Podgorny Nikita Vladimirovich was an outstanding theater and film actor in the Soviet Union. Almost everyone knew the films with his participation, because he could be seen on TV screens quite often. Throughout his life, he starred in 59 projects. Since 1954, he became an actor in the Maly Theater. Podgorny left a big mark in the history of cinema. Today, his films are popular among both adults and the younger generation.
Interestingly, the fate of the artist depended largely on his profession. It is no coincidence that many actors do not agree to play roles in which it is necessary to portray terminally ill or killed. It was always believed that stage death could somehow affect the life of the actor. Unfortunately, the fate of the hero of our article was formed as if according to the script of the movie. The biography of Nikita Podgorny is really fascinating.
Biography
The great actor was born on February 16, 1931 in the city of Moscow. Podgorny lived only 51 years and also died in Moscow. His father Vladimir was also an artist, so his son decided to follow in the footsteps of his parent. The movie also starred Nikita's uncle - Nikolai. He served in the Maly Theater for most of his life. All relatives of Nikita Vladimirovich played an important role in his education. From childhood, he was surrounded by the atmosphere of cinema, theaters and creativity. Quite often, famous people came into the house to Podgorny for a cup of tea. These were Vera Pashennaya, Mikhail Chekhov, Konstantin Stanislavsky and many others. Parents Nikita from his childhood knew that the boy would devote his life to cinema. Most of all, the future actor liked the tragedy from the Moscow Art Theater - Leonidov.
School years
At school, Nikita had big problems with algebra. He needed to pass exams, but he was very worried about mathematics. However, Podgorny had great quick wit and charm, so he immediately came up with a way out of the situation. He went to visit a teacher of algebra. He took a large cake and a bouquet of flowers with him. He told the teacher that he was going to connect his life with the movie, so the teacher immediately put him three for the exam.
Student
Higher education Nikita chose immediately, unlike other applicants. He entered the Shchepkinsky School at the Maly Theater in Moscow. He was taken there instantly, and immediately after admission Nikita became a universal favorite. The fact is that his father, who had a good reputation, worked in this school for a long time. This also greatly helped Podgorny get comfortable in the institution and become the favorite of many teachers. The young actor could successfully play any role, he joked well, was very sociable and charming. All the teachers immediately began to notice Nikita's efforts and believed that the boy would have a happy future. Their dreams came true, Podgorny played many roles much better than his friends. He gradually became more and more popular, so many viewers became interested in the actor. Some recognized him as the son of Vladimir Podgorny.
Maly Theater
After graduating from college, Podgorny entered the Maly Theater, where he served his whole life. The director of the theater, Tsarev M.I., adored the young actor and even considered him his own grandson. Once he even forgave Nikita a stupid prank. Once Podgorny with friends closed in the dressing room and drank there. Soon, someone began to knock on them for a long time. Nikita’s voice couldn’t immediately determine who was bothering them, so he told the stranger a lot of obscene and rude words. When this knock began to greatly disturb the actors, Nikita finally opened the door, and the director stood on the threshold. But no scandal occurred, which Nikita's friends and he were very surprised.
As mentioned earlier, the young actor loved to joke and was the real soul of the company. Once, during the production of one of the performances, he had to play with actress Bystritskaya Elina. During the performance, Podgorny suddenly took off his black glasses, and the actress saw eyelashes glued on Nikita's eyes. Elina hardly restrained herself so as not to laugh right on the stage and not to disrupt the whole performance. She even had to stand with her back to the room.
Contemporaries of the actor said that he had a brilliant reputation. He had no enemies, and all the theater workers and teachers treated him with special attention and loved him. People like him were considered a real rarity. Usually in the movie everyone envies each other, but with Nikita everything was different. However, there was still a man who from the very beginning did not like Podgorny. It was Boris Ravensky. During the staging of one performance, another quarrel occurred, as a result of which Boris heard a lot of impudent words from Nikita. In addition, after this conflict, the actor announced that he would leave the Maly Theater. But, fortunately, he was able to keep the director of the theater, who loved Podgorny very much.
Personal life
The personal life of Nikita Podgorny is of interest to many of his fans. For the first time, the actor married, even when he studied at the Shchepkinsky school. His bride was a young and beautiful university student - Nelly Bodryagina. But, unfortunately, the couple was married for only three years. They parted because both were still young and inexperienced.
But almost immediately after a divorce from a classmate, Nikita again became a groom. His companion was Olga Chuvaeva. She worked with him at the Maly Theater, just starting to build a career as an actress. Their romance began with an ordinary friendship, which later grew into love. A happy young family gave birth to a wonderful girl who was named Dasha. She was a copy of her father and was not at all like Olga Chuvaeva. Today Daria Podgornaya works at the Maly Theater. Nikita Podgorny has no more children.
Theatrical work and career of the actor
Podgorny played in many productions. Often, spectators bought tickets for performances with his participation. And in 1970, he finally became one of the best actors. Obtaining such glory to Podgorny was very difficult. The fact is that the Maly Theater already had about ten national artists of the Soviet Union. But thanks to his charm and ingenuity, he still managed to break into the ranks of the famous actors of the Maly Theater.
