In our article, I would like to talk about the life and work of the famous Soviet artist Valentin Nikulin. What famous films did the actor star in? How was his career? We will talk about all this further.
early years
Valentin Nikulin was born on July 7, 1932 in the city of Moscow. A boy was born in the family of a theater playwright and pianist. The uncle of our hero was a rather famous publicist. It is not surprising that from early childhood, little Valentine dreamed of repeating the fate of his parents and achieving success in the field of high art.
However, at the end of school, the guy, to the amazement of others, went contrary to family traditions. The young man applied for admission to the Moscow State Institute and was soon assigned to the law faculty. Despite the successful graduation from the university in the presented specialty, Valentin Nikulin did not begin to work as a human rights defender. The fact is that by that time our hero felt a hidden artistic potential in himself, which needed immediate implementation. Therefore, soon the young man went to comprehend the stage mastery in the Nemirovich-Danchenko studio.
Later, aspiring actor Valentin Nikulin joined the cast of the Sovremennik Theater. At this creative site, the artist played many outstanding roles. Particularly successful for our hero was his participation in such famous productions as: “The Naked King”, “At the Bottom”, “Provincial Jokes”, “Three Sisters”.
Movie debut
To star in a big movie, Valentin Nikulin began in 1961. During this period, the artist was invited to play the role of a guy named Andrei in the feature film “Leap Year”. Despite a rather fleeting appearance on the screen, the actor managed to draw attention to himself. Subsequently, Valentine began to receive more prominent roles and earned the status of a significant figure in Soviet cinema.
Career development
The main part of the artist’s works was played by the roles of eccentric characters, among which various wizards and fairy-tale heroes were often met. The blame for the non-standard appearance of Valentin Nikulin with his asymmetric facial features and an extremely penetrating look. All this helped the actor to create memorable, distinctive images on the screen. However, the reverse side was also present here. After all, directors rarely trusted Valentin Nikulin the main roles. For this reason, the actor was not too pleased with the pace of his own career.
One of the artist’s most successful roles is the image of Dr. Gaspard from the movie Three Fat Men. For many years, this character has remained a real calling card of Nikulin. At the same time, the actor repeatedly noted that it was this picture that acts as one of his most unloved works.
In an effort to move away from the standard role, Valentin Nikulin, whose films were quite popular, tried to bring diversity to the images of his characters. However, he once again had to take on the roles of wizards, weird nerds and ordinary jesters. It was these characters that Nikulin played in the films Merry Dream, Pharmacy Blue Balls and The Ballad of Bering and His Friends. However, serious work was caught in the artist’s career, for example, roles in the films “Connoisseurs are Investigating”, as well as “Visit to the Minotaur”.
Personal life
The actor lived all his life with a single woman - actress Marina Ganulina. In the early 90's, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the couple moved for permanent residence in Israel. Here the couple performed on the stage of the local theater. However, life in an alien country did not work out. Soon, the actor decided to return to Russia. Such a desire led to disagreements in the family. In the end, the trip to his homeland turned into a divorce for Valentine. The actor lived out his last years in Moscow, regularly appearing on the stage of the Sovremennik Theater.