In 1939, the film “The Man in the Case” staged by the director Isidor Annensky was released. Maybe because this story by A.P. Chekhov wasn’t filmed anymore, but in 1965 the picture of I. Annensky was revised and again went through the screens of the country.
This tape, which starred the
great actors Nikolai Khmelev,
Mikhail Zharov, Faina Ranevskaya, was truly brilliant, and every resident of the Soviet Union knew Belikov, a Greek school teacher. His cap, dark eyeglasses and the famous phrase “The Volga flows into the Caspian Sea, no matter what happens!” were familiar to all without exaggeration. It so happens that almost one role made the theater actor famous throughout the country.
A boy from a good family
Belikova was brilliantly played by Nikolai Pavlovich Khmelev. He was born on July 23, 1901 in Sormovo, a historical district of Nizhny Novgorod. At the famous Sormovo Locomotive Plant, his father worked as a master. Mother gave music lessons in wealthy families, as she was the daughter of a lawyer and had a musical education. The son had to get a good education and when he reached the right age he was assigned to a private real school Sormovo. When it closed, the boy was transferred to the 2nd Nizhny Novgorod gymnasium.
6th Moscow Gymnasium
In 1916, Nikolai Khmelev moved with his family to Moscow and continued his studies at the 6th Moscow Gymnasium. During these years, he became interested in painting and connected his further destiny with the Stroganov School. But literature was close to the young man. The first steps on the theatrical path also belong to the time of study at the Moscow gymnasium. In concerts, he performed with the monologues of Berendey, Osip, Melnik and Walsingham from the works (respectively) “The Snow Maiden”, “The Inspector General”, “The Mermaid” and “The Feast During the Plague”.
Path selection
Obviously, the idea of devoting himself to the theater already visited the future people's artist. Because in the year of his admission to Moscow University, at the Faculty of History and Philology, the Moscow Art Theater announces the admission of artists to the 2nd Studio (existed from 1916 to 1924), and Nikolai Khmelev, with the support and assistance of its director and teacher V. L. Mchedelov goes there.
In addition to the founding fathers of this private studio of Mkhatov actors N. Massalitinov, N, Podgorny and N. Alexandrov, known as the three Nikolas, theatrical values such as E. Vakhtangov, L. Leonidov, V. Luzhsky were taught in the 2nd Studio.
The first steps
In his student work, Nikolai Khmelev pays great attention to appearance and make-up. This made the roles of Firs in The Cherry Orchard, Karp in The Forest, Snegirev in The Brothers Karamazov so noticeable that both Stanislavsky and V. Nemirovich-Danchenko praised them commendably. And the art of makeup N.P. Khmelev taught in three studios - Mchedelov, in the 2nd Moscow Art Theater and Zavadsky. Nikolai Khmelev (actor) began his career on the stage of the stage in a classic way - not even with a “meal served”, but with the wordless role of the Messenger (1919).
First notable roles
There were plenty of such silent exits, and it was only in 1923 that N. Khmelev played Spiegelberg in Fr. Schiller. This role, which was not noticed by critics, was recognized by colleagues, and the next role in the play "Elizaveta Petrovna" was one of the leading ones.
Nikolai Pavlovich played Ushakov. In 1925, Nemirovich-Danchenko offered him the role of the peasant Marey in the play by K. Trenev “Pugachevschina”. This role made N. Khmeleva famous.
High patronage
The following year, 1926, he plays Alexei Turbin and becomes a recognized actor. A lot of legends are associated with the play “Days of the Turbins” by M. A. Bulgakov, staged on the stage of the Moscow Art Theater. The performance liked Stalin. There is a version that it was after watching it that the leader allowed to celebrate the New Year in the country, he liked the scenes with the decoration of the Christmas tree so much. Stalin favored actor Khmelev - three awards in his name are worth something. Iosif Vissarionovich especially liked the roles of Karenin and Alexei Turbin.
