Prominent Soviet and Russian film director Igor Maslennikov passed away on Saturday, September 17, only a few weeks before his 91st birthday.
Born in 1931 in the city of Nizhny Novgorod, Maslennikov graduated from Leningrad State University in 1954, and in 1965 he entered the Higher Directors' Courses of the film studio Lenfilm, which he completed in 1967.
Maslennikov directed a number of notable works during his lifetime, including “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson” TV film series that was warmly received both in the USSR and in the West, especially in the United Kingdom – the home country of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who created the character Sherlock Holmes.
Russian actor Vasily Livanov, who played the role of Sherlock Holmes, was even acknowledged by British critics as the best screen image of the famous detective.
Mikhail Kalinin, secretary for organizational affairs of Russia’s Union of Cinematographers, said that Maslennikov died of old age.
“Yes, he died today. He was almost 91 years old. I met with him not long ago,” Kalinin told Sputnik. “He passed away due to his age, that’s all.”