The underestimated talent of Vladimir Druzhnikov: Why the name of one of the most beautiful Soviet actors was forgotten

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

June 30 marks the 99th anniversary of the birth of Vladimir Druzhnikov, People's Artist of the RSFSR. His name is hardly familiar to modern viewers, because back in 1994, when he was gone, almost no one remembered him. And in the post-war years, the name of Druzhnikov thundered all over the country, films with his participation occupied leading positions in the box office, his film heroes - Danila the master from "Stone Flower", Balashov from "The Tale of the Siberian Land" - won the hearts of millions of viewers. Even when the actor disappeared from the screens, everyone recognized his voice, because it was Druzhnikov who voiced Fantomas and Chingachguk. Why one of the most beautiful actors in the USSR was doomed to oblivion - further in the review.

Meteoric rise

Vladimir's father was a military man and wanted his son to follow in his footsteps. But already in his school years, the boy decided to choose a completely different path. He studied in a drama circle and immediately after graduation was admitted to the auxiliary troupe of the Central Children's Theater. During the war, Druzhnikov went to evacuate to Novosibirsk, and in 1943 he returned to Moscow and quite accidentally ended up in the Moscow Art Theater School - his friend entered there, and he asked to play along with him in a sketch at the exams. As a result, it was Druzhnikov who was offered to become a student. During the day he attended classes, and at night he was on duty on the rooftops during air raids.

Students of the Studio School were strictly forbidden to act in films. Knowing this, one of them refused a tempting offer to play the role of Neznamov in the film based on Ostrovsky's play “Guilty Without Guilt” directed by Vladimir Petrov, whose name was known to everyone after the release of the film “Peter the Great”. Vladimir was in his second year at that time and went into a strange group to see a friend. Here he was noticed by Petrov and invited to audition. Druzhnikov understood what this threatened him with, but he could not refuse the director - he understood that after completing his studies there might not be such a chance.

Druzhnikov's intuition did not disappoint - the role of Grigory Neznamov brought him all-Union popularity, the film became the leader of the film distribution in 1945. And although he was immediately expelled from the Studio School, his training did not end there, because the presenters took part in the filming of the film "Guilty Without Guilt" masters of the Moscow Art Theater, and the debutant received his main lessons in practice. Even Pavel Kadochnikov, who himself dreamed of playing Neznamov, admitted that the young actor “had enough talent, beauty, and skill,” and predicted a happy creative fate for him. Alas, his predictions did not come true.

International recognition

After his triumphant debut, Druzhnikov received new proposals one after another. The next creative victory of the actor was the role of Danila the master in the film tale by Alexander Ptushko "The Stone Flower", which was watched by more than 23 million spectators in the USSR. Thanks to this work, the young actor was also known abroad - in 1946 the film won a prize at the Cannes Film Festival for the best color scheme. Druzhnikov even received an offer to act in Hollywood, but none of the Soviet actors could then agree to such an offer.

In the second half of the 1940s. Druzhnikov played the main roles in the films "Our Heart", "The Legend of the Siberian Land", "Konstantin Zaslonov".8 films with his participation became laureates of State Prizes, 6 films were awarded prizes at film festivals in Venice, Karlovy Vary, Cannes, Marianske Lazne.

It was an incredible success - none of the Soviet actors had such a track record. In the early 1950s. Vladimir Druzhnikov was at the peak of his fame. He even turned down the role of Hamlet in the theater, which hundreds of his colleagues dreamed of, as he was in great demand in the cinema. This decision was very rash.

Underrated talent

After such a powerful start, Druzhnikov, it would seem, should not have worried about his future in the profession, but his triumph was very short-lived. In the 1950s-1960s. he continued to act a lot, but he was offered mostly supporting roles. And then new proposals stopped coming altogether. At this time, the actor began to travel with concerts around the country, where he read poetry and prose, and also performed on the radio. In the 1960s. Druzhnikov also worked in a dubbing studio. It was in his voice that the most famous "Indian" Goiko Mitic and Jean Mare in the role of Fantomas spoke. For many years dubbing became the main occupation of the actor.

Both Druzhnikov's fans and his colleagues did not understand why the talented actor was unclaimed in his mature years. He was a real handsome man, but this type was not in great demand in Soviet cinema, so many critics were sure that his beauty played a cruel joke on him. Pavel Kadochnikov was perplexed: "".

Today Vladimir Druzhnikov is called one of the most underestimated Soviet actors during his lifetime. At the age of 23, he learned the all-Union popularity and recognition abroad, and just a decade later, the directors seemed to have forgotten about him. In his mature years, he was content with supporting roles, but even turned them into masterpieces. On the eve of his 50th birthday, Druzhnikov played the squadron commander in the film "Officers", which many viewers remember from the phrase of his hero: "There is such a profession - to defend the Motherland." This role attracted the actor with the opportunity to play the whole fate in one episode, and the level of his skill is evidenced by the fact that this particular episode was remembered by the majority of viewers.

Of course, the actor suffered from his lack of demand. The financial situation of the family during the perestroika years was very difficult. Druzhnikov was finally knocked down in 1992 by the departure of his wife, with whom he had lived all his life. He survived her by only 2 years. On February 20, 1994, he was gone.

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