Colleagues associated this remarkable lyceum of the Soviet era with the Russian hero, and with a connoisseur of Russian poetry, and with a true professional in his field. Evstigneev himself said that "this is a very high monument."
His openness and goodwill did not leave anyone indifferent from the acting environment. Pyotr Shcherbakov was the soul of the company and a joker, although the press did not pay too much attention to his person. But in vain, since Shcherbakov’s acting talent was indeed multifaceted. The most diverse images were subject to him, starting from a soulless official and ending with the responsible chairman of the collective farm. The famous Peter Shcherbakov was the favorite of the legendary Martinson, and he tasted the glory of the actor as a young man. But he deserved it exclusively by his labor. Actor Peter Shcherbakov is still popular today; his roles in the cinema are well known to the Soviet audience. What is known about him?
Facts from the biography
Pyotr Shcherbakov, whose biography is interesting and noteworthy, was born on July 21, 1929 in the Russian outback, namely in the village of Pozdnyakovo, Kaluga Region.
He came from a working-class family, as his father, like many Soviet citizens, went to develop virgin lands. His relatives by pure chance in the 30s of the last century did not become victims of punitive detachments. After the war, the actor’s father worked at the ZIL automobile plant. After some time, Peter Shcherbakov came to work at this enterprise, having got into the design bureau of the stamping and mechanical workshop. In the evening, he comprehended science in an auto-mechanical college. Such a tight schedule, of course, was unusual for a young man, but his perseverance and perseverance in achieving the goal helped him get a diploma in technical specialty.
Acting Path
However, the young man soon faced a difficult dilemma: to become a hypocrite or choose a career as an engineer. The idea of a theatrical scene appeared in the head of Pyotr Ivanovich after he accidentally saw the building of the GITIS named after Lunacharsky, without even knowing where this theater university was located at all.
He boldly entered the educational institution and asked one of the teachers to check if he had the makings of an actor, not counting on a positive result.
As a result, an examination commission was created, and the young man came to the audition, accompanied by a partner from the club, with whom he demonstrated a scene from Boris Godunov. The examiners were pleased with the performance of the young man, who was invited to enter the second year at once, since at that time there was only a set for the directing department. Peter Ivanovich was given the condition: for six months he must pass exams for the first year.
Two young people also became fellow students of Shcherbakov - Vadim Tonkov and Boris Vladimirov, who later became famous throughout the country thanks to their enchanting performances in the guise of Veronika Mavrikievna and Avdotya Nikitichny. Pyotr Ivanovich very quickly made friends with this couple: they worked together, put on mini-skits, and spent leisure time. However, after some time the roads of the maestro with Tonkov and Vladimirov parted.
Theater work
After receiving the diploma, Scherbakov Peter, even if the actor is newly made, goes to Germany, namely to the theater of a group of Soviet troops.
For three years, living abroad, he learns in practice the basics of theatrical mastery. For a young man it was a curiosity to get paid in marks. He was also not used to seeing a fundamentally different way of life than in the USSR, which he, of course, was endlessly surprised.
Work in the "Contemporary"
At the end of the 50s, Petr Shcherbakov (actor) returned to his homeland and joined the Sovremennik troupe. At that time this temple of Melpomene was a haven for extraordinary personalities who wrote novels, composed poems and painted paintings. The theater was run not by party officials, but by the lyceum themselves, who distributed the salary according to the principle of "both worked and dug." Here Pyotr Ivanovich becomes the leader of the party cell. The actor never used his post for material gain. Petr Shcherbakov, whose filmography includes more than 60 movie roles, did not immediately acquire his own living space, living for a long time with his sisters and mother. In his new apartment, he coped well with the role of a friendly host, gladly accepting many guests and treating them with all kinds of dishes and treats. He loved noisy companies and was always glad when they rang the doorbell.
Movie work
And, of course, Pyotr Ivanovich played an unimaginable number of vivid roles in the cinema, having won great popularity among Soviet viewers in this field. In 1958, the director Yuri Egorov invited the actor to take part in the film "Volunteers", where the actor masterly played the role of metro builder Vyacheslav Ufimtsev. The film was a fantastic success. Shcherbakov’s partners on the set were real stars of Soviet cinema: Elina Bystritskaya, Mikhail Ulyanov, Leonid Bykov, Nonna Mordyukova. They were able to fully reflect all the qualities and characters of the heroes of that time. However, “Volunteers” is not the movie where Peter Shcherbakov played his debut role. The films The Tale of First Love, They Met on the Road, Pages of the Past, and the short film Pe-Copter are also well known to the Soviet audience.
Faces of acting talent
At the same time, the actor often got roles that, although they were filled with interesting material, were considered second-rate. But even they were remembered by the viewer, who immediately recognized Peter Ivanovich in a large colorful figure.
The older the actor became, the more often the directors trusted him with the roles of party careerists and Soviet civil servants. But Shcherbakov’s talent had a wide range: even playing the secretaries of the regional committees, he could show one strict, the other timid, and the third decisive. The directors with pleasure invited the actor to play comedic images. He phenomenally coped with the acting task, making the audience laugh heartily. The proof of this was the work of Peter Ivanovich in films: “The Big Change” (the role of the guest), “Garage” (the role of the spouse Anikeeva), “Office Romance” (the role of Bublikov). As already emphasized, Scherbakov was subject to diverse images. The viewer still admires his talented work in the films: “Winter Evening in Gagra”, “Battle on the Road”, “Turbin Days”, “City of Zero”.
A family
Pyotr Shcherbakov, whose personal life was not without drama, still managed to withstand the problems and vicissitudes that had happened in his fate.
The fact is that his first wife died shortly before giving birth to a boy. Peter Ivanovich for some time brilliantly coped with the role of father and mother in one person. He found the strength to marry a second time, and his newly-married wife, Valentina Ivanovna, shared with the actor the care of raising the offspring. Shcherbakov Sr. did not look for souls in his son, who initially followed in the footsteps of his father, choosing an acting profession. He studied at the Moscow Art Theater School with Oleg Tabakov himself. But then the young man left for the USA and successfully works in Broadway theaters.
Pyotr Ivanovich Shcherbakov died on March 16, 1992. He was buried at the Vagankovsky cemetery of the capital.