Soviet actor Sergei Martinson - biography, creativity and interesting facts

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

There are actors who are not attracted by their appearance or beautiful voice. The costume looks baggy on them, the movements are uncertain and in general they are not charismatic. They will never play a lover hero, or a hero in general. But when such an artist appears on the stage, he captures the attention of the viewer and he is already waiting for his second, third appearance - it is interesting to watch him, note his gestures and facial expressions.

Such was Sergei Aleksandrovich Martinson. If he had a role in the film, even a small one, they remembered it, and the quotes went to the people. It immediately became clear that there was a great artist on stage.

King of comedians

Having a natural good taste and ability to distinguish subtle nuances, endowed with an amazing ability to convey the character of a character in one or two movements, he was a true professional. And how he performed the cascade! It is impossible to repeat this. And at the same time, he was not at all shy about playing negative roles. Glory found him during his lifetime. He was recognized as the best Duremar of all time, the boys ran after him, shouting: “Look - Kerosene is coming!”, And in the WTO restaurant he enjoyed love and honor. He had a private table there,and they always escorted him by the arm and to the door.

It so happened that actor Sergei Martinson did not have to fully reveal his talent. At the beginning of his career, he fell into disgrace along with his teacher Meyerhold. Then - the war, the role of Hitler. The directors loved to use his high voice and texture in sharp character roles, which he performed brilliantly. The school of eccentrics affected.

Natural Artist

From an early age, Sergei Martinson was brought up in love with the theater. Parents doted on their only son and took little Seryozha with them everywhere - to opera, drama, ballet, and cabaret, they taught music. He especially fell in love with the cabaret for the festive atmosphere and arranged funny pranks in the gymnasium, for which he was nicknamed by the teachers the clown of the class. And when he was little, he changed into his mother's clothes at home and portrayed what he saw on stage. Even the role of the Snow Maiden at the age of five, he performed grotesquely.

That time was the beginning of cinema, and as a teenager he disappeared on Nevsky in an illusion. At home, he showed scenes “like in a movie”, dressing up as different characters - either a janitor or a lady from society. What scared the guests a lot.

He was so attracted to the theater that he entered an amateur amateur studio in the fifth grade and played the lead role in the vaudeville famous at that time. And in the sixth grade, he opens his studio and puts on The Inspector General, where he plays Dobchinsky.

Parents saw it all - rather average performance in subjects, lack of interest in "serious business" andpassion for the stage. They tried to give their son an education: from the age of seven he was sent to the Anneshule school, thanks to which he was fluent in French and German. He graduated from the private school of Stemberg. This was in 1918. And completely different times have come.

Petersburg life: first steps in the profession

After graduating from the gymnasium, Sergei Martinson served in the army for two years, and then his parents insisted that he enter the Technological Institute. Peter of those years was flooded with small theaters, Lunacharsky's words about the need for caricature and fantastic hyperbole were heard. Of course, he could not stand his studies at a technical university and went to take exams at the Institute of Performing Arts. For reading, he chose a monologue by Boris Godunov about bloody boys in the eyes. And he read it, skinny and absurd, with the mechanical gestures of a buffoon, a breaking voice, now breaking into a bass, now giving a rooster: "I'm sick and my head is spinning." The examiners burst out laughing, as the applicant expected.

He graduated in 1923. Then he studied with the director Vivien, with Radler. He started at the Theater of Free Comedy with the role of an unsuccessful ballerina who performed the dance of little swans and all the time got confused in her legs, falling and causing Homeric laughter. It was Martinson in a pack. He participated in many satirical pop numbers. Then he received the title "The most virtuoso legs" from director L. Trauberg.

In St. Petersburg at that time there was FEKS - an eccentric factory of actors. L. Trauberg together with G. Kozintsevtrained young talents. It was there that Martinson played in silent films for the first time. He climbed out of the bottle like a genie and darted around the screen. The film, unfortunately, has not been preserved.

Moscow: the beginning of glory

Seeing Martinson in "Balaganchik", Meyerhold invited him to Moscow. Having played in the Mandate, he immediately became famous. He was the favorite of the great director. In Paris, during the tour, the audience gave a standing ovation to Martinson, who played Khlestakov. After M. Chekhov and E. Garin, this was the third Khlestakov. Outside the USSR, he was called the second Charlie Chaplin. He was already an established eccentric then. In 1934, the film pamphlet "Puppets" was released, where he played the hairdresser S alt. It was the first big movie role. After the release of the film, he was often invited to episodic roles.

