Fame came to Yefim Kopelyan already in adulthood. For the first time he attracted the attention of viewers thanks to the drama "The Elusive Avengers". In this film, the actor embodied the image of Ataman Burnash. During his life, Efim Zakharovich appeared in about 80 film and television projects. What is the story of the star?
Efim Kopelyan: biography, family
The hero of this article was born in Belarus, or rather, in Rechitsa. It happened in April 1912. It is known that Yefim Kopelyan was a Jew by nationality. His father was engaged in logging, and his mother ran a household and raised children. The boyâs grandfather owned a sawmill, which supplied wood for bridges of the military department.
It is known that Yefim had five brothers. One of them, Isaac, became a famous artist.
Childhood
Until 1929, Yefim Kopelyan and his family lived in Rechitsa. In childhood, the boy imagined himself an artist or an architect. He liked to draw, he could do this for hours. Also, the child loved to read. At the age of 12, he became acquainted with the work of Shakespeare. His love for this author began with the work "King Lear", which he read excitedly. The book made such a strong impression on Yefim that he re-read all of Shakespeare.
As a child, Kopelyan could not have imagined that he was destined to become a famous actor. The boy never participated in amateur performances. In 1928, he graduated from the Rechitsa Labor School.
Education
In 1929, Yefim Kopelyan went to conquer Leningrad. For some time he worked as a turner at the Krasny Putilovets factory, then became a student at the Institute of Proletarian Fine Arts. The young man chose the faculty of architecture, which had previously graduated from his two older brothers.
Already in his student years, Yefim began to get involved in dramatic art. Kopelyan participated in extras in productions of the Bolshoi Drama Theater. In the end, the guy realized that he likes to play on stage, listen to the applause of the audience. He left the institute and entered the studio at the theater. The young man comprehended the secrets of the profession under the leadership of K.K. Tversky, who at that time was the chief director of the BDT. This man was a very strict teacher. Few students rated it higher than three. One day, Yefim managed to get the top five. Tverskoy made an exception, as he was impressed by the talent of the young man.
Even in his student years, Efim Kopelyan managed to play several bright roles. For example, in the production of The Life and Death of King Richard the Third, he embodied the image of Lord Gray.
Theatre
In 1935, the BDT opened its doors to the actor Yefim Kopelyan. He made his debut in the production of "Do not give up" in the role of cameraman Burkova. For a while, the actor played only secondary and episodic roles. âStone Guestâ, âDuma of the Britishâ, âKubanâ, âSummer Residentsâ, âMan with a Gunâ, âCherry Orchardâ, âCorneliusâ, âKing Potapâ, âKing Learâ, âAt the Bottom,â Officer Fleet â,â Creation of the World â- the first performances with his participation.
During the Second World War Kopelyan served in the Theater of the Peopleâs Militia. Already in 1943, he again began to play on the stage of the BDT. In 1956 G. Tovstonogov came to the theater, who managed to discern in Yefim Zakharovich what other directors refused to see. Since then, the actor no longer had passing roles. He began to create ambiguous and deep stage images.
âFive eveningsâ, âSignor Mario writes a comedyâ, âThe death of the squadronâ, âIrkutsk historyâ, âThose who did not bow their headsâ, âWoe from witâ, âChamberâ, âHappy days of an unlucky personâ, âThird Guardâ - famous performances with the participation of Kopelyan can be listed for a long time. His characters are conflicting people who are constantly in a state of struggle with themselves and others. On the BDT stage, Efim Zakharovich played until the end of his life. In total, he served in this theater for 43 years.
The beginning of a film career
From the biography of Yefim Kopelyan it follows that he first got on the set in 1932. The novice actor made his debut in the film "Hero's Error." Roman Yefim Zakharovich with cinema for a long time did not work out. Kopelyan was offered mostly small roles. His first films are listed below.
- Tanker Derbent.
- Boxers.
- "Fault".
- "Dzhambul."
- "Spring Love".
- "Gadfly".
- "Prologue".
- "Searchers."
- "Old Hottabych."
- âBaltic Gloryâ.
- "In the days of October."
- Kochubey.
- "Reaching and others."
- "The very first."
- "Only the statues are silent."
- "In the dead loop."
- "Everything remains for the people."
- "Two Sundays."
- "Winter is our anxiety."
- Rembrandt.
- "Sleep".
- Goodbye Boys.
- "Conscience does not forgive."
- "Crash".
- "Time forward!".
- "On the same planet."
- "The Life of Galileo."
