Mikhail Nikolaevitch Baryshnikov ( born 27 January 1948 ) is a Russian dancer , choreographer , and actor . He has been called the world 's greatest living male ballet dancer . Mikhail Nikolaevich Baryshnikov ( born January 27 , 1948 ) is a Soviet-born Russian American dancer , choreographer , and actor , often cited alongside Vaslav Nijinsky and Rudolf Nureyev as one of the greatest ballet dancers of the 20th century .