The famous Russian actor, an Armenian of Azerbaijani origin, played many roles memorable to the audience. Especially good at it are the roles of ethnic characters, from Hispanics and Georgians to Gypsies and Germans. He continues to act actively. The creative stage continues in the biography of Sergei Gazarov, in his personal life, too, everything is fine.
early years
Sergei Ishkhanovich Gazarov was born on January 13, 1958 into an Armenian family in Baku, the capital of Soviet Azerbaijan. His father worked as a director of a candy factory, then moved to the same position at a winery.
Mom, having received the profession of an accountant, practically did not work by profession. She had a beautiful voice, and she constantly hummed, and did it quite talentedly. Sergey’s mother constantly arranged home holidays, at which all family members spoke. Probably, her passion for acting was transferred from her.
Fascinated by mother’s concerts, the little boy often tried his hand at amateur performances. The first performances in the biography of Sergei Gazarov began in the school years: he did not miss a single holiday event or creative competition. His performances were unchanged success, and classmates and teachers were firmly convinced that Sergey was waiting for a big stage.
First try
After leaving school, he firmly decided to fulfill his dream, become an actor, and applied for the acting department of the Baku Theater Institute. Easily coping with a professional test-creative contest, Gazarov failed the exam in Russian literature, writing the essay poorly.
He went to work and at the same time began to prepare for a new attempt to enter the theater university. The labor biography of Sergei Gazarov began in the Baku House of Officers, where he got a job as a stage worker. His responsibilities included setting the scenery, raising and lowering the theater curtain. A keen youth with curiosity could long watch the game of these actors.
The path to the profession
The next year, having thoroughly prepared for the exams and having saved up money for the trip, the young man decides that he can afford to enter a theater university in Moscow. Sergei submits documents to the country's leading university - GITIS, he really wanted to study in the studio of the outstanding actor Oleg Tabakov.
At a creative contest, an Armenian guy who spent his entire short life in Azerbaijan decided to read an excerpt from Gogol’s novel “Nose”. When Sergey began to recite with a well-posed voice with an indescribable accent, the admissions committee fell down with laughter. As he later wrote, he had a "market focus." Most members of the commission decided that the young man was not suitable for the institute. But Tabakov, who was supposed to lead the recruited course, had a different opinion. He saw that Gazarov undoubtedly has acting talent and really wants to study, so he decides to give him a chance. In the biography of Sergei Gazarov, student life began, acting training.
The beginning of the creative path
In 1980, he graduated from the institute and began working at the Moscow Sovremennik Theater. Thanks to work in this theater troupe, his personal life changed, in the biography of Sergei Gazarov appeared Irina Metlitskaya - his future wife, who also worked in this theater. Tabakov, who was still taking care of Sergei, in 1986 invited a young talented actor to transfer to his newly opened Tabakerka Theater Studio.
In the biography of actor Sergei Gazarov, a period of improvement in acting began, he was inundated with work. He played in almost all theater productions and Tabakov drew him as the second director to the joint production of the play “Roof”. Work under the leadership of Tabakov, he considers very important for his creative life. Probably, an acting career would have been completely different without the help of the master. Almost all the students of the outstanding actor, having a good start, then successfully worked in the theater and cinema. Gazarov worked in the theater until 1991, playing many roles that the audience remembered.
Director's Experience
He received his first directorial lessons from Tabakov. Often at rehearsals, he suggested that Sergey sit next to himself so that he could watch from the audience the process of creating the performance. Sometimes the venerable director asked his opinion, consulted, arousing interest in such work.
In 1991, he was entrusted with an independent production in his native theater-studio "Tabakerka", where Gazarov made his debut with the play "The Inspector General". The production was warmly received by the audience and theater critics. And in the biography of Sergei Gazarov, the first professional award for the best performance of the year appeared, he became the winner of the prize of the Union of Theater Workers of Russia.
