Sergei Vasil'evich Makovetskii was born June 13, 1958 in Kiev. In 1980 he graduated from the Shchukin Theatrical Institute in Moscow and joined the repertory company of the Vakhtangov Theater. Since 1990 he has also taken on roles in several productions at the Roman Viktiuk Theater, including René Gallimar in Madame Butterfly (1990) and Quilty in Lolita (1992). He has won numerous awards for his work on stage and screen, including both the Nika and Golden Ram awards (Russia's Oscar and Golden Globe) for his title role in the film Makarov (1993), another Golden Ram for his work as the deadpan villain, Johann, in Of Freaks and Men (1998), and a film press award for best actor of 1995 for three remarkable performances that year in Play for a Passenger, Summer People, and Trofim. He lives in Moscow with his wife, Elena Demchenko, their teenaged son, and their cat, Mutik.
Sergei Makovetskii is widely considered the most versatile and talented of the "3 M's" ([Vladimir] Mashkov, [Oleg] Menshikov, and Makovetskii) currently at the top of the heap among Russian actors. Film critic Tat'iana Moskvina writes that "Makovetskii can play any role there is. He transformed himself into the composer Shostakovich without any makeup (Rothchild's Violin). He appeared as the dim peasant Trofim (Trofim) and experienced critics didn't recognize him. He can tell us about the grand illusion of Love (Madame Butterfly), and then portray just as effectively a soul that has never known even the slightest hint of emotion (Summer People)" ("A Few Words in Honor of Actor Sergei Makovetskii," Seans-Show 16 [1997], 169).