Evstigneev, whose filmography includes more than a hundred paintings, was considered one of the leading Soviet actors. Many films have grown on films with Evgeny Aleksandrovich’s participation, since he began his creative activity as far back as 1957. What was the fate of a famous artist and what paintings from his filmography became classics of Russian cinema?
early years
Evgeny Evstigneev stood out in difficult youthful years. He was born in 1926 in the family of a metallurgist and milling machine operator.
Father died when the boy was only three. When the Great Patriotic War broke out, Evstigneev just graduated from the seven-year school. He just went to college, as his stepfather passed away. From now on, it was necessary to somehow provide for himself and his mother, so the young man dropped out of school and got a job as a fitter at a factory.
In parallel, Eugene became interested in music. After a couple of years, the future actor turned into a multi-instrumentalist: he played drums, piano, forks. At one of the performances of the Evstigneev jazz orchestra, the director of the Gorky Theater School noticed and advised him to become a dramatic actor. At 25, the actor graduated from college, and at 28 he again went to study, but already at the Moscow Art Theater School to get distribution at the Moscow Theater. As a result, Evstigneev joined the permanent troupe of the Sovremennik Theater.
Evgeny Evstigneev: films, filmography. "Watch out for the car"
Yevgeny Aleksandrovich first appeared on Soviet screens when he was 31 years old: he was entrusted with the role of Peterson in Vladimir Petrov’s drama “The Duel”. It was 10 years before the artist won the right to play in the best films with the best actors. The sharp rise is primarily associated with the participation of Evstigneev in Eldar Ryazanov’s film “Watch Out for the Car”.
This film has a unique cast. The leading roles in the tape were played by leading Soviet artists - Innokenty Smoktunovsky (The Queen of Spades) and Oleg Efremov (Three Poplars on Plyushchikha). Also in the picture were Olga Aroseva (“The Old Robbers”), Andrei Mironov (“12 Chairs”), Anatoly Papanov (“The Diamond Arm”). Evgeny Evstigneev got the role of director of the national theater, in which the main character plays by Smoktunovsky.
The plot of the picture is dedicated to the Soviet "Robin Hood", which punishes bribe takers and speculators by stealing their cars.
Evstigneev: filmography. "Golden calf"
The sparkling works of Ilf and Petrov have long become classics, and Ostap Bender has become a popular favorite. In 1968, a wonderful film adaptation of one of the works of comedians was released, the protagonist of which is the great combinator: we are talking about the Golden Calf.
The role of Ostap Bender in the film by Mikhail Schweitzer was played by Sergey Yursky (“The meeting place cannot be changed”). Also in the picture appeared Leonid Kuravlev ("Afonya"), Zinovy ​​Gerdt ("Straw Hat") and Evgeny Evstigneev, who was entrusted with the role of the underground millionaire Alexander Koreiko.
The meaning of the picture is that this time the adventurer Bender decided to take away millions from the underground Soviet millionaire. This combination promised to be a win-win, since Koreiko, who dishonestly made his money, would not even have contacted the police. However, having received the coveted million, Bender does not feel satisfaction. In addition, when crossing the Soviet border, he loses all his wealth and remains with nothing.
Zigzag of Fortune
Evstigneev, whose filmography is replete with a variety of comedies, in 1968 began work on the next project of Eldar Ryazanov.
This time the director was shooting the film “Zigzag of Fortune”, which was about the everyday life of the employees of a provincial photo studio. The monotony of the days was broken by one atypical situation: the photographer Vladimir Oreshnikov suddenly won 10,000 rubles. Everything would be fine, but he bought a bond on a loan with public money. A small “war” breaks out between the employees of the Sovremennik photo studio, because it is not so easy to share the funds won by Oreshnikov.
The main role in the film was played by Evgeny Leonov ("Gentlemen of Fortune"). In addition to him, Irina Skobtseva (“I am walking in Moscow”), Valentina Talyzina (“Old Robbers”), Gottlieb Roninson (“Twelve Chairs”) were involved in the tape. Evgeny Evstigneev played in the film of Ivan Kalachev, director of the car depot.
"Seventeen Moments of Spring"
Evgeny Evstigneev, whose filmography by the 1970s totaled more than forty paintings, was able to choose worthy projects for participation. He was lucky to join the cast of one of the best films of the Soviet Union called "Seventeen Moments of Spring."
The picture was taken by Tatyana Lioznova in 1973. The peculiarity of the tape was that it combined the elements of a detective, thriller and melodrama. The film was about the Soviet intelligence agent Stirlitz, who managed to infiltrate the highest political circles in Germany and obtained secret information for the Soviet authorities. The main role in this project went to Vyacheslav Tikhonov (Young Guard). In the frame, stars such as Oleg Tabakov (War and Peace), Vasily Lanovoi (“Officers”), Leonid Bronevoy (“Connoisseurs Investigate”), Valentin Gaft (“Garage”) and many others were gathered. Evgeny Evstigneeva Lioznova assigned the role of Professor Werner Pleicher.
