belarus to Muscovite parents.[3] He studied at the Belarusian Academy of Theatre and Art on its four-year Professional Actors Training Programme, and graduated with an acting degree in the early 1980s.[4][5]

Career

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After his graduation, Mirochnikov worked extensively in the theatre, films, television, and radio as an actor, director, and presenter/host. In 1991, Mirochnikov moved to Belgium and began teaching acting and Russian acting methods at the High Institute for Dramatic Art in Antwerp.[6][7] In 1994, Mirochnikov was invited to teach at Drama Centre London permanently, thus establishing his long tenure in the UK. During this time, Mirochnikov continued to act and direct professionally, while establishing himself as the premier Russian voice-over artist and the UK's leading authority and specialist in the Vakhtangov Technique and Russian theatre acting methods.[8][9]

As a voice-over artist, Mirochnikov has narrated, acted, and voiced hundreds of projects across many platforms, including films, television, documentaries, commercials, and video games. His role as the original voice of Artyom in Metro 2033 (video game) was immensely popular and gained a cult-following.[10] Mirochnikov also lent his voice to characters in such games as: Battlefield: Bad Company 2, Rome: Total War, Hidden & Dangerous 2, and Republic: The Revolution.[11]

In 2011, Mirochnikov set up a production company, Belka Productions (where he is the Artistic Director), with his former student and West End theatre producer Oliver King. [12][13] The company is dedicated to promoting Anglo-Russian and Eastern European cultural exchange. Their production credits include: Andrei Konchalovsky's Three Sisters and Uncle Vanya at the Wyndham's Theatre; The Sovremennik Theatre Season at the Piccadilly Theatre; Donkey Heart at Trafalgar Studios; A Warsaw Melody at the Arcola Theatre; Lev Dodin and Maly Drama Theatre's Uncle Vanya and Life and Fate at the Theatre Royal Haymarket and Three Sisters at the Vaudeville Theatre.[14][15][16] Mirochnikov also directed two plays for Belka Productions: A Warsaw Melody (2012) by Leonid Zorin, and Sunstroke (2013), which was inspired by the stories of Anton Chekhov & Ivan Bunin.[17] In 2018, Mirochnikov was an associate producer and movement associate director in the West End production and modern adaptation of Tartuffe.[18]

As an acting coach and Russian dialect coach, Mirochnikov worked behind the scenes on many critically-acclaimed films. In 2010, he coached Kevin Bacon on his Russian dialect for the film X-Men: First Class. Mirochnikov was also the Russian dialect coach for the lead actors on Seasons 7 and 8 of Strike Back.[19] His latest Russian dialect coaching work is the upcoming James Bond installment: No Time To Die directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga.

In 2020, Mirochnikov guest-starred in the acclaimed television series Killing Eve.[20][21]

Selected Filmography

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Year Title Role Director Notes
2020 Killing Eve Detention Centre Psychiatrist Damon Thomas (TV) S03E07: Beautiful Monster
2019 Ransom Miroslav Kutznetsov Paul Fox (TV) S03E07: Prima
2019 The Feed Dmitri Garin Carl Tibbetts
2018 McMafia Vadim's Lawyer James Watkins
2014 Legends Yamadayev Ken Biller
2014 Spectre Dr Valerian Sam Mendes
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References

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  1. ^ "Oleg Mirochnikov at Central Saint Martins". Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  2. ^ https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/features/warsaw-melody-russia-love-7600580.html
  3. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GTvUi8_OY8&ab_channel=VoiceofRussiaUK
  4. ^ https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1360310/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm
  5. ^ http://www.russianuk.com/interview47miro.htm
  6. ^ http://exeuntmagazine.com/features/oleg-mirochnikov/2/
  7. ^ http://www.russianuk.com/interview47miro.htm
  8. ^ https://afisha.london/en/event/masterclass-with-ekaterina-tarasova-and-oleg-mirochnikov-vakhtangov-chekhov/
  9. ^ https://masterclass.org.uk/view/oleg-mirochnikov-masterclass
  10. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2Yohe3AGYo&ab_channel=Kinsmarck
  11. ^ https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1360310/
  12. ^ https://www.thestage.co.uk/features/actor-and-producer-oliver-king-wouldnt-it-be-great-to-see-more-risks-taken-in-the-west-end
  13. ^ https://masterclass.org.uk/view/oleg-mirochnikov-masterclass
  14. ^ https://www.broadwayworld.com/westend/article/Simon-Callow-Leads-A-Cast-Of-Actors-In-A-Tour-Of-Troublesome-Texts-At-Theatre-Royal-Haymarket-20180502
  15. ^ https://www.belkaproductions.com/productions
  16. ^ "London Production Team Credits", Maly Drama Theatre 2018 - Play Programme, p. 10, 2018
  17. ^ https://www.belkaproductions.com/productions
  18. ^ "Tartuffe Creative Team", Tartuffe - Play Programme, p. 11, 2018
  19. ^ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1492179/fullcredits
  20. ^ "Spotlight". Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  21. ^ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11376854/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_1