Very plastic, he spoke in "body language", as they said then. A. Vertinsky also spoke this language, and gained worldwide fame. Martinson, on the other hand, depended on the director and could not always apply his abilities within the framework of the role. But in an episode of the film "The Death of a Sensation" in 1935 by A. Andrievsky, he sings a romance in a mannered way, portraying his characters. He was called "the last clown of the scene."

Played in 1939, Duremar is strangely more fabulous than the puppets in the movie. He played the leech seller organically, picking up some trembling intonations, and he himself looked like a leech. It caused disgust and delight at the same time - only a great artist could transform like that.

In 1941 he played a composer who composed"physiological symphony" - Kerosinov. It was a new success. But the war began, and he was invited to the role of Hitler. In films, Sergei Martinson played the Fuhrer twice. For this, Hitler promised to hang him, declaring him his personal enemy.

Roles of bastards

He often had to play negative characters. One of these is the stupid Willy Pommer, played by Sergei Martinson in The Scout's Feat. The actor had enough colors to make all his works different. He created a whole collection of villains.

The role of Karandyshev, in which Martinson elevates narrow-mindedness to the rank of virtue, was much talked about. This has become a combination of eccentricity and drama, but manifested not outwardly, but in subtle intonations and gestures. Such satire has a much stronger effect, making the viewer horrified: "If your light is darkness, then what is darkness!".

Role of a person from society

It was 1944, people were tired of hunger and grief. And a good operetta appears on the screen, the first adaptation of I. Kalman - the film "Silva". The author himself highly appreciated the work of the Sverdlovsk studio. Among the actors are real vocal professionals. And among such serious artists is the eccentric Sergei Martinson.

He is elegant and well-groomed in this film, a real dandy. Those who remember him say that in life he was like that - a gentleman, a ladies' man, as refined as a madrigal. He is plastic, graceful, dances and sings, lives easily and does not get into situations. And if it hits, it slips out of them. Well, as a last resort, he will politely offer his opponent a piece of candy. He is the embodiment of frivolity. The culmination of the manifestation of character is his declaration of love. This is very funny.

Family

Sergey Martinson married early, at the age of twenty, to classmate Ekaterina Ilyina. Of the four children, only daughter Anya survived, whom he dearly loved. The wife did not aspire to the stage, devoting herself to household chores. And Sergei met a bright woman, ballerina Elena (Lola) Dobzhanskaya, and went to her. From this union, the son Alexander was born.

Spouses were often invited to traveling concerts, including in embassies. And one day in 1945, Dobzhanskaya and two fellow ballerinas were arrested for espionage. They were sentenced to seven years and sent to the Gulag. Lola's sister took care of her young son, raising Sasha out of good intentions to hate her father and mother. Lola, having learned about the betrayal, refused treatment for hepatitis and died. She still had a year of camps left. Did the rejection of Alexander's parents protect him? No. Having lost his roots, he chose a criminal path and became a criminal.

On the set, Martinson met his third wife, Louise. They had a daughter, Natasha. But even here there was no happiness: having bought an apartment for his wife, he was abandoned.

Father and children

Son Alexander, returning from prison, took a room in his father's apartment, pulled money from him, drank and rowdy. He blamed his father for all his losses. Daughter Natasha came for money, but there was no spiritual intimacy between them. Only with Anya and grandson W alter did he have family ties. When his daughter decided to leave the country, taking Ekaterina Ilyina, he was very worried. Despite numerous invitations, OVIR never released it. What is the matter here is not clear. The nationality of Sergei Martinson - Russian with an admixture of Swedish blood - was not an obstacle. Apparently, they feared that he would remain abroad. And he wrote letters to his daughter and first wife, as if he had not divorced her.

Biography

Sergey Martinson came from a decent family. His mother was a noblewoman who married a native of Sweden, a baron and an honorary citizen of St. Petersburg. He owned a plywood factory and, according to some reports, supplied diamonds to the imperial court. The family lived in a mansion on Millionnaya Street, where guests were often invited. A close friend of my father was the composer A. Scriabin.

After graduating from the Institute of Performing Arts, he moved to Moscow and gave his life to two theaters - Meyerhold and Revolution. After disagreements with Meyerhold, he briefly served in the Music Hall, and after the war he moved to the Film Actor Theater.

He starred in more than a hundred films, counting the episodes. In 1964 he was awarded the title of People's Artist. Born in 1899, he lived to be 85 years old. He was buried at the Kuntsevo cemetery.

Conclusion

Few actors can win such recognition from the audience as Sergei Martinson. Films with his participation are still interesting with unusual and rich roles. Students learn theatrical techniques from them. He is fondly remembered by his colleagues. He is missed by his friends.

Why notrevisit an old comedy where does he play?