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Sergey Martinson

Sergey Martinson

Actor · Died September 2, 1984, aged 85 · Petrograd, Russian Empire

Sergey Alexandrovich Martinson (7 February, 1899 - 2 September 1984) was a Russian eccentric comic actor, the master of pantomime, buffoonery and grotesque. He became People's Artist of the RSFSR in 1964. Sergey Alexandrovich Martinson was born in Saint Petersburg in the family of a nobleman of Swedish descent. His parents adored theater and took their son to many performances. As a schoolboy, Sergey played in a theatrical studio. After one year of education in the Technological institute, he decided to become a professional actor. At the entrance exams he read Boris Godunov's monologue from Pushkin's play. The exam board roared with laughter, but refused to accept him. He later joined the theatrical institute from a second attempt. Martinson worked in several theaters. In 1924-1941 he played in the Theatre of the Revolution. In 1925-1926, 1929-1933, 1937-1938 he was the leading actor of Vsevolod Meyerhold's theatre. He was cast by Meyerhold in the plays The Government Inspector, Mandate and others. From 1933 to 1936 he worked in the music hall. From 1945 until his death Martinson was a film actor. He was mainly a comic actor and seldom appeared in dramatic roles. One of these was the role of Karandyshev in Alexander Ostrovsky's play Without a Dowry, staged by Yury Zavadsky. Martinson's career in film started in 1924, when he played his first role of Poincare in the film of the Adventures of Oktyabrina. Martinson was the first in the Soviet cinema to play Hitler in the Sergei Yutkevich film The New Adventures of Soldier Svejk. Actor told, that Hitler, after seeing himself on the screen, included him into his personal "black list" and promised to hang Martinson on the first lamppost. After the role of composer Kerosinov in the movie Anton Ivanovich is angry glory literally followed on Martinsons heels - the boys in the courtyard hooted after him: "Benzin-kerosene goes!". One of his latest roles was the role of Mr. Frankland in the adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyle's novel The Hound of the Baskervilles. He married his first wife, Ekaterina Il'inichna Ilyina, a beautiful actress, in 1927, whom he met during his acting studies; their daughter, Anna, later a successful artist and costume designer, was born in 1928. Although they had never officially divorced, he married his second wife, dancer Lola Dobrohotova, who was later exiled by the government for alleged "connections to foreign elements" and died in exile; they had a son, Alexander Martinson (1939-2001) who reconciled with his Sergey during the last years of his life and did all he could to take care of his father that he loved dearly . His third wife, Luisa, was a woman 30 years junior to Martinson. They had a daughter, Natasha Martinson (b. June 16th, 1956), who followed in the footsteps of Martinson by pursuing an acting career early on in her life and even starring alongside Martinson in the film "Adventures of captain Vrungel", she featured in a variety of films in Russia. Luisa and Martinson divorced several years after the birth of their daughter but maintained a lifelong friendship and Luisa took care of Sergey especially during the last years of his life when he needed help the most. As of 2012, both his daughters, his last wife Luisa and grandchildren live in the United States.

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Biography from IMDb.

Born
February 6, 1899
Died
September 2, 1984 (aged 85)
From
Petrograd, Russian Empire
Works as
Actor
Titles
5 on MovieCove · 118 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 39 days to Oct 28Down 14% in 30 days

What are Sergey Martinson's films like?

Across a limited sample of 4 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Ideas.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
45%
Ideas
18%
Society
15%
Self
12%
Morality
9%
Hope2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 4 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Heightened: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their heightened movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 0 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 3

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 1 · Charged 3 · Intense 0

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 3 · Shifting 1 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 2 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 0

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 1 · Relentless 0

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 3 · Engaged 1 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 4 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings shown from 5 titles

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Warm
3
Hopeful
2
Joyful
2
Romantic
1
Thrilling
1
Other
1

How their films linger

Feel-good4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Sergey Martinson's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 4 of their 5 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (4).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Sergey Martinson's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

118 credits, 5 with a MovieCove page.

