World’s oldest working actor Vladimir Zeldin dies at 101

Russian actor Vladimir Zeldin has died aged 101.
Zeldin, described as the oldest working actor in the world, passed away in the early hours of Monday (31Oct16) at the Sklifosovsky Emergency Institute in Moscow, Russia, according to news agencies in the country who quoted his wife Ivetta Kapralova as revealing his death.
The actor first found fame thanks to his role as a shepherd in 1941 movie They Met In Moscow.
Filming began on the project just months before Germany invaded the Soviet Union, leading to Zeldin being conscripted and sent to the front line. However, Soviet Union leader Joseph Stalin then ordered Zeldin’s return to Moscow so he could finish shooting the movie.
After They Met In Moscow, Zeldin starred in films such as The Princess and the Pea in 1976 and Ten Little Indians in 1987 – appearing in nearly 60 movies all together. He also had a successful theatre career in recent years, and was next scheduled to appear on stage early next month (Nov16).
Zeldin also made history as the oldest torchbearer in the history of the Olympics when he took part in the Olympic torch relay in October, 2013 for the Winter Olympics in Sochi.