Overview (5)

Mini Bio (1)

He was born on Sakhalin Island at the far eastern end of the former Soviet Union and began studying dance at age 9 in the Riga State Ballet School. He later said his mother put him there to prevent his becoming "a hooligan". One of his classmates and friends at the school was Mikhail Baryshnikov. After graduating he toured with the Moscow Classical Ballet. He joined the Bolshoi in 1971; there he received rave reviews for the lead in "Swan Lake", "Giselle" and other classical and contemporary works. In 1973 he won a gold medal at the Moscow International Competition. The same year he received more praise when the Bolshoi toured the United States. He was then marked as a potential defector and not allowed to tour for five years. In August 1979 he did defect. The story grew in importance when his ballerina wife returned to the USSR a few days later. He joined the American Ballet Theater and danced with it until 1982 when he and its director Baryshnikov had a falling out. He was by then a frequent companion of Jacqueline Bisset. His first movie role was as the Amish farmer Daniel in "Witness" (1985). The NY Times reviewer described him as the film's "most riveting presence". The same critic did not take so kindly to his role as Karl in "Die Hard" (1988) ("a sight gag in his terrorist costume"). When he became a US citizen in 1987 he said he planned to celebrate by eating a "hamburger stuffed with caviar". He had been filming a movie in Budapest a few weeks before he was found dead in his West Hollywood home, of "natural causes" according to his physician.

- IMDb Mini Biography By: Ed Stephan <stephan@cc.wwu.edu>

Spouse (1)

Trade Mark (4)

His long, blonde hair.



Muscular dancer physique



Statuesque, model-like figure



Piercing blue eyes



Trivia (11)

Godunov's ashes were released into the Pacific. His mother, brother, niece and nephew, who still live in Latvia, did not attend his service.



While on tour with the Bolshoi Ballet in New York, Godunov asked for political asylum, unleashing an international incident. The KGB had Godunov's wife, Bolshoi soloist, Ludmila Vlasova, on a plane to Moscow, but the flight was stopped before take off at Kennedy Airport as the State Department attempted to determine whether it was Ludmila's choice to go. After 73 hours, it was determined it was, and the plane was allowed to take off. Godunov spent a year trying to get her back, but in the end, there was just no way to get her out. The two of them divorced in 1982. [August 1979]



Concerned friends sent a nurse to Godunov's home, who found him dead. It was estimated that he had been dead for at least a couple of days. [May 1995]



He danced with the American Ballet Theater which was at the time being run by his childhood friend and former classmate Mikhail Baryshnikov until Baryshnikov forced him out in 1982. Godunov was crushed and betrayed. He eventually bounced back and started his own dance troupe (which he danced in). But many of his closest friends said, "After that, he never put himself into ballet completely."



Despite his tall stature, piercing stare and adonis presence, he was quite a shy and insecure man.



Subject of the Silver-medal winning dance documentry: "Godunov: The World to Dance In."



He danced as a principal with the ABT for almost three years until longtime friend and rival Mikhail Baryshnikov booted him out. He was making $5,500 a week at the time. After that, their relationship was pretty much severed. He remarked that it reminded him "of Russian behavior. Nobody prepared me...it smells like Russia."



After having two supporting roles in big blockbuster hits "Witness" and "Die Hard," Godunov seemed destined for stardom. But he turned down just about every other role that came his way. Most of the work either pigeonholed him as a ballet dancer or as a villain like in "Die Hard." He mostly was reduced to appearing in direct-to-video clunkers. He seemed to be making something of a comeback up until the time of his death.





Godunov died shortly before the theatrical release of Stirb langsam - Jetzt erst recht (1995), the second sequel to his most well-known film, "Die Hard" (1988).



Lived with Jacqueline Bisset from 1981 to 1988.

The New York Times described Godunov as a "Pre-Raphaelite angel posing as a punk-rock idol".



Personal Quotes (3)



On Mikhail Baryshnikov firing him from the American Ballet Theatre in 1982: He threw me away like a potato peel.

I push my feelings inward. I keep them inside of me.

