Russian actor Anatoli Davydov had a short yet impressive career in Hollywood usually played Soviet or Russian characters. He was directed by important names such as John Schlesinger, Richard Donner, John McTiernan, Michael Apted and Michael Cimino in diverse films such as the epic western Heaven's Gate (1980), the mystery thriller Gorky Park (1983), the spy thrillers The Falcon and the Snowman (1985) and The Package (1989); the Cold War adaptation of Tom Clancy's novel The Hunt for Red October (1990); The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990) where he played a clueless Russian ambassador; Bullet to Beijing (1995); a key role in Assassins (1995); and Say It in Russian (2007).

In some of those movies he also worked as a Russian consultant providing resourceful information about life and costumes in Soviet Union.