Vitali Solomin was a Russian film actor, best known for his portrayal of Doctor Watson in the 1980s Soviet-Russian series about Sherlock Holmes. He was born Vitali Mefodievich Solomin on December 12, 1941, in Chita, Siberian Russia, USSR. His father, Mefodi Viktorovich, was a cellist and violinist, his mother, Zinaida Ananievna, was a mezzo-soprano; both parents taught classical music at the House of Pioneers in Chita. In 1959, after graduating from Chita high school, young Vitali Solomin followed his elder brother, Yuriy Solomin and moved to Moscow. From 1959 to 1964 he attended Shchepkin Theatrical School of Maly Theatre, and studied acting under Nikolai Annenkov, graduating in 1964 as an actor. That same year he became permanent member of the troupe at the Academic Maly Theatre in Moscow. Over the course of his career, Vitali Solomin played a variety of characters on stage and in film and TV. His complex personality caused much tensions in his relations with his brother, as well as with his two wives. On one occasion, Vitalin Solomin had legal problems for breaking in someone's home in Moscow and beating the homeowner in the face. From 1988 - 1990 Vitali Solomin was member of the troupe at Theatre Mossoveta, but he eventually returned to Maly Theatre. Vitali Solomin shot to fame in the role as Kirill in Starshaya sestra (1967), then he starred in such epic films as Dauriya (1972) and Sibiriada (1979). He played an autobiographical character in Zimnyaya vishnya (1985) and the sequel TV series titled Zimnyaya vishnya 2 and 3. Vitali Solomin was designated People's Actor of Russia, and received numerous awards for his work. He died of a stroke on May 27, 2002 in Moscow, Russia.
