Odin Biron | |
---|---|
Born | Odin Lund Biron October 5, 1984
Duluth, Minnesota, U.S. |
Citizenship |
|
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 2009–present |
Notable work | Interns |
Odin Lund Biron (born October 5, 1984) is an American actor, [1] best-known for his work in Russia, [2] where he played the character Dr Phil Richards in the popular medical sitcom, Interns [3] and the lead role of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in Kirill Serebrennikov's feature film Tchaikovsky's Wife (2022).
Born in Duluth, Minnesota, [3] Biron grew up nearby in rural Minnesota, moving to Ann Arbor, Michigan, with his mother after his parents' divorce. [3] [4] While studying at the University of Michigan, he studied at the Moscow Art Theatre on student exchange and was, unusually, invited to stay and join the incoming Russian class. [3] [1] He has spoken about having had a romantic image of Russia, having known very little Russian on arrival; [3] [1] [4] [5] being less able to communicate with other Muscovites, he focused on studying. [3] In one of his final student roles, he won an award [6] for his portrayal of Hamlet in a production that toured to New York's Baryshnikov Arts Center; [3] [4] he drew the attention of the Gogol Center and plaudits from Viktor Ryzhakov , artistic director of the Meyerhold Center and one of his former instructors. [3]
Landing a role in Interns in 2011, a top-rated Russian medical sitcom, raised Biron's profile substantially and he has spoken about being recognised in nightclubs and avoiding "celebrity events" as a result. [3] In a country where a large majority of the population view the United States "badly" or "very badly", [7] Biron is one of a few Americans in the public eye, yet the success of Interns has led to Biron being considered a heartthrob and very popular. [3]
Biron came out to his parents as a teenager and made no big secret of his homosexuality, [3] but Russia is very socially conservative on LGBT rights, with hostility towards legal recognition of same-sex marriage and support for laws discriminating against LGBT people. [8] [9] The United States Department of State repeatedly raised concerns around LGBT civil rights in their 2014 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. [10] His character on Interns was raised by two gay fathers, [1] though the treatment of the issue of sexuality on the show has been described as reinforcing the Soviet idea that homosexuality is a product of Western moral decay, rather than being used to promote more liberal values. [3]
It is very common for LGBT performers in Russia to avoid coming out, with an unspoken don't ask, don't tell arrangement between the entertainment industry and the mainstream press. [3] [1] [4] After the passage of 2013's Russian LGBT propaganda law, Biron's Interns co-star and former Orthodox priest Ivan Okhlobystin made international news with genocidally homophobic remarks made in a December 2013 talk in Novosibirsk, [11] leading Biron to consider leaving the show and Russian TV altogether. [3] [12] As a result, he came out in an interview with New York magazine in early 2015, [3] [1] to mixed reactions, [13] reported in the Russian press accompanied by mentions of Okhlobystin's remarks. [12] After an initial reaction leaving Biron with "a sense of physical danger, political danger", he initially left Russia. [1] He returned later without any apparent negative effect on his career, [1] though his friendship with Okhlobystin had become untenable after the former priest's reaction describing him as a "pervert" and a "sodomite". [1]
Biron lived in Moscow with his boyfriend, a Kazakh film director, [3] [1] [4] and has a brother who lives in Arlington, VA, [5] while his mother lives in New Zealand. [4] In an interview with Minnesota's Star Tribune in May 2015, however, he mentioned that he was back in the United States permanently and, as well as acting, was pursuing a Le Cordon Bleu culinary degree. [14]
From 2016 to 2022, he lived in Moscow and worked at the Gogol Center. Since 2022, he has lived in Berlin. [15]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2009 | Rokery | ||
2013 | Dumplings | Alex | |
2014 | Spiral | Sasha, Yakob's assistant | |
2015 | 12 Months: A New Fairy Tale | Iyul | |
2017 | Maximum Impact | P.B. Floyd | |
2022 | Tchaikovsky's Wife | Pyotr Tchaikovsky | |
Petrópolis | Philip Graham | ||
2024 | Limonov: The Ballad | Ethan |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2010 | Ivan the Terrible | The English ambassador | |
Capital of sin | Prince Max | ||
2011—2016 | Interns | Phil Richards | 67th series |
2019 | Gold Diggers | Vasiliy | |
2020 | Optimists 2 | Phillip Bradley | |
2022 | Karamora | Journalist | |
The Last Minister | Edward Snowden | Episode: "Citizen X" |
Odin Biron | |
---|---|
Born | Odin Lund Biron October 5, 1984
Duluth, Minnesota, U.S. |
Citizenship |
|
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 2009–present |
Notable work | Interns |
Odin Lund Biron (born October 5, 1984) is an American actor, [1] best-known for his work in Russia, [2] where he played the character Dr Phil Richards in the popular medical sitcom, Interns [3] and the lead role of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in Kirill Serebrennikov's feature film Tchaikovsky's Wife (2022).
