In our article, we’ll talk about such an outstanding Soviet and Russian artist as Andrei Smirnov. What films did the actor star in? How was his career in directing? What can be said about the personal life of Andrei Sergeevich? We will consider the answers to these and other questions below.
Childhood and youth
Smirnov Andrey Sergeevich was born on March 12, 1941 in the city of Moscow. The family of our hero was directly related to art. The boy’s father, Sergei Smirnov, was a talented writer, author of many popular books, in particular the famous novel “Brest Fortress”. In one way or another, the rest of the family was associated with creativity.
If we talk about little Andrei Smirnov, his childhood cannot be called carefree. A child who was born in the postwar years was forced to endure many hardships. Like many children of that period, in the future the boy wanted to prove himself in one of the demanded working specialties. However, interest in theater and cinema still prevailed.
At the end of a regular high school in his native Moscow, Andrei Smirnov applied for admission to the All-Union State Institute of Cinematography. After enrollment was distributed to the department of directing. The young man received a diploma from a prestigious university in 1962. Almost immediately after graduation, he began to work on developing his own cinematic projects.
The first successes in directing
Immediately after graduation, 22-year-old Andrey Smirnov decided to try himself both as a screenwriter and director. In 1963, the film “Hey Someone” was presented to a wide audience, which caused mixed reactions from critics. The crime drama of the novice director narrated the fate of a homeless man accused of committing sexual violence.
Almost immediately followed by work on the next author's project. In 1964, the tape "Span of the Earth" came out on wide screens. The director managed to attract the famous Soviet actor Alexander Zbruev to the leading role . The picture itself spoke of the heroism of two military comrades - an experienced battalion commander and a young lieutenant, who hold the defense of a small bridgehead in the summer of the 44th.
Movie debut
In 1986, Andrei Smirnov first appeared on wide screens as an actor. The debut work in this field for our hero was the picture of the Soviet director Igor Sheshukov called "Red Arrow". In the film, which was shot in the format of a production drama, the newly-made actor Andrei Smirnov played an ordinary worker named Karandin.
Director's finest hour
Thanks to his second work as a director, the military drama Span of the Earth, Andrei Smirnov managed to gain all-Union fame. The film received many positive reviews from the leaders of the Goskino USSR. However, the subsequent works of the director began to undergo severe censorship. Many tapes of the young author were gathering dust on the shelves of archives, and those that managed to be available at the box office were shown to the viewer in a “modified” form.
When Andrei Smirnov turned 30, he managed to get out of the creative crisis. The director presented to the audience a picture of the Belarusian Station, which became a real hit of the 1970s. The Soviet audience liked the story, which narrated about the meeting of military comrades 25 years after the victory. Even today, the tape retains the status of one of the best films, which is devoted to the themes of the Great Patriotic War.
Personal life
Andrey Smirnov was married twice. Even at the dawn of a career, our hero began a relationship with the famous Soviet actress Natalya Rudna. The result of the union was the birth of two daughters, who were given the names Avdotya and Alexander. By the way, the first of them is a famous TV presenter and screenwriter.
Nowadays, a successful artist is married to actress Elena Prudnikova. The couple brought up two children - son Alexei and daughter Aglaya.