Donatas Banionis

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Donatas Banionis
Born(1924-04-28)April 28, 1924
DiedSeptember 4, 2014(2014-09-04) (aged 90)
Vilnius, Lithuania
OccupationActor

Donatas Banionis (April 28, 1924 – September 4, 2014) was a Lithuanian and Soviet actor. He was best known in the West for his lead role of Tarkovsky's Solaris as Kris Kelvin. He was born in Kaunas, Lithuania. Once, President of Russia, Vladimir Putin said that Banionis was the reason why he joined the KGB.[1]

Banionis died on September 4, 2014 from a stroke.[2] He was 90 years old. President Putin expressed his condolences to his family.[1]

References[change | change source]

  1. 1.0 1.1 "How the Actor Donatas Banionis Inspired Vladimir Putin to Become a Spy". The Daily Beast.com. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
  2. "Soviet-Era Actor Who Inspired Vladimir Putin Dies at 90". Hollywood Reporter.com. September 5, 2014. Retrieved September 6, 2014.

Other websites[change | change source]