Yuri Nikulin - biography, information, personal life. Maxim Nikulin: biography, family, personal life

Yuri Vladimirovich Nikulin (December 18, 1921, Demidov - August 21, 1997, Moscow). Outstanding Soviet and Russian actor, circus performer (clown), TV presenter. Participant of the Great Patriotic War. People's Artist of the USSR (1973). Hero of Socialist Labor (1990).

Yuri Nikulin was born on December 18, 1921 in the city of Demidov (formerly Porechye, now Smolensk region).

Father, Vladimir Andreevich Nikulin (1898-1964), having been demobilized from the Red Army and graduating from Political Education courses, got a job at the drama theater in Demidov.

Soon Vladimir Andreevich organized the traveling theater “Terevyum” - a theater of revolutionary humor. He staged plays himself and acted a lot.

His mother, Lidia Ivanovna Nikulina (1902-1979), also served as an actress in the same theater.

In 1925, his family moved to Moscow.

In the capital, Vladimir Andreevich continued to do what he loved - he wrote sideshows, entertainers and reprises for the stage and circus. Later he got a job at the newspapers Izvestia and Gudok.

Yuri's mother did not work, taking care of the house and raising her son.

Twice a week the Nikulins visited the theater, returning home, heatedly discussing the play and the actors’ performances. Thus, Yuri Nikulin, already from childhood, found himself at the center of the theatrical life of Moscow.

At first he went to a prestigious school. His father led a drama club there. Yuri also took part in it. Under the leadership of Vladimir Andreevich, the students staged excerpts from a wide variety of plays, from children's plays to classics. So in “Childhood” by Maxim Gorky, Yuri played Peshkov himself.

After finishing the seventh grade, when they began to select the best students for the eighth grade, Yuri, despite his services to his father’s school, decided not to leave him - he was a bad student.

Therefore, Yuri finished his studies at the most ordinary secondary school No. 346. As he himself wrote in the book of memoirs “Almost Seriously...”, “to our ordinary school No. 346, where I transferred, no delegations came, did not come to us and writers and artists did not organize concerts for us.”

However, he himself was very happy about moving to a new school: “Children from our yard studied there. Now, like everyone else, I could climb over the fence, shortening the path from home to school.”

On November 8, 1939, after graduating from high school, he was drafted into the Red Army and served in the 115th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment. During the Soviet-Finnish War, the anti-aircraft battery where he served was located near Sestroretsk and guarded the air approaches to Leningrad.

Yuri Nikulin - 1940

During the Great Patriotic War he fought near Leningrad. In the spring of 1943, he fell ill with pneumonia and was sent to a Leningrad hospital, and immediately after discharge he was shell-shocked during an air raid on Leningrad.

(third from left in top row)

After discharge in August 1943, Nikulin was sent to the 72nd separate anti-aircraft division near Kolpino. He was demobilized in May 1946 with the rank of senior sergeant.

During the war he was awarded the medals “For Courage” (originally nominated for the Order of Glory, III degree), “For the Defense of Leningrad” and “For Victory over Germany”.

After the end of the war, he tried to enter VGIK and theater institutes, where he was not accepted, since the commissions did not discover his acting abilities.

In the end, he entered the clownery studio at the Moscow Circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard. After completing his studies, he began working as an assistant with the then extremely popular clown Pencil.

On October 25, 1948, his first independent performance took place in the circus arena. He performed together with his partner Boris Romanov, and his father prepared the reprise.

While working for him, Yuri Nikulin met Mikhail Shuidin. Together with Karandash, Nikulin and Shuidin repeatedly went on tour around the country and gained circus experience. Nikulin worked with Karandash for two and a half years, after which in 1950 Shuidin and Nikulin left Karandash together due to a work conflict.

Having started working independently, they formed the famous clown duo Nikulin and Shuidin, although the artists were completely different in character.

Nikulin stopped performing when he turned 60, in 1981, and moved to the position of chief director of the circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard.

Since 1982, Nikulin has been the director of the circus. Under him, a completely new building was built for the circus, which opened in 1989.

In total, construction lasted four years. The construction of the circus was carried out by the Finnish construction company “Polar”, as Nikulin himself writes about in his book “Almost Seriously”.

Yuri Nikulin - Log

Yuri Vladimirovich worked in his native circus for 50 years.

Yuri Nikulin - Jokes

In 1958, Yuri Nikulin acted in films for the first time. At that time, director Feinzimmer began filming the musical comedy “Girl with a Guitar” based on the script by Vladimir Polyakov and Boris Laskin. They couldn’t find a suitable actor for one of the episodes. That’s when Vladimir Polyakov suggested Nikulina try it. He initially refused. The artist still remembered how he was once told that he was not suitable for cinema. However, then he finally changed his mind. Nikulin got the role of a pyrotechnician.

Another director from Mosfilm, Yuri Chulyukin, drew attention to Nikulin’s successful debut. He offered the artist the role of the swindler Klyachkin in his comedy “The Unyielding.” During the filming process, the film included so many comic episodes (including those with Nikulin’s participation) that it turned into the comedy “The Unyielding.”

