Nikita Khrushchev — The Death of Stalin Character Profile

About Nikita Khrushchev

A Central Committee member who initially plans Stalin's funeral but quickly maneuvers against Beria. He reverses a transport ban causing civilian deaths, orchestrates a coup with Marshal Zhukov, and arrests Beria. After Beria's execution, Khrushchev exiles Svetlana, surveils Vasily, and eventually becomes the new Soviet leader by 1956.

Nikita Khrushchev — Character Profile

Affiliations

• Communist Party of the Soviet Union
• Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
• Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
• Soviet Union

Quick Facts about Nikita Khrushchev

Education

Donetsk National Technical University, Industrial Academy

Occupation

military personnel, politician, revolutionary

Manner of Death

Natural causes

Nikita Khrushchev's Known Relations

• Sergei Khrushchev — Child
• Leonid Khrushchev — Child
• Rada Adzhubey — Child
• Yulia Khrushcheva — Child
• Elena Evreinova — Child
• Nina Khrushcheva — Spouse
• Efrosinya Khrushcheva — Spouse
• Nikita Khrushchev — Relative
• Nina Khrushcheva — Unmarried partner
• Soviet Union — Allegiance
• Joseph Stalin — Significant person
• Yuri Gagarin — Significant person
• John F. Kennedy — Significant person
• Lavrentiy Beria — Significant person
• Leonid Brezhnev — Significant person
• Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union — Member of
• Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union — Member of

Nikita Khrushchev appears in 3 titles

• Enemy at the Gates (2001) — character page
• The Death of Stalin (2017)
• The Courier (2020) — character page

Character Facts

Played by

Steve Buscemi

Appears in

The Death of Stalin (2017)

Role

Protagonist

Relationships (4)

• Nikita Khrushchev — Professional Political Colleague — Georgy Malenkov (Jeffrey Tambor)

  They begin as senior colleagues but become rivals within the emerging power struggle.

  Both are members of the Central Committee and arrive at the dacha after the leadership crisis begins. Malenkov is named chairman while Khrushchev is a...

• Nikita Khrushchev — Alliance Political Support Seeker — Vyacheslav Molotov (Michael Palin)

  Khrushchev treats Molotov as an important source of legitimacy.

  The plot explicitly states that Khrushchev vies with another faction for Molotov's political support during the post-leadership struggle.

• Nikita Khrushchev — Alliance Political Ally — Lazar Kaganovich (Dermot Crowley)

  Kaganovich becomes a validating ally in Khrushchev's consolidation of power.

  After the central confrontation, Khrushchev concurs with Kaganovich that Malenkov is too weak to lead.

• Nikita Khrushchev — Alliance Committee Ally — Anastas Mikoyan (Paul Whitehouse)

  Mikoyan supports Khrushchev during the decisive political maneuvering.

  Mikoyan participates in the Committee's early decisions and later commits to Khrushchev's plan against the security faction.

Explore the full interactive character relationship map of The Death of Stalin

More characters from The Death of Stalin

• Lavrenti Beria (Simon Russell Beale)
• Georgy Malenkov (Jeffrey Tambor)
• Field Marshal Zhukov (Jason Isaacs)
• Josef Stalin (Adrian McLoughlin)
• Vyacheslav Molotov (Michael Palin)
• Sergei (Tom Brooke)
• Nina Khrushchev (Sylvestra Le Touzel)
• Andreyev (Paddy Considine)
• Maria Veniaminovna Yudina (Olga Kurylenko)
• Musician #1 (Roger Ashton-Griffiths)
• Spartak Sokolov, Conductor #1 (Justin Edwards)
• Vasily Stalin (Rupert Friend)