Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Aug 7, 2026

Ivan Desny

Ivan Desny was a French actor of Russian Chinese origin. He had a lengthy career in French and German cinema, appearing in over 200 film and television roles over 50 years, and was a two-time German Film Award winner.

Last revised
Aug 7, 2026
Read time
≈ 4 min
Length
1,026 w
Citations
5
Source
Ivan Desny
in German TV's Tatort: Kressin und der Mann mit dem gelben Koffer (1972)
Born
Ivan Nikolaevich Desnitsky (Иван Николаевич Десницкий)

28 December 1922
Died13 April 2002 (aged 79)
Ascona, Switzerland
Alma materSciences Po
OccupationActor

Ivan Desny (born Ivan Nikolaevich Desnitsky; Russian: Иван Николаевич Десницкий, 28 December 1922 – 13 April 2002) was a French12 actor of Russian Chinese origin. He had a lengthy career in French and German cinema, appearing in over 200 film and television roles over 50 years, and was a two-time German Film Award winner.3

Early life

Desny was born Ivan Nikolaevich Desnitsky (Russian: Иван Николаевич Десницкий) in Beijing, China.4 His Russian father, Nikolai Desnitsky, gained French citizenship and worked as a secretary at the French embassy. His mother was Swedish.

Career

Desny was a film actor. Bilingual in French and German, he acted in more than 150 films, both in Germany and France.

In 1980, Desny received an honorary German Film Award for "his continued outstanding individual contributions to the german film over the years."

Death

Desny died in Ascona, Switzerland.5

Selected filmography

Desny's grave in Ascona source ↗
References

References

  1. "Mort d'Ivan Desny, acteur français d'origine russe". Le Monde.fr (in French). 2002-04-19. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
  2. "Ivan Desny". Premiere.fr (in French). 1922-12-28. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
  3. "Ivan Desny". BFI. Archived from the original on 2012-07-21.
  4. "Google Translate". google.co.uk.
  5. "Google Translate". google.co.uk.
External links