  • Memories of Sherlock Holmes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    Show 13 episodes · as Mr. Frankland

  • And Life, and Tears and Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    as Yegoshkin

  • The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson: The Hound of the Baskervilles - Part 2 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    as Mr. Frankland

  • The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson: The Hound of the Baskervilles (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    as Mr. Frankland

  • The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson: The Hound of the Baskervilles (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    Show 2 episodes · as Mr. Frankland

  • The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson: The Hound of the Baskervilles - Part 1 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    as Mr. Frankland

  • The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Show 2 episodes · as Mr. Frankland

  • About a Puppy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    as The Raven (voice)

  • The New Adventures of Captain Vrungel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    as Sir Want

  • Armed and Very Dangerous (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    Actor

  • Yaroslavna, Queen of France (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    as Episkop Rozhe

  • About the Dragon on the Balcony, About the Guys and the Scooter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    as Сергей Васильевич

  • The Benefit. Larisa Golubkina (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    Actor

  • В стране ловушек (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    as волшебник

  • В стране ловушек (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    Show 4 episodes · as волшебник

  • Big Attraction (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    as Grandpa Matvei

  • Tolik and Tobik (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    as (voice)

  • The Cities and the Years (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    Actor

  • The Benefit. Sergei Martinson (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    Actor

  • The Headless Rider (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    as defense attorney in court (voice) (uncredited)

  • Summer Dreams (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Actor

  • Beetle - Crooked Hill (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    as (vioce)

  • The Adventures of Mowgli (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    as Tabaqui (voice)

  • Ruslan and Ludmila(1972)

    as Ambassador

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • The Love of Three Oranges (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    as Korol

  • Adventures of Mowgli: Return to Mankind (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    as Tabaqui (voice)

  • How the Donkey Sought Happiness (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    as The Lamb (voice)

  • In the Kingdom of Far Far Away (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Actor

  • Time for Lucky Finds (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Actor

  • The Most Important (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    as Tailor (voice)

  • Adventures of Mowgli: The Fight (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    as Tabaqui (voice)

  • The Beauty (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    as Lonely Old Man (as Sergejus Martinsonas)

  • 13 orders (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    as pozhiloy chelovek - meloman

  • Adventures of Mowgli: Akela's Last Hunt (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    as Tabaqui (voice)

  • Улыбнись соседу (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Actor

  • Adventures of Mowgli: The Kidnapping (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    as Tabaqui (voice)

  • Half A Hour For Miracles (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    as Abrikadabr

  • Калиф-аист (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Actor

  • Uncle's Dream (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    as князь Гаврила - дядюшка Мозглякова

  • The Tale of Tsar Saltan(1967)

    as Opekun Saltana

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Adventures of Mowgli: Raksha (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    as Tabaqui (voice)

  • The Shepherdess and the Chimney Sweep (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    as Tin general (voice)

  • The Sleeping Lion (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    Actor

  • The Tale of Malchish-Kibalchish (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    as Agent 518

  • You Can't See What You Have Seen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    as Prince Boris

  • Thirty-three (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    as Valentin Petrovich, Roza's father

  • Moscow – Genoa (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    as Луи Барту

  • The Bicycle Tamers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    as Георг Сибуль - старый гонщик

  • A Tale of Lost Times (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    as Прокофий Прокофьевич

  • Thumbelina (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    as (voice)

  • Daughter of the Sun (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    as (voice)

  • The Wild Swans (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    as The Monk (voice)

  • Funny Stories (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    as дядя с собакой

  • Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    as Осип Никифорович, дьяк

  • Valuable Kopeck (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    as Cent (voice)

  • Cipollino (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    as prince Lemon / Soldiers Limonchiki (voice)

  • Wind of Freedom (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    as tavern keeper

  • Alye parusa(1961)

    as Filipp

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • First Time in the Circus Arena (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    as Puddle (voice)

  • The Key (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    as Dragon head III(voice)

  • Save Our Souls (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    Actor

  • A Sober Sparrow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    Actor

  • It Was I Who Drew the Little Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    as (voice)

  • Golden Feather (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    as Court man (voice, uncredited)

  • Work of Art (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    as Doctor

  • The Fox, the Beaver and Others (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    Actor

  • Black Sea Girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    as Omelskiy

