DENIS SHVEDOV was born November 24, 1981. He graduated from the Mikhail Shchepkin Higher Theatre School in 2006 and began his acting career in the Russian Academic Youth Theater, based in Moscow. Appearances in various TV series led to his film debut in the romantic comedy “A Good Friend for All” (2008). Shvedov first collaborated with director Yury Bykov in 2010 when he played the lead in Bykov’s “Live!”. Amongst other awards, the film received the Special Jury Prize at the Taipei IFF and the Grand Prix at KinoRurik, the Swedish festival of Russian cinema where Shvedov received the Best Actor award. In 2013, he once again worked with Bykov, playing the eponymous lead in “The Major”. The film premiered in Cannes Critics’ Week, received awards at numerous international film festivals and won Shvedov the Best Actor award at the Pacific Meridian International Film Festival.