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Alexander Godunov

Alexander Godunov brought a dancer’s physical precision and commanding presence to a screen career that ranged from Soviet literary drama to Hollywood comedy and action. Born on November 28, 1949, in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk in the Russian Far East, he began studying ballet in Riga at nine. His class included Mikhail Baryshnikov, who became both a friend and an important figure in his professional life. Godunov joined the Bolshoi Ballet in 1971 and rose to the rank of premier danseur. He won a gold medal at the Moscow International Ballet Competition in 1973 and was named an Honored Artist of the RSFSR in 1976. Alongside his stage work, he became known to Soviet film audiences by playing Vronsky in the 1975 adaptation of Anna Karenina and the royal minstrel Lemisson in 31 June in 1978. While touring New York with the Bolshoi in August 1979, Godunov requested political asylum. He later joined American Ballet Theatre as a principal dancer, remaining with the company until 1982. Afterward, he toured with his own troupe and appeared as a guest artist with ballet companies around the world before developing a Hollywood acting career. His film roles made striking use of his stature while revealing more range than his imposing appearance might suggest. In Witness, he played an Amish farmer; in The Money Pit, he leaned into comedy as a narcissistic symphony conductor; and in Die Hard, he played one of the thieves. Godunov resisted parts that would confine him to playing dancers or action villains, a choice that may have limited the number of roles available to him but also reflects the varied screen identity he pursued. Godunov’s career never settled neatly into one category. Actor, ballet dancer and choreographer, he moved between disciplines with a presence shaped by years of exacting stage work. He died in 1995, leaving a compact filmography that continues to introduce movie audiences to a performer whose movement, bearing and dry comic instincts could each change the temperature of a scene.