Mikhail Zhvanetsky

Mikhail Mikhaylovich Zhvanetsky (Russian: Михаи́л Миха́йлович Жване́цкий; March 6, 1934, Odessa, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union – November 6, 2020) was a Soviet, Ukrainian and Russian writer, satirist and performer best known for his shows targeting different aspects of the Soviet and post-Soviet everyday life.

Zhvanetsky's monologues and sketches were performed by Arkady Raikin, Roman Kartsev and Viktor Ilchenko. He joined the Union of Soviet Writers in 1978 and has authored several books.

Awards and honors

Zhvanetsky was granted the following honorary titles and decorated with the following orders:

• People's Artist of Russia (2012)
• People's Artist of Ukraine (народний артист України), 1999.
• Meritorious Artist of the Russian Federation (Заслуженный деятель искусств Российской Федерации), 2001
• Merited Artist of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Ukraine (заслужений діяч мистецтв Автономної Республіки Крим), 2002
• Russian Order of Merit for the Fatherland, fourth class, by President Medvedev on Zhvanetsky's 75th birthday in 2009.[4]
• President of the International Club of Odessa
• Order of Friendship of Peoples (1994)
• Independent prize "Triumph" (1994)
• Member of the Writers' Union (1978–1991)
• Honorary Citizen of Odessa (1994)
• Member of the Presidium of the Russian Jewish Congress
• Breastplate of the Foreign Ministry of Russia "for contribution to international cooperation"

Boulevard of the Arts in Odessa was renamed Boulevard Zhvanetsky (5 April 2009).

A minor planet, 5931 Zhvanetskij, discovered on April 1, 1976, is named after him (using different transliteration of the surname).

Some sources say that Zhvanetsky was named "People's Artist of the USSR" in 1991, but in the "Bulletin of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR» № 52 for the year 1991 his name was not included among the recipients.