Boris Chirkov: from Sancho Panza to surgeon Chizhov

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

Yevtushenko in "A Man with a Gun" and Nikanor Samoseev in "Three Meetings", Stepan Nedolya in "Donetsk Miners" and sailor Rodionov in "Anxious Night", Likhobaba in "Horizon" and Varvara's father in "Blue Cup". And this is only a small fraction of the films in which Boris Chirkov, a Soviet theater and film actor, played. Soviet viewers loved him very much for his roles in the films True Friends, My Dear Man, Freeloader, Teacher, but they are especially grateful to the actor for the trilogy about the revolutionary Maxim.

Childhood

In the city of Nolinsk (Vyatka province) on August 13, 1901, the future People's Artist of the Soviet Union Boris Chirkov was born. Nolinsk was small, away from the railway. It seemed to little Borya that the whole city looked like a dead end. Indeed, the center of the county was rather provincial: there was no electricity, and letters and simple newspapers were brought twice a week by a postal couple.

When the boy was seven years old, he was assigned to study at a local school. In high school, his father attracted him to amateur theatrical performances, because he himself enthusiastically played in amateur theatrical productions. At first, Boris Chirkov was a prompter, and later participated in episodes of performances. But despite this, the boy could not even imagine that he could become a professional actor in the future. He was sure that he lacked real talent and a beautiful, expressive appearance.

Choosing between institutions

In 1921, a young man went to study in Petrograd to enter the Polytechnic Institute. He succeeds with ease, but after a few months, Boris realizes that he is not intended to study the exact sciences. Thanks to the intervention of friends, he enters the newly founded Institute of Performing Arts. He was accepted, despite the fact that the competition was very big. The scholarship, which Boris began to receive only in his third year, was chronically lacking, so at night he worked in the port as a loader.

At first, his mother, Olga Ignatievna, opposed her son's acting career. She was sure that for a man, the acting profession is a frivolous hobby, and a solid profession is necessary for life. But two years later, she resigned herself to the choice of her son.

The beginning of the journey in art

Boris Chirkov associates his first notable successes with the Youth Theater of the city of Leningrad. After all, it was there that he played Sancho Punch, the jester and Ivan the Fool. From the beginning of his career, he is very neat and fashionableI dressed because I was sure that an actor must be interesting not only with his talent, but also in appearance. Much later, his nephew recalled that he spent his entire childhood in his uncle's clothes. Suits, shirts, ties of Boris Petrovich were so dapper and beautiful that the guy would never have exchanged them for new ones.

Boris Chirkov, whose biography began to replenish with new and interesting roles, played a lot of classical repertoire. He took part in performances staged on stage based on the works of Leo Tolstoy, Alexander Pushkin and other Russian writers. His richest repertoire included not only dramatic, psychological and comedic roles. He even created some grotesque images quite interestingly. In each of his roles, Chirkov was so truthful, simple and charming that he easily endeared himself to the audience and attracted the attention of filmmakers.

Cinema, cinema, cinema…

At first, the actor starred with the Vasiliev brothers in a small episode. It was the role of an old peasant who approached Chapaev with a complaint. And a little later, he, Boris Chirkov, also starred in the film "Maxim's Youth". His filmography has now begun to replenish with new interesting roles.

The film about Maxim could not end so easily, so in 1937 its sequel "The Return of Maxim" appeared, and two years later - the final part of the trilogy - "The Vyborg Side". This hero was so remembered and loved by the audience that Boris Chirkov and decades later,recognizing on the street, they called him Maxim.

Then there were the roles of Denis Davydov, Makhno, Mikhail Glinka, Antosha Rybkin and others.

During the terrible war, like many other theater, film and stage artists, Boris Chirkov performed at concerts and meetings with soldiers leaving for the front.

In the postwar years, one of the first roles of the actor was the role of a Soviet scientist in the film "Court of Honor".

An interesting fact in the actor's biography is that Boris Chirkov, whose photo appeared with enviable constancy on the pages of Soviet magazines, a favorite of all the Soviet people, a laureate of state awards, was a very shy person in ordinary life. He married rather late, when he was already 48 years old. His chosen one was the daughter of his friend, professor of VGIK Larisa. In the sensational film "True Friends" she played the role of a provincial doctor.

The Chirkovs have a family film - "Mashenka". Boris Petrovich played the role of the father of the family in it, the wife played his daughter, and the real daughter Mila - his granddaughter.

In ordinary life, Chirkov was a very soft, complaisant and compliant person. He was even a fan of the same football team as his wife - out of a sense of solidarity.

Fifth heart attack

The actor did not have time to apply for a personal pension, besides, he was very shy. On the day he passed away, he went to the Kremlin to attend a meeting of the commission that awarded the Lenin Prizes. He was late. In order to be in time for the start, he practically ran. Chirkov became ill right inGeorge Hall. The ambulance came and took him away. It was not possible to save the great actor: he died in the hospital from the fifth and last heart attack…

Relatives, even 30 years later, with horror and quiet sadness, recall how they sat by the cooled body and waited for Brezhnev to decide where to bury Boris Petrovich. This went on for four days. But without the official permission of the Secretary General, the funeral ceremony could not be held. Finally, Brezhnev chose the Novodevichy Cemetery.

After 9 days, the actor's favorite dog died. After 40 days, a string broke on his guitar…