Gennady Khazanov
Russian actor and comedian
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gennady Viktorovich Khazanov (Russian: Геннадий Викторович Хазанов; born 1 December 1945) is a Russian stand-up comedian, actor and theatre manager.
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1 December 1945
Gennady Khazanov Геннадий Хазанов | |
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| Born | Gennady Viktorovich Khazanov 1 December 1945 |
| Occupations | Actor, humorist, parodist |
| Years active | 1967–present |
| Title | People’s Artist of the RSFSR (1991) |
| Awards | |
Career
His work includes parodies of Russian and Soviet politicians, and mockery of various sub-cultural groups in modern Russia.[1]
After graduating from the Moscow Circus School in 1969, Khazanov worked as a master of ceremonies in Leonid Utyosov Orchestra.
He began his solo career in 1973 at Moscontsert, a Moscow state concert organization. He gained early success with monologues of a culinary school student written by Lion Izmailov and Iurii Volovich, and of a brave parrot who cannot stop telling the truth written by Arkady Khait.
In 1997, he became artistic director of the Moscow Variety Theatre.[2] In 1999, he was president of the Security Foundation of the Russian Jewish Community, which was set up to coordinate action against antisemitism in Moscow.[3]
He is an acquaintance of Russian President Vladimir Putin.[4] In March 2014, he signed a letter in support of Putin's position on Russia's military intervention in Ukraine.[5]
In 1992, during a rally, Vladimir Zhirinovsky told Khazanov: "Khazanov, an Israeli citizen, what are you doing here? Only traitors and scoundrels have dual citizenship and go against their own state."[6]
