Late star. Life path of Evgeny Leonov

September 2 marked the 87th anniversary of the birth of the wonderful theater and film artist Evgeny Pavlovich Leonov. He has been no longer with us for almost 10 years, but the touching and comical characters he created on stage and in films continue to excite the viewer to this day. Our article is about the best roles of Evgeny Leonov.

Evgeny Pavlovich first appeared on the stage of the Moscow Theater of the Dzerzhinsky District in 1947, having graduated from the drama department of the Moscow Experimental Theater Studio. And since 1948 he has been performing at the Theater. K.S. Stanislavsky. Over 20 years, he played more than 30 roles, including the Orderly from “Three Sisters” and the cook from “The Seagull” by A.P. Chekhov, Don Diego from the comedy “They Don’t Jokes with Love” by P. Calderon, Lariosik from “Days of the Turbins” by M. Bulgakov, Vincenzo from the drama by E. Filippo “De Pretore Vincenzo”, the storyteller from “The Snow Queen” by E. Schwartz, Peachum from “The Threepenny Opera” by B. Brecht, the sentry from M. Shatrov’s play “The Sixth of July” and others. Evgeniy Pavlovich's talent is multifaceted; he has proven himself not only as a dramatic actor, but also in comic roles in his repertoire. He played good storytellers, simpletons, and typical heroes.

Since 1968, Evgeny Leonov has been an actor at the Theater. V.V. Mayakovsky. Here he worked for a short time, playing Vanyushin from S. Naydenov’s autobiographical play “Vanyushin’s Children,” Narokov from N. Ostrovsky’s play “Talents and Admirers,” and Sancho Panza in the play “Man of La Mancha.” Due to disagreements with Andrei Goncharov, who was the artistic director of the theater at that time, Evgeny Leonov was forced to move to Lenkom, where he worked until 1989. In this theater he played his wonderful dramatic roles, full of deep psychologism. This is Ivanov from the play of the same name by A.P. Chekhov, the father from V. Myslivsky's play "The Thief", the peasant walker from the play "Blue Horses on Red Grass" and the defendant from M. Shatrov's "Dictatorship of Conscience", the leader from V. Vishnevsky's "Optimistic Tragedy", Tevye the milkman from "Funeral prayers" by G. Gorin according to Sholom Aleichem.

In parallel with the stage, Evgeniy Pavlovich acts in films. In 1949, he made his debut playing a cameo role as a fireman in the musical comedy Happy Flight. Having flashed on the screen for a couple of minutes, without saying a single word, he was already remembered by the audience for his bright, charming smile.

In “Unique Spring” (1957) Evgeny Leonov played doctor Alexei Stepanovich Koshelev. In the same year, viewers saw him in the role of policeman Serdyukov in the comedy “The Street is Full of Surprises.” His heroes are simple people, a little lazy or trying to cheat, but invariably tormented and conscientious. In 1958, he appeared in the image of the communard Agathon from the drama “Difficult Happiness”. In 1959, Evgeniy Pavlovich starred in four films: in the comedy “Don’t Have a Hundred Rubles,” he played Ivan Sergeevich Mukhin, the museum’s caretaker; in “A Work of Art,” he appeared as Sasha Smirnov, and in “The Tale of the Newlyweds,” as Fedya Makarov, in the children's film “Snow Tale” the audience saw Evgeniy Pavlovich in the image of the Old Man of the Year.

http://youtu.be/enyQw7qpZOg

The next successful role was King Eric XXIX from the fairy tale “The Snow Queen” (1966). A sort of domestic tyrant.

Leonov's characters represent a single whole with the actor himself; he endows them with his own unique features. Such is the cautious man, the customer in “Short Stories” (1963), the machine gunner Yakov Shibalok from the drama “The Don Tale” (1964), a gentle father, a homely man with kind eyes and caring hands, capable of not only holding a weapon, but also nursing a child, and the dentist’s patient Ivan Sergeevich Travkin from the comedy “Thirty Three” (1965). His phrase: “Happiness is when you want to go to work in the morning and go home in the evening” - has become an aphorism.

http://youtu.be/rD2Uqsc2vcU

Replies and phrases from this film have become popular. On Mosfilmovskaya Street there is a monument to the Associate Professor, a favorite character in the film.

