This actor did not want to play the role of Hamlet. He said that âthis is not hisâ, that he âdoes not feelâ the image of the Danish prince. Everyone knows the name of this wonderful Russian and Soviet actor. His ironic phrase âI demand a continuation of the banquet!â became winged. The numerous images created by him in the cinema are loved by the people. He is popular, not only according to the officially received title, but also in essence - in relation to people towards him.
Yuri Yakovlev - a national favorite
The biography of Yuri Yakovlev is a chronology of intense creative searches and brilliant acting finds. After the appearance of the lieutenant Rzhevsky presented by him on the screens, the whole country erupted in witty anecdotes about this hussar. Yuri Vasilievich Yakovlev was able to touch the secret strings of the people's soul! Tsar Ivan the Terrible and Ippolit Georgievich, whom he presented with subtle irony, are invariably loved by the people.
Do you know everything about him? Do you know, for example, that the text "from the author" in the films "Old robbers" and "Watch out for the car" is still read by Yuri Yakovlev? How was this creative person formed? Let's try to answer this question, the biography of Yuri Yakovlev is the subject of this article.
The origin of the actor
Rod Yuri Vasilyevich has Voronezh roots. His grandfather Vasily Nikolaevich was once considered a large and successful merchant specializing in shoes. He was repeatedly chosen by the vowel of the City Duma. The father of the future actor Vasily Vasilyevich did not immediately choose the path of a lawyer for himself. Before that, he studied for 2 years at the conservatory and entered the Moscow Art Theater, they say that he was even praised by Stanislavsky. From him in the âinheritanceâ born on 04.25.1928 in Moscow, son Yuri got the famous âvelvetâ voice.
Mom (Olga Mikhailovna), who worked as a nurse, also moved to Moscow, but from her native Taganrog. She was a hardworking and intelligent woman. Father and mother Yuri divorced shortly after his birth. However, they raised their son together. The biography of Yuri Yakovlev indicates that many of his relatives were repressed in 1937. Fortunately, by the will of fate, the authorities did not touch their parents.
War years
The outbreak of the Great Patriotic War forced mom and son to evacuate to Ufa. The thirteen-year-old son, together with his mother Olga Mikhailovna, worked in the hospital. After the Nazi troops were driven back from the capital by the Red Army, which went on the offensive, the family returned to Moscow. Upon return, the future actor suffered an initial degree of dystrophy. Even âbrains didn't work,â he recalled. For this reason, Yuri had to stay in his second year, and then go to a working school. The future actor received a certificate of secondary education at the age of 20. By the way, at school he experienced a feeling of first love, the girl's name was Galya.
Post-war youth
With the patronage of acquaintances, he was helped to find work in a garage at the United States Embassy in Spiridonovka. First, the young man refueled the cars, then they began to trust him with the current repair, and then he was entrusted with driving the Willis jeep. With American masters, Yuri had a friendship, and he began to understand quite well the profession of an auto mechanic. At that time, the young man connected his future with the Faculty of International Relations of Moscow State University (predecessor of MGIMO). His older brother was already studying at this faculty. Yuri was interested in those years brother textbooks on diplomacy, history, law. However, as evidenced by the biography of Yuri Yakovlev, the sudden desire to become an actor still prevailed.
Admission to the Schukin School
The creative biography of Yuri Yakovlev began with an unsuccessful attempt to enter the VGIK. The future famous film actor was refused with the wording: "Non-kinogenic." Then he entered the Schukin School, which he graduated in 1952. Yuri Yakovlev later recalled how Vladimir Etush, a member of the selection committee, without considering talent, told the young man that the factories were waiting for him.
Difficult study
Studying did not go smoothly with him. In his first year in acting, he was given a âdeuceâ. The teacher, the leading course of Cecilia Lvovna Mansurova, contrary to the rules, prevented the student from being expelled. âI'm interested in him,â she said, and continued to work on cutting talent. In his second year in acting, he was given âsatisfactoryâ. But then ... he, still a student, was implored by the director, founder of the Union of Cinematographers Ivan Alexandrovich Pyryev, People's Artist of the USSR, to star with Eldar Ryazanov. It is possible that without such a principled and rigid pedagogy, actor Yuri Yakovlev would never have taken place. The biography of the actor further confirms this.
He was really unstable, and often unprincipled on many everyday issues in his young years: relations with women, parenting, relationships with colleagues. But creativity, attitude to art for him was always sacred. And in this, the actor never, at any age, recognized compromises.
Since 1952, he began his theatrical work at the Vakhtangov Theater, where he was invited after graduation.