Soon Yuri Nikulin was invited to play the main role in his new film "The Man from Nowhere". The famous actor was supposed to star in the same film. He made Nikulin an unexpected offer: to move from the circus to the Maly Theater. The offer looked tempting, but Nikulin still refused. “If this had happened ten years ago, I would have gone to work in the theater with pleasure. But starting to live again when you’re already approaching forty hardly makes sense.”, he answered.

Filming of the comedy “Nowhere Man” had barely begun and was suddenly suspended. Something in the plot of the film did not suit the management of the film studio, and the film was postponed until better times. Ryazanov returned to him only a year later, but now he invited other actors to play the main roles - Sergei Yursky and Yuri Yakovlev. Nikulin got only a small episode.

Yuri Nikulin became famous throughout the country in the early 60s thanks to the short film “Barbos the Dog and the Unusual Cross”. One of the director's assistants invited him to try out for this film. At the first meeting, having carefully examined the actor from all sides, Gaidai said: “There are three roles in the film. All the main ones. This is the Coward, the Experienced and the Dunce. We want to offer you the dunce.” He told his assistants: “Well, there’s no need to look for Goonies. Nikulin is what you need.”

Not a word was spoken in the entire film, everything was built on funny stunts. Nikulin was practically not made up. According to Gaidai, he already had a funny face. They just glued on the big eyelashes that he batted so funny.

The short film “Barbos the Dog and the Unusual Cross” was included as the fifth film in the “Quite Seriously” film almanac. However, it was she who brought success to the entire film and, moreover, took on an independent life. It gave birth to the unique eccentric phenomenon of three masked heroes of Soviet cinema - the Goonie, the Coward and the Seasoned, bringing real fame to both Leonid Gaidai and the famous trinity: Nikulin - Vitsin - Morgunov.

A few months after the completion of the filming of “Barbos the Dog,” Leonid Gaidai again used them in his new short film, which was called "Moonshiners". And the idea for this film was given to Gaidai by Yuri Nikulin. The fact is that in the circus the duet Nikulin - Shuidin performed an interlude with the same name. The director liked the idea, and he and Konstantin Brovin sat down to write the script.

The film "Moonshiners" was released in 1961 and was a huge success.

Also in 1961, Yuri Nikulin starred in one of his best films - the film by Lev Kulidzhanov "When the Trees Were Big". This was the actor's first dramatic role. Nikulin played Kuzma Kuzmich Yordanov, who, having lost his family during the war, completely sank.

The film was released across the country in 1962, causing great success among viewers. In the fate of the actor himself, the film was very important. It was after him that the directors’ attitude towards Yuri Nikulin changed. They saw in him an actor who is capable of playing not only comic roles like the Goonie, but serious dramatic roles.

Yuri Nikulin - "Stuck" ("Wick", 1962)

Successful work in cinema led to the fact that Nikulin was now known throughout the country. Even at the circus, spectators now looked at Nikulin not as a clown, but as the Goonie from the famous trinity. Films with his participation continued to be released one after another. More often, directors still used the actor’s comic character.

In 1962, Leonid Gaidai directed Nikulin as a swindler in the film "Business people" based on the short stories by O. Henry.

Then the actor appeared in the lyrical comedy of Eldar Ryazanov “Give me a book of complaints” and in several other films.

In 1964, director Semyon Tumanov offered Yuri Nikulin the role of police lieutenant Glazychev in the film story “Come to me, Mukhtar!”. Initially, the actor refused. The role was very interesting and serious, but Nikulin thought: “I can’t play a policeman! I played crooks in the last two films!” And yet the director was able to persuade the actor, especially since the scriptwriter, Israel Megger, also insisted on Nikulin’s candidacy. Megger came to this decision when he saw Nikulin in the film “When the Trees Were Big.”

In the second half of the 60s, Yuri Nikulin again starred as the Goonie in the comedies of Leonid Gaidai. This was originally a short story in a film anthology "Operation Y and other adventures of Shurik", and then the famous trio finally appeared in a feature film "Prisoner of the Caucasus".

It is interesting that Gaidai unexpectedly encountered difficulties with “Prisoner of the Caucasus.” And the reason for this was Nikulin. The actor did not like the script, and he categorically refused to act. It took a lot of work for the director to persuade him to change his decision. The decisive moment was that Gaidai promised Nikulin that there would be a lot of improvisation on the set and little would remain from the original script. As a result, “Prisoner of the Caucasus” became the best comedy, starring the trio Nikulin-Vitsin-Morgunov. It is difficult to find a person who has not seen this film at least twice; most phrases and episodes from the film have “gone to the people.”

In 1966, just between filming “Operation Y” and “Prisoner of the Caucasus,” Nikulin starred in the serious dramatic role of the monk Patrikey in the famous film "Andrey Rublev" Andrei Tarkovsky. True, the film was released only five years later, and even then in a limited edition.