In 1972, the television film “Big Change” was released, where Evgeny Pavlovich played Lednev, an elderly man forced to learn to read and write with his daughter.

The role of Sarafanov in the television film based on A. Vampilov’s play “The Eldest Son” (1975) is full of drama. An elderly musician forced to make a living by playing at funerals is very lonely. He is ready to believe in a made-up story about his eldest son in order to feel at least for a moment the touching care of the younger generation. Soft-bodied and tearful Sarafanov, vulnerable and sensitive - such is Leonov’s hero.

Many people remember him in the image of the king from “An Ordinary Miracle” (1978). Leonov's hero is a tyrant who explains his behavior by the genes of his ancestors. The talented actor, who mostly plays good-natured people, did an excellent job in the role of a tyrant who calmly gives orders for hanging.

No less dramatic is the role of actor Bubentsov from the film “Say a Word for the Poor Hussar” (1980). For the sake of his daughter’s happiness, he is ready to sacrifice himself.

Striped Flight (1961)

The bartender Shuleikin decides to return to the USSR at any cost from a tropical port, where he suffers from homesickness and a hot climate. To do this, he sneaks onto a Soviet ship, posing as a tiger trainer and not suspecting that he will soon have to demonstrate his non-existent skills.

The role that brought Leonov popularity. The actor has demonstrated that he is capable of turning any supporting role into a leading one.

Evgeniy Leonov When “Striped Flight” was released, where, to the delight of the audience, I ran from tigers in soapy foam, many decided that now I was permanently registered in the comedians’ workshop, and they would not allow me to step outside of it. To tell the truth, I wasn’t very upset. Even in the studio I realized that I was a comedian. I have always loved comedy and wanted to act in funny films and plays. I prefer an interesting drama to a bad comedy. But I will be faithful to a good comedy all my life...

Ivan Prikhodko

Belorussky Station (1971)

Four front-line comrades took completely different paths after the war. Decades later, the plant director, mechanic, accountant and journalist meet again at the funeral of their comrade and remember the military brotherhood and mutual assistance.

Documentary film "Evgeny Leonov. Fear of loneliness"

The simple-minded locksmith Prikhodko, played by Leonov, turns out to be a real hero. This role allowed the actor to show the qualities of his own character - simplicity, openness, kindness and inner core.

Evgeniy Ivanovich Troshkin/Associate Professor

Gentlemen of Fortune (1971)

A man of the kindest soul, the director of the kindergarten, Evgeniy Ivanovich Troshkin, turns out to be surprisingly similar in appearance to the criminal authority “Associate Professor”, who stole a unique cultural relic, the helmet of Alexander the Great. Evgeny Ivanovich is introduced into a criminal environment so that, pretending to be an Associate Professor, he finds out from his accomplices where the helmet is hidden.

In this eccentric comedy, Leonov got two main roles at once: in front of the amazed spectators, he instantly transforms from a touching kindergarten director into a repeat offender. The film immediately scattered into quotes, the Lebanese ones “I’ll tear my mouth, I’ll gouge out my eyes” and “a bad man is a radish” became especially popular. After the release of the film, the actor himself received the title of People's Artist of the RSFSR.

King

An Ordinary Miracle (1978)

A film adaptation of the play of the same name by Evgeniy Schwartz about a Wizard who writes fairy tales, the heroes of which come to life and begin to live their own lives. One of the stories he invented is a “reverse tale”: the Wizard turned a bear into a man and decided that he would turn back into an animal when the princess kissed him. This tale ends with an unexpected miracle.

The role of the tyrant king seemed unusual for Leonov, who was accustomed to playing good-natured simpletons. But the actor created an unforgettable character, filling the despot with extraordinary irony and touching.

Vasily Kharitonov

Autumn Marathon (1979)

A philosophical comedy about a man trying to please everyone and thereby driving himself into a corner. The weak-willed Buzykin can neither break up with his mistress nor leave his wife for her. Colleagues take advantage of his naivety and spinelessness; his neighbor leads him down a slippery slope. All his attempts to change his life end in nothing.

Despite the fact that the film has a clearly defined protagonist - Buzykin played by Oleg Basilashvili - Leonov again manages to make the public and critics fall in love with his character, who is far from the most attractive. For his role as the drinking neighbor Buzykin, the actor received the Italian Journalists' Award for Best Actor at the 1979 Venice Film Festival.

