Mikhail Nikolayevich Baryshnikov (Russian: Михаи́л Никола́евич Бары́шников; born 27 January 1948), nicknamed "Misha" (Russian diminutive of the name "Mikhail"), is a Russian-American dancer, choreographer, and actor born in the Soviet Union, often cited alongside Vaslav Nijinsky and Rudolf Nureyev as one of the greatest ballet dancers in history.