how did alexander godunov get hepatitis

In 1981, he appeared with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in a razzle-dazzle duet choreographed by Mr. Ailey for him and Judith Jamison.After his dismissal from Ballet Theater, Mr. Godunov also performed with the Asami Maki Ballet of Japan, the Israel Ballet and Maurice Bejart's Ballet of the Twentieth Century. Godunov joined the Bolshoi Ballet in 1971, as its youngest principal dancer, and was chosen by the legendary prima ballerina Maya Plisetskaya to be her partner soon after.

After a 1974 tour with Miss Plisetskaya, he was not allowed to leave the Soviet Union again until 1979 and rarely danced during that period.Mr. Occupations. A memorial to him at Gates Mortuary in Los Angeles is engraved with the epitaph "His future remained in the past." Mr. Godunov was discovered by a nurse who had not heard from him since May 8 and decided to investigate.Tall and dramatic, with long blond hair that flared behind him during his soaring jumps and whiplash turns, Mr. Godunov was an instant star wherever he danced. Alexander Godunov. On May 18, 1995, Godunov's friends became concerned when he had been uncharacteristically quiet with his phone calls. His last film, … A nurse who had not heard from him since May 8 went to his home in the Shoreham Towers, Following his death Godunov's ashes were scattered into the Pacific Ocean. On his graduation, Mr. Godunov joined Igor Moiseyev's Young Ballet and toured with that company.He talked his way into the Bolshoi by appealing to Yuri Grigorovich, its director, and soon after he joined, he danced Prince Siegfried, the lead male role of "Swan Lake," and won many rave reviews. He was a member of the Bolshoi Ballet and became the troupe's Premier danseur.In 1979, he defected to the United States. His death was attributed to chronic alcoholism complicated by hepatitis. According to his Doctor, hepatitis from advanced alcoholism.His raging alcoholism combined with his pension for smoking (most Russian dancers smoke and drink) did him in.

A joyful but undisciplined virtuoso dancer, he was capable of stunning feats. "Mr. Godunov displays a kind of quiet, amused self-assurance that effectively steals every scene he's in," Mr. Canby wrote.For a time, soon after joining Ballet Theater, Mr. Godunov had disappointed some critics and audiences by attempting to tone down his natural flamboyance. Contribute.

Cynthia Gregory, a leading ballerina of American Ballet Theater, said later that she wished he would defect from the Soviet Union and become her partner.In August 1979, Mr. Godunov did defect while on tour with the Bolshoi in New York.

Mr. Baryshnikov was one of his classmates. Alexander Godunov, the swashbuckling Russian ballet dancer and movie actor, was found dead yesterday at his home in West Hollywood, Calif. A nurse who had not heard from him since May 8 went to his home in the Shoreham Towers, Following his death Godunov's ashes were scattered into the Pacific Ocean. On May 18, 1995, Godunov's friends became concerned when he had been uncharacteristically quiet with his phone calls. Ultimately when he was permitted overseas in 1979, he did … A memorial to him at Gates Mortuary in Los Angeles is engraved with the epitaph "His future remained in the past." ... View Alexander Godunov's Family Tree and History, Ancestry and Genealogy. Alexander Borisovich Godunov (Russian: Александр Борисович Годунов; November 28, 1949 – May 18, 1995), nicknamed "Sascha" was a Russian-American danseur and film actor, whose defection caused a diplomatic incident between the USA and the USSR.

He studied acting with Stella Adler and took voice lessons at the Juilliard School of Music in preparation, it was said, for a film career.His other films included "Money Pit" (1986) and "North" (1994).TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers.This is a digitized version of an article from The Times’s print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996.