Donatas Banionis is one of the few actors that almost all viewers know, regardless of their age. Each role played by him over a long career, has remained forever in human memory. Each time on the screen, the actor was able to change beyond recognition, creating characters completely different in character and emotionality.
Children and teenagers
The future actor Donatas Banionis was born in the city of Kaunas at the end of April 1924. His father, Juozas, earned a living by sewing for many years, and then went to serve in the Cadet Corps of the Russian Imperial Army. He took part in the First World War, which subsequently influenced his political views: senior Banionis became a revolutionary communist.
In 1919, Juozas was arrested for organizing a strike. He was sent to the link. Later, returning to Lithuania, he worked as a tailor, conducted underground activities. After the establishment of Soviet power, he held party and administrative posts.
With Ona Blazaitite, who became his wife, he met in Vilkaviskis. Two children were born in the family - daughter Danuta and son Donatas. Over time, the family broke up: the mother and daughter left Kaunas, and the son stayed with his father.
From childhood, the boy grew up in an atmosphere of creativity and music. Parents also had a craving for art, they even sang. Donatas was going to become a ceramist, he studied at the Kaunas school. He combined his studies with classes in a drama circle.
Parents understood and accepted this hobby of his son, but asked him to look at another profession, with which you could earn a living. And yet, as soon as possible, the boy played in the theater, he so wanted to become part of this magic and be closer to cinema. Donatas Banionis in his youth all the time dreamed of professional acting education and the stage, but the family did not have enough money to pay for training. While for a young man it was only a dream ...
In 1940, the amateur group (then directed by director Juozas Multinis) became a professional theater, which began working in Panevezys. Donatas joined the troupe in the 41st. He had to study at the city theater, try on many roles. He went on stage in performances that were staged based on the works of Anton Chekhov, Pierre Beaumarchais, Nikolai Ostrovsky ...
His screen images
The first time the audience saw the actor in the role of Daus (the film "Adam Wants to Be a Man") in 1959. For cinema at that time - in the sixties - the news that the actors from the Panevezys Theater were filming a movie was significant news.
Then Donatas Banionis was able to create a number of images, which are now considered to be classics of Soviet cinema. He was an intellectual actor. The one who very deeply feels and sculpts the image “inward”. He was able to build the interior of the soul and create labyrinths of knowledge.
But later, Banionis admitted that playing screen roles is harder for him than theater. He really felt like an actor only while working on his fourth image. And yet, the names of many of his heroes were made public only thanks to the acting talent of Donatas.
Six years after his debut, the black-and-white detective Dead Season, consisting of two parts, appeared on the screens. He became the first of its kind for the Soviet Lenfilm.
The plot was built on real events. It tells about Soviet intelligence in wartime. The prototype of the protagonist, Konstantin Ladeinikov, was the scout Konon Molody. The director offered this role to Donatas because of the resemblance. Everything was played perfectly, however, Alexander Demyanenko had to voice the character. According to the director, there should have been no accent in the film - exceptionally pure Russian.
In another masterpiece of Soviet cinema - Andrei Tarkovsky’s drama “Solaris” - Banionis appeared in the role of Chris Kelvin. His character goes to the planet Solaris to study the intelligent life of a foreign land. The director said that his film is based on morality, and the picture itself is able to provide food for the mind. At the festival in Cannes "Solaris" was awarded the Grand Prix.
From actor to director
Donatas Banionis, whose films are still recognized as film masterpieces, has played in more than fifty films. He gladly changed genres in accordance with strict classics, portraying tragedy or playing comedy. He was Mr. McKinley in “The Escape of Mr. McKinley,” Beethoven in “Beethoven - Days of Life,” Antanas Petrushonis in “Flowering of Unseeded Rye” ...
1979 was marked for the actor by the release of the movie “Suicide Club, or the Adventures of a titled person”, in which he played the Chairman. And ten years later, he embodied on the screen of Mazardi in the detective "Entrance to the Maze." In the 91st, viewers saw Banionis in an unusual role for him - Semen Semenovich Telyaev in the film "Drinkers of Blood." 2001-2002 - at this time, the actor starred in the TV series "The New Adventures of Niro Wolfe and Archie Goodwin." Of course, he was the very smart and sensitive Wulf who could solve the most complicated case.
Banionis even managed to work as the chief director of the theater in Panevezys for eight years (since 1980), taking all the care of the theater onto his shoulders.
Alien voices
Donatas Banionis, whose filmography contains several dozens of real masterpieces, had a Lithuanian accent. Because of this, the characters he played were voiced by other actors from Leningrad and Moscow. Quite often, Alexander Demyanenko, Igor Efimov, Georgy Zhzhenov, Zinovy ​​Gerdt, Peter Shelokhonov, Vladimir Zamansky were invited to dub.
His own, inimitable voice was heard in only a few films - “Zmeelovo”, “Operations“ Trust ”,“ Watch out for the car ”(here he played a pastor who recounted money in Lithuanian).
In 1999, the actor was awarded the Russian Order of Friendship, and after another ten years - the Order of Honor. He received these awards for his enormous contribution to the development of cinematographic and theatrical art and the strengthening of international cultural ties.
About personal ...
With his wife - Ona Banenene (Konkulevichyute), they met in the distant 1947. For the girl it was a difficult time because of the arrest of her dad and brothers. She was then a student at Vilnius University. She was warned that she might be arrested. She changes her last name and leaves for Panevezys. She entered the theater as an actress. But she again faced the threat of arrest. Donatas Banionis, who sincerely felt sorry for the girl, invited her to marry him. He promised that he could save and protect her due to the fact that his father was a party organizer. Thus formed the union of Banionis. The couple lived together for six decades, until she died.
The wife of Donatas Banionis gave birth to two sons. Son Ogidiyus did not follow in the footsteps of his father: he was engaged in history and the humanities. He received the award in the field of science posthumously: he passed away very early.
The second son - Raimundas - was a student at VGIK. He created UAB LINTEK. Now working on commercials and documentaries. The younger Banionis is a director, he managed to make some good films.
Actor Swan Song
Three years after Ona's death, his last love appeared in the life of Banionis - Olga Ryabikova. From her youth, she watched his films and was captivated by the acting talent of Donatas. Once, during a bike ride, Olga met a man who not only knew Banionis’s address, but also knew him. In Vilnius, he brought her to the actor’s house. There was a telephone exchange, Olga came to visit.
Having retired, she moved to Banionis, becoming his nanny, cook, interlocutor. The actor’s relatives took her tolerantly until Donatas decided to sign her. The daughter-in-law Violetta even told reporters that Olga wants to receive an inheritance. As a result, Ryabikova had to go home.
The last hour of the great actor
Donatas Banionis, whose biography is still of interest to many fans of his talent, was hospitalized in September 2014. He had a heart attack. The media reported that before that, in the summer, he already had a clinical death, but then he managed to save the actor.
He passed away on the fourth day of September. Banionis was 90 years old. His family received sincere condolences from the President of Lithuania and numerous fans. Thanks to Donatas, Lithuania became famous in the cinematic world.
The actor lived a good long life. He made a strong marriage. He had a favorite job. There were no crises in his life. And such a strong and talented personality "grew" thanks to hard work and a constant desire for knowledge.