Actor Nikolai Trofimov: biography, roles, films

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

This short man was said to be a person with a high-flying soul. He was also awarded such epithets as "Chaplin of Russian cinema", "precious relic" and "powerful talent". And all these definitions fit him one hundred percent. Here he is, actor Nikolai Trofimov. His passion for great art was genuine, he fell in love with the temple of Melpomene from his youth. Trofimov, People's Artist of the USSR, believed that he owed his success in cinema and theater to the greatest director of the last century G. Tovstonogov and no less eminent - S. F. Bondarchuk. What was his path to fame?

Biography Facts

Actor Nikolai Trofimov is a native of the city of Sevastopol, he was born on January 21, 1920. His father was a simple worker, and his mother was engaged in housekeeping. While still a schoolboy, young Nikolai could read the literary works of Russian classics with a special expression.

During the breaks between lessons, he was happy to direct mini-productions, showing them to classmates. Well, popularity among his peers brought him a brilliant performance of Chekhov's joke "On the dangers of tobacco", with which heperformed at the school party.

Already then, the actor Nikolai Trofimov began to emerge, whose biography is notable for the fact that he played his first role on the stage of the Youth Theater when he was only 14 years old.

Debut role

As already emphasized, Nikolai Trofimov's acting talent began to manifest itself in his school years. It's no joke, at the age of 14 to take part in the theatrical production of "Uncle Tom's Cabin", but not just anywhere, but on the stage of the Sevastopol Youth Theater. However, then the critics did not like the work of the young man: they said that Trofimov not only did not have the makings of acting, but he did not know the material well. However, the boy did not take the negative review to heart, especially since the audience liked the way he coped with the acting task. The validity of this point of view was proved by another memorable role of Trofimov in the production of The Snow Queen.

Over time, the desire to become an actor only increased. Young Nikolay, together with his stage colleagues, had to portray birds, for which sticks with feathered ends were distributed. However, the boy's small stature did not allow his bird to be more noticeable than the others. And that's exactly what he wanted. Then young Kolya showed ingenuity: he asked his friend to perch on his shoulders and then their bird would fly above all. So, the boys set about putting their plans into practice. And suddenly, Nikolai's partner thought about something, and the young actors fell into the orchestra pit, damaging the drum. However, this case did notfor a boy, a big obstacle to experimenting in creativity. The next time he was entrusted to play the role of a hare, which was without words. The young actor got used to the image of the animal in such detail that he did not notice how he fell into the orchestra pit again. The director, in an attempt to cool the boy's ardor, redirected the role of the Old Hare to him, but even he was unable to stop the creative expression of Kolya Trofimov.

Years of study at a theater university

To be fair, Nikolay Trofimov is an actor whose family did not oppose the choice of his profession.

The young man's parents, on the contrary, were sympathetic to the fact that their son wants to professionally engage in acting. The future actor Nikolai Trofimov decided to apply to the theater universities of the capital and St. Petersburg. But in the end, he settled on the A. N. Ostrovsky. At the entrance exams, the young man inspiredly performed an excerpt from Pushkin's "Golden Cockerel", which surprised the future mentor - Boris Zon, who enrolled a mischievous guy as a student. The years of study went by very quickly. He brilliantly played in a graduation performance based on Chekhov and was already thinking about what kind of theatrical productions lay ahead of him. And there was a war ahead, which made tough adjustments to the plans of a graduate of a theater university.

Bad Times

The newly minted actor Nikolai Trofimov wanted to go to fight in the navy, but he suddenly found out that the famous composer Isaac Dunayevsky was recruiting the Five Seas ensemble, and without hesitationagreed to become a member of the team.

During the difficult years of the war, he worked without sleep and rest, doing his best to win. Actor Nikolai Trofimov deservedly received the medals "For the Victory over Germany" and "For the Defense of Leningrad", the Order of the Red Star and the Order of the Patriotic War II degree.

Theatrical stage again…

After the war, Trofimov gets into the troupe of the Leningrad Comedy Theater. On its stage, he played dozens of roles that later became textbooks: Khlestakov ("The Government Inspector"), Epikhodov ("The Cherry Orchard"), Lev Gurych Sinichkin. After that, the viewer went to the Leningrad Comedy Theater solely in order to enjoy the enchanting work of the maestro.

Subsequently, he moved to the BDT to the great Tovstonogov. He explained his decision by the fact that there are few dramatic roles in his repertoire and he wants to fill this gap. At the Bolshoi Drama Theater he will play the role of Mr. Pickwick in the production of The Pickwick Club.

Also, he will be remembered by the viewer for the roles of Rasplyuev ("The Death of Tarelkin"), Chebutykin ("Three Sisters"), Lebedev ("The Idiot").

Movie roles

People's Artist of the USSR Nikolai Trofimov owes much of his popularity in cinema to eminent director Sergei Bondarchuk, who admired the way the actor plays in Chekhov's Motley Tales.

Then he worked day and night on "War and Peace", looking for talented actors for the role. And of course, without any trial, he entrusted Trofimov to play the image of Tushin,who appears before the viewer as a valiant warrior and a true defender of his Fatherland.

After this work, Nikolai Nikolaevich was waiting for a triumphant success. Many Soviet directors wanted to shoot an actor in their films, knowing in advance that the pictures would be popular with the audience. Moreover, they saw the maestro primarily in comedic images. And the actor enjoyed playing this role. Nikolai Trofimov, whose films were regularly broadcast on blue screens, became a popular favorite. His characters are cheerful, kind and sympathetic. The audience immediately recognizes the actor from the films: “On the way to Berlin”, “Tobacco Captain”, “Fathers and Grandfathers”, “D'Artagnan and the Three Musketeers”, “Princess of the Circus”. And this is only a small fraction of what Nikolai Nikolayevich Trofimov played in the cinema. Diverse images are subject to him, combining comedic simplicity and dramatic immediacy.

An actor once said: "My acting role is small people who can do big and great."

In 1974, the maestro was awarded the title of People's Artist of the RSFSR, and in 1989 he became People's Artist of the USSR.

Talented reader

Nikolai Nikolaevich is not only a masterful actor, but also a wonderful reader. His performance with Mikhail Zoshchenko's story "A small incident from his personal life" at the Writer's House was virtuoso. During the break, an intelligent man approached the actor and said: “Thank you very much! I had no idea that the story I wrote would be so successful. After that, Trofimov repeatedly spoke with thisnumber in front of the viewer.

Private life

Nikolai Trofimov, whose personal life has developed in the best way, has repeatedly said that he truly loved only two women.

His first wife, actress Tatyana Grigorievna, did not have a soul in an actor: for him, she left the theater, taking up the arrangement of life, so that her husband would feel coziness and comfort at home. It was she who instilled in him a love for mosaic work. They loved to spend time carving plastic toys and records, from which real masterpieces were created. Unfortunately, Trofimov's first wife passed away early.

The actor married for the second time to a fan of his talent, Marianna Iosifovna, who had the most tender feelings for Nikolai Nikolayevich. She gave birth to his daughter Natalya, who later chose the profession of a translator.

Nikolai Trofimov passed away in November 2005. He was buried on the Literary bridges of the Volkovskoye cemetery.