Actor Alexander Borisov: biography and personal life

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

People of the older generation at the first sounds of the song “What is the heart so disturbed …” will involuntarily recall one of the most wonderful films of the Soviet era “True Friends”. The story of three adult comrades, embodying a childhood dream, could not leave anyone indifferent. The phrases from this picture soon went to the people, and the performer of the famous composition Alexander Borisov instantly became a favorite of the public.

Biography

His fate was similar to the fate of many other people of the Soviet era, those who survived a hungry childhood and the horrors of war. The only difference is that Alexander Borisov is an actor with a capital letter, who showed with his life that there are no obstacles on the way to the desired goal.

He was born on April 18, 1905 in St. Petersburg, in the midst of the first Russian revolution. The family lived very poorly, the mother served as a laundress, the father was a kitchen worker, there was barely enough money for food. But these difficulties helped the boy to raise earlyin itself the character and desire to achieve something more in life, which subsequently achieved Alexander Borisov - an actor. The young man's family could not give him a good education, but the origin "from the bottom" helped him in his later life and creative activity. Indeed, after the October Revolution, such people from the people received privileges when entering educational institutions or working.

Training

The talented young man sought to prove himself in some way, so he began to participate in amateur productions very early, which were especially popular in the country of the Soviets in the 30s of the XX century. In every yard, house of culture, or even in the attic of an old house, sketches were played, ditties were sung, there were many enthusiasts, especially since they took little money for performances.

In 1927 he graduated from the famous studio at the Leningrad Academic Theatre, where he had previously performed on the non-professional stage. At that time, the legendary Yu. M. Yuryev taught there, from whom the actor Alexander Borisov adopted a special manner of performance - with full dedication, with understanding and embodiment of the psychology of the character on stage and on the screen.

To this day, the Leningrad theater school is considered the best in Russia, here they instilled the ability to fully realize their role, think through the details and get used to the character of the hero. Whether it's a costume or a particular way of speaking, manners of movement, etc. - everything must be invested in the image from beginning to end. Alexander Borisov took all the instructions with responsibility, which helped him later become a people's artist, receive severalstate awards and play many leading roles in theater and cinema.

The beginning of an acting career

After graduating from the studio school in 1928, he was accepted into the main part of the troupe, and so began a life-long creative path, so Alexander Borisov, an actor, was born. His biography is inextricably linked with this Academic Drama Theater, here he will play until his last days. The unusual aura of these walls gave birth to more than one galaxy of amazing stage actors, Borisov himself served here for more than sixty years.

Already two years later he was entrusted to play the first big role in the play "The Eccentric" by A. N. Afinogenov. Borisov reproduced on stage the image of the poet and enthusiast Boris Volgin with amazing accuracy. His subsequent works included images of a very different plan. These were the fighter Stepan from B. F. Chibisov's production of Winners, the embodiment of Ostrovsky's classic heroes - Gavrila from Hot Heart or the tragicomic Arkasha Schastlivtsev from the play Forest. In general, his amazing ability to play seemingly the most opposite roles, the plasticity of character will later be appreciated by viewers and critics.

He gave all of himself to the theatre, lived and suffered on the stage. A wonderful team of young and bright artists has formed here, a talented troupe, of which the actor Alexander Borisov has forever become a part. My wife also worked in the theater, they became close by chance with Olga Bibinova, met on tour and realized that they could not live without each other. The widow of the actor in the last interview, being alreadyan elderly woman, told how she immediately fell in love with a young man with a sensual voice, which Alexander Borisov, the actor, was so famous for. The personal lives of artists in Soviet times did not become public, so little is known about their joint path.

Theatrical work

Already after the first roles, it became clear that a talented and unusual artist was born. Friends and colleagues on the stage noted the spontaneity and ease of his game, the actor Alexander Borisov was famous for his intelligence, some kind of lyricism. He has never been seen in theatrical strife or the struggle for the best roles, and all his works, even small ones, are played by him sincerely and with soul.

