Described as "a Pre-Raphaelite angel posing as a punk-rock idol", this tall (6'3"), blond star of the Bolshoi Ballet staged a dramatic, front-page defection from the Soviet Union in 1979. A Russian dance star since 1971, Godunov, a colleague of Mikhail Baryshnikov, became a principal with the American Ballet Theatre and in 1982, after he left under a cloud of bad feelings, danced as guest artist with various troupes. Spotted by director Peter Weir on a 1983 PBS special, "Godunov: The World to Dance In", he made his US acting debut as a somber Amish farmer in the thriller, "Witness" (1985).Unli
