Communist playing knotty roles (4,7)

I believe the answer is:

leon trotsky

'communist' is the definition.
(I know that Leon Trotsky is a Bolshevik)

'playing knotty roles' is the wordplay.
'playing' is an anagram indicator.
'knotty'+'roles'='knottyroles'
'knottyroles' is an anagram of 'LEON TROTSKY'.

(Other definitions for leon trotsky that I've seen before include "Revolutionary" , "Old red, d. 1940" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.

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