Named as one of the best ballet dancers of all time, Mikhail Baryshnikov has the power to bewitch the audience with his powerful performance, even at the age of 77, a time when the majority of people retire. Not just as a flawless dancer, but his prolific career expands as a choreographer, actor, and others, and he not only gained love and fame, but a huge net worth, which we will be discussing today.
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Early Life
Mikhail was born on 27th January, 1948 in Riga, Latvia, a part of the Soviet Union back then. He was raised in a typical Russian family, and his father, Nikolai Baryshnivok, was a military officer while his mother, Alexandra Baryshnivoka, was a dressmaker and had a keen interest in the arts.
Mikhail’s early life was spent living in a home where both discipline and creativity dominated. A tragedy struck when Mikhail was only 12 years old, and he lost his mother, a loss that stayed with him. He was the only child and didn’t have any siblings.
Mikhail’s education was not mainstream and he was enrolled in ballet training when he was 9 years old, where he showed excellence in the art. He moved to Leningrad (present-day Petersburg) in 1964, where he studied at the Vaganova School of Ballet, one of the most reputed ballet academies in the world.
He received training from some of the best in the art and quickly gained fame in the Soviet Union’s ballet arena. His natural ability to perform the dance later established him as one of the best the world has ever seen.
Evolution of Career
Mikhail’s career started in 1967 when he joined the Kirov Ballet after graduating from the Vaganova Ballet Academy. While performing with the most celebrated ballet dancers of the Soviet Union, he outshone. Throughout the 1960s to 1970s, he was cast in lead roles in ballet performances like “The Nutcracker,” “Giselle,” and “Don Quixote.” However, he made a major decision to move to the West while touring in Canada under the Kirov Ballet. He joined the National Ballet of Canada the same year and later settled in the USA.
When he arrived in the USA, Mikhail started performing with the American Ballet Theatre and very soon became an icon. By 1976, he also performed with the New York City Ballet, where he got the chance to work with celebrated choreographers, Jerome Robbins and George Balanchine, exploring forms like classical to neoclassical and modern ballet. In 1977, he made his film debut with “The Turning Point” where he played a character of a ballet dancer. The movie even earned him an Academy Award Nomination for Best Supporting Actor, and he established himself as an actor.
In 1980, Mikhail became the Artistic Director of American Ballet Theatre, which he continued to serve till 1989. During his tenure here, he never stopped performing and only expanded his performance arena. In 1985, he was cast in the dance film “White Nights,” based on a Cold War-themed story. Throughout the 1980s, he appeared in various ballets telecast on TV and theatrical productions.
During the 1990s, Mikhail transitioned to contemporary and experimental dance and also co-founded the White Oak Dance project with the choreographer Mark Morris. He also performed internationally with the company co-founded throughout the 1990s and 2000s. He also kept on doing movies and TV roles. In 2005, he founded BAC (Baryshnikov Arts Center) in New York City, a multidisciplinary space to support emerging as well as established artists. However, in the 2000s, he stopped performing ballet but continued to act.
From 2003 to 2004, he played Aleksandr Petrovsky in the very famous HBO series, Sex and the City. In the 2010s, Mikhail shifted more to the intimate theatrical projects. In 2015, he premiered “Brodsky/Baryshnikov,” based on the poetry of his friend, Joseph Brodsky, a Nobel Laureate. As of now, he continues with his role at BAC.
Shot to Fame
Mikhail’s popularity increased gradually, first nationally in the Soviet Union when he was performing with the Kirov Ballet. Later, he started gaining international popularity when he moved to New York. However, a huge success came when he debuted in films with “The Turning Point,” which won him an Oscar nomination as well. With every performance, his popularity only increased until he became one of the best ballet dancers of all time.
Relationships
Mikhail has had a couple of relationships, one with actress Jessica Lange, with whom he has a daughter, who was born in 1981. The couple never married and continued co-parenting the child. Later, he got involved with former ballerina Lisa Rinehart for a long period and ended up marrying her, with whom he has 3 kids.
Major Sources of Income and Net Worth
The estimated net worth of Mikhail Baryshnikov is $45 million, which he has earned by constantly performing ballet shows in different parts of the world and being associated with many ballet groups. He also earned a significant amount from his acting career.
