Mark Bernes

Mark Naumovich Bernes was a Soviet film actor and chansonnier. He is widely regarded as among the most popular artists of the Soviet stage in the 1950s–1960s, and performed a number of poignant songs about World War II, including "Dark Is the Night" and "Cranes". He is also credited with playing a primary role in the formation of the golden fund of Soviet song classics. He was awarded the Stalin Prize, first degree (1951).