Alexander Borisovich Godunov (Russian: Александр Борисович Годунов, 29 November 1949, Sakhalin, USSR — 18 May 1995,Los Angeles, Califorinia) was a Russian ballet dancer and actor, whose defection caused a diplomatic incident between the USA and the USSR. He joined the Bolshoi Ballet in 1971 and rose to become premier dancer before defecting to the US in 1979. After briefly dancing with the American Ballet Theatre, he gave up ballet and turned to film acting, playing roles that included an Amish farmer in Witness in 1985; Karl, a terrorist psychopath, in Die Hard; Max, the maestro, in The Money Pit; and Vronsky in Anna Karenina in 1987. He died probably of alcoholism with complications from hepatitis at the age of 45. November 29 is the 333rd (in leap years the 334th) day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1949 (MCMXLIX) is a common year starting on Saturday. ... Location of Sakhalin in the Western Pacific. ... May 18 the 138th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (139th in leap years). ... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Waltz of the Snowflakes from Tchaikovskys The Nutcracker. ... The Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow houses the world renowned Bolshoi Ballet, which has been home to some of the worlds greatest ballet dancers, including Anna Pavlova, Vaslav Nijinsky, Rudolf Nureyev, Mikhail Baryshnikov and Natalia Makarova. ... This page refers to the year 1979. ... The American Ballet Theatre is one of the foremost ballet companies of the 20th century, and a leading company in America. ... Amish couple in a horse-drawn buggy in rural Holmes County, Ohio, the site of one of the largest concentrations of Amish in the United States The Amish are a denomination of Anabaptists, found primarily in the United States and Canada are very simlar to and often considered a subgroup... Witness is a 1985 movie released by Paramount Pictures starring Harrison Ford and Kelly McGillis. ... This article is about the year. ... This article is about Die Hard, a 1988 action film starring Bruce Willis. ... Maestro is a software application used by NASA and Jet Propulsion Laboratory. ... For the location known as The Money Pit for its (supposed) buried treasure, see Oak Island. ... Alla Tarasova as Anna Karenina. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Hepatitis is a gastroenterological disease, featuring inflammation of the liver. ...

Escape from USSR

On August 23, 1979, while on a tour with the Bolshoi Ballet in New York City, Godunov contacted authorities and asked for political asylum. After discovering his absence, the KGB responded by putting his wife Lyudmila Vlasova, a soloist with the company, on a plane to Moscow, but the flight was stopped before take-off while the State Department tried to determine whether she was leaving voluntarily. US President Jimmy Carter and Russian Premier Leonid Brezhnev became involved in the incident. Finally, after three days, the plane was allowed to take off, returning Vlasova to her family in Russia. Godunov spent a year trying to get her back, but to no avail. The two of them, known as the "Romeo and Juliet of the cold war", were divorced in 1982. August 23 is the 235th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (236th in leap years), with 130 days remaining. ... This page refers to the year 1979. ... Nickname: The Big Apple Official website: City of New York Government Counties (Boroughs) Bronx (The Bronx) New York (Manhattan) Queens (Queens) Kings (Brooklyn) Richmond (Staten Island) Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Geographical characteristics Area Total 468. ... The KGB emblem and motto: The sword and the shield KGB (transliteration of КГБ) is the Russian-language abbreviation for State Security Committee, (Russian: (help· info); Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti). ... Moscow (Russian: Москва́, Moskva, IPA: (help· info)) is the capital of Russia and the countrys principal political, economic, financial, educational and transportation center, located on the river Moskva. ... For the submarine, see USS Jimmy Carter (SSN-23). ... Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev (help· info) (Russian: ) (December 19 [O.S. December 6] 1906 – November 10, 1982) was the effective ruler of the Soviet Union from 1964 to 1982, though at first in partnership with others. ... The Most Excellent and Lamentable Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, commonly referred to as Romeo and Juliet, is a play by William Shakespeare concerning the fate of two young lovers who would do anything to be together. ... The Cold War was the protracted geopolitical, ideological, and economic struggle that emerged after World War II between the global superpowers of the Soviet Union and the United States, supported by their respective and emerging alliance partners. ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Godunov joined the American Ballet Theater and danced as a principal until 1982 when he had a falling-out with his long-time friend and director of the company Mikhail Baryshnikov. He travelled briefly with his own troupe, turned to acting in Hollywood, and became involved in a long-standing romance with actress Jacqueline Bisset, which ended in 1988. The American Ballet Theatre is one of the foremost ballet companies of the 20th century, and a leading company in America. ... Mikhail Nikolaevitch Baryshnikov (Russian: ) (born January 28, 1948) is a famous Russian dancer and actor. ... ... Jacqueline Bisset Jacqueline Bisset (born Winifred Jacqueline Fraser-Bisset on September 13, 1944) is a British actress, born in Weybridge, Surrey, England to Max Fraser Bisset, a Brit of Scottish descent and Arlette Alexander, a French attorney. ...

Godunov's ashes were released into the Pacific; his memorial at Gates Mortuary in Los Angeles is engraved with the epitaph "his future remained in the past."

Filmography

• "The Zone" (1996) as Lothar Krasna;
• "North" (1994) as Amish Dad;
• "Waxwork II: Lost in Time" (1992) as Scarabis;
• "The Runestone" (1990) as Sigvaldson, The Clockmaker;
• "Die Hard (1988);
• "The Money Pit" (1986) as Max Beissart, the Maestro;
• "Witness" (1985) as Daniel Hochleitner;
• "31 iyunya" ("June 31", 1978) as himself;
• "Anna Karenina" (1974) as Vronsky.

1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... This article is about the year. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1978 calendar). ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1974 calendar). ...

External links

• Find a Death Obituary for Alexander Godunov