Among the inhabitants of our country, it is difficult to find a person who can not answer the question of who Veniamin Smekhov is. The mysterious Athos from the cult film "D'Artagnan and the Three Musketeers" forever remained in the memory of the audience. What is known about the creative achievements and off-screen life of the "Count de La Fer", who once won the hearts of millions?
Veniamin Laughs: childhood
The man who was destined to play Athos was born in Moscow, it happened in August 1940. Smekhov Veniamin Borisovich was born in the family of a general practitioner and doctor of economic sciences. The parents of the future actor were Jewish by nationality. The child could see his father only at the age of five, since he participated in the Great Patriotic War.
In the first years of his life, the boy Venya dreamed of becoming a driver, but soon this desire passed. Then he tested his strength as a writer, writing naive and funny tales. They gradually gave way to poetry, however, this hobby was abandoned, as the theater entered the life of the child. He was accepted into the drama club, which worked at the Palace of Pioneers. The studio was known for being under the tutelage of Roland Bykov himself. At the same time, Benjamin Smekhov fell in love with jazz. He even created a musical group that worked in this genre, but the collective did not last long.
Student years
When asked about why he chose his profession, he talks about the love of reincarnation. Only on the stage, the calm and reasonable boy Venya could try on the images of adventurers, hooligans and freedom fighters attractive to him. However, he might not have become a student of Pike if Uncle Leo had not persuaded him to go there. Benjamin Smekhov got on a course led by Vladimir Etush.
Surprisingly, while studying in the second year of the future, Athos was expelled. The young man was considered too shy, boring and expressionless for the stage. However, Smekhov soon managed to recover at the school, by the end of his studies, the student even became one of Etush's favorites. The diploma was awarded to Benjamin in 1961.
First roles
Cinema entered the life of yesterday’s student only a few years after the end of Pike. Kuibyshev is the first city in which Benjamin Smekhov was able to make himself known. The biography of the actor contains information about the fact that he spent one and a half years in this village, performing on the stage of a local theater, and then returned to Moscow.
For some time, Smekhov was left without work, which even forced him to start thinking about changing his profession. However, in 1962, a novice actor managed to get a job at the Taganka Theater. Veniamin kept his loyalty to the theater within his walls for over twenty years, managed to play several dozen roles. He decided to part with his usual place of work in 1985, it was a protest against the expulsion of the director Yuri Lyubimov from the USSR.
Of course, fans are interested in the first films with Benjamin Smekhov. Cinema broke into the life of a young man only in 1968. The first character, whose image he embodied in the movie, was Baron Krause. He got this role in the drama "Two Comrades Served", dedicated to the civil war that erupted in 1920. Then Smekhov took part in the filming of the film "Smok and the Kid", aimed at a children's audience.
Finest hour
“D'Artagnan and the Three Musketeers” is the most famous film in which Benjamin Smekhov starred. Films in which he received roles after, could not achieve the same deafening success. The hero of the actor Athos won the hearts of thousands of Soviet spectators with his romance and mystery. The tape was presented to the public in 1978, after which Smekhov for many years forgot about a quiet life. Fans watched him outside the house, littered with letters containing declarations of love.
Veniamin Borisovich happened to play the famous Count de La Fer again in 1982. The stellar composition of the picture remained unchanged, the director was again George Yungvald-Khilkevich. The continuation of the famous story, the plot of which is borrowed from the works of Alexander Dumas, was enthusiastically received by the audience.
Further film career
Of course, D'Artagnan and the Three Musketeers is not the only successful film in which the talented Veniamin Smekhov played. Films in which he was shot after, were also successful with the audience. “Please blame Claud K. for my death.” - a piercing drama dedicated to unrequited love. In this tape, the actor embodied the image of the artist Uncle Seva, who is friends with the family of the beautiful girl Claudia.
It should be noted and the adventure film "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves," in which the actor was offered the role of Mustafa. Smekhov not only played one of the key characters, but also acted as the author of the lyrics and participated in the creation of the script. Liked the audience and his cure Maximen, whose image he embodied in the detective drama "The Trap for a Lonely Man." Finally, Dr. Stravinsky, the character whom Smekhov played in The Master and Margarita, should be mentioned.
Relatively new films with Veniamin Smekhov are also worthy of attention. For example, fans of the star should definitely watch the multi-part drama "The White Dove of Cordoba", in which he received an unusual role. The picture tells about the life of a brilliant artist-swindler, cleverly copying the works of famous colleagues. Also worth watching the saga "Captain's Children", in which he embodied the image of the spouse of the main character.
Life behind the scenes
What else can you tell about a talented person, who certainly is Veniamin Smekhov, a biography whose personal life is still of great interest to fans and the press? In the life of the actor there were many women, however, only two of them played an important role in his fate. The first wife of Smekhov was Alla, a student at the Food Institute, whom he married as a student of Pike. Alla gave birth to two daughters. Alika and Elena also chose creative professions, the first became an actress and singer, the second preferred the role of a writer.
Veniamin decided on his second marriage in 1980, the film expert Galina Aksenova became his chosen one. The couple have been together for over 30 years and do not plan to leave.
Interesting Facts
Veniamin Smekhov likes to remember that he agreed to shoot in “D'Artagnan and the Three Musketeers” because of his daughter Elena. The girl loved the work of Dumas, re-read it again and again, refusing to part with her beloved heroes.
In everyday life, the actor is unpretentious, gladly takes on housework, loves to do dishes. Smekhov’s secret passion is cars. For example, several years ago, he purchased a two-door Japanese Subaru in the United States, on which he traveled all over America, even reaching Canada. In all travels, his beloved wife always accompanies him.