At the first sounds of the song âWhat is so worried about my heart ...â people of the older generation involuntarily recall one of the most remarkable films of the Soviet era âFaithful friendsâ. The story of three adult comrades embodying a childhood dream could not leave anyone indifferent. The phrases from this picture soon became popular, and the performer of the famous composition Alexander Borisov instantly became a favorite of the public.
Biography
His fate was similar to the fate of many other people of the Soviet era, those who survived their hungry childhood and the horrors of war. The only difference is that Alexander Borisov is an actor with a capital letter, his life has shown that there are no obstacles to the desired goal.
He was born on April 18, 1905 in St. Petersburg, in the midst of the first Russian revolution. The family lived very poorly, mother served as a laundress, father - as a kitchen worker, there was barely enough money for food. But these difficulties helped the boy to early cultivate the character and desire to achieve something more in life, which Alexander Borisov, an actor, subsequently achieved. The family of the young man could not give him a good education, but his âbottom-upâ background helped him in his future life and creative activity. After all, after the October Revolution, such natives of the people received privileges when they entered schools or work.
Training
A talented young man tried to somehow prove himself, so he began to participate very early in amateur productions, which in the 30s of the XX century were especially popular in the country of the Soviets. Sketches were played in every courtyard, house of culture, or even in the attic of the old house, there were a lot of dances, there were a lot of enthusiasts, especially since they took a little money for their performances.
In 1927 he graduated from the famous studio at the Leningrad Academic Theater, where before that he had performed on an unprofessional stage. At that time, the legendary Yu. M. Yuriev taught there, in which the actor Alexander Borisov adopted a special manner of performance - with full dedication, with understanding and embodiment of the psychology of the character on the stage and on the screen.
The Leningrad Theater School is still considered the best in Russia, they instilled the ability to fully realize their role, think through details and get used to the character of the hero. Whether it be a suit or features of speech, manners of movement, etc., everything should be embedded in the image from beginning to end. Alexander Borisov took responsibility for all the instructions, which helped him subsequently become a national artist, receive several state awards and play many leading roles in theater and cinema.
The beginning of an acting career
After graduating from a studio school in 1928, he was accepted into the main composition of the troupe, and so began a lifelong career, so Alexander Borisov was born - an actor. His biography is inextricably linked with this Academic Drama Theater, here he will play until his last days. The unusual aura of these walls gave rise to more than a galaxy of stunning stage actors; Borisov himself served here for more than sixty years.
Two years later, he was entrusted with playing the first major role in the play âThe Freakâ by A. N. Afinogenov. Borisov with surprising accuracy reproduced on the stage the image of the poet and enthusiast Boris Volgin. His subsequent works included images of a very different plan. They were the fighter Stepan from the production of âWinnersâ by B. F. Chibisov, the embodiment of Ostrovsky's classic heroes - Gavrila from âHot Heartâ or the tragicomic Arkasha Schastlivtsev from the play âForestâ. In general, his amazing ability to play the seemingly opposite roles, the plasticity of his character will subsequently be appreciated by viewers and critics.
He gave himself to the theater, lived and suffered on stage. A wonderful team of young and bright artists has formed here, a talented troupe, part of which actor Alexander Borisov will forever become a part. My wife also worked in the theater, with Olga Bibinova they became close friends by chance, met on tour and realized that they could not live without each other. The widow of the actor in the last interview, being already an old woman, told how she immediately fell in love with a young man with a sensual voice, whom Alexander Borisov - the actor was so famous for. The personal lives of artists in Soviet times did not become public, so little is known about their joint path.
Theatrical work
After the first roles, it became clear that a talented and unusual artist was born. Friends and colleagues on the scene noted the immediacy and ease of his play, the actor Alexander Borisov was famous for his intelligence, some kind of lyricism. He was never seen in theatrical strife or the struggle for the best roles, and all his works, even small ones, were played by him sincerely and with soul.
Until 1937, his whole life was connected only with his native scene. Here he appeared in the images of famous heroes of the Russian classics: the holy fool from Boris Godunov based on the work of the same name by A. Pushkin, the sharp-witted Peter from the play Les. By A. N. Ostrovsky, Meluzov from Talents and Fans of the same author and many others.
