Mikhail Semyonovich Shchepkin (1788-1863) was the most famous Russian actor of the 19th century. 1788 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1863 is a common year starting on Thursday. ...

As his father was a serf, Shchepkin's freedom had to be bought by his admirers in 1821. Three years later, he joined the Malyi Theatre in Moscow, which he would dominate for the next 40 years. Schepkin was the first to play Famusov in the Wit Works Woe (1831) and the Mayor in the The Inspector General (1836). His acting was acclaimed by Alexander Pushkin, Nikolai Gogol, Alexander Herzen, and Ivan Turgenev for its subtlety, with much attention given to realistic detail and understatement. 1821 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Saint Basils Cathedral and Spasskaya Tower of Moscow Kremlin at Red Square. ... Woe from Wit (Russian: Горе от ума, also translated as The Woes of Wit, Wit Works Woe, etc. ... The Inspector General (in Russian, Ревизор) is a satirical play by 19th century Russian playwright and novelist Nikolai Gogol, published and produced in 1836. ... Aleksandr Pushkin was a Russian poet and a founder of modern Russian literature Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin (Russian: Алекса́ндр Серге́евич Пу́шкин) (June 6 (May 26, O.S.), 1799 - February 10 (January 29, O.S.), 1837), Russian author, whom many consider the greatest Russian poet and the founder of modern Russian literature. ... Nikolai Vasilevich Gogol (Russian: ) (March 31, 1809 - March 4, 1852) was a Ukrainian-born Russian writer. ... Alexander Herzen in 1867 Aleksandr Ivanovich Herzen (Алекса́ндр Ива́нович Ге́рцен) (April 6, 1812 - January 21, 1870) was a major Russian pro-Western writer and thinker known as the father of Russian socialism. He is held responsible for creating a political climate leading to the emancipation of the serfs in 1861. ... Ivan Turgenev, photo by Félix Nadar (1820-1910) Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev (Ива́н Серге́евич Турге́нев, November 9, 1818, Orel, Russia - September 3, 1883, Bougival, near Paris, France ) was a major Russian novelist and playwright. ...