May 19

                                            Today, May 19th, is the Soviet Pioneer Day.

Leonid Vladimirovich Kharitonov (Russian: Леонид Владимирович Харитонов) (19 May,1930–1987) was a Soviet actor whose stage name was Leonid Kharitonov. He was notable for his part in the films Private Ivan, Ivan Brovkin na tseline and Ulitsa polna neozhidannostey. He was awarded Honoured Artist of the RSFSR (1972).He graduated from the Nemirovich-Danchenko studio school at the Moscow Art Theatre in 1954. This was the Gorky Art Academic Theatre. After graduating from the studio school he continued working as an actor at the same theatre. He was an actor with the Academic Art Theatre in the name of M.Gorky, or Gorky Theatre, from 1954 to 1962, but then he left this theatre and in 1962-1963 he performed with the Theatre of Lenin Komsomol and with thePushkin Theatre. But in 1963 he returned to the Gorky Art Academic Theatre. He was a film actor from 1954: his first role was Boris Gorikov in the movie School of Courage, while he was still an acting student.
In 1955 Kharitonov became a public idol after Soldier Ivan Brovkin was screened throughout the country. He was the object of much fan mail, and appeared privately to many local audiences in clubs, schools, factories and stadia. "His fame was such that the actor could not walk down the street." Kharitonov was a multi-dimensional performer who created a new type of Russian cinematic character: the charming bad egg, which he developed in his characterisations of Brovkin, the policeman Vasya Shaneshkin and his later heroic characters. "It was skill, hard work, professionalism and above all perception which allowed this sophisticated actor to play so convincingly this simple country boy, Brovkin." Much of this was the effect of his training with the psychological acting school of MAT. Soldier Ivan Brovkin was followed in 1958 by Ivan Brovkin Na Tseline (see critical commentary below). With age, Kharitonov appeared in fewer films; he did not relish playing older men. However sometimes he does appear in later movies grey and stout. For this reason of gradual absence from movies, in the 1980s Leonid Kharitonov was almost forgotten as a film actor although he continued performing at his native Moscow Art Theatre, as was the case during almost all his acting life.