Acting Path
Yuri Yakovlev inspirationally and selflessly worked at the Vakhtangov Theater in its heyday. His filmography began in the 70s, theatrical productions as if invited him to the cinema. He seriously declared himself in the production of the fairy tale âTo be afraid of grief - not to see happinessâ by Samuel Marshak (1954). The next brilliant work of the actor was the role of a major in the production of "Ladies and Hussars", after which people began to go to the theater "on Yakovleva". The famous Vakhtangov production of the play âPrincess Turandotâ by Carlo Gozzi was adorned with the way the image of Pantalone was played by Yuri Yakovlev. Photos of the actor appeared not only on posters, but also in the press. It was a success.
Yuri Vasilievich had a special attitude to the personality and work of Anton Pavlovich Chekhov. In the play "Mocking My Happiness" actor Yuri Yakovlev brilliantly presented the image of a classic of Russian literature. His biography was further enriched by creative successes. His interpretation of the complex role of Glumov in Ostrovskyâs comedy of 5 acts, âFor Every Wise Man Is Pretty Simplicity,â played in 1968, proved to theatergoers that this actor is capable of really deep transformation. But Yuri Vasilievich does not stop there, continuing to build up his creative potential.
The play âLord Glembaiâ from the director from Yugoslavia Miroslav Belovich exposed a passionate, at the limit of human emotional expressiveness game from an outstanding actor. However, wonderful acting work was later. In 1983, directed by Roman Grigoryevich Viktyuk, directed by Anna Karenina, the image of the spouse of the protagonist, and in 1993 in the melodrama Ostrovsky without guilt, the role of the patron Dudkin, a devotee of the theater. In total, there are more than 70 theater roles in the track record. The coryphaeus of the Vakhtangov Theater served the Stage to the end: in the 2012/2013 theater season, he still played in the play âMarinaâ.
The funeral of Yuri Yakovlev, which began with a farewell to him at the Vakhtangov Theater, was like his last performance. Tragic. People were aware of the scale of the loss for all domestic art.
What do the actors themselves say about him? Turning to the site of the Vakhtangov Theater? âKissed by Godâ, âlace actorâ, âhe is a terrific partnerâ, âactor of intuitionâ, âacute characterâ. Yuri Vasilievich is always organic on stage, his emotional representation of the role is so natural that it resembles a bird's flight: powerful, smooth, giving the joy of being to people.
The actor himself recalled one incident that happened to him in Viktyukâs play âAnna Kareninaâ. Playing her husband in the episode when Anna is raving, he sincerely worried and fearing her death, turned in his thoughts for help to God. And suddenly, looking up, he saw the face of Christ. He was shocked. As the actor himself narrated, his wifeâs friend, talking about her impression of this scene, asked him if he had seen God?
The first work in the cinema
The first success in the cinema was brought to him by the role of Prince Myshkin in the screen version of Idiot, directed by Pyryev, Fedor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky. A decent person, misunderstood and rejected by the mercantile society of money-grubbers, was played in this film by the artist Yuri Yakovlev (his biography in the cinema began in 1956 with the role of actor Chakhotkin from the vaudeville "On the Stage".)
The Yakovlev role of Prince Myshkin was so liked by Hollywood directors that he received their offer - to star in the role of Jesus Christ. He was forced to refuse ...
Most favorite roles
The love of millions of spectators across a vast country earned him the role of lieutenant Rzhevsky from the âHussar Balladâ directed by Eldar Ryazanov (1962). It was such a creative take-off that Eldar Alexandrovich later called it âan absolute ray of lightâ with talent, a smile, a unique voice and absolutely magical. After this joint work, they, the director and the actor, made good friends for life. After Yuri Yakovlev passed away on November 30, 2013, Eldar Ryazanovâs wife turned off all phones for a while, sparing her husband from the terrible news - the death of her best friend.

Back to the chronology. The second famous work of the artist Yakovlev was the wonderful role of the jealous Ippolit Georgievich in âThe Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bathâ. His organic game really adorned the movie, chosen by the people as an indispensable attribute of the New Year, along with Olivier salad, Christmas tree and Santa Claus. With the light hand of the genius Leonid Gaidai , Yuri Yakovlev also had the most difficult game in the film "Ivan Vasilyevich Changes the Profession". In this comedy, fun and colorful film, the actor played two roles at once - Tsar Ivan the Terrible and the manager of the house Ivan Vasilyevich Bunshi - organically, unconventionally, cheerfully. The audience, of course, remembered the tsarâs phrase, looking at Moscow from the balcony after drinking a glass of the capital with sprats in pursuit: âWhat a beauty! Lepota! " How subtle in his radiant humor Yuri Yakovlev! His filmography, undoubtedly, is the decoration of domestic cinema.
Other roles expensive for Yakovlev
He also had meaningful cooperation with other directors: with Alexander Zarhi (âAnna Kareninaâ, the image of Steve Oblonsky), with Evgeny Matveev (dilogy âFateâ and âEarthly Loveâ, the image of Tikhon Bryukhanov), with Tatyana Lioznova (â Carnival âandâ We, the Undersigned â), George Daneliaâ Kin-dza-dza â. In general, Yuri Yakovlev played 85 film and television roles. His filmography is diverse. In addition to the roles tangible by the audience, Yuri participated in the dubbing of the animated films âMummy Trollâ and âThe Adventures of Vasya Kurolesovâ.
