Evgeny Alexandrovich Evstigneev (1926-1992) - Soviet and Russian theater and film actor, teacher. People's Artist of the USSR, Chevalier of the Order of Lenin, laureate of the USSR State Prize and the RSFSR State Prize named after I. brothers Vasiliev. Today, theater schools, awards, festivals and parks are named after him.
There are many interesting facts in the biography of Evstigneev, which we will talk about in this article.
So, before you is a short biography of Evgeny Evstigneev.
Biography of Evstigneev
Evgeny Evstigneev was born on October 9, 1926 in Nizhny Novgorod. He grew up and was brought up in a working-class family that has nothing to do with cinema.
His father, Alexander Nikolaevich, worked as a metallurgist, and his mother, Maria Ivanovna, was a milling machine operator.
Childhood and youth
The first tragedy in the biography of the future artist occurred at the age of 6 - his father died. After that, the mother remarried, as a result of which Eugene was raised by his stepfather.
Before the outbreak of the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945) Evstigneev graduated from the 7th grade of secondary school. In subsequent years, he managed to work as an electrician and locksmith in a factory that produced fasteners for the automotive industry.
At the same time, the young man showed great interest in amateur performances. He had an amazing musical ability, as a result of which he played excellently on a variety of instruments, including guitar and piano. He especially liked jazz.
After the end of the war, Evgeny Evstigneev entered the Gorky Musical College, which would later be named after him. Here he was able to reveal his creative potential even more. After 5 years of study, the guy was assigned to the Vladimir drama theater.
After 3 years, Evstigneev went to Moscow to continue his education at the Moscow Art Theater School. The young applicant's acting skills impressed the admissions committee so much that he was immediately enrolled in the 2nd year. In 1956 he graduated from the Studio School and was admitted to the Moscow Art Theater.
Theatre
In 1955, Evgeny Aleksandrovich, together with a group of students from the Moscow Art Theater School, took part in the formation of the "Studio of Young Actors". An interesting fact is that a year later the "studio" became the base for the Sovremennik theater.
After graduation, Evstigneev began working in the newly formed Sovremennik. Here he stayed for about 15 years, playing many major roles. The first fame came to him after participating in the production of "The Naked King", where he brilliantly played the king.
In 1971, following Oleg Efremov, Eugene moved to the Moscow Art Theater, where he worked until 1990. Here he again got key roles. Muscovites with great pleasure went to the performances "Three Sisters", "Warm Heart", "Uncle Vanya" and many others.
At the end of 1980, Evstigneev had a heart attack, which is why he did not go on stage for about a year. Later, he again began to participate in performances, since he could not imagine his life without theater. In 1990, he played on the stage of the Anton Chekhov Theater in the production of Ivanov, transforming into Shabelsky.
In 1992, the year of his death, the artist was seen in the ARTtel of ARTists Sergey Yursky. He got the role of Glov in the play "Players-XXI".
Films
On the big screen Evstigneev first appeared in 1957. He played a minor character in the film "Duel". The first popularity came to him in 1964, when he starred in the famous comedy "Welcome, or No Unauthorized Entry".
The following year, Eugene was entrusted with the main role in the science fiction film "Engineer Garin's Hyperboloid." It is curious that this tape was awarded the Golden Seal of the City of Trieste at the Italian Film Festival.
In subsequent years Evstigneev appeared in such cult films as Beware of the Car, Golden Calf and Zigzag of Fortune. In 1973 he played in the famous TV series "Seventeen Moments of Spring". The actor was transformed into Professor Pleischner. And although this role was small, his soulful acting was remembered by many viewers.
After that, Evgeny Alexandrovich starred in a number of films, including "For family reasons", "The meeting place cannot be changed" and "We are from jazz". It is worth noting that participation in the last picture gave him special pleasure.
This was due to the fact that Evstigneev was a big fan of jazz. He had a lot of records that he brought from abroad. The man enjoyed the work of Frank Sinatra, Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong.
In 1985, the premiere of the musical drama "Winter Evening in Gagra" took place, where Evgeny Evstigneev became a professional tap dancer. Interestingly, the film was largely based on the biography of the tap dancer Alexei Bystrov.
And yet, perhaps the most significant role in the biography of Evstigneev is considered the character of Dr. Preobrazhensky, in the legendary drama "Heart of a Dog", based on the work of the same name by Bulgakov. For this role he was awarded the State Prize of the RSFSR them. It is curious that the artist had never read this book before filming.
In subsequent years, Evgeny Aleksandrovich starred in a number of films, among which the greatest success was received by "City of Zero", "Children of bitches" and "Midshipmen, forward!"
The last work of Evstigneev was the historical film "Ermak", which appeared on the big screen after his death. In it, he played Ivan the Terrible, but did not manage to voice his hero. As a result, the tsar spoke in the voice of Sergei Artsibashev.
Personal life
The first wife of Evstigneev was the famous actress Galina Volchek. In this marriage, the couple had a boy Denis, who in the future will follow in the footsteps of his parents. After 10 years of marriage, young people decided to leave.
Then Evgeny married the artist of "Sovremennik" Lilia Zhurkina, with whom he began a close relationship while still married to Volchek. According to the recollections of Zhurkina herself, when she first saw Evstigneev on stage, she thought: "Lord, what an old and terrible man!"
Nevertheless, the girl succumbed to the courtship of the actor, unable to resist his charm. They lived together for 23 years, of which 20 years have been married. In this union, they had a girl named Maria.
The last decade of the couple's life was darkened by the diseases of the wife, who began to suffer from psoriasis, osteochondrosis and alcoholism. Evstigneev tried to treat his beloved in the best clinics, but all efforts were in vain. The woman died at the age of 48 in 1986.
After the death of his wife, Evgeny Alexandrovich suffered a 2nd heart attack. Less than a year later, the artist went down the aisle for the third time. This time his chosen one was the young Irina Tsyvina, who was 35 years younger than her husband.
The couple lived together for 6 years, until the death of Evstigneev. According to contemporaries, this union was unusually strong. The actor understood that his life could end at any moment, and Irina would probably marry someone else.
In this regard, Evgeny Alexandrovich asked the girl that if she had a son from another man, let him bear his name. As a result, Tsyvina kept her promise, calling her first-born Eugene, whom she gave birth to in her second marriage.
Death
Postponed 2 heart attacks in 1980 and 1986, made themselves felt. Shortly before the death of Evstigneev, they were supposed to be operated on in the UK, but when an English heart surgeon examined the man, he said that the operation would not bring any benefit.
Almost immediately after consulting the doctor with Yevgeny Alexandrovich, another heart attack occurred, and after 4 hours he was gone. Doctors came to the conclusion that only a heart transplant could save him.
The body of the Soviet artist was transported by plane to Moscow. Evgeny Evstigneev died on March 4, 1992 at the age of 65, and 5 days later he was buried at the Novodevichy cemetery.
Photo by Evstegneev
