100 anniversary of the birth of George M. Vitsin
Although he was born in the Vyborg province, which was part of the Grand Duchy of Finland, the parents of the future famous actor were from the regions of central Russia. Mother Maria Matveyevna - from Penza, father Mikhail Egorovich - from Vladimir province. At the same time, the parents of George Vitsin were in no way connected with art. At the same time, George Vitsin was an extraordinary man, even with the date of his birth there was a certain confusion. His mother, in order to send the child to the forest health school, the places in which remained only in the younger group, corrected in the metric the year of birth on 1918 and set the date of April 23 - his name day.
The whole future actor spent his childhood in Moscow, where his parents moved when the boy was not even one year old. George's mother worked as a ticket collector in the Hall of Columns of the House of Unions and often took her son with her to work. The boy really enjoyed watching the behavior of actors and famous people, watching concerts and performances. Imitating his idols, he already at the age of 12 participated in performances that were staged on the school stage. The comedian's gift was already evident in him; his classmates used to be teachers for classmates. Later, George Vitsin will say: “To laugh is a natural need of a normal person. Lack of a sense of humor is a disease. ”
From 1926 to 1933, George Vitsin studied in the usual Moscow seven-year school №26, after which he decided to get a professional acting education. In 1933-1934, he studied at the Theater School at the Maly Theater (today it is the MS Shchepkin Higher Theater School), from where he was expelled with the wording "for frivolous behavior." In 1934, he entered the Vakhtangov Theater School at the theater (today it is the Boris Schukin Theater Institute). From here, he was already transferred to the 1935 year in the Moscow Art Theater Theater Studio 2. In the 1936 year, Vitsin successfully passes the final exams and defends his thesis. Having received the coveted diploma, the actor full of dreams and hopes is sent to work in the theater.
The first 30 years of George Vitsin's brilliant career were associated with the Yermolova Theater, at which time he relatively rarely starred in films. In this theater, he played from 1937 to 1969 a year. In the Yermolova Theater, Vitsin was deservedly considered a real star. They said that the public went to the performances with his participation, asking even at the box office whether Vitsin was playing on the stage today. If the answer to a question was negative, people could just turn around and leave. In those years, theater critics were happy to write about him, and few would have thought that an actor with such an excellent stage career could exchange theater for cinema and comedy roles.
However, at some point, George Vitsin was still tired of the limited theatrical repertoire, which was repeated day after day, in order to break out of his frame, he decided to try his hand at the cinema. His first screen debut occurred back in 1944, when he starred in the episodic role of the oprichnik in Eisenstein’s Ivan the Terrible, according to other sources, he debuted in the cinema one year later in the film Hello Moscow! This was followed by several roles in the image of Gogol. In 1951, he played the famous writer in the film Belinsky, and in 1952, in the film Composer Glinka. It is curious that the classic of domestic literature Vitsin played three times, including because of external similarities with the writer, as well as a realistic and very natural performance of this role. The third time Nikolai Gogol actor played in 1959 year in the film "How Ivan Ivanovich quarreled with Ivan Nikiforovich."
However, not roles in historical paintings and not the image of Gogol brought Vitsin fame and popular love. The first truly notable film with his participation was the film "The Reserve Player". On the screens of countries, this film with Vitsin in the title role was released in 1954, along with him, real fame came to the actor. The actor, who at that time was already 37 years old, had to play a young, promising football player Vasya Vesnushkin. In order to look decent on the screen, Georgy Vitsin trained daily at the stadium, but it was not his physical form that bribed the audience. In his performance, Vasily Vesnushkin turned out to be a modest and touching young man who is in the shadow of his older brother. Despite this, thanks to his honesty, intelligence, kindness and incredible enthusiasm, he manages not only to become the star of his football team, but also to gain the location of the girl with whom he was in love. The role of Vitsin in this film was very lyrical, there was practically nothing in it from future comic images that would become legendary.
The actor throughout his entire creative career looked very young. That is why in his 37 years he could easily play a young 18-year-old guy. This is because Georgy Vitsin tried to lead a healthy lifestyle: he did not smoke or drink, and also practiced yoga, which was quite rare for the USSR of those years. Georgy Mikhailovich very scrupulously and responsibly treated his own health, did not like a feast and ignored the noisy Moscow gatherings. Throughout his life, he was a very modest man and did not like heightened attention to his person. Despite this, Vitsin very well succeeded in the role of drunkards, which he performed reliably and realistically.
After the film “Substitute Player” for quite a long time, Gregory Vitsin was cast in small character roles, like Sir Andrew Egyuchyk in Shakespeare's “The Twelfth Night”, which was filmed by Ian Fried, or minor episodes. But even the leading roles Vitsin could not fill with such meaning and content that the viewer often looked only at him. He also managed to play in the film “She loves you!”, Where he independently performed some tricks. For example, in the episode with water skis, it was planned to initially shoot a backup, but the director decided to use Vitsin, who did not let him down, ideally performing a trick with water skis.