- "Fear and despair in the Third Empire."
- "The promise of happiness."
- "26 Baku commissars."
Finest hour
The biography and personal life of Yefim Kopelyan interested the public thanks to the film âThe Elusive Avengersâ. The adventure film tells the story of four desperate guys who are fighting a dangerous gang.
Initially, the director Edmond Keosayan planned to remove Yefim Zakharovich as Sidor Lyuty. However, the tests showed that Kopelyan is able to convincingly play the chieftain Burnash, the leader of the gang. The audience literally fell in love with the image created by the actor. No one was pushed away by the fact that Burnash is a negative character.
The image of the chieftain Efim embodied in the continuation of the "Elusive Avengers".
Vivid roles
Thanks to The Elusive Avengers, not only the audience, but also the directors drew attention to Yefim Kopelyan. Films with his participation began to go after another. The actor finally began to offer interesting roles.
In 1967, the drama "Nikolai Bauman" was presented to the audience. The historical and revolutionary tape tells the story of the famous revolutionary, the creator of the Iskra newspaper. In this picture, Kopelyan convincingly played the famous businessman and philanthropist Savva Morozov.
In the adventure films âResident's mistakeâ and âResident's fateâ, Efim Zakharovich convincingly played General Sergeyev. In Crime and Punishment, his hero was the nobleman and widower Svidrigailov, in love with Raskolnikovâs sister. In Dauria, the actor embodied the image of the Cossack chieftain Kargin. The hero did not accept the revolution, continued to fight for royal power, suffered for his convictions.
"Eternal Call"
Efim Kopelyan played a bright role in the TV series âEternal Callâ by Valery Uskov and Vladimir Krasnopolsky. This television project tells the difficult story of the Saveliev family, which takes place against the background of historical events taking place in the country in the 20th century. The main characters are constantly faced with a difficult choice.
Mikhail Lukich Kaftanov is a negative character. Krasnopolsky and Uskov had to fight for the fact that this hero was played by Efim Zakharovich. Kopelyan was considered too charming for the role of a fist and an enemy of Soviet power.
Voice behind the scene
For the first time, the voice of actor Yefim Kopelyan, whose biography and personal life are considered in the article, was sounded off-screen in the comedy film "Adam and Kheva" by Alexei Korenev. Then he began to be invited to voice popular science, documentary, and feature films.
His brilliant talent as a reader was fully revealed in the famous series âSeventeen Moments of Springâ. It was Yefim Zakharovich who was honored to voice the inner voice of the legendary scout Stirlitz.
Love family
Fans, of course, are interested not only in the creative achievements of a talented actor. What was the personal life of Yefim Kopelyan? In 1935, he married his colleague Tatyana Pevtsova. The marriage did not pass the test of living together. Five years later, the actors parted.
Efim Zakharovich found happiness in marriage with Lyudmila Makarova. He met this woman at the BDT Theater. The actress was ten years younger than him, but this did not become an obstacle. They met for a while, then they got married. In 1948, the wife gave Kopelyan a son, the boy was named Cyril.
Last days
In early 1975, the actor was forced to go to the hospital. Efim Zakharovich was there right before the premiere of the play âThree Sacks of Weed Wheatâ. Kopelyan had a heart attack, a two-month treatment was required. The actor felt better and better.
Efim Zakharovich was about to be discharged when he suddenly had a second heart attack. A talented actor died on March 6, 1975. His grave is in the Volkovsky cemetery. For Lyudmila Makarova, the death of her beloved husband was a serious blow. She did not marry a second time. The actress survived her husband for 39 years. Lyudmila passed away in 2014.
Interesting Facts
One day, Yefim Kopelyan almost broke up with his famous mustache. He shaved them, and in this form caught the eye of Tovstonogov. The director said that the actor has lost his personality. This remark forced Efim Zakharovich to grow his mustache again.
Kopelyan never hid that he does not like all the roles he played in the movie. The actor was proud of the images created in Dauria, Nicolae Bauman, Crime and Punishment.
The external restraint of Yefim Zakharovich often deceived others. People who knew him poorly considered the actor gloomy, uncommunicative. From the memoirs of Kopelyanâs wife and friends, it follows that in reality he was ridiculous, like a child. In recent years, the actor has been weighed down by a mask of thoughtful skepticism that has stuck to him. He dreamed of playing in comedy. Efim Zakharovich got the opportunity to fully demonstrate his comedic gift in the play "Hanuma".
A photo of Yefim Kopelyan can be seen in the article.