Russia's Konstantin Lavronenko wins Cannes best actor

Russian actor Konstantin Lavronenko (L) and Swedish actress Maria Bonnevie pose during a photocall for Russian director Andrei Zviaguintsev's film 'Izgnanie' (The Banishment) at the 60th edition of the Cannes Film Festival, southern France, 18 May 2007.[AFP]

Russian actor Konstantin Lavronenko won the Cannes film festival's Best Actor prize Sunday for his role in "The Banishment" by Andrei Zviagintsev.

In the intensely emotional movie, touching on death and remorse, Lavronenko, 46, plays the role of a man deeply committed to the family who, on revisiting his father's home, learns his wife is pregnant and believes she has a lover.

Zviagintsev accepted the prize on behalf of the actor, who was unable to catch a last-minute flight to France because the Cannes jury deliberated until shortly before the ceremony.

"I am delighted for Konstantin, more than delighted -- he deserved this prize," he said.

"I would like to thank the jury, the festival organisers and the public. I am very happy."

Lavronenko, who starred in the director's previous film, "The Return," broke into film after building his career in the theatre.

That picture, in which Lavronenko played an absent father who re-enters the lives of his two sons more than a decade after disappearing, won the Golden Lion at the Venice film festival in 2003.

Lavronenko recently appeared in the British television series "Archangel" with the latest James Bond, Daniel Craig, as well as the Polish film "Mistrz" by Piotr Trzaskalski.