  • In Our City (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Actor

  • Uninvited Guests (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Actor

  • The Legend of the Moor's Inheritance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    as Barber (voice)

  • The Boy from Napoli (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    as Smart horse (voice)

  • The Idiot (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    as Lebedev

  • The Secret of the Far Away Island (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    as The Doctor (voice)

  • Petia and Little Red Riding Hood (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • The Cat's House (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    as Cock (voice)

  • The Snow Queen(1957)

    as Karraks (voice)

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • A Million in the Sach (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    as Detective / Narrator (voice)

  • Ilya Muromets (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    as Mishatychka

  • Crazy Day (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    as Miusov

  • The Little Shego (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    as Hyena (voice, uncredited)

  • The Enchanted Boy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    as Rat (voice)

  • A Goat-Musician (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    as Donkey (voice, uncredited)

  • The Signature Is Illegible (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    as Rat (voice, uncredited)

  • Attack from the Sea (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    as Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies

  • The Painted Fox (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    as Fox (voice, uncredited)

  • Sadko(1953)

    as The Monk

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • Przhevalsky (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Actor

  • The Unforgettable Year 1919 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    as Sluzhashchiy ministerstva

  • The Second Caravan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    Actor

  • The Lion and the Hare (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    as Hare (voice, uncredited)

  • Polcan and Shavka (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    as Shavka (voice)

  • The Third Blow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    as Adolf Hitler

  • Champion (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    as The Wolf (voice, uncredited)

  • Fedya Zaitsev (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    as Animal (voice)

  • Secret Agent (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

    as Willi Pommer

  • The Lost Letter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    as Witch (voice)

  • Silva (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    as Boni

  • Wedding (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    as Ять (телеграфист)

  • We from the Urals (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)

    Actor

  • The New Adventures of Schweik (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)

    Actor

  • Lermontov (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)

    as Baron de Barante

  • Teacher Kartashova (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)

    Actor

  • The Magic Seed (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Живоглот

  • Schweik is Preparing For Battle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    Actor

  • Young Partisans (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    Actor

  • Collection of Films for the Armed Forces #6 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as Нази - пилот (новелла "Ненависть")

  • Anton Ivanovich Gets Angry (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as Kerosinov, composer

  • Wind from East (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    as Stefan

  • Ivas (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    Actor

  • The Golden Key (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    as Duremar

  • Stepan Razin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    as Fyodor Shpyn

  • The Oppenheim Family (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    as Gutvetter

  • Friends From the Camp (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    Actor

  • Loss of Feeling (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Dizer, artist in the music hall

  • Marionettes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Sol - The Hairdresser

  • Diary of a Revolutionist (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    as Colonel Belov

  • The Devil's Wheel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)

    as Orchestra conductor

  • The Adventures of Oktyabrina (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1924)

    as Coolidge Kerzonovich Poincaré

Career shape

Star power in the 95th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 118 titles from 1924 to 2000; peak year 1961.

Biggest box office

Sadko (1953)

$3.4M worldwide

Highest rated

The Snow Queen (1957)

Midcredits 90th

Film career

19242000

Peak 1961 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

  • 1953Screen debut· Sadko
  • 1964Career best· Thumbelina

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting118 of 118: 118 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score80th

By decade

1920s2 · acting1930s7 · acting1940s20 · acting1950s23 · acting1960s35 · acting1970s24 · acting1980s6 · acting2000s1 · acting

Billing

usually 4th · top billed in 0% of 15 roles
5363

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do Sergey Martinson's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 80th percentile, the median of all 5; across a limited sample of 4 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 74th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

74thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 4

Approval · how many liked their films

77thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 4

Reach · how many have seen their films

58thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 4

Midcredits score across 5 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up3
  • 50th to 74th1
  • 25th to 49th1

Shape of the crowd

3 of their 5 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser3

Most divisive · actor

Sadko (1953)

71st percentile spread · 33% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

The Snow Queen (1957)

Midcredits 90th · 78% liked

Reviewers score the acting 65/100 in their films, across 4 reviewed titles; fans 71, detractors 40. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Sergey Martinson work with?

People who share at least 2 of Sergey Martinson's MovieCove titles; Aleksandr Ptushko shares the most, 3.