Great success awaited Nikulin in 1969, when he starred in the cheerful, fiery comedy of Leonid Gaidai "The Diamond Arm". For the first time, Gaidai entrusted the actor with the role not of a swindler, but of the quiet and modest economist Semyon Semenovich Gorbunkov. Nikulin surprisingly accurately and naturally combined sparkling comedy, irony, and subtle lyricism in his role. Nikulin’s partners were wonderful actors Andrei Mironov and Anatoly Papanov. As a result, the comedy “The Diamond Arm” can rightfully be considered Leonid Gaidai’s best film.

In 1970, Nikulin played the role of the janitor Tikhon in the comedy "The twelve Chairs". And two years later, Gaidai offered him the role of house manager Bunshi in the film “Ivan Vasilyevich Changes His Profession.” However, the circus management did not let Nikulin go to filming, and in the end Yuri Yakovlev played Bunshu. By the way, he played wonderfully.

Yuri Nikulin was also loved by director Eldar Ryazanov. Back in 1964, he really wanted to film him in the role of Yuri Detochkin in the film “Beware of the Car.” The actor had already been approved for the role, but even then the circus management intervened - the actor was sent on a long tour abroad. Ryazanov went to complain to the Minister of Cinematography Alexei Romanov himself, but he did not like the script and refused to help the film.

Ryazanov managed to cast Yuri Nikulin in his film only seven years later - in 1971. Nikulin had the opportunity to play the prosecutor's office investigator Myachikov in the comedy "Old Robbers".

In 1974, Sergei Bondarchuk entrusted Nikulin with the role of soldier Nekrasov in the film "They fought for their homeland". It is worth noting that Bondarchuk, back in the early 60s, was going to cast Nikulin in the film “War and Peace” in the role of Captain Gushin, but the circus once again stood in the way. He did not let the actor go to the shooting of Bondarchuk’s film “Waterloo,” where Nikulin was supposed to play an English officer.

In 1975, for the dramatic role of military journalist Lopatin in the film "Twenty days without war" Nikulin was invited by director Alexey German. Moreover, this invitation was not easy for the director. Many at the film studio were categorically against this candidacy, but the conflict was resolved by Konstantin Simonov, based on whose book the film was based: he approved the choice of director.

In the 80s, Yuri Nikulin acted in films very little. But it was during these years that he played the wonderful dramatic role of Lena Bessoltseva’s (Kristina Orbakaite) grandfather in the film by Rolan Bykov "Scarecrow".

Illness and death of Yuri Nikulin:

At the end of July 1997, Nikulin suddenly became ill, and he turned to doctors. The examination revealed serious heart problems. An urgent operation was needed, which could be done either in Moscow or abroad. The place was chosen by the artist himself, who named A. Bronstein.

The operation took place on August 5, 1997. Typically such operations last 20-30 minutes. But at the very last moment, Nikulin’s blood vessel closed and his heart stopped. At the cost of enormous efforts, the doctors managed to “turn him on” again.

After this, it was decided to continue the operation, since without this the actor was doomed to death. However, the price of this turned out to be too high: while Nikulin was in a state of clinical death, all his organs were damaged - liver, kidneys, brain. The fight for Nikulin's life lasted 16 days. And all these days, the central press reported almost hourly on the state of health of their beloved artist. Before this, not a single Russian citizen (since Stalin) had received such attention.

Unprecedented efforts were made to save Nikulin: the country's most famous specialists were with him day and night, the best medicines in the world and the most advanced equipment were used. However, a miracle did not happen - on August 21 at 10:16 am Nikulin’s heart stopped.

Yuri Vladimirovich Nikulin is buried at the Novodevichy cemetery (site No. 5).

Monument to Nikulin at Novodevichy Cemetery

Personal life of Yuri Nikulin:

In 1949, Yuri Nikulin met a girl. Soon she became his wife.

Here is what she herself says about this meeting: “I studied at the Timiryazev Academy at the Faculty of Ornamental Horticulture and was very interested in equestrian sports. The academy had a wonderful stable. And in the stable there is a very funny dwarf foal, with a normal head, a normal body, but on small legs. His name was Lapot. Pencil heard about this and came to see this horse. I liked the horse, and Pencil asked my friend and I to teach her the simplest tricks. Then the horse was brought to the circus, and Karandash introduced us to Yuri Vladimirovich Nikulin, who was one of his students. Yuri Vladimirovich invited us to watch the performance. My friend couldn’t go, I went alone, sat on the spotlight. They played a very funny scene: Karandash supposedly called one spectator from the audience and taught him to ride a horse. But just when I came to the performance, Yuri Vladimirovich, who played the role of a spectator during this performance, was run over by a horse. She beat him so much that he was taken by ambulance to Sklifosovsky. I felt guilty and began to visit him... And six months later we got married...”.

