How Andrei Mironov got along in the same apartment with a pig and other little-known facts from the biographies of Soviet cinema stars

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

We have collected for you the most unexpected, but nevertheless true facts from the life of Soviet actors. Why did Oleg Anofriev almost single-handedly sing all the vocal parts in "The Bremen Town Musicians"? How neat Andrei Mironov got along in the same apartment with a pig? Why didn't Frunzik Mkrtchyan need a passport? This and much more will be discussed below.

Rina Zelenaya and her pseudonym

In fact, Rina Zelenaya's name was Catherine, and it was not in my thoughts to take a pseudonym from the actress. But everything was decided by an error, or, more precisely, a typo. The fact is that the full name did not fit on the poster of her debut performance, and only “Rina Zelenaya” was on the poster. "Why not?!" - thought the artist and left herself a more euphonious pseudonym.

Oleg Anofriev and late colleagues

Initially, Oleg Anofriev was supposed to perform only the part of the Troubadour in the "Bremen Town Musicians". It was planned that Zoya Kharabadze would sing for the princess, and the rest of the heroes were distributed between Oleg Yankovsky and Zinovy Gerdt. But in those days, the recording studios could be counted on the fingers, and it is not surprising that you could get there only by taking a queue in advance. Therefore, the recording in "Melodiya" fell out at midnight. However, at the appointed time, none of the artists showed up. And only Oleg Anofriev, who lived nearby, looked into the studio. But, as it turned out, the artist came to warn that he would not be able to work due to malaise. However, the recording could no longer be moved, so the man had to take the rap for all the late colleagues. Only Anofriev's voice did not suit the Princess, and it was he who performed the compositions of all the other characters.

How Georgy Vitsin tasted beer

Despite the fact that Georgy Vitsin often had to portray alcoholics and other asocial personalities on the screen, in real life he was a convinced teetotaler. And only once did he violate his principle and take a sip of alcohol. The case took place during the filming of "Prisoner of the Caucasus". You probably remember the shot where the Coward, the Experienced and the Goonies drink beer in the famous scene "It's good to live, as they say!" Georgy Mikhailovich asked to pour him a rosehip compote, but, according to the plot, the drink was supposed to foam. And then, for reliability, Vitsin still had to sacrifice his principles for the sake of art.

Lyudmila Gurchenko has been composing music all her life

Lyudmila Gurchenko is known to many as an actress and singer. But few people realize that the Russian star was also a composer and wrote music all her life. For example, it was Gurchenko who wrote the song "My Sailor" for the film of the same name. True, for some reason the artist preferred not to talk about this fact. By the way, one of Lyudmila Markovna's works even won first place at one of the music festivals. But the artist, fearing criticism, did not disclose her authorship.

Janina Zheimo was not suitable for the role of Cinderella by age

It was the role of Cinderella in the fairy tale of the same name that brought wide popularity to Janina Zheimo. Interestingly, at the time of filming, the actress was 37 years old, and her character was the same age as her own daughter. But the star until 40 years old looked like a young girl, had a height of 148 cm and 31 foot sizes. Therefore, she very organically blended into the image of the famous character.

Evgeny Morgunov knocked out a salary increase with the help of a risky rally

There were legends about Morgunov's love for jokes, and once the actor even decided to play Molotov and Kaganovich themselves. And it happened at the end of the 40s, when high officials decided to visit the Theater of the Film Actor, where Yevgeny Alexandrovich served. The artist was the first to meet the authorities at the door and introduced himself as the artistic director. However, Molotov and Kaganovich did not notice the deception, the actor looked very harmonious in the role of the chief and so plausibly "drove" his subordinates. The present leadership also did not disclose the deception, fearing to make the officials look like fools. At the same time, Morgunov complained that the actors of the lower category (he himself belonged to them) received very small salaries. Surprisingly, the deception was not revealed, and after the visit of high-ranking officials, an order came to increase the wages of workers.

The joke helped Leonid Utesov to receive the title of Honored Artist

The famous actor was very worried that the authorities did not want to notice his merits. But who would have thought that a joke would help him get the title. And it was like this. Utesov in the play "Princess Nesmeyana" played a hero who did not manage to cause even a smile from the crowned person. According to the plot, for this the character is cut off the head. Like, what an undeserved death, someone could not stand it in the auditorium. Then the actor threw a phrase that became winged: "What an artist, such is death!" Surprisingly, after that Leonid Osipovich was awarded the title of Honored Artist.

Innokenty Smoktunovsky did not become a deputy because of a toast

The famous actor really did not want to shoulder an additional social burden on his shoulders, so he often pretended to be out of this world. But they still wanted to see him in the ranks of officials, and once they even seriously considered him as a candidate for deputy to the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. On this occasion, a banquet was held, and when it came to Smoktunovsky's turn to make a toast, he expressed the hope that soon the shelves of Soviet stores would be bursting with food as well as their festive table. Needless to say, Innokenty Mikhailovich was immediately struck off the list.

Vasily Livanov got a recognizable voice thanks to severe frost

The recognizable voice spoken by the crocodile Gena, Vasily Livanov did not get it at all from birth, and until a certain moment his timbre was nothing special. But on the set of the film "Unsent Letter" the actors had to voice one of the scenes in the taiga at 40 degrees Celsius. After such extreme conditions, Livanov fell ill, and the doctors advised him to take care of his throat for at least two weeks. But when the man broke the silence, he spoke in a completely different voice. Since then, a kind of hoarseness has become a kind of distinguishing mark of Vasily.

Frunzik Mkrtchyan's unnecessary passport

The famous Soviet actor at one time had two identity cards: one was genuine, the other, a fake one, handed over as a joke by his comrades. However, Mkrtchyan lost both documents and did without them for two decades. The actor argued that he did not need them, he was recognized everywhere.

Spartak Mishulin survived clinical death

Many fans are still wondering whether this story actually happened or not, because it is known about it only from the stories of Mishulin himself. In the early 40s, the actor was sent to a camp for three years, either because he wrote on the back of a poster depicting Stalin, or because he stole light bulbs. But the fact is that Mishulin was sent to the tractor brigade, and once he was so tired that he fell asleep right in the field. The tractor driver did not notice the lying worker and drove right over him. Since the guy showed no signs of life, he was considered dead and sent to the morgue. It is difficult to imagine what horror the employees of this institution experienced when the "dead man" suddenly woke up a couple of days later. However, this is not the only curious incident in the life of an actor. As a teenager, he went to the capital to become an actor. Once Spartak met a cadet who complained that his art special school was moving to Anzhero-Sudzhensk. Immediately Mishulin drew attention to a poster in which it was written that the recruitment is going to this particular institution. Without thinking twice, the young man suggested that the cadet go to the training camp instead of him. True, instead of the art school, the future star of the Soviet screen got into the artillery.

Andrey Mironov and his unusual pet

Mironov hated dirt and was a real fan of cleanliness, and then they took him and presented him with a real … pig. But the actor did not give up the unusual present, but before settling the animal with him, he thoroughly washed it and left it to live in the bathroom. True, the pet stayed with Andrei Alexandrovich for only a couple of days, and then he had to look for new owners.

Alexey Batalov and Uncle Styopa

The actor's mother was a friend of Anna Akhmatova, and once the poetess gave Batalov money to buy himself a decent suit. But the young man, who dreamed of becoming a driver, bought his first car with donated funds. However, Anna Andreevna did not scold Alexei, noticing that he acted wisely. By the way, the famous uncle Styopa was copied from Batalov. The fact is that his first wife Irina was the daughter of Konstantin Rotov, the artist who invented the image of the famous policeman.