Widow of Evgenia Morgunov. “This is not Lezginka”

Every lover of Soviet comedies knows Evgeniy Morgunov by sight, although few of today’s youth are interested in the name of Experienced from Gaidaev’s inseparable trinity. Unfortunately, due to an absurd quarrel with the director, Evgeniy Aleksandrovich jeopardized his career and therefore did not become known for other images besides the criminal in the famous comedies about the adventures of Shurik. Morgunov was a straightforward person, a lover of jokes and practical jokes. In particular, the actor periodically used his talent by posing as an official, as a result of which he entered events for free, dined in restaurants, etc.

Evgeny Morgunov was born in Moscow. Young Morgunov's childhood was calm. The boy played in amateur performances, was fond of yard football and spent a lot of time with friends. His adolescence occurred at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, where his father was almost immediately sent. Soon Alexander Morgunov died. To help his mother, the teenager worked at a military factory from the age of 14, where he was engaged in hard labor. The artist spent 12 hours straight grinding blanks for projectiles. For such selfless work, the young man soon received a diploma, but until the end of his days, Evgeniy Alexandrovich believed that he had not done anything special.

At the same time, young Morgunov became interested in cinema. The young man spent all his free money on morning trips to the cinema, often sacrificing his studies at school. Soon he became obsessed with the idea of ​​becoming an actor. In addition to participating in amateur performances, he managed to act as an extra at the Mosfilm film studio, and then wanted to turn his life into acting. In the process of implementing this idea, an unexpected obstacle arose, since the director of the plant opposed the wishes of his employee and did not agree to let him go. Then the brave young man acted radically and, no less, wrote with a request to Stalin himself. Two weeks later, the director of the Frazer plant received a response in which he ordered Morgunov to be sent to the Chamber Theater, where he became a student of the brilliant director Alexander Tairov.

Morgunov worked in the theater for about a year, playing minor and episodic roles. Gradually, he realized that he could not make up for the lack of acting education even with experience, and therefore submitted documents to VGIK, where he entered without much difficulty. The young man studied under the guidance of the famous director Sergei Gerasimov.

At the university, Morgunov met many talented guys who later became famous Soviet actors, in particular, and.

Movies

In his youth, Evgeniy Alexandrovich had a spectacular, attractive appearance and was very photogenic. Sergei Gerasimov began selecting actors from among his students for his film “The Young Guard,” where he also invited student Morgunov. Later, the famous actor recalled that in the minds of the audience, the traitor Stakhovich was so strongly associated with Morgunov himself that once after the premiere, children even tried to detain the actor on the street, accusing the young man of a war crime.

Evgeny Morgunov in the film "Young Guard"

There were rumors that the young man was supposed to receive the Stalin Prize for the role of Yevgeny Stakhovich, but in the end it was decided not to perpetuate the image of the traitor. A few years later, additional facts from the history of the Young Guard organization were revealed, and since it was decided to bring the film in line with reality, many episodes with Morgunov were cut out, and the traitor was renamed.

Oddly enough, the directors did not notice the charismatic young man. Morgunov did not lose heart, but got a job at the Film Actor’s Theater-Studio, where he served until 1953. It is noteworthy that they tried to fire the artist from his place of work several times, allegedly for lack of acting talent. Perhaps it was the difficult character of the performer, who loved to joke, regardless of status, and was also distinguished by his straightforwardness and harshness in his words.

Evgeny Morgunov in the film "Shine, My Star"

From 1951 to 1953, Morgunov combined work at the Theater-Studio of Film Actors with service at the Maly Academic Theater; at the same time, he acted in episodic roles at the Mosfilm film studio, but the young actor was not trusted with serious images either on stage or in front of the cameras. More than 10 years passed in this mode before a chance meeting at the studio turned Morgunov’s life upside down.

At that time, she was not having the brightest streak in her directorial career. His new film has just failed at the box office, and the distressed director has gone to the village. There he decided to film a short humorous poem by Stepan Oleinik in the form of a short film. For a trio of alcoholic friends, Gaidai quickly found actors and, but the third place remained vacant.

