CENTENARY OF CLOWN YURI NIKULIN  

Born in Demidov in 1921, Yuri Nikulin is the most famous clown in Russia. Demobilized in May 1946, with the rank of sergeant and several military decorations, he failed at the entrance of several acting schools. He finally joined the clown training studio at the Moscow Circus where he graduated in 1950. He worked there for more than 50 years and, from 1982 until his death in 1997, was the Director of this circus that bears his name today. He also has a cinematographic career and offers remarkable performances both in the comedies of Leonid Gaidai including The Diamond Arm (1969), a film that has become a cult for several generations of Soviets, and in the dramatic register like When the Trees were tall (1962) of Andrei Roublev. A television man, he created and hosted the comedy show The White Parrot Club. Nikulin's effortless style and precise delivery, as well as his mastery of timing made him an outstanding artist, arguably the best Russian comedian ever.

• Design: Elena ZAÏKA
• Printing process: Heliogravure / golden metallic ink / screen printing
• Size of the block: 90 x 90 mm
• Size of the stamp: diameter 40 mm
• Quantity of issue: 35 000 blocks