Biography
Stepan Shkurat was a Ukrainian Soviet actor known for his work in theatre and film. Born in 1886 in Kobeliaky, he began performing in amateur productions in Romny from 1905 and later joined the local people's theatre. He had no formal acting training and worked previously as a labourer and stovemaker.
Shkurat made his film debut in the late 1920s and gained prominence through roles in films by Oleksandr Dovzhenko, including Earth (1930) as Opanas and Ivan (1932). He appeared in Chapayev (1934) as Potapov, for which he received the title of Honoured Artist of the RSFSR in 1935. Later credits include Natalka Poltavka (1936) and Viy (1967) as Yavtukh. In 1971 he was named People's Artist of the Ukrainian SSR.
He continued performing into the 1960s and died in Romny in 1973.
