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Oleg Popov

Oleg Popov

Oleg Konstantinovich Popov (Russian: Олег Константинович Попoв, 31 July 1930 – 2 November 2016) was a Soviet and Russian clown and circus artist. People's Artist of the USSR (1969). Popov was born on 31 July 1930, the son of a clock-repairman. At age 12, he began working as an apprentice typographer for the newspaper Pravda, and he later joined Pravda's Athletic Club. There, in 1945, someone suggested that he apply for Moscow's State College of Circus and Variety Arts (better known as the "Moscow Circus School"). He was accepted and studied acrobatics, juggling, and other circus skills there, graduating in 1949. He made his debut at the Tbilisi Circus in the Georgian SSR. Afterwards, he continued his career at the Moscow Circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard (today Circus Nikulin). In 1955, Popov performed abroad for the first time, in Warsaw, and the following year, he toured with the Moscow Circus in France, Belgium, and England. He was immediately noticed by the press, which made him a circus star. The Soviet regime quickly built on his success abroad and transformed him into a goodwill ambassador for the Soviet Union. He appeared at the Brussels World Fair in 1958 and was broadcast from Moscow on American television in 1957. He toured the United States in 1963 and 1972 with the Moscow Circus. In 1969, Popov was honored with the title of People's Artist of the USSR. He toured extensively around the world in subsequent years with the Moscow Circus. In Australia, he was named King of Moomba (1971). Popov performed as a clown, combining his talents as a mime, a tightrope walker, and a juggler. At the 8th International Circus Festival of Monte-Carlo in 1981, he received the coveted Gold Clown award as a tribute to his stellar career. His clown character followed the tradition of the Russian folk character "Ivanushka," who fools other people and who is teased himself. In the early 1990s, after the fall of the Soviet Union, he toured with a unit of the Moscow Circus in Germany for a number of years, where he eventually settled. He later performed extensively in Germany, in circus shows, on television, or with his own touring show. He married Gabriela Lehmann, a German circus performer in 1991. She was 32 years younger. In 2006, Popov was invited to perform at the 30th anniversary of the International Circus Festival of Monte Carlo. Aged 75 years of age, he received a standing ovation. In 2015, he returned for the first time to Russia after 28 years' of living in Germany; it was at the First "Master" gala event (the Russian circus equivalent of the Academy Awards ceremony) at the Sochi State Circus, where he was given a long standing ovation. The Russian Minister of Culture, Vladimir Medinsky read a welcoming message from President Vladimir Putin. In December 2015 he was one of the judges at the final show of "The Blue Bird" contest—a young talent competition on the Russia-1 television channel. ... Source: Article "Oleg Popov" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.

Personal information

Birthday

1930-07-31

Birth Place

Vyrubovo, Russia

Movies and TV shows :

poster

30 millions d'amis

1976

6.0

TV
A Funny Dream, or Laughter and Tears

A Funny Dream, or Laughter and Tears

1976

5.2

Movie
Armourless Knight

Armourless Knight

1966

6.0

Movie
Clumsy Friend

Clumsy Friend

1959

0.0

Movie
Daring Circus Youth

Daring Circus Youth

1953

2.0

Movie
Free Admittance

Free Admittance

1987

8.0

Movie
Half A Hour For Miracles

Half A Hour For Miracles

1968

8.0

Movie
Mama

Mama

1976

6.5

Movie
New Year's Abduction

New Year's Abduction

1970

6.0

Movie
Sun in a String Bag

Sun in a String Bag

1979

0.0

Movie
The Blue Bird

The Blue Bird

1976

5.2

Movie
The Last Crook

The Last Crook

1966

7.0

Movie
The Lost Photography

The Lost Photography

1960

7.0

Movie
The performance begins!

The performance begins!

1970

0.0

Movie
poster

Was bin ich?

1955

6.5

TV
Весёлое сновидение, или Смех сквозь слёзы

Весёлое сновидение, или Смех сквозь слёзы

1976

0.0

Movie
Новогодняя ярмарка

Новогодняя ярмарка

1965

0.0

Movie