Yuri Nikulin and wife Tatyana

Yuri Nikulin with his mother, wife Tatyana and Nina Grebeshkova

Tatyana Nikolaevna Nikulina (December 14, 1929 - October 26, 2014, Moscow) also acted in films and worked as a circus performer until 1981. In 2002 she was awarded the Order of Honor.

Yuri Nikulin with his son Maxim

Maxim Nikulin graduated from the Faculty of Journalism, worked for a long time on radio, then hosted the “Morning” program on television. However, then he went to work in the management of the circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard, which from now on bears the name of his father.

Maxim Yuryevich has three children: Maria (born 1981), Yuri (born 1986) and Maxim (born 1988).

Yuri Nikulin's close friends were Leonid Gaidai and the largest foreign star in the USSR - Indian actor and director Raj Kapoor.

Filmography of Yuri Nikulin:

1958 - Girl with a guitar - pyrotechnician
1959 - Unyielding - Vasily Klyachkin
1960 - Yasha Toporkov - Prosha
1960 - Dead Souls - Waiter (uncredited)
1961 - Dog Barbos and an unusual cross - Dunce
1961 - Man from Nowhere - Police Sergeant
1961 - When the trees were big - Kuzma Kuzmich Iordanov
1961 - My friend, Kolka! - Vasya
1961 - Moonshiners - Goonies
1961 - The Taming of the Shrew - director of the church boys' choir
1962 - Business people (short story “Soul Mates”) - robber
1962 - Young and green - driver Nikolai
1963 - Without fear and reproach - a clown in the circus
1963 - Big Wick - Petya the Cockerel, burglar thief
1964 - Come to me, Mukhtar! - Glazychev
1965 - Operation Y and other adventures of Shurik - Dunce
1965 - Give me a book of complaints - seller
1965 - Dreamers - man on the beach
1965 - Little Fugitive - cameo
1966 - Captive of the Caucasus, or New Adventures of Shurik - Goonie
1966 - Andrei Rublev - Patrikey
1968 - Diamond Arm - Semyon Semyonich Gorbunkov
1968 - Seven old men and one girl - Goonie
1968 - New Girl
1970 - Deniska’s stories - cameo
1971 - Old robbers - Nikolai Sergeevich Myachikov
1971 - Telegram - Fedor Fedorovich
1971 - 12 chairs - janitor Tikhon
1972 - Dot, dot, comma - Lyosha’s dad
1975 - They fought for the Motherland - Private Nekrasov
1976 - The Adventures of Travka - clown Chichimori
1976 - Twenty days without war - Vasily Nikolaevich Lopatin
1976 - MF Bobik visiting Barbos (cartoon) - Bobik/Grandfather
1979 - Here... not far - a visitor
1982 - I don’t want to be an adult - a clown on television
1983 - Scarecrow - Nikolai Nikolaevich Bessoltsev, Lena’s grandfather
1983 - Newsreel "Yeralash", issue No. 38 - Uncle Yura
1989 - Circus for my grandchildren
1991 - Captain Crocus and the secret of the little conspirators - text from the author.

Monument to Experienced, Coward and Dunce in Khabarovsk

♦ In memory of Yu. Nikulin, the minor planet (4434) Nikulin, discovered by the astronomer of the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory Lyudmila Zhuravleva on September 8, 1981, was named.

♦ In September 2000, not far from the circus building where Yu. Nikulin worked for more than 50 years, a monument by the sculptor Rukavishnikov appeared, depicting an actor next to a car from the film “Prisoner of the Caucasus.”

Monument to Nikulin near the circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard

♦ Near the circus building in Tyumen is an arena with three clowns Yu. Nikulin, Karandash and Oleg Popov.

♦ The Moscow Circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard is named after Yu. V. Nikulin.

♦ In 2010, a monument to the “Gaidaev Troika” appeared in Perm opposite the “Crystal” cinema.

♦ In 2011, a monument was unveiled in the artist’s homeland in the city of Demidov, Smolensk region.

♦ In November 2011, in Kursk, in front of the circus building, a monument to clowns Yuri Nikulin and Mikhail Shuidin was erected.

♦ In 2011, in Sochi, near the seaport building, a sculptural exhibition was installed depicting footage from the film “The Diamond Arm” (the film was partially filmed in Adler and Sochi). The exhibition features A. Mironov, A. Papanov, Yu. Nikulin, actress Nina Grebeshkova, who plays the role of a wife in the film, and a boy in the role of a son.

♦ In 2012, a monument to Leonid Gaidai and the “Gaidaev Trinity” appeared near the circus building in Irkutsk.

♦ Since 2001, Moscow boarding school No. 15 for orphans and children left without parental care, with a circus profile, has been named after Yuri Vladimirovich Nikulin. On December 20, 2006, on the occasion of the 85th anniversary of the artist’s birth and the 10th anniversary of the boarding school, the Yu. V. Nikulin Memorial Museum was opened.

