Georgy Zhukov was born in 1896 in a peasant family near Moscow. He entered the military in 1915 and rose through the ranks and was sent to fight the Japanese in 1939. Joseph Stalin later appointed him Chief of the Army General Staff and was assigned to the defense of Moscow from the Germans. He was later sent to the southwestern front where he and Vasilevsky were successful in the surrender of the German sixth army. He led the Soviets todefeating the Germans at Kursk which ended up being a turning point for the Soviets in the war.
Zhukov led the Soviets in the assault and capture of Berlin which led him to become a famous figure not just in the Soviet Union, but around the world. Because of this success and popularity, Stalin took Zhukov as a threat and demoted him. He was never able to fully hang on to a decentmilitaryjob again after this demotion. Georgy Zhukov died in 1974.
Information from BBC.