The director tried many actors, and none of them impressed the director. The situation was saved by the director of Mosfilm, who assured Gaidai in a telephone call that he had found a suitable candidate. By that time, the handsome Morgunov had become somewhat bald and put on weight, which, combined with his physique and character, made him an ideal candidate for the role of Experienced.

The short film “Barbos the Dog and the Unusual Cross” instantly made the trio famous. The film was so successful that it was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 1961 Cannes Film Festival. The cinemas were sold out and people immediately fell in love with the comical anti-heroes. The second short film, Moonshiners, released the same year, strengthened the trio's fame.

The actors became friends with each other in real life, which could not but have a positive effect on their teamwork. One day, a completely unprecedented incident occurred: he asked Gaidai to “lend” him actors and characters, and therefore in 1964, Coward, Dunce and Experienced appeared in the comedy “Give me a book of complaints” in episodic roles.

This was followed by 2 more successful films with the trio, before conflicts arose within the team. At the end of the decade, the actors quarreled with each other and have practically not communicated since then. Nevertheless, the image of the gang continued to inspire workers in the cinematic arts, in particular, the legendary trio appeared in the cartoon “The Bremen Town Musicians”.

The legendary trio in the cartoon "The Bremen Town Musicians"

At the same time, Morgunov had a fight with Leonid Gaidai, which ultimately put an end to the actor’s career in big cinema. It is not known for sure whether Leonid Ionovich contributed to the artist’s creative failures, or whether his colleagues simply did not want to quarrel with the hot-tempered director, however, starting in the seventies, Evgeniy Alexandrovich almost stopped appearing in prominent roles.

In 1980, the actor once again had the opportunity to appear before the public in the image of Experienced. Director Yuri Kushnerev shot a crossover film “The Comedy of Bygone Days,” which mixed several cinematic realities - Coward and Experienced, collaborating with the “great schemer” Bender and his permanent assistant Vorobyaninov. But all attempts to regain glory were in vain for Morgunov.

Evgeny Morgunov in the film "The Comedy of Bygone Days"

Between 1980 and 1990, the actor starred in less than a dozen films. After perestroika, things never improved; the crisis in the country hit the film industry. There was no place for Evgeniy Alexandrovich in the new reality.

Personal life

Evgeniy Alexandrovich was married twice. His first wife was ballerina Varvara Ryabtseva, who was 13 years older than her husband. Their family life did not work out.

The artist’s second wife was a girl named Natalya. The couple got married in 1965, and they had two sons - Anton and Nikolai. The younger Nikolai died in an accident a year before his father’s death.

Death

After the end of his career, the actor was very worried about his lack of demand. Despite diabetes, Evgeny Morgunov abused alcohol. The artist suffered two heart attacks and a stroke. Relatives said that the death of his youngest son greatly weakened Morgunov’s already weak health.

Evgeniy Alexandrovich died on June 25, 1999 in a Moscow hospital as a result of a second stroke. The Morgunov father and son are buried at the Kuntsevo cemetery.

Filmography

• At 6 pm after the war
• It was in Donbass
• Secret mission
• Brave people
• Give me a book of complaints
• Operation "Y" and other adventures of Shurik
• Three fat men
• Sea stories
• The grandmothers said in two...
• Brave guys

And life, and tears, and love...

The widow of actor Evgeniy MORGUNOV Natalya: “My husband was devastated by the death of our youngest son - a year after Kolya’s death, Zhenya also passed away.”

Their acquaintance began with a practical joke - Evgeny Morgunov was a great expert on them.

Their acquaintance began with a practical joke - Evgeny Morgunov was a great expert on them. His phone number was dialed by mistake by a MATI student. Fully confident that she was calling the institute department, she asked when she could take the test. “Leave your phone number,” Evgeniy answered, “I’ll look at the schedule and call you back.” He actually contacted her, setting a day and time for the retake, but when Natasha arrived at the institute, the teacher was not waiting for her there. She returned home upset and with a failed test. As soon as she crossed the threshold, the phone rang again...

"MY MOTHER CALLED EUGENE "YOUR UNCEREMONY CAVALTOR"

- Natalya Nikolaevna, the joke, frankly speaking, was cruel. You offended?

