Konstantin Shayne

An actor from the Russian Empire who emigrated to the United States.

Born in Kharkov, Russian Empire, to the family of a Jewish actor Veniamin Olkenitsky-Nikulin, he was the brother of actress Tamara Shayne and Russian writers Lev Nikulin and Yuriy Nikulin.[1] The First World War intervened before he could join the Moscow Arts Theatre, and during the conflict he fought with General Wrangel and the White Armies. Shayne was married two times and he also had children.

As an actor, Konstantin Shayne performed in movies such as None but the Lonely Heart (1944) and The Stranger (1946), starring (and directed by) Orson Welles. He performed in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947) which featured Danny Kaye in the lead role. His performance in For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943) was cut from the final release. In his last film appearance Shayne dominates two minutes of Alfred Hitchcock's masterpiece Vertigo, playing the old bookseller Pop Leibel.