As early as the 1920s, the Alexandrinsky Theater was forced to take the course of cultural development dictated by Soviet power. On this stage, countless plays were written about revolutionaries, party leaders and the achievements of the new communist society. Borisov, like other actors, also had to participate in politicized and frankly bad plays, but, according to eyewitnesses, these artists could play well anything, including plays on political propaganda themes. Even the inveterate political workers in his execution acquired special features and a lively character.
During the Great Patriotic War
1941 changed the life of every Soviet person; for millions of families, fate was divided into before and after. The actor Alexander Borisov was no exception. The wife and children learned about the terrible events only in July, at which time they were on Lake Seliger. The artistâs son, Kasyan Bibinov, in an interview recalled how they returned to Leningrad on the last train under the massive bombing of Nazi aircraft. Father was waiting for them in his hometown as the head of civil defense.
On the third day of the war, while still waiting for his family, the close friend of the actor, composer V.P. Sedoi brought him a new song, "Play, my button accordion." Borisov so sincerely, with such a nagging intonation, he performed the composition that soon it began to sound from all the reproducers, it was sung by soldiers, going into battle, to death.
In August 1941, actor Alexander Borisov with a theater and family was evacuated to distant Novosibirsk. There, together with a friend, he organized a radio program called "Fire on the Enemy." The artists came up with the images of two scouts who were returning from the assignment and in a joking form reminiscent of ditties, talked about what was happening at the front. In sarcastic poems ridiculed the enemy and glorified the feat of Soviet soldiers. Heroes were so fond of the audience that letters began to come from all over the country, they were already perceived as real fighters, they were asked about their family and everyday life. Alexander Borisov and Vladimir Adashevsky toured more than once with the performance of this unusual duet.
After the war, the theater troupe returns to Leningrad, and Borisov successfully continues his work on stage. So, he played Pavel Korchagin in the play How Steel Was Tempered, Tsarevich Fedor in the production of The Great Sovereign. His work was appreciated even at the top, and in 1947, the actor Borisov was awarded the Stalin Prize, which in those years was considered the highest degree of honor.
Movie roles
Back in the late 30s, Alexander Borisov began to be invited to act in films, his first role in the film of Cheslav Sabinsky's "Dnieper on Fire" was still small, especially since the film has not survived to this day. A year after the first test in the cinema, he was approved for the role of Nazarka in the film "Friends". Wonderful artists of that time were shot here, and actor Alexander Borisov was able to learn a lot from B. Babochkin, N. Cherkasov and others.
The war made adjustments, and the actor returned to cinema only in 1948. Small roles did not bring satisfaction to the talented actor, everything changed a year later, when he played one of the most important roles in his life. The image of academician Ivan Pavlov in the film of the same name brought him popular popularity, and the actor was awarded several prestigious prizes. This film told about the fate of the great Russian scientist, the creator of the doctrine of higher nervous activity.
The biographical direction was especially popular in the early 50s, so immediately after the "Academician Ivan Pavlov" Borisov began to be invited to the roles of other famous historical characters. So, he starred in the film about Alexander Popov, where he got the role of a close assistant to the scientist Pyotr Nikolayevich Rybkin. The actor was especially remembered in the image of the composer M.P. Mussorgsky, the songs performed in the film quickly went to the people.
"Faithful friends"
In the life of any artist there is that special role that becomes his calling card, thanks to which he is known and remembered. The story of three adult held men who remained boys at heart suddenly became popular in the USSR, and Alexander Borisov, an actor, became known to a large audience. âFaithful friendsâ, a picture of 1950, for decades remained the most watched film in our country. Even now, displaying a picture gathers the whole family near the screens.
The tape owes such popularity, first of all, to the songs âWhat is so heart troubledâ and âFloating, swinging, boat ...â. It was Alexander Borisov who performed them, in his youth he was fond of music, legends circulated about his ability to sing. The actor did not have a strong opera voice, but by emphasizing intonation and emotionality, he could affect the soul of any person. And so it happened: letters from all over the USSR rained down on the artist with admiration and declarations of love. It was also in the role itself, because on the screen the audience saw the reunion of two lovers, who had once parted due to a misunderstanding. Alexander Borisov, an actor whose personal life remained a mystery to the audience, on the screen embodied the ideal Soviet man, spouse or lover.