Born in Duluth, Minnesota, [3] Biron grew up nearby in rural Minnesota, moving to Ann Arbor, Michigan, with his mother after his parents' divorce. [3] [4] While studying at the University of Michigan, he studied at the Moscow Art Theatre on student exchange and was, unusually, invited to stay and join the incoming Russian class. [3] [1] He has spoken about having had a romantic image of Russia, having known very little Russian on arrival; [3] [1] [4] [5] being less able to communicate with other Muscovites, he focused on studying. [3] In one of his final student roles, he won an award [6] for his portrayal of Hamlet in a production that toured to New York's Baryshnikov Arts Center; [3] [4] he drew the attention of the Gogol Center and plaudits from Viktor Ryzhakov , artistic director of the Meyerhold Center and one of his former instructors. [3]
Landing a role in Interns in 2011, a top-rated Russian medical sitcom, raised Biron's profile substantially and he has spoken about being recognised in nightclubs and avoiding "celebrity events" as a result. [3] In a country where a large majority of the population view the United States "badly" or "very badly", [7] Biron is one of a few Americans in the public eye, yet the success of Interns has led to Biron being considered a heartthrob and very popular. [3]
Biron came out to his parents as a teenager and made no big secret of his homosexuality, [3] but Russia is very socially conservative on LGBT rights, with hostility towards legal recognition of same-sex marriage and support for laws discriminating against LGBT people. [8] [9] The United States Department of State repeatedly raised concerns around LGBT civil rights in their 2014 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. [10] His character on Interns was raised by two gay fathers, [1] though the treatment of the issue of sexuality on the show has been described as reinforcing the Soviet idea that homosexuality is a product of Western moral decay, rather than being used to promote more liberal values. [3]
It is very common for LGBT performers in Russia to avoid coming out, with an unspoken don't ask, don't tell arrangement between the entertainment industry and the mainstream press. [3] [1] [4] After the passage of 2013's Russian LGBT propaganda law, Biron's Interns co-star and former Orthodox priest Ivan Okhlobystin made international news with genocidally homophobic remarks made in a December 2013 talk in Novosibirsk, [11] leading Biron to consider leaving the show and Russian TV altogether. [3] [12] As a result, he came out in an interview with New York magazine in early 2015, [3] [1] to mixed reactions, [13] reported in the Russian press accompanied by mentions of Okhlobystin's remarks. [12] After an initial reaction leaving Biron with "a sense of physical danger, political danger", he initially left Russia. [1] He returned later without any apparent negative effect on his career, [1] though his friendship with Okhlobystin had become untenable after the former priest's reaction describing him as a "pervert" and a "sodomite". [1]
Biron lived in Moscow with his boyfriend, a Kazakh film director, [3] [1] [4] and has a brother who lives in Arlington, VA, [5] while his mother lives in New Zealand. [4] In an interview with Minnesota's Star Tribune in May 2015, however, he mentioned that he was back in the United States permanently and, as well as acting, was pursuing a Le Cordon Bleu culinary degree. [14]
From 2016 to 2022, he lived in Moscow and worked at the Gogol Center. Since 2022, he has lived in Berlin. [15]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2009 | Rokery | ||
2013 | Dumplings | Alex | |
2014 | Spiral | Sasha, Yakob's assistant | |
2015 | 12 Months: A New Fairy Tale | Iyul | |
2017 | Maximum Impact | P.B. Floyd | |
2022 | Tchaikovsky's Wife | Pyotr Tchaikovsky | |
Petrópolis | Philip Graham | ||
2024 | Limonov: The Ballad | Ethan |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2010 | Ivan the Terrible | The English ambassador | |
Capital of sin | Prince Max | ||
2011—2016 | Interns | Phil Richards | 67th series |
2019 | Gold Diggers | Vasiliy | |
2020 | Optimists 2 | Phillip Bradley | |
2022 | Karamora | Journalist | |
The Last Minister | Edward Snowden | Episode: "Citizen X" |