Mikhail Romm
Directing
Born January 24, 1901 · Irkutsk, Russian Empire [now Russia]
Died November 1, 1971
Also known as Mikhail Romm · Mikhail Ilyich Romm · M.I. Romm
Biography
Mikhail Ilych Romm (Russian: Михаил Ильич Ромм; 24 January [O.S. 11 January] 1901 – 1 November 1971) was a Soviet film director. He was born in Irkutsk. His father was a social democrat of Jewish descent who had been exiled there. He graduated from gymnasium in 1917 and entered the Moscow College for Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. From 1918 - 1921, he served in the Red Army during the Russian civil war, first as a signalman and later rising to the rank of inspector of a Special Commission concerning the numbers of the Red Army and Fleet of the Field Staff of the Supreme Military Soviet of the Republic. As such he travelled a lot and had the opportunity to see much of the life in different parts of the country, something that he later said he "recalled with gratitude". In 1925 he graduated as a sculptor from the class of Anna Golubkina of the Highest Artistic-Technical Institute and worked as a sculptor and translator. In 1928-1930 he conducted research on the theory of cinema in the Institute for the methods of extra-scholastic work. Since 1931 he worked at the Mosfilm studio. In 1940-1943 he was an artistic leader for the Mosfilm films production. In 1942-1947 he was the director of a theater studio for movie actors. From 1938 he was a lecturer, from 1948 he was the leader of the actor's-producer department of the VGIK, professor (from 1962). He influenced many prominent film-directors, including Andrei Tarkovsky, Grigori Chukhrai, Vasily Shukshin, Nikita Mikhalkov, Georgi Daneliya, Aleksander Mitta, Igor Talankin, Rezo Chkheidze, Gleb Panfilov, Vladimir Basov, Tengiz Abuladze, Elem Klimov and many others. He wrote many books and articles on the theory of cinematographic art, and also memoirs. He was awarded the Stalin Prize 5 times (1941, 1946, 1948, 1949, 1951). Romm was an honorary corresponding member of the Academy of the skills of DDR (1967).
Awards & recognition
- Order of the October Revolution · 1971
- Order of Lenin · 1967
- Vasilyev Brothers State Prize of the RSFSR · 1966
- Order of the Red Banner of Labour · 1961
- State Stalin Prize, 1st degree · 1951
Show all 16 awards →
- People's Artist of the USSR · 1950
- State Stalin Prize, 1st degree · 1949
- State Stalin Prize, 1st degree · 1948
- Cannes Film Festival Grand Prix · 1946
- Stalin Prize, 2nd degree · 1946
- State Stalin Prize, 1st degree · 1941
- Honored art worker of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic · 1940
- Order of Lenin · 1938
- Jubilee Medal "In Commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin"
- Medal "For Valiant Labour in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945"
- Medal "In Commemoration of the 800th Anniversary of Moscow"
