Began his career as an actor before emerging in the mid-1970s as one of his country's leading directors. Mikhalkov's varied output has ranged from adventure spectacles to well-nuanced character studies; like his brother, director Andrei Mikhalkov-Konchalovsky, he has earned a reputation as an actors' director, adroitly steering his players through complex material and extracting some of the finest performances in contemporary Soviet cinema. His affinity for the subtle characterizations and earthy humor of Chekhov is evident in An Unfinished Piece for Mechanical Piano (1977), drawn from several of the master's stories, and Dark Eyes (1987), also based on Chekhov material and featuring a landmark performance by Marcello Mastroianni.