Until 1937, his whole life was connected only with his native stage. Here he appeared in the images of famous heroes of Russian classics: the Holy Fool from "Boris Godunov" based on the work of the same name by A. S. Pushkin, the sharp-minded Peter from the play "Forest" by A. N. Ostrovsky, Meluzov from "Talents and Admirers" by the same author and many others.

Back in the 1920s, the Alexandrinsky Theater was forced to take the course of cultural development dictated by the Soviet government. On this stage, countless plays about revolutionaries, party leaders and the achievements of the new communist society were staged. Borisov, like other actors, also had to participate in politicized and frankly bad plays, but, according to eyewitnesses, these artists could play anything well, including plays on political propaganda topics. Even inveterate political workers in his performance acquiredspecial features and lively character.

During the Great Patriotic War

1941 changed the life of every Soviet person, for millions of families the fate was divided into before and after. The actor Alexander Borisov was no exception. The wife and children learned about the terrible events only in July, at that time they were on Lake Seliger. The artist's son, Kasyan Bibinov, recalled in an interview how they were returning to Leningrad on the last train under the massive bombing of Nazi aircraft. The father was waiting for them in his hometown already as the head of civil defense.

On the third day of the war, while still waiting for his family, a close friend of the actor, composer V. P. Sedoy, brought him a new song "Play, my button accordion." Borisov sang the composition so sincerely, with such a poignant intonation, that soon it began to sound from all loudspeakers, it was sung by soldiers going into battle to their death.

In August 1941, the actor Alexander Borisov with the theater and his family was evacuated to distant Novosibirsk. There, together with a friend, he organized a radio program called "Fire on the Enemy." The artists came up with the images of two scouts who were returning from a mission and in a playful form, reminiscent of ditties, talked about what was happening at the front. In sarcastic rhymes, they ridiculed the enemy and glorified the feat of Soviet soldiers. The heroes fell in love with the listeners so much that they began to receive letters from all over the country, they were already perceived as real fighters, they were asked about their family and combat everyday life. Alexander Borisov and Vladimir Adashevsky more than oncetoured with this unusual duo.

After the end of the war, the theater troupe returns to Leningrad, and Borisov successfully continues his work on the stage. So, he played Pavel Korchagin in the play “How the Steel Was Tempered”, Tsarevich Fyodor in the production of “The Great Sovereign”. His work was appreciated even at the top, and in 1947 the actor Borisov was awarded the Stalin Prize, which in those years was considered the highest degree of honor.

Movie roles

Back in the late 30s, Alexander Borisov began to be invited to act in films, his first role in Cheslav Sabinsky's film "Dnepr on Fire" was still small, especially since the film has not survived to this day. A year after the first test in the cinema, he was approved for the role of Nazarka in the Friends film. Wonderful artists of that time filmed here, and actor Alexander Borisov was able to learn a lot from B. Babochkin, N. Cherkasov and others.

The war made its own adjustments, and the artist returned to the cinema only in 1948. Small roles did not bring satisfaction to the talented actor, everything changed a year later, when he played one of the most important roles in his life. The image of academician Ivan Pavlov in the film of the same name brought him national popularity, and the actor was also awarded several prestigious awards. This film told about the fate of the great Russian scientist, the creator of the doctrine of higher nervous activity.

The biographical direction was especially popular in the early 50s, so immediately after "Academician Ivan Pavlov" Borisovbegan to invite other famous historical characters to play the roles. So, he starred in a film about Alexander Popov, where he got the role of a close assistant to the scientist Pyotr Nikolaevich Rybkin. The actor was especially remembered in the image of the composer M. P. Mussorgsky, the songs performed in the film quickly went to the people.

True Friends

In the life of any artist there is that special role that becomes his calling card, thanks to which he is known and remembered. The story of three grown-up men who remained boys in their hearts instantly became popular in the USSR, and Alexander Borisov, an actor, became known to a large circle of viewers. "True Friends", a picture of 1950, for decades remained the most viewed film in our country. Even now, the screening of the film gathers the whole family near the screens.

