MOSCOW, August 26 Director of the Lenkom Theater Mark Varshaver called director Gleb Panfilov a unique friend and director who revealed the talent of the People's Artist of the USSR, a great actress, his wife Inna Churikova.
Panfilov passed away at the age of 89 on Saturday.
«Gleb Anatolyevich was a unique comrade and director. Those pictures that he created, those performances that he staged in Mark Zakharov's Lenkom, which went on until the last day of the life of the great actress of the USSR Inna Mikhailovna Churikova. The creation of the talent of Inna Mikhailovna Churikova, too belongs to her husband, her director, her friend Gleb Anatolyevich Panfilov, who revealed his talent both in his films and in the theater of an amazing actress, «said Varshaver.
Panfilov was hospitalized at the Sklifosovsky Institute with a stroke on May 11. Warsawer later told the agency that the director had developed pneumonia. The medical facility reported that the director is in serious condition. Later, according to Varshaver, Panfilov was transferred to a rehabilitation center, and from there to «one of the hospitals in Moscow.» In August, Varshaver reported that Panfilov was not feeling well, but his condition was assessed as satisfactory.
Panfilov was 89 years old. He was born on May 21, 1934 in Magnitogorsk. In 1966, he began working at Lenfilm, where he filmed his feature debut «There is no ford in the fire» (received the main prize at the Locarno Film Festival). Panfilov also shot the pictures «I ask for words», «Theme», «Valentina», «Vassa», «Mother» and others, staged performances at Lenkom and the Theater of Nations. In 1970, he made the film «The Beginning» with Inna Churikova in the title role, during the filming they got married and lived together for more than 50 years. People's Artist of the USSR Churikova died on January 14, 2023 in Moscow after a long illness.