Actor Mikhail Ulyanov: biography, family, filmography

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

One of the brightest and most distinctive personalities of Soviet cinema is Mikhail Ulyanov. His biography began in distant Siberia. Knowing nothing about the capital's theatrical life, he arrived in Moscow in 1946. His talent was noticed by professionals. For fifty years, Ulyanov has played Lenin, Dmitry Karamazov, Marshal Zhukov, a retired avenger, and dozens more roles.

Ulyanov Mikhail Alexandrovich came to Moscow from a small Siberian town. Quite by accident I learned that at the theater. Vakhtangov has a studio. From the first audition, the professors saw a true talent in the applicant. Could the creative path of such a famous actor as Mikhail Ulyanov be easy? Biography, personal life and the most famous roles of Soviet cinema stars are the questions that we will consider in this article.

Childhood

Ulyanov Mikhail Alexandrovich in his youth was an ordinary Sovietboy: ran to the cinema, played "Cossack robbers". I didn’t even dream about the theater, because I didn’t know anything about this art. His parents had nothing to do with the artistic world. Father ran a woodworking artel, mother was a housewife.

When the war began, the future actor was thirteen years old. Father was called to the front. Like all children of war, Mikhail dreamed of getting into the epicenter of hostilities. But he did not have time due to his young age.

In his school years, Ulyanov attended literary evenings. About what theater is, he learned only in high school. Once a troupe from the regional center visited the native city. The production made a strong impression on Ulyanov. Since then, theater has become his main hobby. Fortunately, in a small provincial town there was a children's studio at the drama theater evacuated from Lviv. Here, the future actor was able to show his abilities. The head of the studio advised him to go to Omsk and enroll in a theater school. Mikhail did not neglect the advice.

Student years

Mikhail Ulyanov, whose biography at first glance may seem extremely smooth and happy, nevertheless experienced certain difficulties in the first years of his studies. After leaving school, he left for Omsk, where he studied for two years in a studio at the Drama Theater. School was not easy.

Mikhail constantly memorized sketches, visited the rehearsal room and participated in extras. And he was very dissatisfied with his sonorous high voice. With such a timbre, Ulyanov believed, there is nothing to hope forget a real role. The well-known characteristic hoarse voice was developed through much torment.

After the war, Ulyanov went to Moscow and entered the Shchukin school. Four years flew by unnoticed. He did not have time to come to his senses, as it was time for graduation performances.

Only during his studies over two hundred roles were played by Mikhail Ulyanov. The biography of this actor has developed successfully. Already at an early stage of the creative path, the role of Ulyanov was determined. The characters he played were, as a rule, positive, socially reliable, and ideologically sound. At least, this is how Ulyanov was seen by the audience on the screen until the “thaw”.

Theatre

The first decade of work in the theater. Vakhtangov, the actor was in great demand. But his roles fully corresponded to the spirit of that time. He played Komsomol members, party workers, and finally, Lenin. At the end of the fifties, the theater's repertoire changed somewhat. And Ulyanov began to receive many other interesting roles, both major and minor. For half a century of work on stage, the actor has created a whole gallery of diverse images.

The closest in spirit to Ulyanov was the role of the protagonist in the play based on Aitmatov's novel "And the night lasts longer than a century." And Rogozhin, performed by this actor, became the subject of long discussions of theater critics. Before Ulyanov, no one managed to create such a deep image of this hero on stage.

Cinema

In 1953 Mikhail Ulyanov played his first film role. The filmography of this actor has several dozenworks. Films, thanks to which the actor became known to the Soviet audience - "The House in which I live" and "Chairman". It should be said that Mikhail Ulyanov was able to get used to the image of Dostoevsky's hero on the screen. His filmography includes the role of Dmitry Karamazov in the film adaptation of the immortal work.

Non-heroic type

The actor has repeatedly admitted that he considers his appearance too rustic. And yet, Mikhail Ulyanov is an actor who created as many heroic images in the cinema as no other could. He played kings, generals and generals. The role of Zhukov himself was also offered to Ulyanov. The actor wanted to refuse, believing that his type was not suitable for such a difficult job. But even the famous marshal approved Ulyanov's candidacy. After that, Mikhail Aleksandrovich cast aside all doubts and began preparing for the filming of the film. Ulyanov succeeded in fulfilling this role. Subsequently, he played the famous Marshal of Victory more than once.

Family

Mikhail Ulyanov, whose biography is closely connected with acting, met his future wife within the walls of his native theater. His chosen one was a woman with a mysterious French surname Parfanyak. In reality, Mikhail Ulyanov's wife had Ukrainian roots. The actress added a soft sign to her last name for beauty and effect.

Alla Parfanyak was married at the time when Mikhail Ulyanov became passionate about her. Biography, personal life and any information about the family of this actor in the fifties aroused great interest amongfans. Parfanyak's husband was the famous actor Nikolai Kryuchkov. In addition, the actress had a lot of eminent fans. Ulyanov's chances, the real popularity that came to him after his marriage, were small. But nevertheless, he became the husband of Alla Parfanyak and carried loy alty to her through his whole life. Their daughter Elena became an artist. The actor also had a granddaughter, whom he loved very much. Therefore, in the film "Voroshilovsky shooter" Mikhail Ulyanov played partly himself.

Loving father and grandfather

It may seem that theater and cinema should be the essence of the life of such a talented actor as Mikhail Ulyanov. Family, children and household chores will only interfere with creativity. However, this is misleading. For Ulyanov, for all his popularity and professional success, the family was in the first place. The actor was a caring father, and later a loving grandfather. One of the relatives of the Ulyanov family said that she once caught the great actor doing an activity that did not go well with his successful career: he sewed up the dress of his granddaughter's doll.

Last roles

In the nineties and at the beginning of this century, the great Soviet and Russian actor did not play many roles. At least when compared with the intensity of his loads in the old days. One of the last works is the main role in the film "Voroshilov Shooter". Mikhail Ulyanov agreed to star in Stanislav Govorukhin's film, primarily because he felt and understood his hero. An ordinary old man, behind whom a long honest life, does not understand and does not want to come to terms with the fact thatgoing around - this is how actor Mikhail Ulyanov created the image of a pensioner-avenger. For this work he received several awards. The fee, however, burned out as a result of the default. Ulyanov in his last years lived on the salary of the artistic director and a very modest pension.

In the late nineties, the actor also starred in the film Composition for Victory Day. This work was especially interesting for Ulyanov, because Sergei Ursulyak's film combines tragedy and comedy in an unusual way. O. Efremov and V. Tikhonov became Ulyanov's partners. But in this famous trio, the best, according to critics, is still Mikhail Aleksandrovich.

Ulyanov reflected his biography and bright events in his creative life in books. He wrote five works. The last of them - "Reality and Dream" - was published after the death of the actor

Mikhail Alexandrovich Ulyanov passed away in 2007. Death was due to a serious illness, with which the actor struggled unsuccessfully for several years. Mikhail Ulyanov is buried at the Novodevichy Cemetery.