Andrei Konchalovsky
A cinematic shape-shifter who moved from Tarkovsky's side to Hollywood thrillers, always probing the human spirit under pressure.
Born 1937 (age 89)·Russian filmmaker·Birthday: August 20·The Silent Generation
Biography
Andrei Konchalovsky co-wrote Andrei Tarkovsky's 'Andrei Rublev' before directing his own early epic 'Siberiade,' which blended poetic realism with sweeping historical vision. He moved to America in the 1980s and directed 'Runaway Train,' an existential action film based on a Kurosawa script, and 'Shy People,' a gritty familial drama set in the Louisiana bayou. Returning to Russia, he made 'The Postman's White Nights' and 'Dear Comrades!,' a searing historical drama. Born in 1937, Konchalovsky worked across Soviet art film, Hollywood genre fare, and Russian cinema, using his technical mastery to ask questions about freedom, authority, and survival.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Andrei was born in 1937, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Andrei Was Born
The biggest hits of 1937
#1 Movie
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Best Picture
The Life of Emile Zola
Andrei's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1937Born
Hindenburg disaster; Golden Gate Bridge opens
Gas: $0.20/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"A-Tisket, A-Tasket" — Ella FitzgeraldBest Picture: The Life of Emile Zola
1942Started school
Battle of Midway turns the tide in the Pacific
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $3,175Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"White Christmas" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Mrs. Miniver
1950Became a teenager
Korean War begins
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,354Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Goodnight Irene" — Gordon Jenkins & The WeaversBest Picture: All About Eve
1953Could drive
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1955Could vote
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1958Turned 21
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1967Turned 30
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1977Turned 40
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1987Turned 50
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1997Turned 60
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 70
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 80
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 89 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival for 'Siberiade' in 1979.
- Received Academy Award nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay for 'Runaway Train' and Best Foreign Language Film for 'House of Fools' and 'Dear Comrades!'
- Directed the acclaimed 2002 film 'House of Fools,' set in a mental asylum during the Chechen War.
- Served as the president of the jury for the Venice Film Festival in 2016.
Did You Know?
He is the older brother of filmmaker Nikita Mikhalkov, a more nationalist figure in Russian cinema.
He studied piano at a music school for a decade before turning to film.
His film 'Runaway Train' was originally a screenplay by Akira Kurosawa.
He was married to actress and former model Irina Kandat for over 30 years.
“Art is not a mirror to reflect the world, but a hammer with which to shape it.”
