Pyotr Aleynikov

Born into poverty, Aleynikov lost his family at an early age, forcing him to street-life before transitioning to an orphanage in the early 1920s.  He discovered a love of movies when a local film projectionist began training him in the craft.  Following time in a Russian labor compound, Aleinikov studied drama in Leningrad and made his film debut in the 1932 film “Counter”.