Nikolai Kryukov

Nikolai Nikolaevich Kryukov was born on July 8, 1915, in a village in Tver province, USSR. His parents were farmers. Young Kryukov was fond of silent films. In 1930, he decided to become an actor and moved to Leningrad. During the 1930s he was industrial worker at the "Sevkabel" plant in Leningrad. At that time he also attended acting class at the Bolshoi Drama Theatre (BDT) in Leningrad, graduating in 1935 as an actor. From 1936 - 1941 he was permanent member of the troupe with E. Radlov's theatre, then at Lensoveta Theatre in Leningrad. In 1940, Kryukov made his film debut in 'Politruk Kolyvanov' (1940), but the film was not completed because of the hardship in the Second World War.