Yakovlev became really famous as a cinema actor in 1958, after his inimitable complicated psychological role of the Prince Myshkin in The Idiot directed by Ivan Pyryev.

Yakovlev followed his first success with regular appearances in Ryazanov's comedies, most notably splendid film Hussar Ballad in 1962, in which he played phantasmagoric role of Poruchik Rzhevsky.

His participation in two-part film "Love Earth" and "Destiny" – a series of movies about the World War II brought him the USSR State Prize for 1979.

[6] His film career effectively came to a halt after the role of the alien Bi in Georgiy Daneliya’s 1986 sci-fi comedy Kin-dza-dza!

Yury Vasilyevich Yakovlev, one of the most popular and critically acclaimed Soviet film actors, died today in Moscow hospital.

RIA News posted that day the information: Юрий Васильевич скончался сегодня ночью в больнице.

Farewell to Yuri Vasilyevich Yakovlev will take place on the main stage of the Vakhtangov Theater on Tuesday at 10.00, and the artist will be buried at the Novodevichy Cemetery.