Born on July 23, 1966, in the "Polenovo" nursing home (Tula region), where his father was the head physician. A Russian and Soviet film and television actor, screenwriter, director, television presenter, journalist, playwright, and writer. A priest of the Russian Orthodox Church. Director of the "Baon" company.
After graduating from high school, he entered VGIK (the Russian Institute of Cinematography) where he befriended many future giants of Russian and Soviet cinema: Edmond Keossaïan, Bakhtiar Khoudoïnazarov, Fedor Bondarchuk, Alexander Bachirov, Renata Litvinova, etc. He graduated from VGIK in 1992 (I. Talankine's workshop). In 1991, he landed his first major role in Nikita Tyagounov's "The Leg" under the pseudonym Ivan Tchoujoï. In 1997, he starred in Kira Muratova's "Three Stories." In 2000, he appeared in the cult film "DMB" (Demobilized) by R. Katchanov. He also co-wrote the screenplay with the director, drawing heavily on his own experiences in the military. The film spawned four sequels. He portrayed Rasputin in Stanislas Libine's "The Conspiracy" (2007). In Pavel Lungin's film "Tsar" (2009), he played the jester Vassian. From 2010 to 2016, he played Dr. Zykov in the TV series "The Interns." Since 2010, he has maintained a Facebook blog under the same doctor's name, where he blends personal experiences with moments from his fictional character's life. His first TV screenplay was "The Monster" by Roman Katchanov (1992). He also wrote the screenplay for Georgi Chengelaïa's film "The Garbage Collector," among other projects. His directorial debut was "The Referee" (1991), in which he also starred; a mystical thriller with a soundtrack by the bands "Pique-nique" and "Obermaneken," which won an award at the Kinotavr Festival in the Film for Selected Audiences category. In 1996, the stage adaptation of his play "The Wicked Woman or The Cry of the Dolphin," directed by Mikhail Efremov, premiered at the Moscow Art Theatre. In the late 1990s, he began working as a reporter for the magazine Stolitsa (The Capital) and later for the weekly newspaper Vesti (News). From 1997 onward, he demonstrated his growing interest in Orthodoxy by hosting a religious program called "The Canon." In 2001, he was ordained a priest, taking the name Father Ioann. He then filmed a television series on "The Lives of the Saints." For financial reasons, he did not completely sever ties with the entertainment industry, and in 2009, he asked his superiors for a temporary release from his religious duties due to "internal conflicts." Until January 2014, he served as Creative Director of the Evroset company. Since January 2014, he has been the Creative Director and clothing supplier for the company Vaop. Since 2017, he has been a columnist for the Russian version of the Russia Today website. To date (2017), he has played 47 roles, written 24 screenplays and 6 books. He is a multi-award winner.
