Many viewers love Russian comedies for their subtle humor, the ability to ridicule, but very accurately ridicule the shortcomings of a modern person, identify problem areas and, through laughter, make a person think about pressing problems. This genre of cinema is not only able to relax a tired person, but also suggest a way out of some difficult situations.
Many viewers will surely remember Russian comedies called Radio Day, Election Day, What Men Talk About, and What Men Still Talk About. All these films were shot under the guidance of a humorous collective called the Quartet I. One of the participants in this project is actor Leonid Barats. His childhood and career development will be discussed in this article.
Childhood: jazz as a passion
On July 18, 1971, in the Ukrainian city called Odessa, Leonid Barats was born. The biography of the boy begins his story in a Jewish family. Father - Grigory Isaakovich - worked as a journalist. Mom - Zoya Izrailevna - devoted her life to teaching children in kindergarten. Leonid got his name in honor of his great-grandfather. Initially, parents wanted to name their son Alexei. It so happened that neither the boy’s entourage nor his family used the real name. Everyone simply called the younger Baraz Leshka.
Hero's grandmother worked as accompanist at the opera house. From childhood, she tried to instill in her grandson a love of art. Grandmother took Leonid to ballet, to various theater performances and to opera. After some time, Leonid Barats entered the music school in piano. Initially, all the lessons in the restless boy caused only terrible boredom. Until one day, the teacher revealed the world of jazz to him. Since then, music has become an integral part of the life of the future actor.
School. Friendship. Forever
At the age of seven, the boy goes to school. At one desk with him they put Rostislav Khait (also a member of the Quartet I). From that moment on, strong male friendship began. Despite strict parents and constant control, Leonid Barats was known at school as an avid hooligan and mischievous person. His first and constant assistant in all shkodny affairs was Slava Chait. In addition to pranks, this duet was also engaged in organizational activities. Not a single “skit”, not a single party, not a single event was complete without smart and talented schoolchildren. Both Leonid Barats and Rostislav Khait entertained the audience as best they could: there were sketches, and musical numbers, and jokes.
Continuing the journey we have begun together
Ten years later, friends left the scene of a friendly institution. They faced the question of choice: where to go. There was no question of separating and studying at different institutes. In the end, the choice fell on GITIS (currently known as RATI). Having collected bags and saying goodbye to relatives, the young men went to conquer the capital. And, to everyone's surprise, they did. It was the year 1991.
Within the walls of the educational institution, the friendship of two yesterday's schoolchildren became even stronger. It was here that the foundation was laid for the creation of the now popular creative association called the Quartet I. In the last year of training, Leonid Barats and Rostislav Khait met with Sergey Petreikov, Alexander Demidov and Kamil Larin. In the future, they became indispensable links in a humorous project.
The first scenario. First success
Working on the idea of creating their own theater, five friends decided to invite all students of their groups to participate in the project. Many of them zealously supported the undertakings of Baraz, Khait, Larinov and Demidov. The first performance of the Quartet I Comic Theater took place in 1993. In a project called “These are just stamps”, some blanks of students of their course were shown. However, the production called Radio Day brought the greatest popularity to this theater. In 2001, Leonid wrote the script for this performance. After some time, the production premiered. The Zuev Palace of Culture, where the first show of the play was held, was packed to capacity. The production lasted more than two hours. However, even a long performance did not prevent the audience from fully enjoying the vivid show and the talented play of the cast. As an arrangement, some compositions of the musical group “Accident” were used. It is noteworthy that on the stage the guys performed under their own names: Glory - Rostislav Khait, Sasha - Alexander Demidov, Camille - Kamil Larinov, Lesha - Leonid Barats. The growing popularity of the production prompted the quartet to write a script for a new project.
Continuing a successful start
In 2002, the continuation of the first part of the play entitled “Election Day” was published. This time, Sergey Petreikov, Rostislav Khait and Leonid Barats worked on the script. The filmography of the artists soon also replenished with the first recordings. In 2007 and 2008, filmed comedies were released on the scripts for the theater “Radio Day” and “Election Day”. Talented actors played well-known roles in these tapes. Nonna Grishaeva, Maxim Vitorgan, Beavers and some other famous artists joined them.
After a while, Leonid Barats creates a script for the play entitled “Conversations of middle-aged men”. The performance performed by the most talented guys from the Quartet And Theater is extremely successful. In 2010, the film “What Men Talk About” was released, the script for which was the previous production. In addition to the already well-known actors, Nina Ruslanova, Oleg Menshikov, Andrei Makarevich, Zhanna Friske and others took part in the filming of the film.
Last works
In 2011, another stunning comedy entitled “What Men Still Talk About” was released, in which, as before, Leonid Barats was shot. The filmography of the cast of the Quartet And Theater is replenished with another record. This film has become even more popular than the previous part. The team is currently working on a sequel to the four friends saga.
In 2010, on the stage of the theater, the premiere of the performance “Faster than Rabbits” took place. Like previous works, this production pleased its participants with resounding success. On January 1, 2014, a film created based on this performance was released on large screens.
Other facts from the biography
In addition to working in the theater, Leonid Baraz participates in work on music videos of various groups. He starred with the Combination group, Svetlana Roerich, the Bravo group, etc. His acting career began with the television series Money, which was shown on television in 2002.
The personal life of the actor
Graceful Anna Kasatkina plays in the first film of Quartet I, entitled Radio Day. She is the wife of Leonid Baraz. They met at the institute in the first year and after three years tied the knot. Anna Kasatkina took an active part in the creation and establishment of the Quartet I Theater. It is noteworthy that a woman is several years older than her husband. However, this in no way affects the happy family life of the couple. The first daughter Elizabeth was born in 1994 - a year after the wedding of Anna and Leonid. She tried herself in journalism, but she did not like this field. Currently, Lisa is studying abroad in a private institution. In 2003, the second daughter was born - Eva. Despite her young age, she already managed to make her debut in the film "Faster than Rabbits." Leonid’s wife is engaged in raising children and sometimes acts in films with her husband.