Valery Yakovlevich Leontiev, born on March 19, 1949, in Ust-Usa, Komi Republic, Russian Federation, is a Russian singer and actor. His first significant performance was at the Vorkuta regional competition Song-71 in 1971, where he took second place with "Carnaval." Leontiev's breakthrough came in 1980 when he performed in various concerts, including those at the Moscow Variety Theatre and Luzhniki. In 1981, he won the popularity prize at the Yerevan-81 music festival. Despite undergoing a serious throat operation in 1982, Leontiev continued his career, moving to work with the Voroshilovgrad Philharmonic in 1983 and gaining recognition through various concerts and tours across the USSR and internationally. His album releases include "Премьера" (1984), "Дискоклуб-16 (Б)" (1986), and "Best Holiday Season" (1986). Leontiev's international success grew in the 1990s with tours in Germany, Israel, USA, Canada, India, and other countries. He was named Best Selling Soviet Artist at the World Music Awards in Monte Carlo in 1991.