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Video: The tragic fate of the handsome Soviet actor Leonid Bakshtaev, the protagonist of the film "Aty-Baty, there were soldiers walking "
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
Already from the first roles in the cinema for the actor Leonid Bakshtaev the role of a romantic hero was fixed. Blond, blue-eyed, tall, he organically fit in the role of heroic personalities. The actor was rightfully considered one of the most handsome men in Soviet cinema, and, of course, women adored him. And all his life he loved one and only one. And in general, it seemed that everything was in his fate - happiness in the family, success and recognition in an acting career, sincere audience love. But, ironically, the ending of his life turned out to be rather quick and sad.
An incredibly modest, noble, sympathetic, sincere and bright person, Leonid Bakshtaev was remembered by his relatives, best friends and colleagues. And in the memory of a huge audience of spectators, he remained an example of incredible charm and masculinity. Despite the fact that Leonid Georgievich came to cinema at a fairly mature age, at 33, his filmography is about fifty paintings. For a quarter of a century, he created heroic images of officers and soldiers on the screen. However, the majority of viewers remembered him in the role of Colonel Konstantin Svyatkin in the military film "Aty-Baty, Soldiers Walking", which became the last directorial work of Leonid Bykov.
The actor was very organic and memorable on the screen in the films "In the Kiev direction", "Commissars", "Order: do not open fire", "Red diplomatic couriers". Bakshtaev was also invited to play the role of enemy officers. So, in the film "Nina" he appeared in the guise of SS officer Schultz, and in the joint Soviet-Yugoslav film "Wedding" - he played the role of a German major. In addition to military films, the actor starred in the musical film Bumbarash, the children's film Scarlet epaulettes, the musical fairy tale "Sold Laughter", the drama The Story of One Love, the detective story "Kill the Jackal" and others.
Leonid Georgievich made a huge contribution to the theatrical art. Thanks to his talented performance, many performances were sold out. It was on the theatrical stage that his versatile and multifaceted acting talent was revealed. It seemed that Bakshtaev could play any role of any complexity. Therefore, a well-deserved award to the luminary of the stage and screen was the awarding of the title of "People's Artist" to him.
And on this occasion, I would like to emphasize once again that human life is so unpredictable … Born on the Belarusian land, being a Russian by nationality, Bakshtaev entered the history of cinema and theater art as a People's Artist of the Ukrainian SSR. However, he also found his last refuge on Ukrainian soil …
Turning the pages of a biography
The official documents of Leonid Bakshtaev indicated that he was born on May 10, 1934 in the village of Dobryn, in the Gomel region. However, the actual date of birth, according to his grandmother, was May 1935. During the war, all documents burned down and during the restoration Leonid deliberately added a year to himself, so the guy wanted to become a Komsomol member as soon as possible.
In the family, he was the youngest child of three children who were left orphans very early. Mother died in 1938, and my father did not come from the fronts of the Patriotic War, disappearing without a trace. Little Lenya and his and older sisters were raised by their grandmother and grandfather, who lived in the Belarusian Polesie.
According to Leonid Georgievich himself, creative abilities, however, like external data, he inherited from his grandfather, who was a very handsome, hardworking, stately and economic person. At one time he graduated from a parish school, played all musical instruments with virtuosity. He also taught his ten children to play music, and later his grandchildren. Their famous family orchestra played at all the village festivals.
Therefore, it is not surprising that Leonid, having taken over all the talents from his grandfather, in his childhood participated in the amateur performances of the school theater, where he always played the main roles. At the same time, the school teachers did not just dislike, but were a little afraid of the teenager, who skillfully knew how to parody them. Once the tomboy copied the head teacher so that he was excommunicated from classes for several days.
After graduation, artistic talent brought Leonid Bakshtaev to Minsk, where he entered the Belarusian Theater Institute without any problems on the course of Dmitry Alekseevich Orlov. Here he received not only his beloved creative profession for life, but also met his only love.
The only one … and for life
And Leonid met his fate while still in Belarus at the theater institute. Maria Fedorovich studied with the same teacher as our hero, only came to the university a year later. When the lovers decided to get married, the mentor categorically stated: Maria had to choose and, of course, love prevailed. And the best graduate of the institute, Bakshtayev, refused to work in the Minsk theater because of the principle and left for Uzbekistan with his young wife.
However, the beginning of her acting career was not very successful. Despite the fact that both of them were hired by the local theater (Masha was hired without a diploma), minimum salaries, constant salary delays, poor nutrition and the same living conditions led to the fact that Mary was diagnosed with bone tuberculosis. Doctors strongly advised to change the climate, to improve the way of life and nutrition.
Bakshtaev, worried about the health of his beloved, began to look for a way out. And soon the young family moved to Ukraine in the city of Nikolaev. Then there was Dnepropetrovsk, and then Kiev. In the capital, the actor settled in the theater. Lesia Ukrainka, to whom he devoted 30 years of his life.
Leonid Georgievich worked very hard, acted in films, was involved in many performances, performed at concerts. The actor's family had two daughters - Marina and Alesya. Daughters always spoke of their father as the kindest, caring and attentive person. His eldest daughter recalled: He tried to provide for his family so that his children and wife did not need anything.
Actor Bakshtaev belonged to that rare type of men who fall in love once and for life. Having fallen in love in his student years, Leonid carried this tremulous feeling throughout his life. With Maria, for whose sake at one time he was not afraid to drastically change his fate, they lived in perfect harmony for almost 36 years, until trouble knocked on the door of their house.
The tragedy that ruined life
The accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in 1986 broke the family idyll and interrupted the actor's career. Hundreds of volunteer artists throughout the country selflessly went to the very epicenter of events in order to support the liquidators of the accident during these terrible days. Among these heroes was Leonid Bakshtaev. He said that he could not do otherwise and that these brave people, who were hostages of a terrible tragedy, needed moral support. He went there more than once with performances as part of the theater. After all, few people then knew how such selflessness would turn out for many.
The Chernobyl tragedy and the Bakshtaev family were not spared. In 1993, the artist fell seriously ill. The examination showed that he had leukemia. Doctors from the Institute of Oncology unanimously argued that this ailment is the result of radiation exposure in large doses. Leonid Georgievich was placed in the capital's clinic "Feofania", and a desperate struggle for life began. As time went on, there was no improvement. In order to somehow distract himself, the actor began to write a memoir entitled "Interrupted Confessions: A Story-Memory", which, fortunately, he managed to finish …
P. S
On July 29, 1995, Maria Bakshtaeva was sitting next to her dying husband, holding his hand. The pulse was barely palpable. Unbearable pain pierced the woman's heart - her beloved person left her forever … And the words that he managed to whisper rang in his head:
The actor was buried at the Forest Cemetery of the Ukrainian capital - the largest necropolis on the left-bank part of Kiev. True, ten years after the death of the collective of the theater. Lesya Ukrainka nevertheless erected a monument at the burial place of Leonid Bakshtaev, thus paying tribute to the talented artist.
The tragedy of Chernobyl claimed thousands of lives of the liquidators of the accident, it also caught the civilian population living in the 30-kilometer zone. Grief came to the families of many creative people who, to the extent of their civic position, were at the epicenter of the tragedy at that time. About one of these stories, our publication: What caused the early departure of the "golden voice" of Bukovina: Nazariy Yaremchuk.
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