Childhood and youth

When the boy turned 4, the family moved to Moscow - to the 15th house of Tokmakov Lane. The head of the family took up literary activities: he wrote programs for pop numbers and worked as a journalist. Lidia Ivanovna did not work, she did housework. Twice a week the Nikulins always went to the theater, after which they talked about what they saw.

In 1929, the boy went to first grade. He did not show any particular interest in studies, but enjoyed playing in the school drama club, which was led by his father. On this stage, Yura received his first acting experience. He also tried himself in writing. One day, a story he wrote won second place in a regional competition. The prize was a meeting with Arkady Gaidar, but due to a sore throat, Yura could not come. And when at the age of 15 he saw the film “Modern Times” with Charlie Chaplin, he fell ill with cinema.

In 1939, Yuri graduated from school, but did not receive a matriculation certificate - he failed drawing. Later, he finally passed the exam, and in the fall, in accordance with the decree on universal conscription, he joined the army.

Life at the front

Only a month of Nikulin’s army life had passed when the Finnish War began. Yuri wrote a statement: “I want to go into battle as a volunteer.” Ahead were 7 long years in soldier's boots, overcoats, with weapons in their hands. In March 1940, hostilities with our northern neighbor ended, but military training, exercises, and political information classes continued. And then came June 22, 1941. For the first two years of the war, Nikulin fought as part of the 115th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment and earned the rank of senior sergeant. After hospitalization due to pneumonia, he was transferred to another regiment, but Nikulin never arrived at his new destination - on the way he was concussed by an exploding shell. Having recovered from his injury, Yuri arrived at the 72nd Anti-Aircraft Division near Kolpino.

I can't say that I am one of the brave people. No, I was scared. It's all about how this fear manifests itself. Some of them had hysterics - they cried, screamed, and ran away. Others bore everything outwardly calmly.

Nikulin and the circus

However, already in September, Yura was fired up with a new idea - he was lured by the circus with its bright lights. Mom had doubts - the theater seemed to her a much more noble cause, but her father, who saw his charm in the profession of a circus performer, gave the go-ahead. Nikulin entered the circus studio at the Moscow Circus, where the famous clown Karandash was a mentor, without any problems, and graduated in 1948 with a clown diploma. At the “big arena” he first performed in a duet with his friend Boris Romanov. Nikulin’s father wrote the first sketches for young artists.

Soon Romanov left the circus. Mikhail Shuidin became Nikulin’s new partner. The comrades appeared on stage together for 30 long years.

Yuri Nikulin and Mikhail Shuidin. Miniature "Horses"

In 1950, Nikulin left the Karandash troupe, as his faithful partner Shuidin began to conflict with his boss. Both were simply tired of the aggressive, capricious Rumyantsev, who could lash out at his subordinates at any moment. And just a year later, the duo, together with the sketch “Little Pierre”, written by Yuri’s father, visited abroad for the first time. In the story, a little French boy was putting up opposition leaflets, and the unlucky police officers played by Nikulin and Shuidin caught him. The duo's success infuriated their former employer.

First film roles

Nikulin’s film debut took place only 9 years later in the film “Girl with a Guitar,” where he played the role of a would-be pyrotechnician who almost burned down a store. Despite his very small role, the actor was well remembered by the audience. And in 1959, the actor made his mark with the role of the rogue Albert Klyachkin in the film “The Unyielding” about difficult youth. And although he had disagreements with the director in the vision of his hero - one saw Klyachkin as a kind of shirt-guy, and the other as a phlegmatic cynic, and in general the aspiring actor did not like this experience, as Nikulin later recalled, everything looked wonderful on the screen.

In 1960, director Eldar Ryazanov drew attention to the actor. Nikulin began filming his film “The Man from Nowhere,” but due to bureaucratic delays, production was postponed for a year, the actors were replaced, and Nikulin’s character, a troubled young man named Prosha, was given to Sergei Yursky.

Meet Gaidai

The film told the story of poachers who decided to stun fish with dynamite. Unfortunately for them, a dog decided to play with a stick of dynamite, bringing it back to the trio every time. After the premiere of the short film as part of the film almanac “Quite Seriously,” the trio Vitsin – Nikulin – Morgunov became extremely fond of the Soviet audience, and in 1962 a sequel, “Moonshiners,” followed. This time, the criminal elements decided to make money by making moonshine, but the dog that appeared in their forest house again confused all the cards.

In the interval between Gaidai's short films, Nikulin played the main role in the drama “When the Trees Were Big” and proved that he was capable of dramatic roles. He played Kuzma Iordanov, a man who became an alcoholic after the death of his wife and decided to adopt an orphan. It is noteworthy that the director of the film had not seen a single role of Nikulin before, but watched his performances in the circus. And while working on the film, it was decided to give Nikulin a beard to better fit into the character. So, by his fortieth birthday, Nikulin, who had already won the status of a recognized circus star, also became a cinema star.

After this, minor but striking roles followed: in Alexander Mitta’s film “Without Fear and Reproach” he played essentially himself – a clown; in Gaidai’s comedy “Business People” he played a robber in the short story “Kindred Souls”. Nikulin took part in the filming of the film magazine “Wick” (short film “Stuck”).

