How joker and heartthrob Mikhail Kokshenov became the most popular of Russian actors

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

This morning, June 5, 2020, the media shocked with very sad and woeful news - the world was left by the great comedy and dramatic actor Mikhail Kokshenov, who fell in love with the public for his roles, funny lines and unique acting skills.

The fact that the world has lost a Soviet and Russian actor became known quite recently. So, the death of the actor was reported by Lyubov Voropaeva, a poetess who made a corresponding post on her Facebook. A little later, Mikhail's wife, Natalya Lepekhina, confirmed this information.

Additional information about this incident has not yet been reported. However, it is known that in October last year, the actor was taken to the hospital due to a complaint of a wound on his leg, and then released after receiving proper medical attention. Earlier, in 2017, it became known that Mikhail also suffered a stroke, which overtook him right on the street. Then the actor was provided with first aid by passers-by, who did not stand aside. It is also known that at the end of last year, information appeared in the media that the actor's health had deteriorated sharply, but he himself denied it to the last.

For the first time, they learned about Mikhail Kokshenov in the USSR in 1975, when he appeared in the film "Height". It was his bright and controversial debut, but the actor managed to quickly fall in love with the audience. So, soon Kokshenov will become incredibly popular and will play more than one hundred and thirty roles in his entire life in films, programs and even television series. He appeared in everyone's favorite "Yeralash", as well as in such films as "Katyusha", "Shirley-Myrli" and "Good weather on Deribasovskaya, or it rains again on Brighton Beach."

The actor was born back in 1936 in Moscow. At first he studied at an industrial technical school, planning to connect his life with an engineering specialization. However, he soon made a decision that was unexpected even for himself, and in 1963 he graduated from the Theater School named after B. V. Shchukin. Thanks to this, all doors were opened for Mikhail: first, the Mayakovsky Theater, and then he became a welcome guest on the cinema grounds.

He started, like everyone else - with small, often cameo roles in films, where he was not even mentioned in the credits. But despite this, he often worked on the site with famous personalities - Inna Makarova, Nadezhda Rumyantseva, Vasily Lanov and other popular actors at that time.

The role of a comedian brought the greatest fame to the actor. Many colleagues said that the plant was crying for Kokshenov and that culture would never be up to him. However, he easily proved that this was not so, quickly moving from supporting roles to the main ones. The biggest breakthrough for him was the work in the film "It Can't Be!", Which was shot by the legendary Leonid Gaidai. It was then that the audience saw him on the screen as he will be remembered forever: cheerful, perky, falling into the most ridiculous situations.

Not without in his career and without dramatic and serious roles. Kokshenov was willingly taken on projects such as "Dauria" and "I cannot guarantee personal security." Already in modern Russia, he became better known for his roles in serials, for example, in "Daddy's Daughters" and "Voronins".

Mikhail often recalled how luck smiled at him, namely at the moment when he was chosen as an actor for the film "Zhenya, Zhenechka, Katyusha". He mentioned that then he was first noticed because of his extraordinary appearance for a resident of Russian latitudes. The actor himself at that time was quite overweight, had a large physique and short, white hair. It is curious that especially for Mikhail, the employees of the wardrobe department had to work especially hard on the costume. The craftswomen altered the breeches and the tunic several times, because Mikhail simply did not fit into any of the ready-made sizes.

His favorite work, he called the film "Master of the Taiga", if only because then he managed to personally meet Vladimir Vysotsky. However, he also remembered this picture as a very risky scene, where his main character must run over logs in the water. Of course, this very dangerous work was performed by a stunt double, and Mikhail got only the simplest - the footage where he is swimming in the water. However, this was not very easy, because heavy boots pulled him to the bottom, and the water itself turned out to be truly icy, which became a test of willpower and spirit for the actor.

However, Kokshenov was not only an actor, but also a director and even a producer. For the first time in this role, he tried himself in the late nineties, having removed several famous films, for example, "Russian Business", where he also played one of the main roles.

He remembered his first directorial work with a smile. The actor noted:.

During various interviews, when the actor was asked why and how he chose the comedy path, he just smiled and replied:. It is interesting that Mikhail considered the actor Savely Kramarov to be his idol and role model, with whom he also managed to get to know.

The last creation of the actor is a collaboration with Alexei Panin. So, he acted as a director for the film "Theatrical Captain", which, surprisingly for Mikhail himself, became very dramatic and successful, appearing on screens in 2006.

From that moment on, Kokshenov's life began to resemble a hermit. And after the incident in 2017, he stopped leaving the house, contacting exclusively with his loved ones and one only friend. His wife, daughter, and also the housekeeper diligently kept silent, avoided interviews and did not talk about Mikhail, leaving everything a secret. The actor, proudly bearing the title of People's Artist of the Russian Federation, having the Order of Friendship and passed away, was only eighty-four years old.

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