Boris Sergeevich Galkin (Russian: Бори́с Серге́евич Га́лкин; born 19 September 1947) is a Soviet and Russian stage, film actor, director, composer and television presenter. In 1981, Galkin received the Lenin Komsomol Prize and in 1999 was awarded the title of Merited Artist of the Russian Federation.
Galkin is most notably recognised for his role as Viktor Pavlovich Tarasov in the 1977 film In the Zone of Special Attention.
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Early life
Boris Sergeevich Galkin was born in the city of Leningrad on 19 September 1947, the son of Sergei Mikhailovich Galkin (1911-1985) and Svetlana Georgievna Galkina (née Zader, 1924-2006), a distant relation to the narodnik Olimpia Kutuzova.
Career
In 1969, Galkin graduated from the Boris Shchukin Theatre Institute alongside Nina Ruslanova, Alexander Kaidanovsky, Leonid Filatov, Natalya Gurzo, Vladimir Kachan, Ivan Dykhovichny, Lyudmila Kupina and Yan Arlazorov. Following this, Galkin worked as an actor and director in various theatres in Moscow and Novgorod, most notably the Taganka Theatre from 1971 to 1977.
In 1977, Galkin graduated from the Lunacharsky State Institute for Theatre Arts (GITIS).
Since 1996 Galkin has served as the Deputy Director for production at the Gorky Film Studio.
From 2005 to 2008, Galkin was president of the Russian Film Actors Guild.
Personal life
Boris Galkin has been married four times, with an adopted son and daughter from his third wife Elena Demidova, and a daughter from his fourth wife Inna Razumikhina.
Political views
Galkin was a staunch supporter of the separatist cause during the War in Donbas, travelling to the disputed territories several times and reportedly maintaining a relationship with the Head of the Donetsk People's Republic Alexander Zakharchenko. In 2017, he was added to the controversial Myrotvorets website.
In March 2022, Galkin penned an open letter to defend Russia's military actions in Ukraine, framing the conflict as a necessary defence against long standing Western encroachment. Later that month, Galkin was included in a list of 150 Russian cultural figures in a letter supporting the actions of President Vladimir Putin. In response, he was declared Persona non grata by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia and was banned from entry into the country.
Galkin has expressed harsh criticism towards prominent Russian emigrees such as Alla Pugacheva, portraying them as detached elite who grew wealthy off the Russian public only to abandon and look down on them during a crisis.
Filmography
Awards
A. P. Dovzhenko Medal (1978) - for playing the role of Guards Lieutenant Viktor Pavlovich Tarasov in the film In the Zone of Special Attention (1977).
Lenin Komsomol Prize (1981)
Merited Artist of the Russian Federation (1999)
Prize of the Russian Ministry of Defence in the field of culture and art (2017) - for theatrical art
Russian National Prize for Imperial Culture named after Eduard Volodin (2023)
Russian National Acting Award named after Andrei Mironov "Figaro" (2023)
Amet-khan Sultan Medal (2024) - Awarded by the Republic of Dagestan. For contributions to the patriotic education of youth, and services in the development of arts and culture.
Diploma "Best performance of an adult actor in a childrens film" - for "My Friend the Seal" (2026)