The role played by the road to the actor is directly proportional to their popularity with the audience. In particular, the role of Steve Oblonsky, which, according to Yakovlev himself, ânobody knowsâ was especially expensive for him as an actor.
Stormy personal life of the actor
The personal life of the actor can not be called boring. Why? Every day, "burned to the ground" on stage Yuri Yakovlev. Biography, children - how all this will be interpreted later - all this was in the background. He was looking for himself in the work, looking, including communicating with women. With his first wife Kira Machulskaya, a student at the medical institute, Yuri Yakovlev met at the Hungarian Music Festival in the Hall named after Tchaikovsky. The girl was sitting in the middle of the stalls. At the end of the performance, the young man handed her a coat, and then for a long time, all night they walked around the city and talked. After the Saratov filming of the film âExtraordinary Summerâ by director Dibich, the young people returned to Moscow and got married. In 1961, the daughter of Yuri Yakovlev, Alena, was born. However, the extremely surprised wife soon discovered that her husband had an affair on the side, with Ekaterina Raikina, the daughter of Arkady Raikin, and she was pregnant. Joint work in the play "Ladies and Hussars" of "Major" with "Mrs. Zosey" turned theatrical passion into real. Until this time, Ekaterina Raikina was married to Mikhail Derzhavin and managed to divorce. However, with Catherine, his relationship ended soon after the birth of his son Alexei. Their marriage was also soon dissolved.
Family Harbor - Third Marriage
And finally, the actorâs third marriage was really durable - for the rest of his life. The director of the museum at the theater Vakhtangova Sergeeva Irina Leonidovna became a reliable life support for an outstanding actor. She, as Yuri Vasilievich himself said, not only possessed the strength of character, but also âprotectedâ him from many problems, allowing him to engage in purely creative work. In this marriage, Anton Yakovlev, the son of Yuri Yakovlev, who is known to all of us, was born.
Awards and titles of Yuri Vasilievich Yakovlev
Of course, the highest award for this outstanding actor is people's love. But still allow ourselves some mercantilism, because throughout his creative biography he received titles and awards, and this is also part of his life.
The fact that the actor lives in creativity, âburns to the groundâ at rehearsals and performances was not left without public attention. In 1961, Yuri Vasilyevich became an honored artist of the RSFSR, and in 1968 - a national. Despite the title, complacency, he did not succumb, but continued to work, increasing his efforts. Evidence of this was the Stanislavsky State Prize in 1970. And finally, he was awarded the high title of People's Artist of the USSR in 1976, and three years later he became a laureate of the USSR State Prize. This was considered the pinnacle of a career. Many actors then began to "rest on their laurels." However, high service to the art of Yuri Vasilievich continued.
Evidence of this was his awards and prizes of the 90s: the State Prize of the Russian Federation, the Order for Merit to the Fatherland, III degree, the Crystal Turandot Prize, the Idol Prize.
Yuri Yakovlev has never been in the shadows. Even in the last decade of his life, his work was convincing and understandable to people. The latter circumstance was reflected in the awards and prizes received by him in the new century: the Presidential Award, the Order for Merit to the Fatherland, the Prize to them. Andrei Mironov. The last prize he received was the Theater Star, presented in the Legend of the Stage nomination.
Is it not symbolic that in this same year 2013, Yuri Vasilyevich left all of us, went into the legend ...
However, he never boasted of his merits. He was one of those few people who simply needed to be present in person to present his status in society, and that was all said.
last years of life
Yuri Yakovlev has long been treated for progressive coronary heart disease. A heart attack occurred on the night of November 29-30, Yuri Vasilyevich was taken to the hospital, where he died at 6 a.m. The cause of death was acute heart failure. Farewell to him took place in the theater. Vakhtangov. Flowers, tears, screams of "Bravo" ... The funeral of Yuri Yakovlev took place at the Novodevichy cemetery.
Children of Yuri Yakovlev
What was the life path of the children of Yuri Yakovlev? The eldest daughter Alena Yakovleva - People's Artist of the Russian Federation, works at the Moscow Theater of Satire. At the beginning of her working biography, she entered the Moscow State University at the Faculty of Journalism, but then she âleaped the genesâ, and, like her father, she went to the Shchukin School.
Alexei Yakovlev graduated from the same school as the elder half-sister, but did not work in theaters for long, taking up economic activity - real estate.
The education was given to Anton Yakovlev by the acting department of the Moscow Art Theater School, he had an internship in Oxford and graduated from the Higher Directing Courses. Now he is a famous Russian actor, director, screenwriter.
Seeing the creative potential of the children of the actor who left us, we dare to assume that the funeral of Yuri Yakovlev is not the last point of his biography, because he continued in his children.