Doctor Zhivago Characters
A list of all the major and minor characters in Doctor Zhivago
Major Characters
Yury Andreyevich Zhivago
Yury Zhivago is a physician and poet at the centre of the novel. Abandoned by his affluent father and orphaned shortly after his mother’s death, he is brought up by his uncle, Nikolai Vedenyapin, alongside the Gromeko household, where he eventually marries Tonya. Drawn more to spirituality and literature than to politics, Yury tends to observe rather than act as war and revolution unfold around him. His political outlook remains uncertain: early sympathy for the revolution gives way to disillusionment with the Bolsheviks, yet he never aligns himself with their opponents. He is intellectually curious—especially about those whose ideas intrigue him—but can be quietly dismissive of others. Though generous and humane, he is capable of a certain inner hauteur, particularly towards friends like Gordon and Dudorov. His passivity extends into his personal life, most notably in his relationship with Lara. Ultimately, his poetry becomes the truest expression of his character—reflective, sensitive, and slightly removed from events.
Larissa “Lara” Fyodorovna Antipova (née Guishar)
Lara Antipova is a nurse and teacher, married to Pasha Antipov and later involved with Yury. After her father’s death, she moved from the Urals to Moscow with her mother and brother. As a young woman, she becomes entangled in a damaging affair with Komarovsky, her mother’s lover. Lara possesses a deeply giving nature, yet she is also purposeful and determined in shaping her life. She breaks free from Komarovsky by working as a tutor, though her sense of guilt drives her to a desperate attempt on his life. Seeking stability, she marries Pasha and returns to the Urals, but their ideals diverge. She later joins the war effort to find him. Her relationship with Yury offers a different kind of refuge, though she recognises it cannot provide permanence.
Pavel (“Pasha”) Antipov / Strelnikov
Pasha Antipov, later known as Strelnikov, is Lara’s husband and the son of a revolutionary worker. Raised after his father’s arrest, he proves academically gifted and deeply devoted to Lara. Yet he is plagued by feelings of inadequacy and confinement. After going missing in the war, he re-emerges as Strelnikov, a formidable Red Army commander. His identity becomes subsumed by the revolutionary cause, as he seeks validation through uncompromising dedication. Despite his success, he becomes a target of suspicion. Only late in the novel does he recognise that his need for validation was self-imposed rather than demanded by Lara.
Antonina (“Tonya”) Alexandrovna Zhivago (née Gromeko)
Tonya, Yury’s wife, is the daughter of the Gromekos and the mother of his children. Their shared preference for quiet domestic life over social ambition draws them together. Practical and resilient, she manages the household during Yury’s long absences. It is her decision to move the family to Varykino, guided by both pragmatism and an idealised vision of the place. Though devoted to Yury, she struggles with jealousy over Lara and ultimately comes to believe that he never fully loved her.
Viktor Ippolitovich Komarovsky
A powerful and opportunistic lawyer, Komarovsky exerts influence over many characters, including Lara and her mother. He contributes to the ruin of Yury’s father and embodies a pragmatic, self-serving approach to life. Yet his feelings for Lara complicate his otherwise calculating nature. He alternates between manipulation and genuine care, ultimately helping her escape danger—even at the expense of others, including Yury and their child.
Misha Gordon
Gordon is Yury’s close friend from childhood and an intellectual inclined toward moral and religious debate. He witnesses the tragic death of Yury’s father and remains a steady presence in his life. Though he adapts outwardly to Soviet rule, his philosophical tendencies and background lead to his eventual arrest.
Nicky Dudorov
Dudorov, another of Yury’s friends, is shaped by revolutionary ideals from an early age. After imprisonment, he aligns himself with the Soviet regime and later serves in the Red Army during the Second World War. His life reflects the shifting allegiances of the period.
Yusupka Galiullin
Son of Gimazetdin Galiullin. Originally a mistreated railway apprentice, Yusupka grows into a disciplined and principled military officer. Despite opportunities for revenge, he demonstrates restraint and integrity. During the civil war, he sides with the Whites and becomes a rival to Strelnikov, while still showing compassion—particularly toward Lara.
Evgraf Zhivago
Yury’s half-brother, Evgraf, is a shadowy yet influential figure, closely connected to the Bolshevik authorities. He appears at key moments to assist Yury and his family, later ensuring Yury’s literary legacy is preserved. By the time of the Second World War, he holds a high-ranking military position.
Liberius (Libby) Mikulitsin
Liberius, a partisan leader, is charismatic but volatile. His early success fosters arrogance, and he indulges in excess even as he champions revolutionary ideals. He holds Yury captive as both prisoner and intellectual companion, eager to argue the merits of communism.
Avercius Mikulitsin
A former estate manager turned socialist, Mikulitsin lives in Varykino and offers refuge to the Zhivagos despite political risks. Married to Agrippina Tuntseva. His ideals place him at odds with his son Liberius, illustrating generational tensions within the revolutionary movement. He marries Helen after Agrippina dies.
Nikolai Nikolaevich Vedenyapin
Yury’s uncle and guardian, Vedenyapin is a former priest whose mystical Christianity coexists uneasily with his revolutionary sympathies. A writer and thinker, he embodies a spiritual approach to social change.
