Yuri Vladimirovich Soloviev (1940–77) was a premier danseur of the Kirov Ballet, born in Leningrad, Russia. He was a contemporary of Rudolf Nureyev and Mikhail Baryshnikov, partner of Natalia Makarova, Alla Sizova, and others.
He began his ballet training at 9 years old and, for the last 4 years of his schooling, was a student of Boris Shavrov. He was in the same graduating class at the Vaganova Academy as Rudolf Nureyev. Initially, Soloviev joined the Kirov as a corps member but quickly rose to the rank of soloist. He was Rudolf Nureyev's roommate during the company's tour to Paris when that dancer defected to the west during which Soloviev also received rave reviews from the French and British dance critics. In later years Nureyev would often express admiration for Soloviev's dancing, despite their rivalry.
Known as Cosmic Yuri by Western and Soviet audiences for his soaring leaps and Slavic-featured resemblance to Russian Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space. He was compared to Vaslav Nijinsky for his technique, particularly his elevation. In 1961 and 1964, he toured US with Kirov Ballet. His most famous roles were the Bluebird and Prince in The Sleeping Beauty and Solor in La Bayadère. He also originated roles in new ballets including Icarus in the ballet of the same name, "God" in The Creation of the World (both by Leonid Jacobson), the Young Man in Leningrad Symphony and the Man in Konstantin Sergeyev's The Distant Planet.
In 1963 he was awarded the Nijinsky Prize by the Paris Academy of Dance. He was a Gold Medal winner at the Paris International Dance Competition in 1965, and was made a People's Artist of the USSR in 1973.
In film, he starred in role of Prince Desire in Sleeping Beauty (1965). He was also featured in several documentaries, including one by Galina Mshanskaya's "I am tired of living in my native land" (1995), shown in the Lincoln Center as well as other film festivals in United States.
On January 12, 1977 he was found dead at his dacha near Leningrad from a shotgun wound to his head, presumably self-inflicted. His death devastated his colleagues at the Kirov. He was survived his wife, ballerina Tatiana Legat and their daughter, dancer Elena Solovieva.