Yuri Nikulin in the film magazine “Wick” (“Stuck”, 1962)

After this, the circus artist began to receive filming offers regularly. The films “Prisoner of the Caucasus”, “Operation “Y””, “Come to me, Mukhtar!”, “The Diamond Arm”, “Seven Old Men and One Girl”, “They Fought for the Motherland”, and many others became classics of Soviet cinema and before are still favorite films for millions of people in all corners of the former USSR. Thanks to his film roles, Yuri Nikulin became popular in all republics of the Soviet Union, and also received countless different awards, including the title of People's Artist of the USSR in 1973.

Nikulin in a new era

In the early nineties, Yuri Vladimirovich made his mark as a TV presenter. From 1993 to 1997, he hosted the humorous program “White Parrot” on the ORT channel, and was also a regular participant in the project “Ships Came into Our Harbor.”

"White Parrot" with Yuri Nikulin

Yuri Nikulin also wrote several autobiographies and acted as a compiler of collections of jokes. The artist’s most popular works among readers are the memoirs “Almost Seriously” and “Seven Long Years.” The first book tells about the underbelly of cinema, the second - about the front-line years of the actor.

Personal life of Yuri Nikulin

In the winter of 1949, the actor, who was taking his first steps on the professional circus stage, met Tatyana Pokrovskaya, a student at the Timiryazev Academy, who was 8 years younger than the artist. She was fond of equestrian sports, and one of the horses, Tatyana’s favorite, was needed by the clown Karandash, under whom Nikulin was working at that time. At the performance that the girl came to watch, the horse showed temper and trampled the clown. Tatyana felt guilty and for a month regularly went to visit Yuri in the hospital. Soon the artist proposed to his beloved.

Nina Grebeshkova, Tatyana’s classmate, was surprised when she saw Nikulin next to her school friend - it was strange to her that such a beautiful woman would choose such an unsightly life partner. And she didn’t even suspect that she would play his wife in “The Diamond Arm.” For Tatyana herself, her husband’s appearance was not important - Yuri conquered her with his charisma and charm from the first minutes of their acquaintance.

Yuri Nikulin with his son Maxim (1962)

The couple lived together for 47 years until the death of Yuri Vladimirovich in 1997. According to the recollections of loved ones, they lived in perfect harmony, sharing all the hardships and joys between them. Tatyana died in October 2014 at the age of 86.

Death and memory

Up to a certain point everything went well, but just before the final, what the doctors feared most happened - the heart of the people's idol stopped. They managed to launch it, but for about half an hour Yuri was in a state of clinical death. Half an hour on the verge of life and death - internal organs began to fail. For the next 16 days, doctors fought for Nikulin’s life, but on August 21, at 10 am, his heart stopped forever. Thousands of people attended the memorial service for the actor, including President Boris Yeltsin. The artist was buried at the Novodevichy cemetery.

In memory of the great artist, memorial plaques and monuments in his honor were erected in different cities of Russia. In particular, these can be found in Khabarovsk, Kursk, Irkutsk, Sochi and in the actor’s hometown of Demidov. The circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard, with which the life and fate of the actor was connected for a long time, was named in his honor. The ship assigned to the port of Rostov-on-Don also bears the name of Yuri Nikulin.

Publications in the Theaters section

A native Muscovite from Tsvetnoy Boulevard

Magicians and trainers, jugglers and horse riders, acrobats and clowns. In 1880, a whole new world appeared in Moscow. The circle of the arena and, like rays, rows of chairs in the auditorium. In place of the booths near the flower market, a circus opened. Not the first in Moscow, but from its very first performances it became a favorite. Natalya Letnikova collected 10 facts from the history of the first state circus of the USSR.

From booths to circus art. The Moscow circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard has Italian roots. One of the first successful stationary circuses in Moscow was opened by an Italian, hereditary circus artist Albert Salamonsky. Initially as part of an international project. The “siblings” of the Tsvetnoy circus were scattered throughout Europe: in Berlin, Odessa, Riga.

Salamonsky Circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard. Photo: mos-open.ru

Circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard. 1947 Photo: retromap.ru

Circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard. 1965 Photo: russkiymir.ru

Famous circus building- the work of the architect August Weber. A graduate of the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts in Moscow, he built a lot - the Actor's House, once the Katkovsky Lyceum - now the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Grandfather Durov's Corner. Weber built the Salamonsky Circus with the money of the merchant Danilov. By the way, the first audience of the new entertainment venue consisted mainly of representatives of the merchant class.

Circus place. Circus booths were traditionally held at the Flower Market in Moscow. The place is familiar. Before construction began, Salamonsky did not have a penny - he built on credit. After the opening, he provided stalls and boxes and the most democratic places - a standing gallery, where a ticket cost a penny. Salamonsky hung the first ruble he earned in a frame at the cash register - for good luck, and the circus fortune did not disappoint.

