In 1940, he played the roles of worker Lenka Sukhov and writer Maxim Gorky in the film Yakov Sverdlov directed by Sergei Yutkevich.

In Ivan the Terrible by Sergei Eisenstein he not only conducted the tragic line of the pretender Vladimir of Staritsa, but also played two small roles (of Chaldean and Yevstafy).

The role of Major Fedotov was a cult character of Soviet cinema which mixed the pathetics, manly charm and irony.

In 1970-1980s, he did roles from the classical repertoire: Triletsky in the An Unfinished Piece for Mechanical Piano, Prince Kuchumov in Easy Money, and the picturesque figures of "Russian old men" (eternal grandfather in Siberiade and uncle Roman in The Seagulls Did Not Fly Here).

In later years he played in the character roles (Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Last Visit); staged films I Shall Never Forget (about the fate of Soviet soldier and his wife, separated by war) and Silver Strings (about the Russian virtuoso balalaika-player Vasily Andreyev).