One of the most striking and original personalities of Soviet cinema is Mikhail Ulyanov. His biography began in distant Siberia. Unaware of the metropolitan theater life, he arrived in Moscow in 1946. His talent was noticed by professionals. For fifty years, Ulyanov played Lenin, Dmitry Karamazov, Marshal Zhukov, retired avenger and several dozen roles.
Ulyanov Mikhail Alexandrovich arrived in Moscow from a small Siberian city. Quite by chance I learned that at the theater. Vakhtangov has a studio. The professors from the first listening saw in the entrant a true talent. Could the creative path of such a famous actor as Mikhail Ulyanov be easy? Biography, personal life and the most famous roles of the Soviet cinema star are the issues that we will consider in the framework of this article.
Childhood
Ulyanov Mikhail Alexandrovich in his youth was an ordinary Soviet boy: he ran to the cinema, played "Cossack robbers." I never dreamed of a theater, because I knew nothing about this art. His parents had nothing to do with the artistic world. My father led a woodworking farm, my mother was a housewife.
When the war began, the future actor was thirteen years old. Father was called to the front. Like all children of the war, Michael dreamed of falling into the epicenter of hostilities. But did not have time due to a young age.
In his school years, Ulyanov attended literary evenings. About what theater is, he learned only in high school. Once, a troupe from the regional center visited the hometown. The production made a strong impression on Ulyanov. Since then, his main hobby was theater. Fortunately, in a small provincial town there was a children's studio at the drama theater evacuated from Lviv. Here, the future actor was able to show his abilities. The head of the studio advised him to go to Omsk and enroll in a theater school. Mikhail did not neglect the advice.
Student years
Mikhail Ulyanov, whose biography at first glance may seem extremely smooth and happy, nevertheless experienced certain difficulties in the first years of study. After leaving school, he went to Omsk, where he studied for two years in a studio at a drama theater. Learning was not easy.
Michael constantly memorized sketches, visited the rehearsal room and participated in extras. And he was very unhappy with his sonorous high voice. With such a timbre, Ulyanov believed, there was nothing to hope for a real role. The well-known characteristic hoarse voice was developed by everyone through long torment.
After the war, Ulyanov left for Moscow and entered the Shchukin school. Four years passed quickly. He did not have time to come to his senses as the time for graduation performances came.
Only during his studies over two hundred roles was played by Mikhail Ulyanov. The biography of this actor has developed successfully. Already at an early stage of the creative path, the role of Ulyanov was determined. The characters he played were usually positive, socially reliable, ideologically seasoned. At least, this is how Ulyanov was seen by the audience on the screen right up to the “thaw”.
Theatre
The first decade of work in the theater. Vakhtangov actor was very much in demand. But his roles fully corresponded to the spirit of that time. He played Komsomol members, party workers, and finally Lenin. At the end of the fifties, the theater’s repertoire changed somewhat. And Ulyanov began to receive many other interesting roles, both main and secondary. For half a century of work on the stage, the actor created a whole gallery of diverse images.
The closest in spirit to Ulyanov was the role of the main character in the play based on Aitmatov’s novel “And the Night Lasts More Than a Century”. And Rogozhin performed by this actor became the topic of long discussions of theater critics. Before Ulyanov, no one was able to create such a deep image of this hero on stage.
Movie
In 1953, Mikhail Ulyanov played his first film role. The filmography of this actor has several dozen works. Films, thanks to which the actor became known to the Soviet audience - “The House I Live in” and “The Chair”. It should be said that on the screen I managed to get used to the image of the hero of Dostoevsky Mikhail Ulyanov. His filmography includes the role of Dmitry Karamazov in the film adaptation of the immortal work.
Non-heroic character
The actor has repeatedly admitted that he considers his appearance too rustic. And yet, Mikhail Ulyanov is an actor who created in the cinema as many heroic images as no one else could. He played kings, generals and generals. The role of Zhukov himself was also proposed to Ulyanov. The actor wanted to refuse, believing that his character was not suitable for such a difficult job. But even the famous marshal approved Ulyanov’s candidacy. After that, Mikhail Alexandrovich cast aside all sorts of doubts and began preparing for the filming of the film. The performance of this role was managed by Ulyanov. Subsequently, he repeatedly played the famous Marshal of Victory.
A family
Mikhail Ulyanov, whose biography is closely related to the acting profession, met his future wife in the walls of his native theater. His chosen one was a woman with the mysterious French name Parfagnac. In reality, the wife of Mikhail Ulyanov had Ukrainian roots. The actress added a soft sign to her last name for beauty and effect.
Alla Parfanyak was married at the time when Mikhail Ulyanov had a passion for her. Biography, personal life and any information about the family of this actor in the fifties caused great interest among fans. Parfanyak's husband was the famous actor Nikolai Kryuchkov. In addition, the actress had many famous fans. Ulyanov’s chance, the real popularity that came to him after his marriage, was not great. But still he became the husband of Alla Parfanyak and carried loyalty to her through his whole life. Their daughter Elena became an artist. The actor also had a granddaughter, whom he really loved. Therefore, in the film "Voroshilovsky shooter" Mikhail Ulyanov played partly of himself.
Loving father and grandfather
It might seem that theater and cinema should be the meaning of the life of such a talented actor as Mikhail Ulyanov. Family, children and household chores will only hinder creativity. However, this is a fallacy. For Ulyanov, with all his popularity and professional success, the family was in the first place. The actor was a caring father, and later - a loving grandfather. One of the relatives of the Ulyanov family said that she once found a great actor in an occupation that did not go well with his successful career: he sewed a granddaughter doll’s dress.
Last roles
In the nineties and at the beginning of this century, the great Soviet and Russian actor played not so many roles. At least when compared with the intensity of its loads in the old days. One of the latest works is the main role in the film “Voroshilovsky shooter”. Mikhail Ulyanov agreed to star in the film by Stanislav Govorukhin primarily because he felt and understood his hero. An ordinary old man with a long, honest life behind him does not understand and does not want to come to terms with what is happening around - this is how actor Mikhail Ulyanov created the image of a retired avenger. For this work he received several awards. The fee, however, burned out as a result of default. In his last years, Ulyanov lived on the salary of an artistic director and a very modest pension.
In the late nineties, the actor also starred in the film "Composition for Victory Day." This work was especially interesting for Ulyanov, because in the film of Sergei Ursulyak , tragedy and comedy are combined in an unusual way. Partners Ulyanov became O. Efremov and V. Tikhonov. But in this famous trio, the best, according to critics, is still Mikhail Alexandrovich.
Ulyanov reflected his biography and outstanding events in his creative life in books. He wrote five works. The last of them - "Reality and Dream" - was published after the death of the actor
Mikhail Alexandrovich Ulyanov passed away in 2007. Death occurred due to a serious illness with which the actor unsuccessfully fought for several years. Mikhail Ulyanov is buried in the Novodevichy cemetery.