Grigori Vasilyevich Aleksandrov (1903-1983) was an influential Soviet film director and screenwriter, and one of the leading figures of the cinema of his time. He began his career as a close collaborator of Sergei Eisenstein, contributing to masterpieces of silent cinema such as *Battleship Potemkin* (1925) and *October* (1928). Upon his return to the Soviet Union after a period abroad, he established himself as the principal architect of the Soviet musical comedy. His most famous works, starring his wife and muse Lyubov Orlova, include *Jolly Fellows* (1934), *Circus* (1936), and *Volga-Volga* (1938), films characterized by their optimistic tone and great popular success. For his fundamental contribution to Soviet culture, Aleksandrov was awarded the highest state honors, including the title of People's Artist of the USSR (1948), two Stalin Prizes (1941 and 1950), and the title of Hero of Socialist Labour (1973).