MOSCOW (AP) — Oleg Tabakov, a Russian actor and theater director who for decades was one of the most revered figures in Russia's theater and film communities, has died. He was 82.

The Moscow Art Theater said Tabakov died Monday of an unspecified illness at a Moscow hospital. Tabakov led the theater for the last 18 years.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has extended condolences to Tabakov's family.

Born in the Volga River city of Saratov, Tabakov joined the Sovremennik theater after graduating from a Moscow theater school in 1957. He performed in both classic and modern productions and also became widely popular as a film actor, starring in many Soviet films and lending his voice to cartoon characters.