Having received such an impressive assessment of his first work, he decides to start an independent activity as a director. Gazarov organizes the production company "Nikita and Peter", which he named in honor of his sons. The grandiose plans of the company were shooting a 52-episode animated film. Sergei was going to organize the financing of his productions himself, to select and produce actors. But the plans were not destined to be realized, the Soviet country was falling apart, orders for filming films catastrophically decreased, and he returned to the theater. As Sergey Gazarov later wrote in his biography, he found sponsors for his projects (production of performances and cinema), but they were either blown up, then shot, then they left or became bankrupt.
Main
A very difficult period began in both creative and personal life in the biography of Sergei Gazarov. Photos of him almost disappeared from the press. He moved away from theatrical life, until in 1998 Gazarov invited Armen Dzhigarkhanyan as the main director of his drama theater. Here he received the nickname of the cannibal director, due to the fact that he almost completely updated the troupe of the theater. He knew about this and explained that the theater is the dictatorship of the director, otherwise he turns into a booth. In the theater, he staged two performances: his famous "Examiner", which became a landmark in the new repertoire of the theater, and "Homecoming" based on a play by G. Pinter with Armen Dzhigarkhanyan in the title role. In 2000, after a quarrel with the artistic director, he leaves the theater.
Film career
For the first time on the big screen, Gazarov appeared in 1980, starring in a small role as the head of the laboratory in the movie drama "An Uninvited Friend". Further, he starred a lot in the supporting roles, the first main role of Gazarov was the image in the drama "Winning a Lonely Merchant", where he played the colorful Latin American shopkeeper Raul Sanchez. Among the artist’s most famous roles is the role of Lavrenty Beria in the drama “Son of the Father of the Nations”, director in the comedy “Moms”, Yusuf Pasha, the Vidin governor, in the adventure detective “The Turkish Gambit”.
In 2007, he won the Golden Eagle film award for Best Actor in the film "12" by Nikita Mikhalkov, where he played the Armenian surgeon, juror No. 7. Gazarov continues to actively act in films, but his repertoire has never been real heroes, he perfectly understands the characteristic features of his talent, and says that in such a role can only spoil a good film.
In 1989, the debut in the biography of Sergei Gazarov as a film director took place: he shot the melodrama "Crazy", then there was the picture "Roof" and, of course, the favorite Gogol's "The Inspector General". He shot three television series, one of which was The Dark Horse, and starred as an actor in the role of FSB general.
First marriage
Sergey met his first wife at work, - the famous actress Irina Metlitskaya also worked in the Sovremennik Theater. It was love at first sight, they lived together for 14 years, in this marriage they had two sons - Nikita and Peter. Nikita graduated from the Higher School of Economics in Moscow, works as a specialist in the development of the banking system. Peter, a talented saxophonist, is trying to achieve creative success on the American stage. In the nineties, it became known that Irina was sick with leukemia. The family stubbornly struggled with this serious illness. Sergey took his wife to the best European oncologists, spending all his meager savings on this. But the disease could not be defeated, in 1997 Irina died.
In difficult years, Gazarov, in order to earn a living as a family, had to earn extra money by private transportation. Then he managed to open an oriental-style restaurant "Silk Rice", which prepared dishes of various national cuisines.
Second marriage
He worked a lot, devoting a lot of time to his restaurant, disappearing there almost around the clock, it seemed, leaving no time for his personal life. The new wife in the biography of Sergei Gazarov also appeared at the place of work, thanks to the restaurant. Elena, a journalist, came there with a special task of the editorial office to interview the owner of the establishment for an article about the kitchen and the popular establishment. Despite the significant difference in age, Sergei is 18 years older than she, they immediately felt sympathy for each other. They began to meet, a serious relationship ensued, which ended with a second marriage in the biography of Sergei Gazarov. A new personal life gave a good impetus to creativity - Gazarov himself calls Elena his savior. In 2007, they had a son, Stepan.