Bondarchuk's western fame lies with his epic production of Tolstoy's War and Peace. This film, which on original release totaled more than five hours of cinema, took seven years to complete, and won Bondarchuk, who both directed and acted the role of Pierre Bezukov, the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1968.
Sergei Bondarchuk is buried in the Novodevichy Cemetery, Moscow.