Biography
Millions of people love Evgenia Leonov for comedy images, and he dreamed of playing Othello. The photo of a smiling actor, according to rumors, recommended to Soviet politicians to take on difficult negotiations with foreign partners in order to discharge the situation in such a way. Someone from the audience probably seriously perceived a comic monologue about the benefits of alcohol and recipes that sounded in the satirical TV channel "Fitil".
Mark Zakharov, the artistic director of Lenkoma, recalled working with Evgeny Leonov as a time spent next to the great artist, not only ingeniously played, but also by its existence, behavior outside the scene I learned the surrounding act to be an actor and man.
Childhood and youth
The brilliant Soviet artist Yevgeny Leonov was born in the family of a Moscow aircraft designer and a housewife 2 years after the older brother Kolya. Leonov lived in a communal on Vasilyevskaya street, but despite the closeness, the house was always full of guests. Mama Anna Ilinichna was considered a soul of the company. She knew how to ridly tell anyone, even the most common stories that guests were ready to listen for hours. Little Zhenya clearly adopted this talent from the mother.
There is an opinion that by nationality Evgeny Pavlovich - Jew, although there is no evidence. And the assumption arose when in 1992 an actor once visited Israel in his life. Only came the Leonov with a good goal - thank God for surviving, a heavy heart surgery. After the disease, he dramatically changed the relationship to religion, read the Bible, became serious and closed.
When Leonov graduated from the 7th grade, the Great Patriotic began. At the front, the boy, of course, did not get, but performed labor feats in the rear. In the war, the whole family worked at the aviation plant: the father designed the aircraft, the mother - the Tabeller, the brother is a copier, and Zhenya is a student of Tokary.
Back in peacetime, the future actor entered the Aviation Technical School of Ordzhonikidze, but he did not finish it. Artistic self-identity in the technical school so fascinated Eugene that from the 3rd year he went to the Moscow Experimental Theater Studio to Rostislav Zakharov, the famous balletmaster of the Bolshoi Theater.
Far from the art of the rough young man, who even a jacket for the exam asked his brother, conquered the adoptive commission to his charm. He reads serious theatrical teachers everything that learned in the Amateur Technical School of Technical School: Zoshchenko, Chekhov, and at the end and favorite poem of Alexander Blok "in the restaurant." The teachers were advised and decided that an excellent actor would be released from such a textured young man. And not mistaken.
Evgeny went to master the acting profession with his head. He came to the studio at 8 am, and went far over midnight.
Theater
After completing the theater studio, Evgeny Leonov entered the service at the Moscow Theater of the Dzerzhinsky district. The business card of the theater was the play "peers", where the young actor played the ring. But the year did not have passed, as this institution was disbanded, and instead of it organized the Drama Theater named after Stanislavsky, who was headed by the famous Soviet director Vladimir Dudin.
Droupe Leonov retained in the previous composition, but did not trust the main roles with young actors, so Eugene played in the crowd. They paid a little money for it, and the guy had to go to work in the cinema, at first, too, in the background.
Gradually, Leonov began to offer more serious roles, but the real recognition of dramatic talent on the stage came to the actor when he was already a real movie star.
In 1966, the comedy actor played the entire Soviet Union, the comedy actor played a serious dramatic role of Creonte, Tsar-Tirana, in the play "Antigona" of the ancient Greek Sophokla playwright, which was put in the theater named after Stanislavsky Boris Lvov-Anokhin.
In 1979, the artist left the Stanislavsky Theater to his former teacher Andrei Goncharov, who at that time was the artistic director of the Mayakovsky Theater.
The life and creative biography of Eugene is an example of the fanatical ministry of the profession. The actor went on stage with temperature and lung inflammation. But despite this, Goncharov was dissatisfied with them, because Leonov often refused to participate in performances in favor of movies. The last drop was shot by a popular actor in fish advertising. The director in anger gathered the troupe and insulted Leonov in front of the team, offering to let the hat in a circle in order to collect money, since he needs it to be descended before advertising. Evgeny went to Mark Zakharov to the theater named after Leninsky Komsomol.
