Our viewer knows this courageous hero of action movies firsthand. Oleg Shtefanko was born in Donetsk and at school did not think about the profession of an actor. Oleg's father, a mining engineer , dreamed of a successor, and Oleg himself was thinking of following in his father's footsteps, well, in an extreme case, to the Trade Academy.
Choice of profession
He did not think about the profession of an actor and was not going to conquer Moscow. Living in Donetsk, whose male population worked in mines without exception, Oleg began to wonder if he wanted to devote his life to such a difficult profession. In addition, methane explosions in mines have already occurred more than once, which claimed many lives. Oleg’s mother also dreamed of a better fate for her son, and at the family council it was decided to go to study in the theater, Moscow.
Moscow
Oleg Shtefanko, whose fate could have turned out completely differently, was nevertheless able to find his way in life. Oleg recalls that even then he firmly decided for himself: if he does not get to college the first time, he will return to his hometown and go to work.
And in 1976, young Oleg arrived in the capital, which met him very kindly, and he immediately became a student of Sliver. A year later, the Maly Theater opened his arms to him and gave several interesting roles on his stage. It was not surprising when in 1980 Stefanko became a full member of the theater troupe. The acting biography went on the thumb, and Oleg in those days could not even think that he would soon be in faraway America. In the meantime, he starred a lot, plays in the theater and lives a full creative life. At the Maly Theater he was lucky to stand on stage with such luminaries of the Russian theater as Smoktunovsky and Zharov,
Igor Ilyinsky and the Solomins brothers. In the early 80s, Oleg Stefanko became a sought-after actor. In 1984, he was unexpectedly taken into the army, which greatly upset the actor, because his career was stalled because of this, his army life seemed terrifying to him, and he felt that he was wasting his time.
Favorite Theater
After the army, Stefanko gladly returned to his native theater. He was again in demand, and interesting roles replaced each other. One of the best was the role in the play "Cyrano de Bergerac". Critics reacted very favorably to the premiere, and the performance took pride of place in the repertoire of the theater. Just during this period Oleg began to work a lot on solo performances and prepared an interesting program with which he traveled around the country. The audience literally fell on the performance and applauded standing. People perceived Stefanko as their working guy, his monologues were sincere and soulful.
Filmmakers also did not leave the actor with an interesting appearance, excellent physical data and amazing hard work. Significant was his image in the film based on Chase’s novel “Death Bay,” where Oleg played a major role. Queues lined up for this film, and people watched it several times. Films with Oleg Shtefanko are always interesting for the audience with a cool plot and an excellent actor's play.
However, Oleg, left without any savings due to the crisis in the country, decided to go abroad. The choice fell on America, a country of open opportunities, where he left in 1992. Penniless, without connections and home, Oleg turned out to be such a strong man that he could find himself as an artist. Although foreign directors, especially Russian ones, American directors are wary.
America
The first years in America were very difficult, it was possible to earn some money where necessary: Stefanko washed dishes, tried himself as a waiter, took on everything possible. But America and the country of great opportunities, that any work is held in high esteem here. In parallel, he was engaged in kickboxing, the skills of which he had preserved since the army, and even became a coach. Constant training allowed Oleg to be in great shape. In parallel, Stefanko upholstered the thresholds of small production companies in the hope of a small role. He was able to get into the general database and was once invited as a model for filming.
For America, this is an absolutely natural practice when artists begin a career in advertising. And so it happened, the actor was noticed, someone liked his courageous, interesting appearance, and Oleg was invited to the first auditions for a small role in a student film. The climbing mechanism has been launched. Possessing exceptional perseverance and industriousness, the actor worked day and night, agreed to any roles, the main thing is to be noticed, appreciated his game and appearance. Oleg Shtefanko, whose biography was very successful due to hard work, could become famous not only in his homeland, but also in Hollywood.
Long awaited recognition
Stefanko, who passed the Russian theater school, noted to himself how much higher his skill was in comparison with generally accepted American standards, because in the USA the main emphasis is on cinema, and therefore they are not serious about theater. There are no theater universities; actors in America are graduated from acting school. The main thing is that the viewer notices you, because this provides the box office of the film. Cinema in America is a profitable business, put on stream, and it is very important to get into the stream. Significant in the fate of the actor was a chance meeting with Savely Kramarov. Oleg worked at that time as a waiter and was incredibly glad to see a Russian star at his table. They talked, Oleg briefly talked about himself and received the main advice from the master: we must move to Los Angeles. Only there you can suddenly be noticed by serious producers. And so it happened, soon Stefanko got on the set to Robert De Niro himself, followed by suggestions from Tony Gilroy. Some films with Oleg Stefanko entered the Golden Cinema Fund.
Hollywood
One after another, starring roles in such famous films as Police Officers on Bicycles, False Temptation, and Military Investigators followed. His partners were real stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, James Belushi, Michael York and others. Oleg became recognizable and in demand in America, his dream came true, but the actor began to pull more and more to his homeland. By that time, much had changed in Russia, political and economic stability provided an opportunity for many directors to do filming, new interesting works appeared, and Stefanko decided to return. He by that time already had American citizenship, which gave freedom of movement around the world. Oleg Stefanko, whose filmography is rich in interesting Hollywood roles, is more and more filming on Russian television, and all the series with his participation immediately become favorite for the audience.
Homecoming
Now he is an actor in demand by the best directors, has acted in film a lot and, unfortunately, there is almost not enough time for his favorite theater. Stefanko believes that for people in the creative profession it is imperative to feel freedom, otherwise a piece of talent is lost when you have to act in frank hack because of money. Oleg reads the script very carefully and agrees far from all the offers. Series and films with the participation of Oleg Stefanko usually receive good reviews from critics, as he is a true professional, and work in America has a very positive effect on the experience of the actor. Thanks to his courageous appearance and excellent physical shape, he increasingly plays the role of representatives of law enforcement agencies, intelligence agents. The directors see him as the hero of an action movie or a detective, and he would like to play romantic roles, because then all his creative potential will be revealed. Oleg warmly recalls his role in the film "Everything is Possible", where he became a partner of the unfading beauty Larisa Udovichenko. The film turned out to be soulful and immediately fell in love with the Russian audience. The stagnation period began again at the box office, because a lot of good projects are being closed due to lack of funding, so Oleg is increasingly agreeing to roles in long-term series. Stefanko does not have a desire to make films himself, since he understands how much time and nerves such creativity takes. He believes that it is better to spend this time on additional shootings in the next series and, of course, on the family.
Lovely family
Oleg Shtefanko, whose biography is replete with events and changes, is a conservative person, loving peace and homeliness. Oleg is a good family man, and he had and has one and only beloved wife Larisa, with whom he lived for many years in a happy marriage. It was love at first sight. The actor tells how comfortable he felt next to Larisa, how much love and warmth she gave him throughout the marriage. Oleg Shtefanko, whose photo is often seen on the covers of glossy magazines, does not aspire to social life, he prefers to spend all his free time with his family, because the children grow up so fast, and he has to be absent due to constant shooting.
Life on two continents
Actor Oleg Shtefanko is currently increasingly located in Russia, while his family lives in Los Angeles. It is very difficult for him without their support, and daily conversations on Skype can not replace real human communication. Wife Larisa is a social worker, she has to combine work responsibilities with raising two children, but she perfectly understands how difficult it is for her husband to be away from the family, and does everything so that he can feel their love and understanding.
The held actor Oleg Shtefanko, whose filmography is constantly replenished with interesting works, believes that he has not yet played his main role. He wants to continue working in Russia and hopes that he will please the audience more than once with a magnificent game and deep images.