Matvey Ganapolsky: biography, family and education, journalistic activity, photo

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Now a Ukrainian, and once a Russian journalist, he became widely known thanks to his peculiar criticism of the Russian authorities and his sharp pro-Ukrainian statements related to the beginning of the "Crimean spring". Matvey Ganapolsky returned in 2014 to Ukraine, where he received citizenship in 2016. Now he hosts political talk shows on television and with great pleasure says everything he "thinks" about Russia.

Early years

Matvey Ganapolsky (nee Matvey Yuryevich Margolis) was born on December 14, 1953 in Western Ukraine, in the city of Lvov, in the Jewish family of Dina Levina and Yuri Magolis. Mother was an employee, father was a worker. My parents spoke Yiddish well. Mom, as he himself says, is perhaps one of the few surviving witnesses of the events at Babi Yar. She was then twelve years old when the Jews from the ghetto were driven to the scene of the tragedy. Luckily, someone managed to push the girl out.from the crowd and hide. Many of his relatives died during the Great Patriotic War.

Ganapolsky warmly recalls his childhood years in Lviv, where he was absolutely comfortable. Of course, he was sometimes insultingly called a "Jewish muzzle", but Matvey did not really react to this, referring these statements to the usual insults that schoolchildren exchange during quarrels. Then there was no difference between Ukrainians and Jews. Later, the family moved to Kyiv, where Matvey graduated from high school. After receiving a certificate, he entered the Kiev School of Variety and Circus Art, which he graduated in 1973.

Student time

After graduating from the Ganapol School, he comes to Moscow, where he enters the directing department of GITIS, the famous theater institute. In his student years, he went to rehearsals in Moscow theaters many times. As Matvey Ganapolsky recalls, they came in advance to the service door of the then very popular Taganka Theater and patiently waited for the famous director Lyubimov to pass in order to ask for rehearsals.

In his youth, he had many documents where his last name (then Margolis) was misspelled. In order to remove all the problems at once, he took his wife's surname and became Ganapolsky, Matvey admits that it is not much easier to write. But upon arrival in Moscow, he had difficulties with documents. Now he believes that he did the right thing, because this is the memory of his first wife, who passed away early. According to some media reports, a young woman died,jumping off the balcony of an apartment building.

Director's work

After graduating from a theater university, Matvey returns to his native city of Kyiv, where in 1981 he began working at the local variety theater. He collaborates a lot and fruitfully with other Ukrainian theaters. On the theatrical stage of the capital of Ukraine, the performances staged by him, mostly intended for a children's audience, were performed with great success. The popular Ukrainian director was invited to Moscow in 1986. The creative biography of Matvey Ganapolsky continued at the Moscow Variety Theater.

Soon he moves to the children's office of the USSR State Radio and Television, where he broadcasts "Miracles on the seventh floor". Here he was noticed by the famous children's writer Eduard Uspensky, who suggested that he take up radio plays. Matvey became the director of popular Soviet children's audio performances: "The Adventures of Captain Vrungel" and "Koloboks are investigating." The latter was released in 1991 on the Melodiya record company on three vinyl records. Ganapolsky took part in the recording, Kolobok speaks in his voice in the production.

On radio and internet

With the beginning of perestroika, he began working for ATV (the first Russian independent private company producing television content). Hosted entertainment and political programs.

Cooperation of Matvey Ganapolsky with "Echo of Moscow" began in 1991 and continues to the present. For a long timehosted various programs, gaining fame thanks to shocking, on the verge of decency statements. Since 2006, he has been blogging on the radio station's website, where he speaks about various aspects of Russian reality. Now he continues to maintain a page, new posts appear several times a month.

Repeatedly traveled to Israel with concerts "From Russia with Love". In 2009 he became the "Person of the Year" according to the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia.

Homecoming

After the beginning of the Maidan, the process of the return of Crimea and the conflict in eastern Ukraine, he took a sharply pro-Ukrainian position. He repeatedly spoke out harshly against Russia's interference in Ukrainian processes. To some extent, he even justifies the glorification of Ukrainian nationalists, because he considers them fighters for the independence of Ukraine. In the spring of 2014, Ganapolsky moved to Kyiv, starting work at the Radio Vesti station.

"Echo of Ukraine" with Matvey Ganapolsky on the Ukrainian TV channel NewsOne ran from 2015 to 2017. Since 2018 - the host of a social talk show on the radio.

Not only journalism

In addition to his main journalistic activity, he wrote several books in which he talks in a cheerful and somewhat ironic way about different aspects of his profession, the world around him and, in general, about human civilization. The best book, the most successful, is considered by many to be Sweet and Sour Journalism. Now writes fiction in Ukrainian("A little gray top will come…", "Wahrust cooking").

Like almost any creative person, Matvey Ganapolsky tried to make films. In 1989, the documentary film "The Circus for My Grandchildren" was released about the famous clown and actor Yuri Nikulin. In 2001 he directed the comedy "From the point of view of an angel". He himself starred in episodic roles in the detective story "Detectives" (Troyekurov, TV game host) and the medical TV movie "Nine Months" (doctor).

Private

Relatively little is known about the private side of a journalist's life. His first wife is Irina. He raised her child from his first marriage from the age of 5, and therefore considers his son. Matvey Ganapolsky is still taking part in his fate. Mikhail, that is the name of the stepson, has already managed to work with him. They were co-hosts of the talk show Akunamatata. According to some publications, the ex-wife died under tragic circumstances.

Now he is married to Georgian journalist Tamara Shengelia, who worked with him at the Echo of Moscow radio station. She also starred in a small role in the film "Nine Months". Tamara is 18 years younger than her husband. As the journalist himself says, now he has unbearable Georgian terror at home - his wife and mother-in-law watch Georgian TV channels around the clock. Since public life in Georgia is constantly seething, as a result, he eats cold soup, undercooked potatoes and half-baked meat, as Matvey joked in an interview with Novosti-Georgia. The family is oftencomes to his wife's home. From this marriage, Matvey Ganapolsky has a daughter, Katya, and a son, Alexander, of school age.