Your vision of the role
Each subsequent role became a new step to the heights of creativity - the intellectual Bolshevik Peklevanov in the “Armored Train 14-69” Sun. Ivanova (1927), the prince in the "Uncle's Dream" by F. M. Dostoevsky, Firs in the "Cherry Orchard" and Tsar Fedor Ioanovich. This role Nikolai Pavlovich receives on the recommendation of the great V. M. Moskvin.
The role of Skorobogatov in the play “Enemies” by A. M. Gorky also belongs to luck. Each image played by N.P. Khmelev differed only in his inherent characteristic features, for each he found peculiar accents. The prince in Uncle's Dream performed by Khmelev is not as ridiculous as tragic.
Theater named after Ermolova
In 1932, Nikolai Khmelev (photo attached) opens his own studio, which, having existed until 1937, joined the theater to them. Ermolova. Nikolai Pavlovich became the artistic director of this theater, and the first production on a new stage - “There was not a penny, but suddenly an altyn” - was very popular. In this position he stayed until his death, which occurred in 1945. In 1941, N.P. Khmelev received the first Stalin Prize for outstanding creative achievements.
Prizes received by law
In 1942, the actor was awarded the second Stalin Prize for the role of engineer Zabelin in the Kremlin Chimes N. Pogodin. When the theater was evacuated (since 1941), N.P. Khmelev was appointed head of the art department of the Moscow Art Theater, in Moskvin became director in 1943.
Such a theatrical role as Tuzenbach in the play “Three Sisters” by A.P. Chekhov, staged in 1940, can be attributed to great success. Some researchers of the actor’s creativity believe that it was she who became the pinnacle of Nikolai Pavlovich Khmelev’s skill. All roles and performances of the last years of his life were successful. For his "Last Sacrifice" by A. Ostrovsky in 1944 in the Moscow Art Theater, posthumously, Nikolai Pavlovich was awarded the third Stalin Prize.
Sudden death
Nikolai Khmelev, whose biography ended on November 1, 1945, died as a great artist on stage. He rehearsed the role of Ivan the Terrible in the play “Difficult Years” by A. N. Tolstoy. There was a dress rehearsal, the actor fell, he was transferred to the chair of the first row of the stalls. The doctor who arrived realized that N.P. Khmelev was not transportable, that he was dying. The great actor was transferred to a small room for an advance deposit, since the evening performance began in the theater (why not cancel it?). There were "Dead Souls", to the loud music at the governor's ball and the laughter of unsuspecting spectators, Khmelev Nikolai Pavlovich was dying in the make-up and costume of the king. The cause of death is paralysis and cardiac arrest.
Personal life
He was only 44 years old. In such cases, it is customary to say that a person "burned out at work" - productions in the Gypsy Theater and them. Ermolova, the Moscow Art Theater also had a lot of work. In addition, the second wife of Nikolai Khmelev was the beauty Lyalya Chernaya, who had gone to him from Yanshin out of great love.
But the soul of this actress was gypsy, cheerful and free - constant songs and dances until the morning in the two-story apartment of N. Khmelev. They say that gypsies and bonfires were made there. Yes, and time contributed to disease, so Nikolay Khmelev could not stand it. The personal life of the artist in 1943 was marked by the fact of the birth of his son Alyosha, who on November 2, the second day after the death of his father, turned two years old.
Some facts
To the above, we can add the fact that the great-nephew of N. Khmelev, his namesake and namesake (though not full, middle name Evgenievich, the son of Alyosha had no children) is an actor of the Mayakovsky theater. He became known to the general public after filming in the series “Kremlin Cadets”.
Concluding the article, we can add that Nikolai Pavlovich Khmelev was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor and medals and, as noted above, was awarded the USSR State Prizes (formerly Stalin) in 1941, 1942 and 1946. Among the films, one can note the role in the film "Generation of Winners", released in 1936. Buried N.P. Khmelev at the Novodevichy cemetery in Moscow.