Once Podgorny got the role of Chatsky in the comedy "Woe from Wit." One of the critics really liked the game of the young actor. He admired how Nikita passed Chatsky’s image through himself, managed to play it with the special sadness inherent in the hero. This did not happen by accident. Since childhood, Nikita read dozens of different books, popular at that time. He was very fond of literature, could sit with a book in his hand for at least a whole day. Thanks to reading, he was able to realistically convey the images of lyrical heroes on stage.
Nikita Podgorny’s theatrical works are as follows: he played General Tafto in the Vanity Fair, played Ryumin in the Summer Residents by M. Gorky, the role of the Unknown in Ostrovsky’s Puchin, Prince Selsky in Kasatka by L. Tolstoy. In 1966, Nikita played in the Labyrinth, and in 1977 in the Optimistic Tragedy.
Filmography
In the theater, Podgorny worked almost all the time, so he did not have time for a role in the movie. But still, he sometimes starred in those directors with whom he was familiar and respected. Even if they offered Nikita small episodes, he agreed anyway. A vivid confirmation of this can serve as a film with Nikita Podgorny “Autumn Marathon”. In it, the actor appeared on the screen only a few times.
In 1958, the first film with his participation - “Idiot” was released on television screens. Podgorny played the main role in it of Gani Ivolgin and coped with it successfully. Subsequently, he began to receive more major roles, and in the most popular films. He played Mozart in the play "Mozart and Salieri", Vedernikov in the film "Michman Panin", Dima Kruciferskogo in the film "Who is to blame?", Giovanni Pinedi in the film "Labyrinth".
In 1983, the actor played his last role in the movie "Jewelry". At that time he was already seriously ill, so the role of Boris Kravtsov was the last in his life. Prior to that, he played in the play "A few drops" and in the film "Dangerous Age."
"Investigators are leading"
Nikita starred in films and television programs with great pleasure. He loved his work very much and put all his strength into it. His best work in cinematography can rightfully be considered a role in the series "Experts Conduct Investigation." At that time, this series was very popular. Nikita brilliantly played the role of a criminal, in which almost nothing was left of conscience.
Fate
His last theatrical production was the performance of Yuri Bondarev "Choice". Podgorny was supposed to play a captive who went to Germany, and at the end of his life, the hero goes home to die calmly from an incurable disease. In the film, it was cancer. As mentioned earlier, many actors were afraid to play roles related to death or disease. But Nikita Podgorny was not afraid of anything. Unfortunately, exactly one year later he died of cancer.
Terrible disease
All this happened after the actor went on vacation. After the rest, the whole troupe, together with Podgorny, left for Tbilisi to make a movie there. Together with Nikita, his wife Olga went to the city. When they were driving, Olga noticed that Podgorny became ill. He complained to her of severe back pain. However, they did not become very worried, because when they contacted one of the local hospitals they were reassured. Doctors said the pain was like osteochondrosis. However, not everything was so simple. When the couple arrived in Moscow, they immediately turned to CITO.
The diagnosis made in Tbilisi was completely exposed. Experienced doctors prescribed Nikita a course of treatment, which included various massages and warming up. But these procedures were no use, since the pain in the back of the actor intensified every day. Sometimes they became quieter, but not for long. And such torment continued every day for three winter months.
Troubling news
One of the important days in the fate of Nikita was the usual spring day of 1982. Then Olga played the last time in the play "The Power of Darkness." During the training camp, the actress was disturbed by a phone call. A familiar doctor Podgorny said in a tube that Nikita did not have osteochondrosis at all, but something serious. Olga began to worry very much that during the whole performance she could not play calmly. Before the last act, she again picked up the phone and dialed the doctor’s number. He very much upset her, saying that there was no hope and chance of treatment. The doctor said that Nikita had a terrible tumor, and it was located in a very problematic place. No surgeon can remove it from there, so Nikita is doomed.
Life in ignorance
Naturally, no one began to talk about the terrible disease to the actor, so as not to cause a panic. Therefore, a story was invented for him, supposedly he was taken to a clinic in order to be examined in a scanning apparatus. My wife loved Podgorny very much, so she asked the doctors not to talk about the diagnosis.
But already in the summer of 1982, it was noticeable on X-ray that the terrible tumor had practically resolved. Olga was delighted with this fact and sincerely believed that the disease was forever behind. Soon the couple went to Shchelykovo together for a vacation. In fact, the actor has long guessed that this is not osteochondrosis, but cancer. But he didn’t give a sight, and came to Shchelykovo only for the last time to see his native house, forest, to be with his beloved wife and friends from these parts. When they were about to drive back, Nikita himself got behind the wheel of a car and drove off. However, he then hardly moved to the rear seats, making room for the driver. On the road, Podgorny was very bad. The driver stopped the car several times so that the sick actor was given the necessary injections.
Last days
Again, the Podgorny Cancer Center was on the last day of the summer of 1982. All the doctors and friends of the patient were sure that the tumor was no more and Nikita would return home soon. But already on September 25, Podgorny died. Relatives thought that he did not know about cancer, but the actor had long been aware of everything. The cause of death of Nikita Podgorny is oncology. The actor took death quite calmly. Until now, no one knows how the sick artist found out about his illness. Perhaps if he found out about him spontaneously, a fatal outcome would have happened much faster. The actor until the last days, despite attacks of pain, remained active, purposeful and cheerful. He left so early, because so many roles could be played.
The grave of Nikita Podgorny is located at the Vagankovsky cemetery in Moscow.