Born in 1944, he graduated at  the Leningrad Theatre Institute in Boris Zon’s class. Lev Dodin’s director’s debut was in 1966, with First Love based on the story by Turgenev, followed over the years by dozens of productions at theaters of Leningrad, Moscow and abroad. Among them are Family Affair (Leningrad Theatre for Young People, Finnish National Theatre), Ignoramus and Rose Bernd (Leningrad Drama and Comedy Theatre), operas Electra at the Salzburg Festival in collaboration with Claudio Abbado. In 1975 he started his collaboration with Maly Drama Theater. Since 1983 Dodin is the Artistic Director of the theater, and since 2002 – General Manager. During these years many productions have entered the repertoire: Brothers and Sisters, Gaudeamus, Lord of the Flies, Claustrophobia, Lev Dodin’s Hamlet and many others. In 1998 Maly Drama Theatre received the status of Theatre of Europe. Dodin has taught acting and directing since 1967 and he has trained generations of actors and directors. Lev Dodin and his performances have won many national and international awards including State Prizes of Russia and the Soviet Union, prizes Triumph, Golden Mask, Laurence Olivier Awards, just to remember some of them.