Alexander Mikhaylovich Davydov, born Israil Moiseyevich Levenson on March 25, 1872, in Poltava, Russian Empire, was a renowned Russian and Soviet opera and operetta singer, later becoming a theatre director, pedagogue, and memoirist. He began his vocal training in church choirs and studied under Professor Camillo Everardi in St. Petersburg from 1890 to 1892. Davydov made his stage debut in 1889 at Ekaterinoslav in Verdi's "La Traviata."

Throughout his career, Davydov toured extensively with opera and operetta companies, performing in various Russian cities. He joined the Odessa Opera and Mamantov’s private opera company in Moscow in 1896. By 1900, he was engaged by the Imperial Opera at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, where he remained until 1914. His career was notably affected by increasing deafness, which limited his performances after 1912.

Despite his hearing challenges, Davydov continued to perform as a concert singer from 1914 to 1924 and made recordings in Paris in the late 1920s. He returned to Russia in 1935 and taught at the Kirov Theatre in Leningrad until his death on June 28, 1944, in Moscow. Davydov is remembered as one of the greatest Russian tenors of his time, known for his versatility in both lyrical and dramatic roles.