Andrey Vasilyevich Myagkov (Russian: Андре́й Васи́льевич Мягко́в; born 8 July 1938, Leningrad, USSR) is a Soviet/Russian film and theater actor. He is best known for his roles in famous films directed by Eldar Ryazanov, such as The Irony of Fate (1975), Office Romance (1977), The Garage (1979) and A Cruel Romance (1984).

Biographie

Andrey Myagkov was born on 8 July 1938 in Leningrad, USSR. His father, Vasily Myagkov, was a professor at Saint Petersburg Polytechnical University. Young Miagkov showed interest in theater and acting and participated in a drama club at high school. Upon his graduation from high school he chose to study chemistry and attended Leningrad Institute of Technology, graduating in 1960 as a chemical engineer. His first job was engineer-researcher at Leningrad State Institute of Plastics. At the same time he continued to play on stage as amateur actor.

In 1961 he entered the Nemirovich-Danchenko Moscow Art Theatre school. After graduation in 1964 Myagkov joined the Sovremennik Theatre in Moscow. There his stage partners were such notable Soviet actors as Oleg Yefremov, Yevgeniy Yevstigneyev, Galina Volchek, Oleg Tabakov, Oleg Dal, Igor Kvasha, Valentin Gaft. One of his first stage a play Uncle's dream (based on Fyodor Dostoevsky's novel of the same name) where he played the uncle. Was noticed by director Elem Klimov who offered him a role in a film Adventures of a Dentist (1965). His next work in cinema was a role of Alyosha in critically acclaimed The Brothers Karamazov (1969) based on Dostoevsky's eponymous novel, which made him known.

In 1975 he shot to stardom in the enormously popular comedy-drama film The Irony of Fate as a surgeon Zhenya Lukashin. In 1977 he starred in another Ryazanov's hit Office Romance as a timid statistisian Anatoly Novoseltsev, alongside with Alisa Freindlich, in which he also debuted as a singer. For both roles he was awarded the State Prize of the USSR. In 1978 he was named Best Actor by readers of Soviet Screen Magazine (Sovetsky Ekran).

In 1977 Myagkov left the Sovremennik Theatre and joined the Moscow Art Theatre (MKhAT), where he debuted in the leading role as Zilov in Duck Hunt by Aleksandr Vampilov, and eventually established himself as a leading actor in many other stage productions.

His other notable films - Turbins' Days (1976) based on Mikhail Bulgakov's novel, The Garage (1980), Vertical Races (1983), A Cruel Romance (1984).

In 1990s Myagkov was concentrated on theatrical performances and worked as a professor at the Moscow Art Theatre school. In this period he starred in drama Mother (1990), Leonid Gaidai's comedy film Weather Is Good on Deribasovskaya, It Rains Again on Brighton Beach (1992), detective story Contact with Death (1998).

Myagkov played over 50 roles in film and on television. In 1989, Miagkov made his debut as director on the stage of Moscow Art Theatre with Goodnight, Mama (Spokoinoy nochi, Mama). In 2000 he directed a stageplay Retro.