Feoor Ivanovich Chaliapin (Russian: Фёдор Ива́нович Шаля́пин, Fyodor Ivanovich Shalyapin; February 13 [O.S. February 1] 1873–April 12, 1938) was the most famous Russian opera singer of the 20th Century. Owing to his powerful and flexible bass voice, employed in conjunction with a mesmerizing stage presence and superb acting ability, he is considered one of the supreme performers in the history of opera. He is often credited with establishing the tradition of naturalistic acting in his chosen art form.