Evgeniy Pavlovich was born into the most ordinary Moscow family, where he lived in a communal apartment with his older brother, his mother, a housewife, and his father, who served as an engineer at an aircraft factory. It is noteworthy that both boys, like their father, wanted to connect their lives with aviation.

During the war, my mother also went to work at the same plant, and the slightly older Zhenya, having completed seven years of school, entered an aviation technical school. He quickly realized that he was not studying where he would like. My thoughts constantly returned to that short period of school time when she and the guys wrote a play together and wanted to stage it.

It was a cozy school drama club. Active schoolchildren came up with the plot themselves, assigned roles and began to rehearse.

They failed to stage their play, but the process itself captivated the plump and clumsy Leonov so much that he seriously thought about connecting his life with dramatic art.

The aviation technical school also had its own amateur club, where Zhenya went. And, having received a diploma from an educational institution, he did not hesitate for a day and was sure: he needed to break into the acting profession.

He went to the Moscow Theater Studio to enroll. The selection committee examined the overweight and awkward guy who seemed very down-to-earth and grey, with special care.

Evgeny Pavlovich had to read the entire repertoire familiar to him before the teachers gave the go-ahead. There was definitely something in the guy, but how do you get a spark of talent out of the sad experiences that accompanied his pre-acting life?

Actor

Zigzag of Fortune (1968)

Despite the fact that they did not make big bets on Leonov, after college he was assigned to the Stanislavsky Theater. However, roles were given to young actors very rarely, and even then only in the crowd.

The salary of a theater actor was not enough to live on. Leonov began to try out for films, but even there his special flavor was not considered. The country needed other heroes - stately and beautiful. Could a funny little man with sadness in his eyes represent a great power in films?

In addition to his inappropriate appearance, the actor also possessed qualities that were completely unnecessary for an artist - he was a timid and shy person, and no public appearance on stage could cure these qualities.

Meanwhile, he began to appear on stage more and more often, and in 1947, he was finally approved for his first film roles - first as an extra, and then in episodes. In the movie "Sea Hunter" in the mid-50s, he finally appeared in a role with words. There he played a cook, who, according to the script, had to sing a song.

The actor said: “It was very shy for me. Both the orchestra and everyone stared at me. I sang so loudly that the music stands swayed, but somehow I sang the song with my hearing..."

Main roles

Big change (1972−1973)

Still, I liked the song! In the mid-50s, Leonov was invited to two films at once, where he had the opportunity to play larger roles than before. He was Snegirev in “The Rumyantsev Case”, and then Pashka Eskov in “The Road”. In both films, Leonov was cast in complex psychological roles.

The actor said in his interviews that at that time he was still just a boy, he didn’t know how to do much, but he knew how to fantasize, wade through the jungle of his own ignorance, learn... In addition, Leonov was greatly helped by the entire cast, and the directors encouraged imagination and even rearranged some shots, listening to the vision of their young colleague.

Changes have also emerged in the theater. Leonov, who had never seen the main roles before, was suddenly approved instead of Yanshin himself for the “position” of Lariosik in “Days of the Turbins”. Evgeniy Pavlovich tried, grew, developed his role, but received only criticism from his manager.

He scolded him until his death, although Leonov was told more than once that Yanshin seriously considered him the best student and was pleased with Zhenya’s work. But for the master to say this personally?! Where have you seen this?

Love

An Ordinary Miracle (1978)

Having finally received a significant role, Leonov went on tour as part of the theater troupe. Several performances were staged in Sverdlovsk, and the artists lived there for some time. It was in this city that Evgeniy met a girl with whom he immediately wanted to connect his life.

A fateful incident occurred when Leonov and a friend went for an evening walk around the city. Leonov noticed two charming students, but, being shy and self-conscious, he was very afraid to speak first. That same friend came to the rescue.

The guys invited the girls to the performance, and after it, Zhenya, already in love, walked with the girl around the night Sverdlovsk and read poetry to her. He called her to Moscow, hoping to continue the relationship, but she did not immediately trust the actor.

