Jurij Galin, a prominent figure in Czech theatre and a director of Russian origin, has died at the age of 82, as confirmed by Docela velké divadlo in Litvínov on Sunday[[1]]. Galin co-founded the theater with his wife, Jana Galinová, and leaves behind a legacy of approximately 310 productions – with around 120 staged in the Czech Republic – alongside a notable acting career that included roles in Czech film and television[[2]]. A memorial will be held on January 14, 2026, at Docela velké divadlo.
Born in Leningrad in August 1943, Jurij Galin, a director of Russian origin, came from a family deeply rooted in the arts. His parents were musicians with the renowned Leningrad Symphony Orchestra. His father tragically died during the city’s brutal Nazi siege.
Following the war, Galin’s mother performed as a singer with the state circus, a formative experience where he developed a range of artistic skills, including equestrian acrobatics. In 1956, the family moved to Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, where Galin later studied acting.
He went on to earn a degree in directing from the prestigious GITIS (Russian University of Theatre Arts) in Moscow, and subsequently worked in numerous Soviet theaters.
Photo: René Zaoral, ČTK
Cast of “Quite a Big Theater” from 2016. Kamila Raková, Kristýna Lišková, Michal Žižka, Petr Erlitz, Robert Stodůlka, Lukáš Masár, Petr Kozák, Hana Laurichová, Jaroslav Drobný, Jana Galinová, Jurij Galin, Lenka Lavičková.
Galin’s career spanned numerous Czech theaters, but he found his most enduring home at the Docela velké divadlo (Quite a Big Theater) in Litvínov, which he co-founded with his fifth wife, Jana Galinová. In the last two years, he served as the theater’s emeritus director.
Throughout his long career, Galin directed approximately 310 productions, around 120 of them in the Czech Republic. He also remained active as an actor, appearing in Ondřej Trojan’s film “Želary” (2003) as a Russian officer, and making cameos in “Hlídač č. 47” (2008) and the television series “Ulice” (2005), as detailed on the Czech-Slovak Film Database.
