Yevtushenko in “The Man with the Gun” and Nikanor Samoseev in “Three Meetings”, Stepan Nedolya in “Donetsk Miners” and sailor Rodionov in “Disturbing Night”, Likhobaba in “Horizon” and Barbara’s father in the “Blue Cup”. And this is only a small fraction of the films in which Boris Chirkov, the Soviet theater and film actor, played. Soviet TV viewers loved him very much for their roles in the films True Friends, My Dear Man, Freeloader, and Teacher, but they are especially grateful to the actor for the trilogy about the revolutionary Maxim.
Childhood
In the city of Nolinsk (Vyatka province) on August 13, 1901, the future People's Artist of the Soviet Union Boris Chirkov was born. Nolinsk was small, away from the railway. It seemed to Little Bora that the whole city looked like a dead end. Indeed, the center of the county was quite provincial: there was no electricity, and letters and uncomplicated newspapers were brought twice a week by a postal couple.
When the boy was seven years old, he was assigned to study at a local school. In high school, his father attracted him to theatrical amateur performances, because he himself enthusiastically played in amateur theater productions. At first, Boris Chirkov was a prompter, and later participated in episodes of performances. But, despite this, the boy could not even imagine that he could become a professional actor in the future. He was sure that he lacked real talent and a beautiful, expressive appearance.
The choice between institutions
In 1921, a young man went to study in Petrograd to enter the Polytechnic Institute. He easily succeeds in this, but after a few months Boris realizes that he is not intended to study the exact sciences. Thanks to the intervention of friends, he enters the newly founded Institute of Performing Arts. He was accepted, despite the fact that the competition was very large. The scholarship that Boris began to receive only in his third year was chronically lacking, so at night he worked at the port as a loader.
Initially, his mother, Olga Ignatyevna, opposed the son’s acting career. She was sure that for a man, the acting profession is a frivolous hobby, and a solid profession is necessary for life. But two years later, she reconciled with the choice of her son.
The beginning of the journey in art
Boris Chirkov connects the first notable successes with the Youth Theater of the city of Leningrad. After all, it was there that he played Sancho Pancha, the jester and Ivan the Fool. From the very beginning of his career, he dressed very carefully and fashionably, because he was sure that the actor must be interesting not only in his talent, but also in appearance. Much later, his nephew recalled that all his childhood was spent in the clothes of his uncle. Suits, shirts, ties of Boris Petrovich were so dapper and beautiful that the guy would never have exchanged them for new ones.
Boris Chirkov, whose biography began to replenish with new and interesting roles, played a lot of the classical repertoire. He took part in performances staged on the stage based on the works of Leo Tolstoy, Alexander Pushkin and other Russian writers. His rich repertoire included not only dramatic, psychological, and comedic roles. He quite interestingly created even some grotesque images. In each of his roles, Chirkov was so truthful, simple and charming that he easily attracted viewers and attracted the attention of filmmakers.
Cinema, cinema, cinema ...
At first, the actor starred in the Vasilyev brothers in a small episode. It was the role of an old peasant who approached Chapaev with a complaint. And a little later in the film "Maxim's Youth" he also starred, Boris Chirkov. His filmography has now begun to replenish with new interesting roles.
The film about Maxim couldn’t end so easily, so in 1937 his sequel “The Return of Maxim” appeared, and two years later - the final part of the trilogy - “Vyborg Side”. This hero was so remembered and loved by the audience that Boris Chirkov, even decades later, recognizing him on the street, was called Maxim.
Then there were the roles of Denis Davydov, Makhno, Mikhail Glinka, Antosha Rybkin and others.
During the terrible war, like many other theater, film and stage artists, Boris Chirkov spoke at concerts and meetings with soldiers leaving for the front.
In the postwar years, one of the actor’s first roles was the role of a Soviet scientist in the film “The Court of Honor”.
An interesting fact in the biography of the actor is that Boris Chirkov, photo whom, with enviable constancy, appeared on the pages of Soviet magazines, the favorite of the entire Soviet people, the laureate of state awards, was in ordinary life a very shy person. He married quite late when he was 48 years old. His chosen one was the daughter of his friend, professor VGIK Larisa. In the sensational film “Faithful Friends”, she played the role of a provincial doctor.
The couple Chirkov have a family film - "Mashenka". Boris Petrovich played the role of the father of the family in him, the wife was played by his daughter, and Mila's real daughter was his granddaughter.
In ordinary life, Chirkov was a very gentle, flexible and compliant person. He was even a fan of the same football team as his wife - out of a sense of solidarity.
Fifth heart attack
The actor did not have time to arrange a personal pension, in addition, he was very shy. On the day he passed away, he went to the Kremlin to attend a meeting of the commission that awarded the Lenin Prizes. He was late. To catch the start, he almost ran. Chirkov felt ill right in the St. George Hall. The ambulance arrived and took him away. It was not possible to save the great actor: he died in the hospital from the fifth, last heart attack ...
Relatives and after 30 years with horror and quiet sadness remember how they sat by their cooled body and waited for Brezhnev to decide where to bury Boris Petrovich. This went on for four days. But without the official permission of the Secretary General, the mourning ceremony was impossible to conduct. Finally, Brezhnev chose the Novodevichy cemetery.
After 9 days, the actor’s favorite dog died. After 40 days, a string burst on his guitar ...