Why the Americans were afraid of Alexander Abdulov, how he almost ruined Azerbaijan and other little-known facts about the actor

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

On May 29, the famous actor and film director, People's Artist of Russia Alexander Abdulov could have turned 68, but he has been dead for 13 years. It is difficult to name an artist who would enjoy the same truly popular love and by his participation alone ensured the film the status of a cult cinema. Wherever he appeared, he was in the spotlight and made an unforgettable impression on the public. True, it was not always unambiguous. In his youth, his heart was broken, because of which he tried to commit suicide. And later Abdulov seriously frightened the Americans, and in Azerbaijan put the country's security at risk …

Artist from 5 years old

Alexander Abdulov was born into a theatrical family - his father, Gavriil Danilovich Abdulov, was a theater director and actor, founder and artistic director of the first Russian drama theater in Central Asia in Fergana. One of the streets of Fergana was named in his honor. In the same theater, Alexander's mother also worked as a make-up and costume designer. The surname Abdulov is of Turkic origin, originated from his own name, which in translation means "servant (slave) of God." In the column “nationality” Alexander had written “Russian”, although, most likely, he had Tatar roots. He was born in Tobolsk, and then his parents moved to Fergana, where his father lived before. Abdulov always considered Uzbekistan his small homeland.

Alexander grew up behind the scenes and at the age of 5 he first appeared on the stage in the play "Kremlin Chimes", where his father played the role of Lenin. Later, the actor said: "".

The first love

During his school years, Alexander was most interested in sports and music. He was a fan of the Beatles and in his youth, imitating idols, wore a similar long hairstyle. He made his first guitar himself and sang songs of his favorite band, for which he received the nickname "the fifth Beatle" in the company. After such impromptu concerts, Alexander often found notes with confessions from classmates in his pockets. From his youth he enjoyed great success with the opposite sex, but his first love ended in disappointment.

At the age of 14, Abdulov fell in love with his classmate Natasha, his feelings turned out to be mutual, they began to meet. Their relationship lasted for several years, and all the acquaintances were sure that the matter was going to the wedding. After school, Alexander entered the Faculty of Physical Education of the Fergana State Pedagogical Institute, and at the same time worked as a stage worker in his father's theater. A year later, he dropped out and went to Moscow, where he entered GITIS. Soon he came for his beloved, but she categorically refused to leave Fergana. This was the end of their relationship.

Broken heart and trying to commit suicide

Alexander Abdulov easily won the hearts of the country's first beauties, he acted magnetically on women, but he also had defeats. In his student years, the actor met at a disco with a medical student Tatyana. He invited her to dance, then they exchanged phone numbers. Abdulov fell in love without looking back. They spent a lot of time together, he often skipped classes, and she provided him with certificates of illness. This continued until the institute noticed that all his certificates were stamped with the maternity hospital. At the Komsomol meeting, they raised the issue of expulsion, but for the first time they decided to forgive.

This story almost ended in tragedy. Once Abdulov found his beloved with another guy. In complete despair, he returned to the hostel, locked himself in a room and opened his veins. Alexander was unconscious when his neighbor from the hostel returned, and the guy, sensing something was wrong, knocked out the door to the room and immediately called an ambulance.

An affair with "Lenkom" and "the truth about bed"

Seeing 20-year-old Abdulov in his first film "About Vitya, about Masha and the Marines", director Mark Zakharov invited him to Lenkom and immediately entrusted him with the main role in the play "Not on the lists", for which the debutant received the Theater Spring award. The actor devoted more than 30 years of his life to this theater, and considered his most significant role there as Alexei Ivanovich in the play "The Barbarian and the Heretic" based on Dostoevsky's novel "The Gambler". For this work, the actor was awarded the "K. Stanislavsky Foundation" and "Crystal Turandot" awards.

Mark Zakharov recalled the beginning of cooperation with Abdulov: "".

How Abdulov scared the Americans

American and Russian theater schools differ in many ways, and the dedication and degree of immersion in the image that are inherent in our actors can scare foreign audiences. When Lenkom came on tour to America with the play Juno and Avos, the Americans doubted Abdulov's mental health. In this production, he got the role of a heretic, in one of the scenes he juggled with burning torches, and seeing his completely insane eyes, the Americans got scared and even asked to remove this scene from the play - they say, fire on the stage is generally prohibited by law, but here it is completely incomprehensible what to expect: what if this madman fires torches into the auditorium? The whole troupe convinced them that this could not happen, that the actor was in character, but all the arguments were useless.

Trouble in Azerbaijan

Alexander Abdulov was not only an actor, but also a filmmaker: he started with a semi-documentary film, and in 2000 he shot his first feature film "The Bremen Town Musicians and Co". The shooting took place in Azerbaijan, and President Heydar Aliyev met the director halfway and fulfilled all his requests. We need 20-30 thousand soldiers - please! It seemed that the whole Azerbaijan was filmed in the film. Later, Abdulov joked that on the day the King's parade was filmed, the country's security was threatened - her entire army was on the set of the film!

During filming, the director was almost trampled by a hippopotamus. In one of the scenes, he, or rather she - brought from the zoo Zhuzha, had to run past Abdulov. He told: "".

Many were not surprised that he left so early, because the actor lived to the fullest and did not spare himself: Why relatives believe that Alexander Abdulov could have left even earlier.