The tape owes such popularity, first of all, to the songs “What is the heart so disturbed” and “Floating, swaying, the boat …”. They were performed by Alexander Borisov, even in his youth he was fond of music, there were legends about his ability to sing. The actor did not have a strong operatic voice, but focusing on intonation and emotionality, he could touch the soul of any person. And so it happened: letters with admiration and declarations of love rained down on the artist from all over the USSR. It was also about the role itself, because on the screen the audience saw the reunion of two lovers who had once parted due to a misunderstanding. Alexander Borisov, an actor whose personal life remained a mystery to the audience, on the screen embodied the ideal Sovietman, spouse or lover.

Surprisingly, the film is not perceived as one of the "masterpieces" of socialist realism, all ideological ideas here are somehow evenly dosed and seasoned with excellent humor and melodrama. The choice of actors was also important. Alexander Borisov, Boris Chirkov and Vasily Merkuriev were real talents, already established and well-known artists at that time. Critics are still wondering why such a successful screen trio did not appear together in other films.

1950-1960

After success in cinema, Borisov returns to his native stage of the Alexandrinsky Theater, where he played many more multifaceted and diverse roles. Some performances with his participation (“Forest” and “Hot Heart” by A. N. Ostrovsky, “Egor Bulychev” by M. Gorky) were later filmed. His roles were sometimes comical (Arkasha Schastlivtsev in the play "Forest"), sometimes tragic and multi-layered, as in Kiselnikov's "Abyss".

Borisov Alexander Fedorovich, theater and film actor, soon decided to try himself as a director. In 1960, he himself wrote the script and directed the film adaptation of M. F. Dostoevsky's novel The Gentle One. Two years later, he repeated his experience and, together with M. Ruf, shot the film “The Soul Calls.”

The subsequent roles of Borisov in the cinema, although not the main ones, were very colorful and memorable. So, he played in the films "Maxim Perepelitsa" in 1955, "Mother" in 1955, "Footprints in the Snow" in 1955, "B altic Glory" in 1957, "Abyss" in 1958. The actor often appeared on television,performed well-known romances, songs from "True Friends" and other tapes, sang ditties and funny couplets, told fairy tales for children.

Already in years, he did not stop working in the theater, and his last film role was an episodic appearance in the historical series “Young Russia” in 1982. In the same year, Alexander Borisov died. The actor was buried at the Volkovsky cemetery, on Literatorskie bridges, not far from the grave of a childhood friend of the composer V. P. Sedov.

Songs

Alexander Borisov is a pupil of St. Petersburg traditions of psychological and thoughtful play. This artist had not only the talent to transform on stage or screen, but also a voice - amazing, with a special intonation, bewitching and attracting people. Directors often used his abilities, for example, the film "Mussorgsky" was invented and built precisely on Borisov's singing talent. Even despite the fact that his voice did not match the voice of the great composer in timbre.

Theatrical art, due to its peculiarity of expression, rarely remains in the memory of the audience for a long time. Another thing is cinema, which retains images, ideas and songs for many years. Thanks to the film "True Friends", all the people of the Soviet Union remembered the adventures of the heroes of the picture, where Borisov Alexander Fedorovich played the most musical role. The actor, whose personal life was never made public, was the object of love for many Soviet women. A sensual voice and romantic roles made him, if not a sex symbol of the Soviet Union, then certainly a model of an ideal man.

Interesting facts

Once after a tour in America, at his own peril and risk, he brought to Leningrad a book by Mikhail Chekhov, then banned in the USSR. This edition later changed hands among the actors of the Alexandria Theatre.

Alexander Borisov was awarded many prestigious State Prizes: he had four Stalin Prizes, the Stanislavsky Prize, the title of People's Artist of the RSFSR and the USSR, Hero of Socialist Labor, and the Order of the Badge of Honor.

Even before the war, he married an actress of the Alexandria Theater Olga Bibina, they had two children - Kasyan and Lyudmila. Alexander never used his fame, was not an agitator or opponent of the system. Participation in foreign trips, various state awards did not change the fact that, first of all, Alexander Borisov is an actor. Family, children have always been one of the main goals in his life, but by no means the most important. For a creative person, the main thing in life is to realize his talent, all his potential as an artist. Borisov succeeded, he entered the galaxy of stars of Soviet actors, but most importantly, he remained in people's memory.