Kirill Pirogov

Kirill Pirogov is one of the leading actors of the “Pyotr Fomenko Workshop“, a theatre director, composer and acting teacher. He was born in Tehran. His artistic journey began at Sergei Kazarnovsky’s Moscow school, “Klass-Tsentr”, which grew out of a theatre studio and combined general education with musical and theatrical training. Pirogov was among Kazarnovsky’s first pupils. After graduating, he entered the Boris Shchukin Theatre School, where he studied under Vladimir Ivanov.

While still a student, Pirogov played Quentin Compson in Sergei Zhenovach’s production of William Faulkner’s „The Sound and the Fury”, a joint project involving students of the Shchukin School and future members of the Pyotr Fomenko Workshop. Upon graduating in 1994, he joined the newly established theatre, becoming the first member of its company who had not studied directly under Pyotr Fomenko at GITIS.

In productions directed by Pyotr Fomenko, Kirill Pirogov has created a remarkable gallery of diverse characters. Among them are Tuzenbach in “Three Sisters“, Nikolai Rostov and Dolokhov in “War and Peace. The Beginning of the Novel“, Lidin, Don Juan and Faust in “Triptych“, and Jaques the Melancholy in “A Tale of the Forest of Arden“. His collaboration with Ivan Popovski has also been an important part of his stage career: Imr in “The Poisoned Tunic“ and Bérenger in “Rhinoceros“. His performances seamlessly combine subtle psychological insight with vivid characterisation, irony and theatrical grotesque.

Directing holds a special place in Kirill Pirogov’s artistic career. Together with Pyotr Fomenko, he worked on “A Theatrical Novel (Notes of a Dead Man)“ based on Mikhail Bulgakov, also playing its central character, Sergei Maksudov. He subsequently directed his own productions of “The Spaniards in Denmark“ based on Prosper Mérimée and Anton Chekhov’s „The Seagull” at the Workshop. Another important undertaking was his revival of Pyotr Fomenko’s production of Jean Giraudoux’s „The Madwoman of Chaillot” — a task requiring not only directorial skill but also a profound understanding of his teacher’s artistic language.

Music plays an equally important role in Kirill Pirogov’s life. He plays the piano, saxophone and other musical instruments; his musicianship often becomes an integral part of his stage performances — notably in „Tanya-Tanya”, where he plays the saxophone. Pirogov is also a composer, having written music for the films „Piter FM”, „Revelations”, „The Dig”, „Save My Speech Forever” and others. His score for „Piter FM” earned him nominations for the Nika, Golden Eagle and White Elephant national film awards.

Kirill Pirogov made his screen debut in 1995, playing the leading role in Georgy Daneliya’s film “Heads and Tails”, for which he received the Nika Award for Best Film Debut. He subsequently appeared in Alexei Balabanov’s «Brother 2», Kirill Serebrennikov’s “A Murderer’s Diary“, Alexander Proshkin’s “Doctor Zhivago“ and numerous other productions. A particularly notable screen performance was his portrayal of Anton Chekhov in Vitaly Melnikov’s “The Admirer” — an intriguing intersection of his film and theatre careers, as he would later direct Chekhov’s „The Seagull”.

Theatre education is another important aspect of Kirill Pirogov’s professional life. At the Boris Shchukin Theatre Institute, he taught on Alexander Koruchekov’s acting course, directing its graduating students in Shakespeare’s „Henry IV. Scenes” (2016). In 2024, he graduated his own class of acting students at the Shchukin Institute, and in 2025, together with Galina Tyunina and Ivan Popovski, he enrolled a new acting class at GITIS. Thus, the experience Pirogov gained at the Pyotr Fomenko Workshop lives on not only through his acting and directing but also through his work with a new generation of performers.

• Awards and Honours
• Nika Award for Best Film Debut for “Heads and Tails”, 1995
• Film Press Diploma for Best Acting Debut of 1995
• Film Critics’ Award for Best Acting Debut at the Gatchina Film Festival for “Heads and Tails”, 1996
• Best Actor Award at the 4th Spolokhi Television Film Festival, 2003
• Chaika Theatre Award in the “Synchronised Swimming“ category for the ensemble of „Three Sisters”, 2004
• Young Triumph Award, 2004
• Chaika Theatre Award in the “Leading Man“ category for the role of Bérenger in „Rhinoceros”, 2006
• Nominated for Best Composer for the score to “Piter FM”: Golden Eagle Award (2006), White Elephant Film Critics’ Award (2007) and Nika Award (2007)
• Moscow City Prize for Literature and Art in the Theatre category for the leading role in “Three Sisters”, 2007
• Golden Knight Festival Award for Best Actor in a Full-Length Theatre Production for “Rhinoceros”, 2008
• Konstantin Stanislavsky Award for Acting Excellence (Best Actor), 2009
• Moskovsky Komsomolets Theatre Award in the “Half-Masters — Best Supporting Actor“ category for his roles in „Triptych”, 2010
• Moscow Art Theatre Commemorative Medal marking the 150th anniversary of Anton Chekhov, awarded in recognition of outstanding contributions to the arts, 2010
• Mikhail Ulyanov Best Actor Prize at the 10th Moscow Premiere Festival of Russian Cinema for his portrayal of Chekhov in “The Admirer”, 2012
• Crystal Turandot Award for Best Actor and as co-creator of “A Theatrical Novel”, 2012
• Moskovsky Komsomolets Theatre Award for “The Kitchen”, a graduation production of the Boris Shchukin Theatre Institute, 2014
• Order “For Merit in Culture and Art”, 2025