Alexander Alexandrovich Gromeko
Tonya’s father is a respected academic and moderate socialist. Though wary of Bolshevik extremism, he participates in political life and ultimately suffers exile for his views.
Anna Ivanovna Gromeko
Tonya’s mother is cultured and artistic, hosting salons and nurturing Yury’s early life. Her declining health and eventual death cast a long emotional shadow, and she hopes above all for Yury and Tonya’s enduring marriage.
Vassya Brykin
A conscripted labourer, Vassya is a sympathetic figure shaped by hardship. His journey intersects with Yury’s, and he later illustrates Yury’s poetry before embracing Soviet life.
Pavel Ferapontovich Antipov
Pasha’s father is a committed revolutionary whose activities lead to arrest and later involvement in the Red Terror during the civil war.
Kuprian Savelich Tiverzin, Kuprinka
A railway worker and revolutionary organiser, Tiverzin acts as a mentor to both Pasha and Yusupka. He later plays a central role in enforcing Bolshevik authority in Yuryatin.
Anfim Efimovich Samdevyatov
A Bolshevik official in Yuryatin, Samdevyatov is both sincere and morally flexible. He supports friends through unofficial means while maintaining loyalty to the regime.
Madame Guishar
Lara’s mother, a dressmaker, is emotionally fragile and dependent on Komarovsky. Her distress over his betrayal leads to a suicide attempt and subsequent psychological denial.
Rodion (“Rodya”) Guishar
Lara’s brother is self-absorbed and preoccupied with honour. His relationship with Lara is distant, and his fate remains uncertain.
Markel
Once a servant, Markel gains power after the revolution and adopts a more resentful attitude toward former employers. His daughter Marina later becomes involved with Yury.
Katenka Antipova
The daughter of Lara and Pasha, Katenka grows up amid upheaval yet remains composed. She eventually pursues artistic ambitions.
Minor Characters
Marya Nikolaevna Zhivago
Yury’s mother, whose early death leaves him orphaned.
Gimazetdin Galiullin
A porter at the railway depot.
Ustinya
A cook turned enthusiastic supporter of the revolution.
Gintz
A commissar whose idealism leads to his death during an uprising.
Pogorevshikh
A deaf aristocrat posing as a revolutionary visionary.
Masha Zhivago
Yury and Tonya’s daughter, born during his absence.
Khudoleyev
A cruel railway master, later subjected to similar brutality.
Shura Schlesinger
A friend of the Gromekos who later embraces Bolshevism.
Pritulyev
A conscript travelling with two companions.
Kostoed-Amursky
An ageing revolutionary who eventually adopts Bolshevik doctrine.
Olya Demina
A seamstress who rises to a local political position.
Pelageya Tyagunova and Ogryzkova
Rival companions of Pritulyev.
Voroniuk
A sympathetic guard who deserts.
Elena Proklovna Mikulitsina
Mikulitsin’s second wife.
Agrippina, Avdotya, Glaphira (Glasha) and Seraphima (Sima) Tuntseva
Four sisters living in the Urals region of Varykino, at the Krueger estate. Agrippina marries Mikulitsin.
Avdotya
The eldest, Avdotya, is an assistant at the Public Library.—Dark, pretty, desperately shy, blushes scarlet at the slightest thing. She has a terrible time at the library.—It's dead silent, and the poor girl has chronic hay fever—gets sneezing fits and looks as if she'd like to drop through the floor.—All nerves.
Glasha
The next one, Glasha, is the family's blessing. Terrific drive, a Libby, a wonderful worker, doesn't mind what she does. One day she’s a seamstress or she's working in a stocking factory, then before you know where you are she's turned herself into a hairdresser.
Sima
And then there’s the youngest, Sima. She’s their cross. She gives them no end of trouble. She’s an educated girl, well read, used to go in for poetry and philosophy. But since the revolution—what with all the general uplift, speeches, demonstrations—she’s become a bit touched in the head, she’s got religious mania. The sisters lock her up when they go to work but she jumps out of the window and off she goes down the street, collecting crowds, preaching the Second Coming and the end of the world.
Helen Mikulitsina
Avercius Mikulitsin’s second wife.
After his wife's death he married again. His second wife, Helen, is an ingénue, both by nature and intention. She went straight from school to the altar and is still quite young, but she already pretends to be younger stillprattles, twitters, butter wouldn't melt in her mouth. The moment she sees you, she puts you through an exam: "When was Suvorov born? When are the two sides of a triangle equal to the third ?" And if she can trip you up, she's overjoyed. (8/6, p239)
Galuzina and the Galuzin Family
A family divided by war and shifting loyalties.
Vdovichenko
An anarchist, eliminated as a political threat.
Pamphil Palykh
A deeply troubled partisan driven to extreme actions.
Marina
Markel’s daughter and Yury’s later companion.
Tanya
The daughter of Yury and Lara, raised without knowledge of her origins.
Kubarikha
A peasant healer associated with the partisans.
All images taken from mubi.com