Sergei Appolinarievich Gerasimov 21 May 1906 26 November 1985 was one of the most reputable Soviet film directors and screenwriters The oldest film school in the world the VGIK bears his name Gerasimov started his film industry career as an actor in 1924 At first he appeared in Kozintsev and Trauberg films such as The Overcoat and The New Babylon Later he was commissioned to produce screen versions of the literary classics of Socialist realism His epic screenings of Alexander Fadeyevs The Young Guard 1948 and Mikhail Sholokhovs And Quiet Flows the Don 195758 were extolled by the authorities as exemplary During several decades of their teaching in the VGIK Gerasimov and his wife Tamara Makarova prepared many generations of Russian actors In his last movie Gerasimov played Leo Tolstoy while Makarova was cast as Tolstoys wife Gerasimov is buried in the Novodevichy Cemetery of Moscow Description above from the Wikipedia article Sergei Gerasimov film director licensed under CCBYSA full list of contributors on Wikipedia From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia