How one accident changed the life of actor Andrey Merzlikin and gave a chance for a new life

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

16 years ago, the now popular actor Andrei Merzlikin found himself at a crossroads. It would seem that fate gave him a chance: a bright role in the famous film "Boomer". However, after that there was a lull, the artist was not offered new works in the cinema, and he began to seek solace in alcohol. Who knows what the fate of a man would have been if not for the accident, which, no matter how paradoxical it may sound, became a turning point for him.

He dreamed of becoming an astronaut, studied management, and entered the theater

Andrey was born into an ordinary family: his mother is an accountant, his father is a driver. The Merzlikin family lived in the Moscow region in the city of Kaliningrad, which was later renamed Korolev. Therefore, it is not surprising that in childhood the future actor did not dream of conquering the world of cinema at all, but dreamed of flying into space. But this required good physical fitness, and the boy trained, sparing no effort. By the way, it was his excellent athletic form that helped him harmoniously integrate into the images of brave heroes.

But that was later, but for now, after finishing eight classes, Merzlikin entered the technical school of space engineering and technology. However, he graduated from it in the early 90s, when the country was in total devastation: space was no longer needed by anyone, and people began to master new, in their opinion, more promising professions. So Andrei, realizing that with a diploma in radio engineering you will not go far, decided to study management, enrolling in the capital's Academy of the sphere of everyday life and services.

Merzlikin did not differ from the youth of that time. He did not consider himself a hooligan, but he did not give offense either (he could have fought if the circumstances demanded it). He also did not dream of becoming an actor, and the decision to try his hand at acting came by chance. During another evening gathering with friends, one of the girls enthusiastically talked about cinema, about universities that teach the creative profession … Andrei became curious, and he decided to try his luck.

Surprisingly, the young man entered VGIK the first time without any preparation. But it was difficult to call him a diligent student. In parallel, he continued his studies at the Academy. In addition, Merzlikin has repeatedly found himself in unpleasant situations due to fights. Therefore, he was even expelled from the Institute of Cinematography, but Andrei did not give up and continued his studies, but already at the commercial department. By the way, he graduated from VGIK with honors.

The fateful "Boomer" and controversial popularity

Merzlikin received his first roles in cinema while still a student at VGIK, and after graduation he entered the troupe of the Moscow Drama Theater, led by Armen Dzhigarkhanyan. I must say that the beginning actor did not have a shortage of work: 18 performances a month is a good start. But among them the artist did not have a single leading role.

In parallel with the theater, Andrei began to conquer the world of cinema. And his first notable work was his participation in the film "Boomer", which was directed by Pyotr Buslov. In it, the actor played a very controversial character Dimon "Scalded". This brought him success, but it turned out to be strange: they began to associate Merzlikin only with his character, and a rare passer-by did not shout after him: “Dimo-o-on”. And the traffic police inspectors even sarcastically asked where he lost his "boomer". Moreover, there were those "admirers" who were determined to punish the "traitor" and started fights.

In parallel with the ambiguous fame, problems appeared in the theater. The management did not like that the actor devotes a lot of time to filming a movie, so they stopped giving Merzlikin notable roles altogether.

But they were not in a hurry to see Andrei on the wide screen either. "Boomer", which brought him fame, did its job: directors saw him in their films only in the form of bandits or hooligans. In addition, at this time there was a tragedy in the Karmadon Gorge, where the film crew of Sergei Bodrov Jr. died. As it turned out, among the missing were those with whom Merzlikin worked on the filming of Boomer.

The actor began to feel depressed, and he began to drown his grief in wine. Fortunately, there was no shortage of people who wanted to have fun with him. This lifestyle could not but affect the life of the actor.

The accident that divided Merzlikin's life into before and after

Once, after another merry party, Andrei decided to take a ride with a friend along the embankment of the Moskva River. However, the man lost control, and the car, breaking through the fence, fell into the river. The force of the blow can be judged by the fact that the car broke through the ice, folded in half and began to sink. But somehow, miraculously, the friends managed to get out of the sinking transport. The rescuers who arrived at the scene had to pull them out with the help of ropes.

They also told the actor and a friend that they were the first who managed to survive at this intersection. And then they pointed to the Novodevichy Convent, visible in the distance, and advised me to go there.

And only then Andrey realized what he needed to do. He began to go to church, analyze his actions and mistakes, learn to be in harmony with himself, not to be angry with others and overcome himself. The actor regularly attended services, tried not to forget the lesson that fate taught him, and he even had his own spiritual mentor.

Soon this path gave results, and things in the professional field went uphill. Merzlikin met Valery Todorovsky, cooperation with whom gave him many interesting roles not only in TV shows, but also in serious films. And now the actor's filmography includes more than a hundred works.

Since then, the artist is sure that he is guarded by higher powers. He became even more convinced of this after one incident. The fact is that his mother was diagnosed with cancer of the fourth degree. A native person was fading away more and more every day, and there was practically no hope for healing. But the parent decided to fight …

Once Merzlikin was invited to one of the charity events. There he talked about his mother's illness and how she overcame all difficulties. When, at the end of his story, the actor summoned a loved one to the stage, the audience burst into applause. For those present, this became a good motivation, because the woman managed to cope with the disease, and, therefore, they should not give up.

An exemplary family man and a father with many children

But there was one "but": Merzlikin still could not meet the one who was ready to accept him as he is. Numerous novels did not lead to anything serious, and Andrei earned a reputation as an inveterate bachelor.

However, a meeting soon took place that changed the artist's life. Victory Day in 2004 Merzlikin decided to celebrate with his friend Stanislav Duzhnikov. The latter did not come alone, but with his wife and her friends. Among them was Anna, a graduate of Moscow State University, a psychologist by training. Andrey liked the modest and charming girl, but their communication ended with the end of the holiday.

The next time the young people met only a year later: this time the guests were received by the Duzhnikovs. Then Andrei realized that he should not miss the chance and made an appointment with Anna. Young people began to meet, and a year later the actor made an offer to the chosen one.

Now the couple is raising 4 children: sons Fedor and Makar and daughters Seraphim and Evdokia. According to Merzlikin, he was very lucky with his wife: Anna has such an easy character that the life of a mother with many children does not burden her at all. On the contrary, she is very glad that she has such a large and friendly family. In addition, the actor's wife manages to combine the work of the director and press secretary of Merzlikin.