The circus has become the world of childhood. With the light hand of Salamonsky, children's Sunday performances - matinees - appeared in the circus arena. A special petition assured that “the programs will be adapted to children’s understanding.” Especially for young spectators at Christmas, circus New Year trees with gifts, ballets and pantomimes were organized. One of the most popular, The Doll Fairy, was published in 1895.

Decree... about the circus. In 1913, the circus's shine faded with the death of Salamonsky; six years later, the circus on Tsvetnoy became the first state circus. The document was signed by Lenin. The troupe did not come under the wing of the young republic in the best shape. In the first years of Soviet power, artists went hungry and even performed in the streets. The new repertoire proved: “the Soviet circus can do miracles.” Mayakovsky himself participated in the creation of the reprises.

Yuri Nikulin, Mikhail Shuidin, Dmitry Alperov. Scene "Log". 1981 Photo: moiarussia.ru

Yuri Nikulin and Mikhail Shuidin in the circus arena. Photo: tverigrad.ru

Yuri Nikulin and Mikhail Shuidin in the circus arena. 1958 Photo: coollib.com

"In the arena - Pencil"- Pravda wrote in advertisements about the life of theater in Moscow. People's Artist of the USSR Mikhail Rumyantsev with his constant companion Scotch terrier Klyaksa entered the circus arena on Tsvetnoy in 1936 and worked for half a century. He brought Yuri Nikulin and Mikhail Shuidin, who made up the clown duo famous throughout the country, to the arena. The arena remembers both the “sunny clown” Oleg Popov and the clown with “autumn in his heart” Leonid Engibarov.

Memory of generations. There is a memorial sign in the circus foyer - in 1941, an ensemble of Don Cossacks went straight from the arena to the front. The artists not only went through the entire war, but also reached Berlin. In the circus itself, the performances did not stop. The famous pantomime “Our Three”, motorcyclist fights, acrobatic clowning, and in the finale - in the arena a tank crushed “enemy pillboxes”. The circus on Tsvetnoy did their best to raise morale.

Yuri Nikulin Circus. After the war, my favorite artist graduated from the clowning school, worked for 30 years in the famous duet with Mikhail Shuidin, and in 1982 headed his native circus. Circus tours did not allow the actor to play many roles - for example, Yuri Detochkin in the film “Beware of the Car”. But with the light hand of the clown Nikulin, the short film “Moonshiners” appeared. Yuri Vladimirovich proposed the interlude played out in the arena to Gaidai. I liked the idea and made it onto the screen.

New building of the old circus. Having served the circus art for one century and five years, August Weber's building required modernization. House number 13 with a 13-meter arena was broken down after the performance on August 13, 1985. “Hello, old circus” - the artists at Tsvetnoy said with a new program already in 1989. Technological progress has affected the interior of the building, and they tried to preserve the appearance of the auditorium in its historical form.
Cinema and circus - on Tsvetnoy The works of the sculptor Alexander Rukavishnikov were combined in the monument to Yuri Nikulin. Nikulin in clown boots and a boater hat - near the famous convertible that shone in the comedy “Prisoner of the Caucasus”. A bronze car “parked forever” at the doors of the circus. There could have been a circus trapeze or a falling curtain, but in bronze the sculptor embodied the idea of ​​​​unifying circus and cinema. Everything is like in the life of Yuri Nikulin himself. The circus on Tsvetnoy has been named after him since 1996.

The Old Moscow Circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard is one of the oldest circuses in Russia. More than a hundred years ago, in 1880, this building on Tsvetnoy Boulevard was built for the Albert Salamonsky circus by the office of the merchant Danilov. They say that Salamonsky framed the first ruble received for the ticket and hung it in the box office. When the circus welcomed its first spectators on October 20, 1880, there were five rows of seats, boxes, a dress circle, second seats with wooden unnumbered benches and a standing gallery. Then the building was adjusted and completed more than once, but throughout its long life it served the circus.

The most famous artists performed at its arena. Anatoly and Vladimir Durov, Vitaly Lazarenko, Vilmyams Truzzi with their well-trained horses. Unsurpassed jumpers Sosina. First-class jockeys Vasily Sobolevsky and Herbert Cook. Graceful dancer Marta Sur. Acrobats Okeanos. The incomparable tightrope walkers of the Koch sisters. The famous "cunning" Kyo, who bewitched all the boys...

Yuri Vladimirovich Nikulin

Yuri Vladimirovich Nikulin general director and artistic director of the Moscow Circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard from 1982 to 1997. People's Artist of the USSR, Hero of Socialist Labor, Laureate of the State Prize of the RSFSR.

“I have always believed that those people in the circus who make others roll around laughing are the most important.” Having first visited the circus at the age of five, Nikulin remembered only the clowns. After the war, in 1946, he entered the clownery studio at the Moscow Circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard, after graduation he worked as an assistant for the famous clown Karandash for two years, then for many years he performed as a clown with his constant partner Mikhail Shuidin and with his wife Tatyana.

