Artist Boris Amarantov: biography, creativity, personal life, cause of death and interesting facts

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

Nothing lasts forever under the moon. This statement does not require proof, especially if you read about the idols of the past, whose names modern youth have not even heard. Among such bright, but extinguished and forgotten stars is Boris Amarantov, whose cause of death to this day remains a mystery even to those who were personally acquainted with the artist.

Biography

Boris Amarantov was born on September 19, 1940 and was a descendant of several generations of clergymen. As a child, he saw the performance of a juggler in the circus and fell ill with the arena.

Possessing great diligence, a teenager Boris Amarantov himself mastered several circus techniques and began to arrange performances in front of his peers.

Despite this, he had to take exams at the GUTSEI 6 times. As he himself later said, he managed to enter this prestigious educational institution only thanks to the famous mime Leonid Yengibarov, who was a member of the selection committee. An anecdote is told that the famous artist offered the stubborn applicant to hold a spoon on his nose for 5 minutes, and Amarantov wanted to become a student so much that he stood motionless for 20 minutes. Then the hearts of the examiners trembled, and they decided to give the young man a chance.

Career start

In 1962, Boris Amarantov graduated from the GUTSEI, with the diploma number "Ke-la-la", staged by director Sergei Kashtelyan. His performance made a splash at Blue Light and immediately made the young artist famous throughout the country.

At that time, Amarantov's repertoire included only 3 etudes: "The Clown in the Italian Circus", "The Atomic Worker Finished His Game" and "The Absent-minded Juggler", however, he was gladly invited to take part in various concert programs.

Success

Even before graduation, Boris Amarantov took part in the Eighth World Festival of Youth and Students, which was held in Helsinki. There he performed with a miniature "Protect the World", which was very relevant at that time, better known as "The Atomic Man Finished the Game".

The number was greeted with enthusiasm by the multinational audience. Eyewitnesses say that although he himself lasted only 3 minutes, the applause of the auditorium lasted three times longer.

In the miniature "The Atomic Man Finished his Game" 2 musical fragments were used: a lyrical song and compositions in the rockabilly style. Their opposition created an unusual atmosphere on the stage and made the audience think about the fragility of the world, which is one step away from anotherglobal war.

After the triumph abroad, Amarantov was often sent on international tours. In particular, he became one of the few Soviet artists who were allowed to show their art in Japan, Bulgaria, Sweden, East Germany and Cuba. Moreover, in all these countries, the public gave him a standing ovation and admired the talent of the Soviet mime.

Becoming famous, Boris Amarantov created a pantomime theater. The main achievement of this period was the performance "Miracles in a bag", staged by G. Chukhrai, M. Donskoy and B. Amarantov, which was a great success.

Filmography and literary activity

The artist managed to act in 4 films. Paintings became them:

• "On tomorrow's street".
• "Fair wind, Blue Bird!" (joint production of the USSR and the SFRY).
• "Big attraction".
• "Love for three oranges" (co-production of the USSR and Bulgaria).

In his spare time from working on stage and filming a movie, Amarantov wrote poetry and left behind several works with a deep philosophical meaning, reflecting his worldview.

Intrigue and persecution

In subsequent years, Boris Amarantov, whose biography up to this point had been the envy of his colleagues, more than once experienced the pressure of the Soviet bureaucratic machine. In particular, some high-ranking officials of the Ministry of Culture of the RSFSR repeatedly closed his theater. It cost the artist titanic labors to achieve its discovery, however, after the troupe beganrehearsals, B. Amarantov himself was fired.

The expulsion from the theater had a heavy impact on the state of mind of the artist. In addition, they did not want to hire him in any theater, so Amarantov was forced to become a night watchman.

In the summer of 1975, the actor wrote a letter to the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. In it, he renounced Soviet citizenship and demanded that he be allowed to leave the USSR. He was not only denied, but also threatened and persecuted.

Emigration

In August 1977, Amarantov finally left the USSR. After three months of wandering, he arrived in the United States. Contrary to all hopes, his acting career in the United States did not work out for him. Then the disillusioned actor moved to France. There he began attending mime classes taught by the great Marcel Marceau himself.

Return

When perestroika began in the USSR, the actor decided to start life anew in his homeland. He restored citizenship and came to Moscow. However, it turned out that no one was waiting for him there. His old friend, Sergei Kashtelyan, especially hurt him. He not only did not want to help him, but literally let him down the stairs, accusing him of betraying the Motherland. And even the artist’s sister, who, in the absence of Amarantov, occupied his lawful apartment, met her brother with hostility and treated him extremely disrespectfully. Such a cold reception from the closest people led to the fact that the talented artist, exhausted by life, fell into a state of passion.

Boris Amarantov (biography): cause of death

The artist diedMarch 3, 1987, a few days after returning from exile. Although a medical examination was carried out, the official cause of the actor's death was not announced by either doctors or relatives. This was the reason that numerous fans, having not received an answer to the question of how Boris Amarantov died, began to put forward various versions of his death. In particular, knowing his difficult relationship with the authorities, some of the artist's friends believed that he was killed on the orders of high-ranking officials who did not forgive him for his disrespectful attitude towards their persons. Others were of the view that Amarantov committed suicide, unable to withstand the pressure and rejection from his own family. There were also rumors that he caught some kind of incurable disease in the States or in Europe, which he hid from others.

The artist was buried in the capital, at the Vostryakovsky cemetery next to his mother - Serafima Pavlovna Amarantova. There is no monument on his grave and only a small granite slab is installed. There is no photograph on it, only an inscription that reads: “Mim, laureate of international competitions, Boris Amarantov. 1940-1987 . He lived only 47 years and died, offended by the whole world!

Now you know who Amarantov Boris Georgievich was, whose cause of death has not been solved to this day.