25 years without Yevgeny Leonov: What accelerated the departure of the famous actor

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

25 years ago, on January 29, 1994, Yevgeny Leonov, a remarkable theater and film actor, People's Artist of the USSR, a favorite of the public, passed away. At that time he was only 67 years old, and in recent years he lived in constant expectation of premature death. What made the cheerful actor feel a constant fear of death, and what accelerated his departure - further in the review.

Evgeny Leonov probably inherited good nature, a sense of humor and hospitality from his mother - she was always the soul of the company, and in their communal apartment, despite the tightness, there were always many guests. Later, the actor recalled: "".

When Leonov graduated from the 7th grade, the war broke out, during which he worked as an apprentice turner at an aircraft factory and studied at a technical school. But he was really only interested in performances in an amateur theater, and in the third year he dropped out of college and went to the Moscow Experimental Theater Studio.

At first, both on the stage and in the cinema, Yevgeny Leonov appeared only in extras. Popularity came to him only after 35 years, when after filming "Striped Flight" he began to be trusted with bright central comedic roles. And in the theater, he brilliantly coped with dramatic images. Still, the audience fell in love with him in a comedic role. During filming, funny things happened to him more than once. One of them nearly cost him his film career. During the filming of the famous episode in the bathroom in "Striped Flight", when the tiger suddenly appeared, his hero had to run away in fright. But the actor was really scared in earnest and in what the mother gave birth jumped out of the bathroom. Leonov said: "".

Leonov's attitude to work has always been fanatical - he went on stage and on the set even with pneumonia. And one day it almost ended tragically. In 1988, during a tour of the Lenkom theater in Germany, Yevgeny Leonov experienced clinical death. He suffered a massive heart attack and another immediately after the operation. The actor spent almost a month in a coma, and all this time his son was with him. Leonov said: "".

They said that after this, at any moment, the heart again could not stand it. But six months later, Leonov again went on stage and continued to work tirelessly. He was often asked how he felt at that terrible moment. Leonov answered all questions in his usual manner, with humor: "". But in fact, he had no time for jokes. After experiencing clinical death, his attitude to life changed dramatically - first of all, he reconsidered his attitude to religion, read the Bible and often quoted it. Many noted that after this Leonov became more serious, withdrawn and restrained. And besides this, he became even more fanatical about work - an unrelenting fear of death was added to his innate workaholism. He was not afraid that he might leave himself, but he was very worried about his family - because without him they could be left without a livelihood.

For these reasons, after his second birth, Yevgeny Leonov took up any job and did not spare himself at all. He said more than once: "". The actor disappeared on tour, agreed to any role, became one of the first Soviet actors to appear in commercials. The fear of sudden death has not left him since then. Perhaps all these experiences, combined with the frantic rhythm of life, became an indirect reason for Leonov's premature departure.

On January 29, 1994, Yevgeny Leonov was going to the theater, where he had to once again go on stage in the form of Tevye the milkman. Suddenly, a blood clot came off. This time, the actor was not saved. None of those spectators who came to the performance that evening, having learned about the death of the actor, returned their ticket - all evening they stood at the theater with lighted candles. Evgeny Leonov was not only famous - he enjoyed incredible popularity and love of millions of viewers, for whom his departure was a huge shock.

Playwright Grigory Gorin wrote: "".

Literally all films with the participation of Yevgeny Leonov became hits, but this one was and remains one of the most beloved among the people: What's left behind the scenes of "Gentlemen of Fortune".