Her name was Wanda, she came from an intelligent family, which Leonov did not want to accept as a future son-in-law. But he, as promised, began to call, invited his beloved to visit and introduced him to his parents. They approved the bride, then Evgeny Pavlovich proposed to her. She agreed, presenting her parents with the fact that she was getting married and moving to the capital.

They settled in Moscow. Having dropped out of the Sverdlovsk Music College, Wanda soon entered the theater studies department of GITIS, and after graduating, she began working in the same theater with her husband in the literary department.

Two years later, the couple had a son, Andrei. Today he has become an actor. He plays in the theater and acts in films. The viewer knows him from his role as dad in the comedy series "Daddy's Daughters."

Celebrity

Afonya (1975)

In the early 60s, Yevgeny Leonov woke up famous. Vladimir Fetin's comedy "Striped Flight" was released. This is where the artist’s once “off-screen” and even slightly comical appearance came in handy. He brilliantly coped with the role of the hapless “tamer”, and was also the first in the USSR to star naked.

With the irony characteristic of an actor, he recalled: “I was the first of the actors to show my powerful butt to the Soviet people. The scene where my unfortunate tamer runs away from the tiger, jumping out of the bath, struck the Minister of Culture Furtseva. Then there were a lot of complaints..."

After the star role in Leonov, they considered an excellent comedian. Delighted by the success, Evgeny Pavlovich took on everything in sight, but the director of “Striped Flight” Vladimir Fetin, even during filming, realized that Zhenya had yet to open up and open up. Three years after the triumphant tamer, he offered Leonov a complex dramatic role in his “Don Tale.”

Despite the fact that the artistic council protested: a comedian - in such a complex drama?! “Fetin still managed to approve Leonov, and the role was given to him surprisingly easily. By that time, Evgeniy Pavlovich already had his own son, whom he was afraid to spoil with his love and softness. So the actor’s tears welled up from his tender feelings for the child.

He will play many more complex, funny, poignant and charming characters, and will become the voice of everyone’s favorite Winnie the Pooh, but in 1988, his kind, sensitive heart could not withstand the strain for the first time.

After clinical death, the beloved, recognizable and titled Evgeniy Leonov will lie in a coma for 16 days, and then he will be able to recover in four months and begin rehearsing again. But now the heart reminded itself every time. I had to give up many roles.

Six years later, getting ready to go to the theater, he suddenly raised his eyes in surprise and slowly sank to the floor. This time, death took him instantly, no longer giving him the opportunity to go on stage.

September 2 marks the 87th anniversary of the birth of the wonderful theater and film artist Evgeny Pavlovich Leonov. He has been no longer with us for almost 10 years, but the touching and comical characters he created on stage and in films continue to excite the viewer to this day. Our article is about the best roles of Evgeny Leonov.

Evgeny Pavlovich first appeared on the stage of the Moscow Theater of the Dzerzhinsky District in 1947, having graduated from the drama department of the Moscow Experimental Theater Studio. And since 1948 he has been performing at the Theater. K.S. Stanislavsky. Over 20 years, he played more than 30 roles, including the Orderly from “Three Sisters” and the cook from “The Seagull” by A.P. Chekhov, Don Diego from the comedy “They Don’t Jokes with Love” by P. Calderon, Lariosik from “Days of the Turbins” by M. Bulgakov, Vincenzo from the drama by E. Filippo “De Pretore Vincenzo”, the storyteller from “The Snow Queen” by E. Schwartz, Peachum from “The Threepenny Opera” by B. Brecht, the sentry from M. Shatrov’s play “The Sixth of July” and others. Evgeniy Pavlovich's talent is multifaceted; he has proven himself not only as a dramatic actor, but also in comic roles in his repertoire. He played good storytellers, simpletons, and typical heroes.

Since 1968, Evgeny Leonov has been an actor at the Theater. V.V. Mayakovsky. Here he worked for a short time, playing Vanyushin from S. Naydenov’s autobiographical play “Vanyushin’s Children,” Narokov from N. Ostrovsky’s play “Talents and Admirers,” and Sancho Panza in the play “Man of La Mancha.” Due to disagreements with Andrei Goncharov, who was the artistic director of the theater at that time, Evgeny Leonov was forced to move to Lenkom, where he worked until 1989. In this theater he played his wonderful dramatic roles, full of deep psychologism. This is Ivanov from the play of the same name by A.P. Chekhov, the father from V. Myslivsky's play "The Thief", the peasant walker from the play "Blue Horses on Red Grass" and the defendant from M. Shatrov's "Dictatorship of Conscience", the leader from V. Vishnevsky's "Optimistic Tragedy", Tevye the milkman from "Funeral prayers" by G. Gorin according to Sholom Aleichem.

