- Full name – Azhnov Vitaly Serhiyovych
- Date of birth – April 27, 1993
- City – Kalush (Ukraine)
- Activity – theater and film actor
Vitaly Azhnov is a Ukrainian theater and film actor, holder of the title of "Honored Artist of Ukraine". Today, Vitaly confidently holds the center of attention of colleagues and viewers – the most resonant productions of the I. Franko Theater take place with his participation, and the stage has become a place for the artist to fully express himself creatively.
Becoming an artist
The prospects for a career on stage did not take shape immediately. In childhood, the future artist had a reputation as an exemplary student – he could memorize an entire paragraph the first time and reproduce it without any problems the next day. The boy was more interested in studying than the stage, and he spent his free time on a bicycle or rollerblading. Changes in Vitaliy's worldview occurred in the 10th grade, when the young man headed the KVK team. It was then that a real interest in the stage and the feeling that it was more than just a hobby appeared. The actor admitted that he took a risk in choosing a creative profession and has not regretted it since then - the theater became his life.
After moving from Kalush to Kyiv, Azhnov went through a difficult adaptation period: he felt confused and thought in a constrained way, because the provincial environment left its mark. At first, he dreamed of a career as a TV presenter, because while still at school he wrote short prose and even worked on the local radio. But communication with one of the teachers convinced him to change his preferences.
When entering the theater school, Vitaliy faced doubts about his own abilities - at one of the consultations he was directly told that he lacked acting skills. This affected the young man, but at the same time it became a challenge: he tried again and finally achieved his goal. It was then that he met Dmitry Bogomazov, who later became Vitaliy's main mentor in the profession. In 2015, Vitaliy completed his studies at the I. K. Karpenko-Kary KNUTKiT and has since confidently built a career on stage and screen.
Creative path
Even during his student years, Vitaliy plunged headlong into the theater environment: he played in performances at the "Free Stage" and the Theater of Drama and Comedy on the Left Bank of the Dnieper. And later he joined the projects of the theaters "Golden Gate", "Actor" and "Stage 6".
Since 2015, Azhnov has also begun teaching stage language, passing on his knowledge to the younger generation of actors. In parallel, he developed other areas - in particular, in 2016-2017 he was actively engaged in dubbing books.
Today, Azhnov works equally confidently and successfully in both theater and cinema. Among his notable roles is the embodiment of the image of Kazimir Malevich in the film "Malevich". Since 2018, Vitaliy has been part of the team of the National Academic Drama Theater named after. Ivan Franko, where the actor has performed roles in such performances as "The Kaidash Family", "Coriolanus", "Stolen Happiness". His work in the productions "Caligula" and "The Career of Arturo Ui" attracted particular attention from the audience and experts. The roles in the performances have established Azhnov as an actor with powerful charisma and outstanding talent.
Acting style and role of the actor
Vitaly Azhnov is an actor with a pronounced plasticity and ability to transform. His stage images are always different: from the mad dictator Caligula to the loyal warrior Banquo or the subtle, vulnerable Frederi. Such flexibility allows the artist to work in different genres and embody different roles.
In his own poetic project, which Vitaly calls an existential show, the artist experiments with forms and actively interacts with the viewer, provoking him to think. Azhnov himself speaks of himself as a sharp-witted actor: today he is moving towards a dramatic and even tragic repertoire, although during his studies he worked more in the comedy genre. This internal flexibility and ability to instantly react to the situation gives Azhnov's performances a special energy.
Roles in the theater:
- “The Cherry Orchard” – Lopakhin Ermolai Alekseevich;
- “Caligula” – Caligula;
- “Tevye-Tevel” – the role of Motl;
- “Talentless” – Demyan;
- “Stolen Happiness” – Oleksa Babich, Parubok;
- “The Visit” – Blind;
- “Tartuffe” – Valery, a young man in love with Maryana.
Filmography:
- “Unbreakable” (2015);
- “Hutsulka Ksenya” (2019) – Yuro;
- “The Adventures of S. Nikolay” (2019) – Irzhaviy;
- “And There Will Be People” (2020) – Maksym Tverdokhlib;
- “Coffee with Cardamom” (2021) – Markiyan;
- “Malevich” (2025) – Kazimir Malevich.
Social activity
In addition to working on stage, Vitaliy is actively involved in teaching and educational activities. He conducts poetry reading courses, works with diction, participates in various collaborations, hosts events and reads texts. He shares exercises for developing speech on social networks, and also creates short videos that help the audience improve diction.
From the love of Ukrainian poetry, the author's project "Azhnov's Course from Azhnov" was born, where participants immerse themselves in the world of literature and discover new meanings for themselves. On YouTube, the actorhosts the “Azhnov Show,” in which he reads poetry, striving to change the perception of it as something too pretentious. For the artist, this is part of a cultural mission – to popularize the Ukrainian word and make it closer to a modern audience.
Awards and honors:
- Diploma for the best male role (International Festival of Theater Schools in Beijing GATS), 2013;
- Grand Prix of the All-Ukrainian Readers' Competition "Forest Sources", 2013;
- Kyiv Mayor's Award, 2014;
- Prize of the #TalentsforUkraine program (a grant from the KSE Foundation for the development of the cultural project "Azhnov Show"), 2025.
Interesting facts about the actor:
- often moves around the city on a scooter, admitting that over time he has become more introverted;
- has an interesting habit - giving flowers to strangers. At the same time, the reaction to Vitaliy's actions is different: from sincere surprise to disbelief;
- constantly works on himself as a creative person - visits the gym, is interested in fashion, looks for new ways of expressing himself through style and appearance;
- implemented an artistic collaboration with the W8LESS brand, where he combined fashion and poetry, creating not just an advertising product, but a full-fledged creative collaboration. The actor is not interested in commercial projects without an idea - content is important to him;
- in his free time, he likes to stay at home, cook and enjoy simple things. Among her favorite dishes are breakfasts with eggs, shakshuka, salads with beets, feta and nuts;
- in clothing style, she tends towards expressiveness and non-standard solutions - she loves things with sparkles and accent accessories;
- among her favorite authors, she highlights Jack London and Vasyl Stefanyk.
