Nikolai Gubenko, Soviet and Russian stage and screen actor, director, screenwriter, pubic figure, People's Artist of the RSFSR (1985) and the last Soviet Culture Minister, was born August 17, 1941 in Odessa. From 1964 through 1968 and in the 1980s, Gubenko was actor at Taganka Theater, while from 1987 through 1989 he was its director. Upon Yury Lyubimov's return as the theater's director, part of the crew urged him to remain the artistic director. In 1992, Gubenko became director of the Taganka Actors Community housed in the theater's new building. At the Moscow City Duma election in 2009, Gubenko made the top three on the Communist Party's list of candidates. On October 21, 2009 Gubenko was elected Moscow City Duma Deputy Speaker.
