Oleg Nikolayevich Efremov was born in Moscow, RSFSR, USSR - a Soviet and Russian actor and director of theater and cinema, teacher, theatrical figure. Hero of Socialist Labor (1987). People's Artist of the USSR (1976). Laureate of three State Prizes of the USSR (1969, 1974, 1983) and two State Prizes of the Russian Federation (1997, 2003). One of the founders and the first secretary of the board of the Union of Theater Workers of the USSR, member of the Union of Cinematographers of the USSR. He was elected People's Deputy of the USSR from creative unions. Member of the CPSU since 1955. Oleg Efremov was the creator of the Sovremennik Theater, in 1956-1970 he was its artistic director; from 1970 he headed the Gorky Moscow Art Theater of the USSR, and after its division in 1987 - the Chekhov Moscow Art Theater. One of the outstanding theatrical directors of his time, Oleg Efremov always remained an actor as well; on the stage he created memorable images of contemporaries in plays by V. Rozov, A. Volodin and A. Gelman; among his best roles of the Moscow Art Theater period are Chekhov's Astrov and Moliere in "The Cabal of Hypocrites" by M. Bulgakov; to cinema audiences he is known primarily as Colonel Gulyaev ("The Battalions Ask for Fire"), taxi driver Sasha ("Three Poplars on Plyushchikha"), Maxim Podberyozovikov ("Beware of the Car"), Aibolit ("Aibolit-66"). For half a century, from 1949, Oleg Efremov taught acting at the Moscow Art Theater School, was a professor and head of the acting department.

The stage attracted him from childhood: with his cousin G. Menshenin, later a theater actor, director and artist, O. Efremov, according to his father's recollections, constantly played theater: the future directors "cut out paper dolls, made some simple decorations". He was introduced to theatrical circles by his yard friend A. Kaluzhsky - the grandson of the famous Moscow Art Theater actor V. Luzhsky. Another childhood friend was S. Shilovsky, the son of E. Bulgakova - in the house of M. Bulgakov in Nashchokinsky Lane O. Efremov often visited in the pre-war years. "The owner of the house himself," he wrote many years later, "of course, I do not remember, but the atmosphere of a wonderful, cheerful, intelligent family remained in my memory... I then had no idea about either 'The Days of the Turbins', or 'Moliere', or the head of this house himself... Simply the Bulgakov house turned out to be part of life, a 'premonition' of meeting the Art Theater." In O. Efremov's childhood there was also a drama club at the House of Pioneers. The club was led by A. G. Kudashova, who in the 1920s studied at M. Chekhov's studio. All paths led to the Art Theater, and in 1945 A. Kaluzhsky persuaded O. Efremov to enter the Moscow Art Theater School, where his mentors were M. Kedrov and V. Toporkov.