In parallel with the stage, Evgeniy Pavlovich acts in films. In 1949, he made his debut playing a cameo role as a fireman in the musical comedy Happy Flight. Having flashed on the screen for a couple of minutes, without saying a single word, he was already remembered by the audience for his bright, charming smile.

Then there were episodic roles in the comedy “Pencil on Ice” (1949), a waiter in a restaurant from the adventure comedy “Sporting Honor” (1951), a cook from “The Sea Hunter” (1954), drivers Pashka Eskov from “The Road” (1955) and Mishka Snegirev from “The Rumyantsev Case” (1955).

In “Unique Spring” (1957) Evgeny Leonov played doctor Alexei Stepanovich Koshelev. In the same year, viewers saw him in the role of policeman Serdyukov in the comedy “The Street is Full of Surprises.” His heroes are simple people, a little lazy or trying to cheat, but invariably tormented and conscientious. In 1958, he appeared in the image of the communard Agathon from the drama “Difficult Happiness”. In 1959, Evgeniy Pavlovich starred in four films: in the comedy “Don’t Have a Hundred Rubles,” he played Ivan Sergeevich Mukhin, the museum’s caretaker; in “A Work of Art,” he appeared as Sasha Smirnov, and in “The Tale of the Newlyweds,” as Fedya Makarov, in the children's film “Snow Tale” the audience saw Evgeniy Pavlovich in the image of the Old Man of the Year.

His first success and recognition was brought to him by the comedy “Striped Flight” (1961), in which he played Gleb Savelyevich Shuleikin.

The next successful role was King Eric XXIX from the fairy tale “The Snow Queen” (1966). A sort of domestic tyrant.

Leonov's characters represent a single whole with the actor himself; he endows them with his own unique features. Such is the cautious man, the customer in “Short Stories” (1963), the machine gunner Yakov Shibalok from the drama “The Don Tale” (1964), a gentle father, a homely man with kind eyes and caring hands, capable of not only holding a weapon, but also nursing a child, and the dentist’s patient Ivan Sergeevich Travkin from the comedy “Thirty Three” (1965). His phrase: “Happiness is when you want to go to work in the morning and go home in the evening” - has become an aphorism.

The greatest success was enjoyed by “Gentlemen of Fortune” (1971), in which Evgeny Leonov played the main roles: the head of the kindergarten Evgeny Ivanovich Troshkin and the recidivist San Sanych Bely, nicknamed Associate Professor.

Replies and phrases from this film have become popular. On Mosfilmovskaya Street there is a monument to the Associate Professor, a favorite character in the film.

In 1972, the television film “Big Change” was released, where Evgeny Pavlovich played Lednev, an elderly man forced to learn to read and write with his daughter.

The role of Sarafanov in the television film based on A. Vampilov’s play “The Eldest Son” (1975) is full of drama. An elderly musician forced to make a living by playing at funerals is very lonely. He is ready to believe in a made-up story about his eldest son in order to feel at least for a moment the touching care of the younger generation. Soft-bodied and tearful Sarafanov, vulnerable and sensitive - such is Leonov’s hero.

Many people remember him in the image of the king from “An Ordinary Miracle” (1978). Leonov's hero is a tyrant who explains his behavior by the genes of his ancestors. The talented actor, who mostly plays good-natured people, did an excellent job in the role of a tyrant who calmly gives orders for hanging.

No less dramatic is the role of actor Bubentsov from the film “Say a Word for the Poor Hussar” (1980). For the sake of his daughter’s happiness, he is ready to sacrifice himself.

Leonov-Kolya from “Afonya” (1975), in the image of Kharitonov from “Autumn Marathon” (1979), and in the role of Chatlanin Uef in “Kin-dza-dze!” (1986), and as the Soviet ambassador to Austria in the film “Passport” (1990).

