The irony of fate of Georgy Burkov: Why the actor thought that he remained incomprehensible

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

On May 31, the famous Soviet actor, favorite of the audience, Honored Artist of the RSFSR Georgy Burkov could have turned 88 years old. Probably, many of his acting fate seemed happy: he played more than 70 roles in films, and although most of them were supporting roles, they brought him no less popularity than his colleagues who played the main characters. However, the actor himself wanted a completely different creative fate. Why he did not like his starring roles in Ryazanov's films, and what caused his premature departure - further in the review.

Freak from Perm

Georgy Burkov was born and raised in Perm. He did not immediately decide on the choice of his future profession - after school he entered the law faculty of Perm State University, and at the same time he studied in the evening studio at the local drama theater. As a result, love for the stage prevailed: without receiving a law degree, Burkov began performing in theaters in Perm, Kemerovo and Bereznikov. Once there on tour came the troupe of the Moscow Drama Theater. K. Stanislavsky. Someone told the director Boris Lvov-Anokhin about the local nugget, and he invited the provincial actor to audition.

When the director asked him about his theatrical education, Burkov replied: "" Nevertheless, he conquered the entire artistic council, and he was invited to Moscow. The actor was already 32 years old, and for him this was the only chance to drastically change his fate and conquer the capital. But Burkov almost missed it. He was given a role in a new production, but on the eve of the premiere, an acquaintance from Kemerovo came to the actor, and the meeting was so warm that in the morning Burkov was unable to appear at the theater. The premiere was disrupted, and the director immediately signed an order to dismiss the actor. The fate of Burkov was again decided by Lvov-Anokhin: the director asked the director to leave him for a probationary period without salary, and for several months he himself gave him a fee from his own pocket. This time the actor lived up to expectations, but the nickname "eccentric from Perm" was forever stuck behind him.

The face of a drunken intellectual

A year after moving to Moscow, Burkov played his first role in cinema, and after another 2 years his fateful meeting with Eldar Ryazanov, who became his godfather in big cinema, took place. It was this director who turned the provincial actor into an all-Union star by filming him in his films Zigzag of Fortune, Old Robbers, Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath!, Office Romance, Garage, About the Poor Say a word to the hussar”,“Cruel romance”. At the very first meeting, Ryazanov diagnosed Burkov: "" It was in this role that most directors and viewers have seen him since then.

Ryazanov most of all appreciated in Burkov the naturalness, sincerity and organicness in the frame, and he considered one of his main advantages to be a bright positive charm, thanks to which the actor, even in the images of unpleasant characters, won the sympathy of the audience. Although Ryazanov invited Burkov to almost all of his films, the actor was still not satisfied with these works, because he dreamed of serious and large-scale dramatic roles in which he could reveal his entire creative potential, and not one facet of it.

In addition, the episodes in which he appeared were often cut to a minimum. Ryazanov recalled: "".

Burkov was also supposed to play in "The Promised Heaven", but before filming he fell unsuccessfully and broke his hip. He underwent surgery, he felt well, and Ryazanov was going to send the script to the actor at the hospital. And the next day, the director was informed that Burkov had passed away. For Ryazanov, it was a shock, because in fact, he really appreciated him both as an actor and as a person, and was able to see in him what the audience might not have seen: "".

Other facets

Georgy Burkov was a prisoner of the image of an intellectual drunkard, although in real life only the second part of this definition corresponded to reality. He was very well-read and amazed everyone he knew with his versatile knowledge and sharpness of intellect. But he tried not to abuse alcohol, and even in the famous scene in the bathhouse in The Irony of Fate, which was filmed in the cold pavilion of Mosfilm, and the actors secretly from the director warmed themselves with strong drinks, Burkov was the only one who drank strong tea and remained completely sober … But after the release of the film, the actor was stuck for a long time within the framework of this type.

In his diary, the actor wrote: "".

One of the few directors who saw completely different colors in Burkov's talent was Vsevolod Shilovsky, who entrusted him with the main role - General Panfilov - in his play Volokolamskoe Shosse. At the premiere, the audience cried and gave him a standing ovation. After that, many looked at the actor differently. Burkov got the main role, police colonel, in the film "Profession - Investigator". There were more than 70 film roles in his filmography, but most of the viewers still knew him from Ryazanov's films.

Shukshinovsky actor

Georgy Burkov called himself "Shukshinov's actor". Vasily Shukshin was more for him than a director. When they first met on the set of his film "Stove Benches", they immediately felt kindred spirits in each other. They became friends, and this friendship continued until the last days of Shukshin. Together they starred in the film They Fought for the Motherland. When the shooting day ended, Shukshin read to Burkov excerpts from his new script about Stepan Razin, where the actor was supposed to play one of the main roles, but this was never destined to come true. One day after another shift, Shukshin suffered a heart attack, and Burkov was the first to find his body. His departure was a big blow for the actor, after which he could not get out of depression for a long time.

He had many creative ambitions: he wrote sketches for plays, dreamed of his own theater, wanted to realize himself as a director, and even managed to shoot one film - "Baika". His wife said that his plans were drawn up until 2000, but in 1990 he was gone. He reached for a book and fell off the bookcase, breaking his hip. The trauma provoked the detachment of a blood clot. The operation was successful, but a day later his health worsened. On July 19, Georgy Burkov passed away. He was only 57 years old.

His heart was given to one woman: A quarter of a century of happiness for Georgy Burkov and Tatyana Ukharova.