The real breakthrough in Vitsin’s career occurred in 1961. This year he gained genuine all-Union fame and fame. The role of Trus in the films of Leonid Gaidai brought glory to the actor; for the first time, this image was embodied in a small movie story “Dog of the Barbosa and Unusual Cross”. This was followed by the paintings "Moonshakers", "Operation Y", "Caucasian Captive", all these Soviet comedies were a resounding success. These films are viewed with pleasure by the audience and today already in the XXI century. They became a real apogee in the career of George Vitsin. The role of the Coward, which the actor played in the immortal comedies of Gaidai, became the main role of his career, which gave him immortality. In this image, Vitsin appeared on the screens of the USSR immediately 7 times. The subtle figure of Georgy Vitsin with forever-guilty facial expressions against the background of Yury Nikulin (Balbes), who is never desponding, and Yevgeny Morgunov (Experienced) who is never despondent, already looked quite comical in itself. Over this trio the audience laughed all over the country, very fond of these heroes.
The fate of George Mikhailovich was still a large number of wonderful roles. The most beloved spectators and famous ones were the paintings “The Balzaminov's Marriage”, “Gentlemen of Fortune”, “The Old, Old Fairy Tale” and others. During his life, Vitsin played practically in various 100 films, and his many theatrical roles brought fame to the actor. The actor himself throughout his life treated the theater with great respect. Even after he was heading off into shooting in feature films, Vitsin believed that there is no such thing as a film actor, he is an actor and he is born only on a stage where live communication with viewers is possible.
Among all the works Vitsin can be particularly distinguished and the comedy "Gentlemen of Fortune." His reincarnation in this film was a real surprise for viewers. In this picture, George Vitsin played a notorious felon nicknamed Khmyr. The pathetic look, which had previously been inherent in the Coward, was replaced by a sly squint, and the specific, subtle voice was eerie, hoarse. An eerie man with a barking voice and sentimental memories, ready to stick his head in the loop - this role Vitsin not only touched the modern nerve of society, but also picked up new colors to continue his acting work.
In addition to filming in cinema and working in the theater, Vitsin voiced a huge number of cartoon characters. Georgii Mikhailovich was an excellent reciter. Moreover, he approached his painted and puppet characters using the Stanislavsky system, considering this part of his creative activity to be just as important and responsible. The voice of the famous comedian is spoken, for example, by Kuzya Brownie, Giuseppe from “The Adventures of Buratino”, the beetle-musician from the cartoon “Thumbelina” and a large number of other characters from the Soviet animation.
George Vitsin was officially married once. With his wife Tamara Fedorovna, he lived a long and happy life. In marriage, he had a daughter, Natalya, whom he loved very much. Before meeting with his wife, the actor met for a long time and lived with actress Nadezhda Topolova, who was much older than him. After their relationship ended and the passion subsided, Vitsin continued to take care of the Poplar. After breaking up, he brought her food and medicine.
According to the recollections of the daughter of the actor Natalia Vitsina, her father loved to draw, he could become an artist or a sculptor. It is known that during the breaks between filming Vitsin could often make sketches of a portrait of his colleagues around the set. He painted caricatures and caricatures of actors, for example, during the filming of the “Caucasian Captive Girl”, he painted a cartoon on Yuri Nikulin.
The merits of the actor were highly noted not only by the audience, but also by the leadership of the country. In 1959, George Vitsin received the title of Honored Artist of the RSFSR, in 1977, he became People's Artist of the RSFSR. And in 1990, he was awarded the title of People's Artist of the Soviet Union, which was the highest recognition of his acting talent.
Celebrated his talent and colleagues. In particular, Nikulin and Morgunov emphasized that "Vitsin is devilishly talented and both of us together are not worth his fingernail." They talked about Georgy Vitsin that he could even play the door knob, which was also a reflection of the recognition of his acting skills, any images were available to him. He could even make episodic small roles memorable and beloved by the audience. In addition, Vitsin was a true master of reincarnation. So in 48 years he played in the movie 20-year-old Misha Balzaminov. In the 37 years, played 18-year-old Vasya Vesnushkin in the film "Substitute player." And in 36 years he succeeded the role of the ancient grandfather Musia in the film "Maxim Perepelitsa".
Georgy Mikhailovich Vitsin died in Moscow after a long illness 22 in October 2001, at the age of 84, the actor had heart problems. He was buried in Moscow at the Vagankovsky cemetery. 26 July 2008 of the year in the Park of Culture and Recreation of Zelenogorsk (on the 460 anniversary of the city and the 90 anniversary of the actor) a monument to Vitsin was opened. The sculpture depicts the famous actor in the image of Balzaminov from the movie "The Marriage of Balzaminov." And in 2012, in Irkutsk, a monument to L.I. Gaidai and the famous “Gaidaev Trinity” appeared near the circus building.
George Vitsin, along with his partners Yuri Nikulin and Yevgeny Morgunov, became a real idol of the Soviet comedy film. At the same time, his acting opportunities were much wider than you could think of them, looking for the adventures of the "Gaida Trinity." Vitsin possessed an extraordinary talent as a drama artist, but he consciously chose the comedic path in which he was very successful, remaining forever in history one of the greatest Soviet comedians of the 20th century. As Nikita Mikhalkov noted during a farewell speech at the funeral of the artist: “A comedian of this scale in Russia has never been and never will be. Only when they heard the name of Vitsin did people brighten, a smile appeared on their faces. Georgy Vitsin had the gift to look at his heroes from the side, so the audience always adored even the negative characters in his performance. ”
Based on materials from open sources
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