Why the actor who played Budulai in the film "Gypsy" became a recluse: Love and pain of Mihai Volontir

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

The filmography of this actor has about 40 works in cinema, but the most famous role of Mihai Volontir is Budulay in "Gypsy". In Soviet times, the image of a gypsy captured the hearts of millions of women. The actor received thousands of letters, some of which were signed very simply: “Kino. I'm going to. " And Budulay was happily married for a long time, raised a daughter, made a lot of films and played in the theater. But in the last years of his life, Mihai Volontir suddenly became a recluse.

Passion

The father of the future actor Yermolai Volintir was a forester, while his mother was engaged in housekeeping and raising eight children. The surname Volontir arose later, when the family had already moved to the Glinzheni commune, and the territory was transferred to present-day Moldova. When replacing documents, the clerks in the village council made a mistake and all family members received the name Volontir.

As in many large families, Mihai had a clear distribution of responsibilities in his home. Even the little ones did simple homework, and the older ones helped where the younger ones could not cope. At an early age, Mihai collected brushwood for kindling the stove, and also neatly folded selected goose feathers, from which his mother later made soft pillows.

He could well become a teacher, since from the age of 18 he taught in a rural school, but after graduating from a teacher's college he soon headed a village club. However, neither the first nor the second occupation brought him satisfaction, he was in a painful search for himself, trying to understand what he could do throughout his life. But no one paid for the search for himself, and Mihai Volontir was engaged in heavy unskilled labor for some time, working in a quarry and loading lime.

The meeting of the actor with the theater was a pure coincidence. Once, in Rybice, he saw the work of actors from Balti, who had come on tour with the Russian Theater, and was completely fascinated by their talent and skill. Prior to that, his relationship with the theater was limited to listening to the radio program "Theater at the Microphone", and after that, Mihai Volontir himself began to go to the theater in Balti, and even go to rehearsals of an amateur theater in Rybnitsa.

Mihai Volontir, unexpectedly for himself, got carried away and realized who he really wanted to be. He did not really understand how he could become a professional actor, but after seeing an advertisement in the newspaper about a competition, as a result of which it was planned to form a Moldovan theater troupe in Balti, Mihai immediately decided to take part in this.

Mihai Volontir played his first role on the big stage in the play "Kiritsa in Yassy". After that, he served at the Alexandri Theater in Balti for 57 years, not agreeing to any proposals from the capital's theater directors, regardless of whether they were from Chisinau or Moscow.

He said: "Theater is like love." And he did not intend to betray his first love. He acted a lot and productively in films, but in his life there was only one theater. The theater gave him a meeting with the main woman in his life.

Loyalty

When he appeared as a coachman in the production of "Kiritsa in Yassy", hundreds of eyes were riveted to him. But he himself unmistakably found those who looked at him from behind the curtains with undisguised admiration. Efrosinya Dobynda, a young actress whom he drew attention to at the very first meeting.

Mihai Volontir in his life was never distinguished by verbosity, but here he was more silent than he spoke. He even made a written proposal to his beloved. He just gave her a piece of paper with the words: "Marry me." Of course she agreed. Efrosinya Dobynda could no longer imagine life without the warm hands of her Mihai. However, they were even somewhat similar. The actor's wife also did not like empty talk, just in difficult times she always stood next to her husband.

At first, the newlyweds lived very modestly, both played in the theater, but the salaries there were so small that, in fact, there was only enough money for food. But when Mihai Volontir began acting in films, the family's income increased, besides, the actor became very popular. Mihai Volontir starred in the film "In the Zone of Special Attention" when he was already 43 years old. In 1979, "Gypsy" was released, and almost all the women of the Soviet Union fell in love with the actor.

Then there were rumors that Mihai Volontir and Klara Luchko, the performer of the role of Claudia, had an affair on the set. It was simply impossible to believe that the actors played feelings so authentically. But there was no romance. Mihai Volontir remained faithful to his Efrosinya throughout his life. And after that, when letters from fans began to come in bags, the actor instructed his wife to disassemble them, and he himself, it seems, did not even read a single passionate declaration of love.

Many years later, when the actor was no longer alive, the actress Elena Proklova announced an affair between her and Volontir. Allegedly, the relationship arose during the filming of the film "Be Happy, Julia!" But Efrosinya Dobynd-Volontir is sure: Proklova could have feelings for Mihai, but no romance. Mihai Volontir has always been very loyal and decent to stoop to fleeting intrigues.

Pain

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Mihai Volontir continued to work in his native theater. He again had to remember the times when he and his wife and little daughter lived very cramped. Only now the daughter grew up, and the actor began to get sick. A small pension was not enough for anything, and people hardly went to the theater in those difficult times.

Diabetes mellitus caused complications in the eyes, and Mihai Volontir almost stopped seeing. The treatment was long and very expensive, the actor's family sold almost everything they had. After Klara Luchko found out about her colleague's misfortune, she created a fund, began to collect money for treatment. A stroke was added to diabetes, and then he was diagnosed with cancer.

The disease did not allow the actor to work at full strength, and he practically turned into a recluse. Efrosinya Alekseevna was always close to her husband, protected him from any worries, supported, helped, looked after. Journalists, suddenly remembering the actor, began to besiege his family, tried to take photos and videos with the actor. And the gypsy loved by everyone burst into tears and asked: “Don't feel sorry for me. I am sick. But I didn't die …"

After that, the actor's wife always stood guard and often did not let those who tried to release hot material, using the actor's misfortune, and could upset Mihai Volontir or make him nervous.

In September 2015, the actor left this world. And Efrosinya Dobynd-Volontir still keeps the memory of the person whom she loved all her life. And he does not allow anyone to discredit his good name with stories about novels that did not exist.

Despite the fact that before "The Gypsy" Mikhail Volontir had already acted in films, popular love fell upon the actor precisely after the role of Budulai, and 5 years later, success was repeated in the sequel - "The Return of Budulai". Almost all the actors who starred in these two films became stars, however, not all of them were able to make full use of their lucky ticket to the cinema.