Donatas Banionis
Film directorProfessional
Biography
Donatas Banionis (28 April 1924 in Kaunas - 4 September 2014 in Vilnius) was a Lithuanian theatre, film and television actor and director.
He started his career in cinema in several Lithuanian films, later he mainly acted in Russian and German films.
In 1959, "Adam Wants to Be a Man", directed by Vytautas Žalakevičius, was the first film of his career in Lithuania. This was followed by "Chronicle of a Day" (1964), "March, March, Tra-ta-ta!" (directed by Raimondas Vabalas, 1964). The fourth film "Niekas nenėjo mirti" (Nobody Wanted to Die, 1965, directed by Vytautas Žalakevičius) brought the actor international fame. In 1966, he starred in a small role of a priest in Eldar Riazanov's comedy "Watch the Car", and in 1968 he played the Soviet spy Ladeinikov in Sava Kulish's film "Out of Season". This role brought him fame in the Soviet Union.
A year later, he was invited to star in Mikhail Kalatozov's film "The Red Tent". This was a joint USSR-Italian film project. The role was small, but he had the opportunity to work with actors Sean Connery, Luigi Vannucchi and Peter Finch. Immediately afterwards, he worked with the famous director Grigory Kozintsev in the film "King Lear", together with Estonian Jüri Järvet, Latvian Lilita Ozoliņa and Lithuanian Regimantas Adomytis. In 1970, the German director Konrad Wolf invited Banionis to play the great Spanish painter Francisco Goya in the film Goya - oder Der arge Weg der Erkenntnis. The film was produced by the GDR film studio Defa. It was a screen adaptation of a novel by the well-known German writer Lion Feuchtwanger. At the same time, director Andrei Tarkovsky invited Banionis to star in his film "Solaris". This film won an award at the Cannes Film Festival. During his lifetime, the actor has played more than 80 roles in various films.
He started his career in cinema in several Lithuanian films, later he mainly acted in Russian and German films.
In 1959, "Adam Wants to Be a Man", directed by Vytautas Žalakevičius, was the first film of his career in Lithuania. This was followed by "Chronicle of a Day" (1964), "March, March, Tra-ta-ta!" (directed by Raimondas Vabalas, 1964). The fourth film "Niekas nenėjo mirti" (Nobody Wanted to Die, 1965, directed by Vytautas Žalakevičius) brought the actor international fame. In 1966, he starred in a small role of a priest in Eldar Riazanov's comedy "Watch the Car", and in 1968 he played the Soviet spy Ladeinikov in Sava Kulish's film "Out of Season". This role brought him fame in the Soviet Union.
A year later, he was invited to star in Mikhail Kalatozov's film "The Red Tent". This was a joint USSR-Italian film project. The role was small, but he had the opportunity to work with actors Sean Connery, Luigi Vannucchi and Peter Finch. Immediately afterwards, he worked with the famous director Grigory Kozintsev in the film "King Lear", together with Estonian Jüri Järvet, Latvian Lilita Ozoliņa and Lithuanian Regimantas Adomytis. In 1970, the German director Konrad Wolf invited Banionis to play the great Spanish painter Francisco Goya in the film Goya - oder Der arge Weg der Erkenntnis. The film was produced by the GDR film studio Defa. It was a screen adaptation of a novel by the well-known German writer Lion Feuchtwanger. At the same time, director Andrei Tarkovsky invited Banionis to star in his film "Solaris". This film won an award at the Cannes Film Festival. During his lifetime, the actor has played more than 80 roles in various films.
Represented cultures:
Professions
Film director
Professional