Sergei Vasil'evich Makovetskii was born June 13, 1958 in Kiev. In1980 he graduated from the Shchukin Theatrical Institute in Moscow andjoined the repertory company of theVakhtangov Theater. Since 1990 he has also taken on roles in severalproductions at the Roman ViktiukTheater, including René Gallimar in Madame Butterfly (1990) and Quilty inLolita (1992). He has won numerous awards for his work on stage andscreen, including both the Nika and Golden Ram awards (Russia's Oscar andGolden Globe) for his title role in the film Makarov (1993), anotherGolden Ram for his work as the deadpan villain, Johann, in Of Freaks andMen (1998), and a film press award for best actor of 1995 for threeremarkable performances that year in Play for a Passenger, Summer People,and Trofim. He lives in Moscow with his wife, Elena Demchenko, theirteenaged son, and their cat, Mutik.
Sergei Makovetskii is widely considered the most versatile and talented of the "3M's" ([Vladimir] Mashkov, [Oleg] Menshikov, and Makovetskii) currently atthe top of the heap among Russian actors. Film criticTat'iana Moskvina writes that "Makovetskii can play any role there is. Hetransformed himself into the composer Shostakovich without any makeup(Rothchild's Violin).He appeared as the dim peasant Trofim (Trofim) and experienced criticsdidn't recognize him. He can tell us about the grand illusion of Love(Madame Butterfly), and then portray just as effectively a soul that hasnever known even the slightest hint of emotion (Summer People)" ("A Few Words in Honor of Actor Sergei Makovetskii," Seans-Show16 [1997], 169).