Russian legendary actor Vyacheslav Tikhonov, star of the legendary Soviet spy serial, was laid in state in Moscow on Tuesday with people lining up to pay their last respects.

People lined up since 11 a.m. to lay red carnations or roses on the coffin of the actor who played a Soviet spy working under the cover of an SS colonel in the still immensely popular 1973 TV series 17 Moments of Spring.

Tikhonov, better known in the West as Prince Andrei in the Oscar-winning 1967 adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace epic, died of a heart attack at the age of 81 on Friday.

The coffin covered with flowers and wreaths was put on the stage of Moscow's Dom Kino movie theater with Tikhonov's photo of his most well-known movie character Stirlitz placed nearby. The ceremony was held with musical accompaniment from the serial and was attended by senior officials, politicians and members of the artistic community.

The body was laid in state following a church service in the sumptuous Christ the Savior Cathedral in central Moscow which was attended by Tikhonov's relatives and close friends.

"Tikhonov's characters were all honest, brave and generous people with high moral standards," a priest said before the service.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and other senior officials have expressed their regrets over his death.

The actor, endowed with good aristocratic looks and strong charisma, appeared in more than 50 films, including It Happened in Penkovo, They Fought for the Motherland, White Bim the Black Ear, Killing the Dragon.

The actor will be buried at the Novodevichy Convent cemetery, the burial place for many Russian dignitaries, later on Tuesday.

MOSCOW, December 8 (RIA Novosti)