In Yaroslavl in 2010, a sculpture of plasterer Kolya from “Afon” was installed.

Leonov’s voice is spoken by Winnie the Pooh from the cartoon of the same name (1969-1972), the king from “Vasilisa the Beautiful” (1977), the narrator of “The Magic Ring” (1979), the dog Jack from “The Adventures of Lolo the Penguin” (1986). The last voice acting was Antoshka’s grandfather in the cartoon “Dreamers from the Village of Ugory” (1994).

For the role of Lariosik, the young actor had already played several roles in films and was seriously thinking about changing his profession. A specific appearance, some problems with diction and natural shyness helped Evgeny Pavlovich enter the theater (the admissions committee laughed out loud when he read poetry), but prevented him from making a real career. Yanshin saw his successor in Leonov and gave him the role that he himself played and after which the artist woke up famous throughout the capital.

Gleb Shuleikin (“Striped Flight”, 1961)

A bartender who was forced to retrain as a tiger and lion trainer is Evgeny Leonov’s first star film role. “The Striped Flight” showed, if not everything, then a lot for which audiences love the actor to this day: charming clumsiness, soft intonations and the general image of a charming klutz with whom it is easy and pleasant to associate oneself with in moments of awkward life incidents.

Yakov Shibalok (“The Don Tale”, 1964)

One of Leonov’s first unexpected works was the role of a Red Army soldier in love with a Cossack woman in the film adaptation of the story “The Shibalkovo Seed.” Thanks to this film, in which Leonov brilliantly played a duet with, viewers and filmmakers saw that, despite his attractive round appearance and good-natured charm, he was quite capable of sharp-character roles.

Winnie the Pooh (Winnie the Pooh, 1969)

Without this cartoon and its two sequels, the image of Leonov as an actor will, of course, be incomplete. Along with and Evgeny Pavlovich became one of the main cartoon voices for many generations of Soviet and Russian children. However, in addition to “Winnie the Pooh,” in this regard, I would also like to recall the brilliant “Magic Ring” and other cartoons based on fairy tales, in which Leonov brilliantly played the role of narrator.

(“Belorussky Station”, 1970)

One of the key dramatic and even tragic roles in the career of Leonov - a former intelligence officer, and now a mechanic, meeting with front-line comrades at the wake of a deceased fellow soldier. Thanks to “Belorussky Station”, many viewers discovered incredible tragic depth in Evgeny Pavlovich. It turned out that he might not be funny at all, and just looking at him from under his furrowed eyebrows could bring tears to his eyes.

King (“Ordinary Miracle”, 1978)

Another unexpected comic facet of Evgeny Pavlovich was revealed in Zakharov’s film adaptation of the brilliant fairy tale by Evgeny Schwartz. The quarrelsome, mean King, performed by Leonov, radiated a completely irresistible negative charm.

Prokhorov (“And That’s All About Him”, 1978)

Despite the fact that Leonov never abused eccentricity, the role of the calm and thorough investigator Prokhorov became something new even by his standards. In the serial detective story, Leonov unexpectedly turned into a character on the level of Simenonov’s Maigret - reasonable, seemingly a little absent-minded, but attentive and patient. It turned out that the artist is easily able to firmly hold the audience’s attention without a single gag or trick.

Antti Ihalainen ("Behind the Matches", 1980)

One of the latest classic films is the benefit performance of Leonov the eccentric. After many roles in dramatic comedies, Evgeniy Pavlovich played with ease and brilliance in a film of the opposite direction - a gag-based adaptation of the story by the Finnish writer Majo Lassila.

Pavel Ivanovich Vasin (“Tears fell”, 1982)

Danelia’s saddest film is probably the story of how the kindest resident of provincial Zarechensk gets a piece of the trolls’ crooked mirror in his eye. The fairytale plot of the film unfolds into a poignant story about how anger eats a person from the inside, and Leonov played here one of his most complex and uncompromising roles.

Tevye (Funeral Prayer, 1989)

Leonov's latest and absolutely brilliant theatrical work is Tevye the Milkman in Lenkomov's production of the play based on the works of Sholom Aleichem. For this role, Evgeny Pavlovich was awarded the State Prize of Russia. It was while getting ready for this performance in 1994 that the actor died after suffering a blood clot.