Mark Semenovich Donskoy

Mark Semenovich Donskoy was born on March 6, 1901 in Odessa. He graduated from the legal department of the Faculty of Social Sciences of Simferopol University, worked in the investigative bodies, in the Supreme Court of Ukraine, in the collegium of defenders. Mark Donskoy worked in the cinema in 1926, first as an assistant director, editing assistant, and in 1928, together with M. Averbach, he staged the film In the Big City. Mark Donskoy created his most significant work in the 1930s: based on more

Mark Semenovich Donskoy was born on March 6, 1901 in Odessa. He graduated from the legal department of the Faculty of Social Sciences of Simferopol University, worked in the investigative bodies, in the Supreme Court of Ukraine, in the collegium of defenders. Mark Donskoy worked in the cinema in 1926, first as an assistant director, editing assistant, and in 1928, together with M. Averbach, he staged the film In the Big City.

Mark Donskoy created his most significant work in the 1930s: based on the autobiographical books of Maxim Gorky, he staged a film trilogy about the writer’s childhood and youth: “Gorky’s Childhood”, “In People” and “My Universities” (1938-1941). In 1942, the director filmed “How steel was hardened”, and in 1944 he made the film “Rainbow”, awarded the Oscar. Among the successful works of Mark Donskoy, the film “The Rural Teacher” (1947) with Vera Maretskaya in the title role and the adaptation of Maxim Gorky’s novels “Mother” (1956) and “Foma Gordeev” (1959). In the 60s, he staged two films about Lenin’s mother – “Mother’s Heart” and “Mother’s Loyalty”.

For creative achievements, the famous director was awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor in 1971.

Mark Donskoy died on March 21, 1981 in Moscow.