Together they came up with a lot of funny, interesting clownery and sideshows, often finding stories in real life, inventing them, focusing them on the funny and always delighting the audience...

Maxim Yurievich Nikulin

General Director and Artistic Director of the Moscow Nikulin Circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard

Graduate of the Faculty of Journalism of Moscow University (MSU, 1980). He worked in leading print publications (Moskovsky Komsomolets newspaper), on leading radio channels (Radio Mayak) and television (ORT).

For a long time, M. Nikulin was the host of one of the most popular programs on Channel One, “Good Morning.” His work on the air has always been distinguished by his choice of interesting topics, high professionalism, ability to feel his interlocutor and, of course, humor.

Since 1993, at the invitation of his father Yu.V. Nikulin, he came to work at the Moscow Circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard as a managing director. He was responsible for all the administrative work of the circus, as a commercial director he oversaw all Russian and foreign relations...

Who has not heard that there is a Moscow Nikulin Circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard, which is one of the oldest circuses in Russia? Every year it is visited by thousands of spectators from the smallest children to adults, and everyone remembers with delight the show program they saw.

History of creation

In 1880, more than one hundred and twenty years ago, a building for the circus was built, the customer of which was the merchant Albert Salamonsky. The first performance took place on October 20 of the same year. The building then had only five rows of seats, a box and a mezzanine, as well as benches with unnumbered seats and a gallery.

The popularity of the circus gradually grew, and the space had to be adjusted and enlarged to accommodate more spectators. Famous artists always performed here, but the main credit for the prosperity of the circus went to its director, Yu. S. Yursky, who not only monitored the work of the circus, but also staged theatrical prologues before the programs.

The Moscow Nikulin Circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard has always kept pace with the times, constantly looking for new artists, staging new numbers and performances. The circus became staged in the 50s and 60s, when many interesting programs appeared that gathered full houses.

In 1983, Yuri Nikulin, who received the title of People's Artist of the USSR, became the head of the circus. But since the building required major repairs, it was decided that it would be easier to build a new one that would meet all the requirements. In 1985 the circus was closed.

In 1987, the first stone was laid. And two years later the opening and first performance took place in a new modern building. In 1996, the institution received the name "Moscow Nikulin Circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard."

In 1997, the circus director died. The leadership was taken over by his son, Maxim Nikulin.

Today the circus can accommodate 2,000 spectators. It is equipped with new technical equipment; in the building, in addition to the arena itself, there are administrative offices, dressing rooms for artists and rooms for animals.

Artists and show programs

Many famous artists performed in the circus, and a tradition has developed that entire families perform under the same dome, replacing each other, generation after generation.

In 1946, a clownery studio was opened, where future circus artists - Boris Romanov, Yuri Kotov, Leonid Engibarov - trained. But of course, the most famous clowns were students Yuri Nikulin and Mikhail Shuidin. Many spectators came to the circus just for them.

Every year, viewers can see a new program prepared by the Moscow Nikulin Circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard. The poster can only briefly tell what awaits the audience. In 2017, for example, a rather unusual program called “Circus Magic” was released.

Today, famous artists who are known all over the world also perform in the circus arena. Among them are trainers (the Bagdasarov family), aerialists (the Garamov family) and many others.

How to get there

The Moscow Nikulin Circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard is located almost in the center of the capital. You can get to it in any convenient way. Both by public transport and by private car.

The most convenient way is the metro. You need to get to the station of the same name or to the Trubnaya station, which is located at the end of the boulevard. From the very center, where Red Square is located, you can get there on foot, walking no more than 2 km.

If ground transport is suitable, then it is worth taking a trolleybus or bus. Most of them stop at the circus. Some - near Samotechnaya Square, from which you will need to walk about 5 minutes. Address: Tsvetnoy Boulevard, 13.

Moscow Nikulin Circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard: tickets

You can purchase tickets for the performance in two ways: through the official website with subsequent redemption at the circus box office, directly at the box office itself. You need to know that there is a limit on the number of tickets you can purchase, as there have been an increase in cases where tickets are resold for much more.

The ticket price depends on the chosen place: it can be a stall or an amphitheater. The higher the seat, the cheaper the ticket. On average, the cost of a ticket starts from 500 rubles. and reaches 3500, but all information should be checked on the website or at the box office.

It is possible to carry a child under 6 years old for free, provided that he sits on his parents’ lap, or he needs to buy a full ticket.

Moscow Nikulin Circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard: reviews

What impressions do the audience have after visiting this circus? Everyone will answer that the program is very interesting, the artists replace each other, performing completely different numbers. Here you can see trapeze artists, clowns, and magicians. And of course, performances featuring animals are especially popular. Although everyone sees the circus in their own way. It will seem to someone that he saw all this once and nothing new has appeared in the program. But the main spectators - children - are always delighted, because for them the circus is magic and mystery.