Leonid Kuravlev - 83: Why the legendary actor disappeared from the screens and stopped appearing in public

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

On October 8, the legendary actor, People's Artist of the RSFSR Leonid Kuravlev will be 83 years old. In the cinema, most often he got the images of charming scoundrels, cunning swindlers, frivolous ladies' men, and the audience did not realize that in real life he was a completely different person, as only loved ones knew him. For the last 7 years, the actor has stopped appearing in public and on screens after the loss with which he still cannot accept …

Leonid Kuravlev was born into a simple family: his mother worked as a hairdresser, and his father as a locksmith. They lived in Moscow, but after the mother was falsely accused of counter-revolutionary activities, she was sent into exile in the Murmansk region. After some time, Leonid went to his mother, and only a few years later they were able to return to Moscow.

At school, Kuravlev studied poorly, the exact sciences were especially difficult for him. One day, a cousin jokingly told him to go to a theater university - they say that mathematics is not needed there. But Leonid took this joke seriously and after school he submitted documents to VGIK. The first attempt ended in failure, but after two years he tried again, and this time it was accepted. Familiar families did not approve of his choice - they said that ""

Studying at a theater university was also difficult for him. Because of his natural modesty, Leonid was so squeezed that the head of the course was going to expel him because of his incompetence. Then Kuravlev managed to get together and convince the teacher to give him a second chance. And he got a ticket to big cinema thanks to Vasily Shukshin, who studied at the same university at the directing department. He invited Kuravlev to play the main role in his graduation project and was so impressed with his work that he already wrote the next script especially for him. It seemed that in the film "Such a guy lives" Kuravlev played himself - simple-minded, open, kind and very charming.

Shukshin was the first to believe in Kuravlev's acting talent, they became friends, and the actor even named his son Vasily in honor of his friend. Kuravlev said: "".

Kuravlev often improvised on the set, and his ideas were so successful that the directors, as a rule, did not mind. So, in the film "Ivan Vasilyevich changes his profession" his hero, the thief Georges Miloslavsky says the phrase: "". The second part of this phrase was an actor's improvisation. As well as his unexpected appearance in the frame with a pack of "overseas" Marlboro cigarettes. And on the pen donated by Miloslavsky to the ambassador, in fact, a naked woman was depicted - however, this episode had to be cut out at the request of the censorship. Leonid Gaidai appreciated this quality very much - Kuravlev modified each of his images, brought into it his own sense of the character, which always added color to the general atmosphere of the film.

Most directors saw Kuravlev in a comedy role, and he was not able to play beautiful love stories on the screens. Most often, his characters were frivolous rakes and unlucky Don Juans, such as Misha Dyatlov in the movie "The Most Charming and Attractive". Because of this image in the cinema, viewers identified the actor with his characters, while in real life he was the complete opposite of his characters.

Back in the 10th grade, Leonid began to be friends with a girl whom he once met at a skating rink. And after graduating from VGIK, he proposed to her. Nina became for him not only his wife, but also his closest friend, advisor and muse. The actor had thousands of fans, but in his heart and in his life there was only one woman, about whom he always spoke with warmth and tenderness: "".

Nina Vasilievna had heart problems, and in 2012 she was gone. This loss knocked down the actor - he simply could not imagine his life without a man who was there for 54 years. The actor blamed doctors for her death, who, due to their negligence, did not find complications from her illness in time. The couple had two children, but after the death of his wife, Kuravlev could not get rid of the feeling of loneliness and emptiness inside. "", - the actor admits.

Leonid Kuravlev very rarely gives interviews - according to him, he does not like to “shine with his face”. For all the fame and popular adoration, he always remained a very modest and non-public person. The actor feels uncomfortable when fans show him too much attention, and tries to live quietly and unnoticed. Kuravlev does not attend social events, does not let journalists into the house and carefully protects privacy from prying eyes. The actor admits that he was always afraid of the crowd. He never even participated in acting gatherings, in Moscow, after filming, he immediately hurried home, and on film expeditions he would close in his room and read. Many colleagues considered him eccentric and withdrawn.

But if earlier viewers could see him at least on the screens, then after the death of his wife, he completely stopped appearing in public. For the past 7 years, Kuravlev has been leading a reclusive lifestyle and does not act in films, to which he has long lost interest. His acting career took place - in his filmography there are more than 200 works. He still receives new proposals, but among them there are very few worthwhile and worthy of attention. "", - explains Kuravlev.

It is a sin for him to complain about fate - Leonid Kuravlev believes that his life has developed very happily, both personally and professionally. He rejoices at the success of his children and grandchildren. The only thing he is sad about until now is that his one and beloved is no longer nearby: Leonid and Nina Kuravlev.