Russian actor Lev Durov dies at 83

In this Thursday, Dec. 29, 2011 file pool photo, well-known Russian actor Lev Durov smiles during an award ceremony in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia. (AP)

Lev Durov, one of Russia's most prolific and best loved actors, has died. He was 83.

Durov was in more than 200 films from 1955 to 2014, often playing character or supporting roles. Among them was the role of Agent Klaus in the 1973 film "Seventeen Moments of Spring."

Durov also performed on stage. He was in a Moscow production of William Shakespeare's "The Tempest," playing Prospero, when he fell ill in early August and was hospitalized with heart trouble.

His death on Thursday led Russian news broadcasts. Actors and directors who had worked with him remembered him not only for his acting talent but for his sense of humor.

A memorial service will be held Monday at the Theater on Malaya Bronnaya, where Durov had worked since 1967.