Oleg Vidov, a Soviet and American actor, died aged 73 in Los Angeles. The popular actor was 73, he came to the USA in 1985. In Hollywood, Mr Vidov was known as the person who acquired distribution rights to the famed Soyuzmultfilm animation library.
Oleg Vidov lived a long and interesting life, he was the real box-office star in the Soviet Union but decided to immigrate to the U.S. in 1985. Later, the gifted performer appeared in Red Heat with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Wild Orchid opposite Mickey Rourke.
Mr Vidov has died on Monday from cancer-related complications, the cinema star was living in Westlake Village, California. The sad news about the passing away of Vidov announced his friend Kathy Jura.
Oleg Vidov: early life and career in Hollywood
Oleg was born in Filimonki in the vicinities of Moscow, graduated from the acting and directing departments of VGIK, the prestigious Soviet film school. Later, this actor appeared in several features in his native land, including The Headless Horseman (1972).
Although Soviet actors at the time were generally not permitted to work abroad, Vidov was allowed to travel to Denmark, Yugoslavia, and Italy to paly different roles. Producer Dino De Laurentiis was proud to work with Vidov for a role in Waterloo (1970).
In 1985, Vidov immigrated to the U.S., together with his wife, Joan Borsten Vidov, they formed Films by Jove, a production and distribution company. In 1992, the family made a big and important deal – they obtained international distribution rights to the Soyuzmultfilm animation library, which held about 1,200 Russian films produced from 1936-91, the great cultural heritage. However, in 2007, the Vidovs sold rights to the library to Russian businessman Alisher Usmanov.
Oleg Vidov’s survivors include his sons Viacheslav and Sergei. A memorial service will take place at 1 PM on Saturday at Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
