Leonid Iovich Gaidai (Russian: Леони́д Ио́вич Гайда́й; 30 January 1923 – 19 November 1993; Svobodny) was a Soviet comedy film director, screenwriter and actor who enjoyed immense popularity and broad public recognition in the former Soviet Union. His films broke theatre attendance records and were some of the top-selling DVDs in Russia. He has been described as "the king of Soviet comedy".