In 1988, during the tour "Lenkom" in Hamburg, Evgeny Leonov survived clinical death. He played the defendant in the play "Dictatorship of the Conscience", and after 3 days after the play he had a heart stopped. Leonov made coronary shunting, but immediately after the operation, an extensive heart attack happened. The artist lay in a coma of 16 days, and all this time the country was experiencing for his beloved actor. And he returned.
Later, Leonov explained the state of health:
"Why did the heart surrender: the time came the deplegee or a nervous profession? I think a person is eating NE about TVophetva - about fate. Because of the way, the boretcia of the way. Polya Na Poil ... ".Almost six months, as Leonov again went to the stage in setting with the symbolic name "Memory Prayer", playing the main role of tevier-milk. The artist was involved in this performance for 5 years.
Films
Evgeny Leonov's debut took place in 1947. The first episodic roles were so small that the story did not save them. In 1949, the actor lit in the pictures of Vladimir Nevolaeyeva "Pencil on Ice" and "Happy flight", but again in episodes. Then the central roles began to trust the young actor, and in 1961, Vladimir Fetin's "Striped Flight" film was released on Soviet screens, after which Leonov woke up famous.
If there were cash charges in the Soviet Union, then this comedy would beat all records: it was watched for one year only more than 32 million people.
The artist became so popular that he wanted to shoot almost all the Soviet director. Unexpectedly, Eugene changed the comic role, playing the Cossack Yakov Shibalko in the melodraman Vladimir Fetin "Don Tale" on the stories of Mikhail Sholokhov. The dramatic role was filled with Leon, so brilliantly that he received 2 awards at once - at the All-Union Festival in Kiev and the 3rd International Festival in New Delhi.
Georgy Dellai played the actor in tragicomedy "Do not burn!", Viktor Merezhko - in the "Zarechensky grooms", Peter Todorovsky - in the "Focuscript", in Eldar Ryazanov - in the satirical comedy Zigzag Good Luck.
In 1969, by Voice Leonov spoke one of the most beloved Soviet cartoon characters - Winnie the Pooh.
Together with Anatoly Papanov, Vsevolod Safonov and Alexey Glazyrin Evgeny Leonov embodied the image of a whole generation of war, in the piercing film by Alexey Smirnov "Belorussian Station", which received a prize at the festival in Karlovy Vary. And soon the artist struck the audience to reincarnate immediately in two characters in the eccentric comedy Alexander Gray "Gentlemen of Good luck". In order to convincingly play the cruel thief nicknamed Associate Professor, the actor went to the Butyrs prison to observe how real prisoners behave.
Leonov played the father of Nelly Lednevoy in "Big Change" and a friend of Afoni in Athos, and one of his best roles is considered Sarafanov in the Kinodraman "Senior Son" Vitaly Melnikov. Sleremely finely managed to transfer the actor a rich inner world of the Kosonaya-language chief hero.
In 1978, Mark Zakharov, who by that time Leonov played in the theater, proposed the actor the role of the king in the film "Ordinary Miracle." It was a real professional challenge. Eugene had to realize the same way that the Great Erast Garin played before him.
What happened from it, any fan of Soviet romantic cinema knows. Leonov played the father of heroine Evgeny Simonova so convincingly, he still walks the legend that the actor and in fact her father.
In the mid-80s, Leonov participated in the filming of the paintings by Georgy Delelia, which later became the cult. This is a fantastic satirical comedy "Kin-Dza-Dza". Removed the film in the desert of the doodles. The working conditions were so heavy that the film crew was constantly swore. The director was then surprised that he managed to quarrel even with non-conflict Leon, from which no sharp word was heard in 20 years of collaboration.
Evgenia's participation in the Satir Comedy "Thirty-Three" actually saved a film from rolling oblivion. The picture in which the criticism of the highest echelon was seemed to have been mercilessly edited, cut out not just phrases - episodes. The executor of the role of Ivan Shekina will later call this work sincere and truthful.
In 1978, the Commission was gathered to assign the title of "People's Artist of the USSR" to Evgeny Leonov. Her members wondered why they did not do it before. Evgeny Pavlovich by that time was without exaggeration of a popularly beloved actor.
