Russians name their biggest idols of all times

Soviet singer, poet and actor Vladimir Vysotsky (1938-1980) was named the biggest idol for most Russians in a recent poll conducted by the All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center (WCIOM). As many as 92% of the polled said that Vladimir Vysotsky's work had produced a great impression on them,  whereas 67% believe that the singer had a strong influence on the views and values of many compatriots.

Vysotsky is known as a singer (47%), 25% remember him as a writer and another 13% - as an actor in theatre and cinema. Some consider him just a decent man (6%), a citizen of the USSR (3%), a rebel (3%) and a hero of his time (5%).

Ninety-eight percent of respondents listened to his songs, 92% watched his films,  51% of respondents read his poetry and 40% saw his theatrical performances. Ninety-two percent said they liked Vysotsky's work. This opinion is shared by both women and men of all ages.

Vysotsky's most memorable film role is the role of a detective in "The Meeting Place Cannot Be Changed" (43%). The list of his other prominent film roles includes such Soviet motion pictures as  "Vertical" (26%), Hamlet (10%) and "Master of the Taiga" (4%). As many as 36% said that they did not remember any of his actor's work.

In the opinion of 67% of Russians, Vladimir Vysotsky had exerted a strong influence on the formation of views and values of people of both his own and future generations. However, 28% of respondents believe that he was an ordinary poet and actor, whose work was interesting, but did not affect other people's views.

The list of this year's idols includes such people as first man in space Yury Gagarin, military commander Georgy Zhukov, Generalissimo Joseph Stalin, writers Alexander Solzhenitsyn and Leo Tolstoy, ballerina Maya Plisetskaya.

Pravda.Ru

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