Surprisingly, the film is not perceived as one of the âmasterpiecesâ of socialist realism, all ideological ideas here are somehow uniformly metered and seasoned with excellent humor and melodramatism. Of great importance was the choice of actors. Alexander Borisov, Boris Chirkov and Vasily Merkuryev were real talents, at that time already held and well-known artists. Critics are still wondering why such a successful screen trio did not appear more together in other paintings.
1950-1960 years
After success in cinema, Borisov returned to the native stage of the Alexandria Theater, where he played many more multifaceted and diverse roles. Some performances with his participation (âForestâ and âHot Heartâ by A. N. Ostrovsky, âEgor Bulychevâ by M. Gorky) were later made into films. His roles were either comical (Arkasha Schastlivtsev in the play "The Forest"), then tragic and multi-layered, as in "The Deep" of the author Kiselnikov.
Borisov Alexander Fedorovich, an actor in theater and cinema, soon decided to try himself as a director. In 1960, he himself wrote the script and shot the film adaptation of the novel by M. F. Dostoevsky "Meek". Two years later, he repeated his experience and, together with M. Rufus, shot the picture "The Soul Calls."
The subsequent roles of Borisov in the cinema were, although not the main ones, but very colorful and memorable. So, he played in the films âMaxim Perepelitsaâ in 1955, âMotherâ in 1955, âFootprints in the Snowâ in 1955, âBaltic Gloryâ in 1957, âPuchinaâ in 1958. The actor often appeared on television, He performed famous romances, songs from âFaithful Friendsâ and other tapes, sang ditties and funny couplets, told tales for children.
Already in his years, he did not stop working in the theater, and the last role in the movie was an episodic appearance in the historical series "Young Russia" in 1982. In the same year, Alexander Borisov passed away. The actor was buried in the Volkovsky cemetery, on Literatorsky bridges, not far from the grave of a childhood friend, composer V.P. Sedov.
Songs
Alexander Borisov is a pupil of the St. Petersburg traditions of a psychological and thoughtful game. This artist had not only the talent to transform on stage or screen, but also his voice - amazing, with a special intonation, bewitching and attracting people. The directors often used his abilities, for example, the film âMussorgskyâ was invented and built specifically on Borisovâs singing talent. Even despite the fact that his voice in timbre did not coincide with the voice of the great composer.
Theater art, due to the peculiarities of expression, rarely remains in the memory of the audience for a long time. Another thing is cinema, which preserves images, ideas and songs for many years. Thanks to the film âFaithful Friendsâ, all the people of the Soviet Union remembered the adventures of the heroes of the picture, where Boris Fedorovich played the most musical role. The actor, whose personal life was never made public, was the subject of love of many Soviet women. Sensual voice and romantic roles made him, if not a sex symbol of the Soviet Union, then certainly an example of an ideal man.
Interesting Facts
Once after a tour in America, he at his own risk and risk brought to Leningrad the book of Mikhail Chekhov, then banned in the USSR. This edition later passed from hand to hand among the actors of the Alexandria Theater.
Alexander Borisov was awarded many times by prestigious State Prizes: he had four Stalin Prizes, a prize named after K. S. Stanislavsky, the title of People's Artist of the RSFSR and the USSR, Hero of Socialist Labor, and he had the Order of the Badge of Honor.
Even before the war, he married actress of the Alexandria Theater Olga Bibina, they had two children - Kasyan and Lyudmila. Alexander never used his fame, was not an agitator or an adversary of the system. Participation in foreign trips, various state awards did not change the fact that, first of all, Alexander Borisov is an actor. Family, children have always been one of the main goals in his fate, but by no means the most important. For a creative person, the main thing in life is to realize his talent, all potential as an artist. Borisov succeeded, he entered the galaxy of stars of Soviet actors, but most importantly, he remained in the memory of people.