Looking at the situation, which turned in post-prey-car Russia, Leonov in the hearts threw, which would be better to die then, in 1988. The actor was panicly afraid that he would take care of him, grasped for any chance to replenish the filmography: I will refuse now - no longer call. That's just a comedy "American grandfather" never watched - I was ashamed, and the audience mercilessly criticized the performer of the role of Immigrant Millionaire.
One of the last roles of Evgenia in the cinema - grandfather in the comedy detective "Felixsky's Device Bureau" On Screws, Carriage Dogs and then Returning Pets to the Mosts for Remuneration.
Personal life
With the personal life of Yevgeny Pavlovich decided once and for all. Leonov from his youth was very shy in dealing with women, realizing that he was far from the hero-lover: a low (165 cm) growth, a tendency to complete. Future wife, the actor met on the street. He came to Sverdlovsk at the tour with the Stanislavsky Theater and the first thing with each other went to watch an unfamiliar city.
Comrade, unlike Eugene, was not from a timid ten and very quickly found both a pleasant women's company for them - a student of a musical pedagogical school. One of them was called rare and mysterious name Wanda. Leonov was so fascinated by the girl that the same evening invited himself to his performance, after which he led to walk along the night Sverdlovsk, reading poems.
The school in the native city of Wanda did not finish. Returning to Moscow, Leonov broke the phone, persuading a new acquaintance to come, and she surrendered.
Father and mother Evgenia came delight from the chosen chief, and he immediately made the girl an offer. But the parents of Wanda saw her daughter married to a serious man, and not for the "somehow there is an actor", and then unknown. But she still answered Leonov "Yes."
On November 16, 1957, lovers got married and lived together all their lives. Wanda graduated from Gitis and became theaters, and in 1959 gave birth to Evgeny Son Andrei.
Andrei Leonov, in his childhood, who knew the smell of Koulis, dreamed of becoming a hero "not aim in lists" or "Til". In 1979, at the end of the Schukinsky school, the son came to the theater named after Leninsky Komsomol.
Leonov Jr. - a copy of Evgeny Pavlovich, the father of three children. Anna's daughter in thought believed that the grandfather did not die, but lives on the TV. Junior Michael in the courtyard told everyone that he had a grandson of Winnie Puhu. Elder Eugene, living in Sweden, was remembered for an indication point.
In his youth, the actor loved to go to football matches, did it regularly, how much time allowed, and then well-being. And once, when Leonov appeared in the ranks of the fans, the stands, forgotten about the game, they rushed to ask him an autograph.
Death
The cause of the death of Evgenia Leonova on January 29, 1994 was a broken thromb. Actor, once again going to the theater to play Tevier-milk, according to Vanda, died in an instant. The audience came to the "memorial prayer" learned that the submission was canceled due to the sudden death of the artist, but no one passed the ticket.
All the time that the performance was supposed to go, the audience stood by the theater with candles, which brought from the nearest temple.
Thousands of fans came to the funeral of the beloved artist, the queue from those who wanted to say goodbye during 4 hours. Evgeny Pavlovich's grave is located on the Novodevichy Cemetery.
At the house on the Komsomolsky Avenue in Moscow, where Leonov lived for almost 30 years, a memorial plaque was installed.
Evgenia Leonov's widow died on May 13, 2021. After the death of her husband, she no longer married and dedicated her life to the upbringing of grandchildren.
Filmography
- 1955 - "Business Rumyantsev"
- 1957 - "Street full of surprises"
- 1961 - "Striped flight"
- 1964 - "Don Tale"
- 1968 - Zigzag Good luck
- 1970 - "Belorussky Station"
- 1971 - "Gentlemen of Good luck"
- 1976 - "Legend of Tile"
- 1978 - "Ordinary Miracle"
- 1980 - "For matches"
- 1980 - "Clear the word about the poor hussar.
- 1984 - "Time and family of Conway"
- 1986 - "Kin-Dza-Dza!"
- 1988 - "Kill Dragon"
- 1993 - "American Grandfather"