Russian film director and Vladimir Putin's lawmaker Stanislav Govorukhin dies at 82

Moscow: Stanislav Govorukhin, a prominent Russian film director who made some of the nation’s most iconic movies, has died. He was 82. [caption id=“attachment_4514531” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Actors Stanislav Govorukhin as Krymov and Tatyana Drubich as Alika in Assa at the Mosfilm studio, April 25, 1987. Facebook/ @sovietmoviesonline[/caption] President Vladimir Putin sent his condolences Thursday to Govorukhin’s family, praising him as a “bright and extraordinary” talent. Govorukhin’s early work included a 1967 film about romantic mountaineers that reflected the spirit of the 1960s political thaw. His most famous production was The Meeting Place Can’t Be Changed, a 1979 police saga set in the late 1940s, full of strong characters and dark humor. Govorukhin also acted, famously playing a crime lord in the 1987 cult film Assa. He had a fruitful political career in the 2000s, serving as a lawmaker and directing Putin’s successful presidential campaign in 2012. Other details about his death were not immediately available.