Background
Vitaly Solomin was born in 1941 in Chita, Zabaykalsky Krai, Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics, to a family of professional musicians.
Vitaly Solomin was born in 1941 in Chita, Zabaykalsky Krai, Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics, to a family of professional musicians.
He studied in the class of Nikolay Annenkov.
He was the younger brother of Yury Solomin. From childhood he was fascinated by music and learned to play the piano. On leaving school he went to Moscow and in 1959 he entered Shchepkin"s drama school.
While a student, Vitaly rehearsed and performed at the Maly Theatre.
After finishing the school he became an actor at this theater. In the 1960s Vitaly Solomin began to appear in films.
He debuted in 1963 in 1 Newton street. His first big role was as Kirill in the 1966 film Elder sister.
During the 1980s his performances in films directed by Igor Maslennikov were especially successful.
Most famous of these was his role as Doctor John H. Watson in a series of films about Sherlock Holmes (1979—1986). In 1982 Maslennikov invited him to play the role of Count Tomsky in The Queen of Spades, an adaptation of Alexander Pushkin"s story. His work in the serial Winter cherries was very successful.
From 1 September 1986 to September 1989 Solomin worked in the Mossovet Theater.
There he acted in a play based on Viktor Astafiev"s Sad detective. In 1991 he returned to the Maly Theatre and staged Aleksandr Ostrovsky"s Savage, playing the role of Ashmetiev.
Solomin wrote the screenplay for and directed the 1994 film The Hunt. On 4 November 1974 he received the title of Honoured Artist of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, and on 3 February 1992 of People"s Artist of Russia.
In April 2002 Vitaly Solomin suffered a stroke which proved to be fatal.
He died on 27 May 2002 and is interred in Vagankovo Cemetery. Vitaly Solomin"s first wife was the actress Natalia Rudnaya. The marriage soon fell apart.
In 1974 they had a daughter Anastasia, and in May 1984 - a daughter Elizaveta.