The riddle of Comrade Sukhov's departure: What deprived the star of the film "White Sun of the Desert" of the desire to live

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

7 years ago, on March 7, 2014, the famous actor, People's Artist of the RSFSR Anatoly Kuznetsov passed away. His path to the cinema was very long - almost 60 years, and very fruitful - more than 100 roles, but most viewers remember him in the image of Comrade Sukhov from the cult film "White Sun of the Desert". And after 70 years, he continued to act in films and go on the stage of the theater, but none of the spectators suspected what a test the last years of his life were for him. His wife was sure that his departure was voluntary - the actor simply could not suffer and torment loved ones anymore …

Long road to success

From childhood, Anatoly Kuznetsov grew up in a creative atmosphere - his father, Boris Kuznetsov, was a famous singer, worked in front-line ensembles, in the opera troupe of the Bolshoi Theater and as part of a jazz band. Father dreamed that Anatoly would become a pop performer, and he studied at a music school, and later entered the vocal department of a music school. One of the subjects there was stage skills, and the teachers drew attention to the fact that Kuznetsov's artistic abilities are much brighter than vocal ones. They advised him to go to drama school. They were ready to accept him at the Moscow Art Theater School and in "Pike", but on the advice of his cousin, who was an actor, Anatoly chose the Studio School.

A young director Oleg Efremov worked on the graduation performance with their course. Just then, together with the students of the Studio School, his peers and students, he organized the "Studio of Young Actors", which later became the Sovremennik Theater. Efremov offered Kuznetsov to join them, but he began to appear in many films during his studies and refused this offer. Later he joined the troupe of the Film Actor's Studio Theater.

Kuznetsov made his film debut at the age of 24, and a year later he was offered his first leading role in the film "Guest from the Kuban". In the late 1950s - early 1960s. he became a famous artist who played the main roles in the films "Towards the Black Sea", "The Case at Mine Eight", "The Tale of the Newlyweds", "Give a Book of Complaints", "Spring on the Oder". He worked with the best directors - Vladimir Basov, Alexander Mitta, Eldar Ryazanov. It is interesting that his cooperation with Ryazanov could have been closer and longer, but 6 years before filming the film "Give a Complaining Book", the actor refused to participate in his first work "Carnival Night", and later missed the opportunity to play in "Garage "And" Beware of the car ". And although by the age of 40, Kuznetsov had become a rather famous and sought-after actor, the best role was waiting for him ahead.

The popular favorite comrade Sukhov

At 39, Anatoly Kuznetsov got a role that became his hallmark and changed his fate forever - he played the Red Army soldier Fyodor Sukhov in Vladimir Motyl's film "White Sun of the Desert". Today it is simply impossible to imagine any other actor in this image, and after all, initially the artistic council presented this hero in a different way and did not approve Kuznetsov. The director himself wanted to shoot him, but at the insistence of the artistic council he took Georgy Yumatov - who else could play the Red Army soldier!

The director knew how the shooting with him could turn out, because Yumatov more than once interrupted work because of his hobby for alcohol. But a month before filming, Kuznetsov broke his leg and was unable to complete everything that was required of him during the auditions, and Motyl established his intention to shoot Yumatov. Filming began without Kuznetsov, and then suddenly the actor received a telegram from the director: "". As it turned out, Yumatov still broke, washed down, got into a fight, injured his face and disrupted the shooting. And Kuznetsov got his starring role.

None of the film crew at that time suspected that they were participating in the creation of the masterpiece. Thanks to the role of Sukhov, Anatoly Kuznetsov turned into an artist No. 1 in the USSR, the whole country fell in love with his hero. The actor's popularity was cosmic in the truest sense of the word. "White Sun of the Desert" became a favorite film of astronauts - they reviewed it before the flight and took it with them into space. Once they invited Kuznetsov to answer the quiz questions on this film, and it turned out that Comrade Sukhov could only remember 3 names of wives from the harem, and the cosmonauts named all of them!

Of course, the actor was grateful for this role and called it his lucky lottery ticket, but over the years, questions about Comrade Sukhov tired him pretty much. Kuznetsov said: "".

Life after the "White Sun of the Desert"

After that, Anatoly Kuznetsov continued to act in films, not only in the USSR, but also in the GDR, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia and Bulgaria, there were no breaks in his acting career for almost 60 years. In addition, he often traveled around the country for creative meetings with the audience, and also toured with his musical group "Silver Strings and Kuznetsov", performing lyric songs and romances, dubbing foreign films and dubbing dozens of films.

He became one of the most famous, successful and sought-after Soviet actors and could afford to independently choose the scripts and directors he liked. Over the years, its popularity has not faded. On the eve of his 80th birthday, he confessed: "".

The last years of Comrade Sukhov

At the age of 65, the actor suffered a heart attack, after which he underwent surgery and was put on his feet. And after 7 years, the doctors were no longer able to help him. According to Kuznetsov's wife, they "healed" him and made him want to commit suicide. In 2012, he was diagnosed with oncology, had an operation and was prescribed radio exposure. After some time, one professor suggested that he be tested again and suddenly discovered that the diagnosis was wrong - in fact, it was a polyp that could be cured quickly enough. But time was lost, the actor's body was exhausted by radiation therapy, which damaged the kidney and weakened the immune system.

The wife of the actor Alexander Lyapidevskaya said: "".

Once he sent his wife on some business, and he himself was left alone in the hospital ward. When she returned, she found out that he suddenly became ill. The couple managed to say goodbye. According to his wife, before his departure, Anatoly Kuznetsov took 3 tablets of the drug, which in such a dosage was fatal, and told her: "". The official conclusion of the doctors indicated oncology, but the actor's wife was sure that he committed suicide, not wanting to become a burden for loved ones.

Together they lived their whole lives: 60 years of unconditional happiness of Anatoly Kuznetsov and Alexandra Lyapidevskaya.