"The incredible adventures of Italians in Russia"
Evstigneev Evgeny Aleksandrovich was included in the list of favorite actors of Eldar Ryazanov. By the 70s, the actor starred in three films by the great master of comedy.
In 1973, he again appeared on the set of his project: this time Ryazanov, together with the Italian director Franco Prosperi, shot the film “The Incredible Adventures of Italians in Russia”.
This tape can be called a masterpiece of entertainment cinema, at least by the standards of the 70s. Sparkling humor, a little buffoonery, beautiful and talented actors, full-scale shooting on the background of beautiful landscapes and many, many tricks. What are the races on cars and the scene of an airplane landing on the Moscow highway. True, the stunt with the plane was filmed at the airport, putting around the scenery, but nevertheless the spectacle turned out spectacular.
Evgeny Evstigneev played in the film one of the seekers of the pre-revolutionary treasure hidden in St. Petersburg. The character of Evstigneev was distinguished by a bad character, while he did not get up from a wheelchair because of his lameness. But this did not prevent the hero of Evgeni Aleksandrovich from chasing treasures throughout Russia.
"About Little Red Riding Hood"
In 1977, he tried himself in the new genre of Evstigneev: the filmography of the actor was replenished with a real children's fairy tale.
The creator of the film “The Adventures of Pinocchio” directed by Leonid Nechaev with the support of the Belarusfilm studio released a musical in the late 70s dedicated to the adventures of Little Red Riding Hood.
The events shown in the film are, as it were, a continuation of the story that happened with the girl in the original fairy tale. Wolves vowed to avenge Little Red Riding Hood for their relative, who was killed by a woodcutter. They tell the girl the false news that her grandmother was ill again. When Little Red Riding Hood goes to her grandmother, the wolves repeatedly try to put the child in a bag, but each time the girl gets out of a dangerous situation.
Evgeny Evstigneev received the role of the Starship in the project. And he even performed the stargazer on his own. Along with him, Rina Zelenaya, Rolan Bykov, Vladimir Basov, Galina Volchek and many other famous actors starred in the film.
"For family reasons"
Evgeny Evstigneev, whose filmography consists mainly of films that have become classics of cinema, in 1977 agreed to star in another good comedy.
We are talking about the film "For family reasons", in which the main roles were played by such stars as Galina Polsky ("Vanity of vanities"), Evgeny Steblov ("I walk in Moscow"), Vladimir Basov ("Princess of the circus"), Rolan Bykov (“The Marriage of Balzaminov”), Anatoly Papanov (“Give the plaintive book”) and many others.
Evgeny Evstigneev got the role of an infantile artist, who, despite his considerable age, continues to live with his mother. Soon he meets the heroine of Galina of Poland, and they decide to get married. But will not the artist’s mother upset all the plans of a middle-aged married couple?
"Meeting place can not be Changed"
Truly a cult Soviet film is considered a picture of Stanislav Govorukhin "The meeting place cannot be changed." And Evstigneev Evgeny Aleksandrovich was also involved in it.
The filmography of the actor often included projects where he played crooks and crooks. This time, the director saw in Evstigneev an ideal performer of the role of a fraudster Ruchechnik.
The plot of the painting “The meeting place cannot be changed” is dedicated to the history of the capture of the dangerous gang “Black Cat”. MUR captain Zheglov and senior lieutenant Sharapov throughout the film try to expose the elusive bandits. The hero of Evstigneev was not part of the Black Cat, but was involved in another case, which was simultaneously investigated by the brave Murovtsi.
“We are from jazz”
Director Karen Shakhnazarov simply could not help but invite Evstigneev to star in his film “We Are From Jazz”. And in fact: the actor gave about five years of his life to work in a jazz orchestra!
But, unfortunately, E. Evstigneev did not receive the role of musician: the filmography of the actor was replenished with the next musical film, and the multi-instrumentalist Evstigneev continued to play thieves and con men. In this picture, Shakhnazarov asked the artist to embody on the screens the image of a thief in law named Pope.
The picture knew how to succeed. According to the Soviet Screen newsreel, the project “We Are From Jazz” was declared the best film of 1983. In addition to Evstigneev, Igor Sklyar (“Children of Monday”), Alexander Pankratov-Cherny (“Sibiriada”), Peter Shcherbakov (“Zastava Ilyich”) took part in the filming
Other projects
Actor Evstigneev, whose filmography was approaching the milestone of a hundred films by the end of the 80s, starred in many worthy films. For example, he embodied the image of Bestuzhev in all the paintings of Svetlana Druzhinina on the adventures of the midshipmen.
The filmography of Yevgeny Aleksandrovich Evstigneev also includes the wonderful painting "Dog Heart", based on the Bulgakov novel. When the actor died (it happened in 1992), there were about 116 film works in his arsenal.