More likely, she got angry: you can only be offended by close people, and we didn’t even know each other. At first I didn’t understand anything at all: the interlocutor’s voice was very serious and respectable. When Evgeniy called back, introduced himself and repented of his prank, I just thought: “Lord, does he have nothing better to do?!” At first I didn’t even want to talk to him, but then I calmed down and walked away. This happened at the very beginning of 1963.

And the short comedies “Dog Barbos and the Unusual Cross” and “Moonshiners” were released on the screen in 1961. This means that Evgeniy Alexandrovich was already a recognizable person. Did you recognize him?

Yes. But, you see, I didn’t consider him an artist: they say, the director simply found the right type for the film. It seemed to me then that actors should be different - stately, beautiful. And this simple, plump one is, in general, an ordinary person from the crowd.

- Morgunov immediately started courting you?

His life was busy, but from time to time he remembered me and called. He said a lot of things, but I didn’t take his words seriously. A famous actor wanted to have fun with a girl - it was stupid to take this for genuine interest in me. And then the film “When the Cossacks Cry” came out - in it Evgeniy Alexandrovich appeared not only as an actor, but also as a director and screenwriter.

Although the editing of the film was not completed, Morgunov, who was still writing and finishing something there, took the material to show the Spartak football players - they were training at their base in Serebryany Bor. At that time we lived nearby, on Sokol, and he invited me to join. I went with a friend. So, no matter what, our relationship lasted until the summer. And in August he went to Kyiv and called me there.

- It turns out that you have a lot connected with the capital of Ukraine?

Our real romance began there. In Kyiv, Evgeniy Alexandrovich had a friend - the legendary runner, front-line soldier Evgeniy Bulanchik. A leg injury made it very difficult for him to play sports, but every day he gritted his teeth and went for a run. By the way, Bulanchik lived on Khreshchatyk, in a luxurious Stalinist house. I was accommodated in the Ukraina Hotel, then it was located on Shevchenko Boulevard. Some pilot also joined our company, and we had a great time.

From that time on, our relationship became serious. True, Morgunov was in no hurry to make the offer. We got married only two years later, in 1965. And a year later our first son, Anton, was born, and six years later - our second, Nikolai...

- How did your parents accept your famous son-in-law?

At first, without much enthusiasm. The fact is that, while caring for me, Evgeniy Aleksandrovich behaved in a peculiar way: he would appear every day, then disappear somewhere for weeks, he could call me at any time of the day or night. This irritated my mother terribly, and she said about Morgunov: “your unceremonious gentleman.”

He was a person from a different environment, and it was not clear to my engineer parents why I needed an actor and, most importantly, why he needed me. True, when we got married, they fell in love with Zhenya. The fact is that their son-in-law respected and valued them very much, cared for his father-in-law and mother-in-law as if they were his own parents. He perceived us as his family, since he was alone in this world - his mother, who was everything to him, passed away in 1960.

"MORGUNOV'S FIRST WIFE WAS 26 YEARS OLDER THAN ME. WHAT JEALOUSY ARE WE TALKING ABOUT?"

- Before you, Evgeniy Alexandrovich was not officially married, but was in a civil marriage with the Bolshoi Theater ballerina Varvara Ryabtseva. Weren't you jealous of him?

Having lived together for more than 10 years, they considered themselves absolutely free people. We continued to communicate after our wedding, but it was already an exclusively friendly relationship. They loved to visit each other - Ryabtseva lived in a luxurious apartment on Kuznetsky Most, where Bolshoi Theater actors were frequent guests. Evgeniy Aleksandrovich felt like a fish in water there. Ryabtseva was affectionately called Vava. When Vava died, he buried her. She was 13 years older than him, and me, respectively, 26. What kind of jealousy could we be talking about?

- They say that Evgeniy Alexandrovich had a difficult childhood. Did he tell you about it?

Not very willingly. He did not remember his father: he left when his son was barely a year old. His mother, a simple woman, worked as a nurse in a maternity hospital, earned little, and it was very difficult for her to bear her son alone. When the war began, 14-year-old Zhenya got a job at a factory in Sokolniki, where they made artillery shells, turning blanks. The boy was short, and in order for him to work, a box was placed next to the machine.

He worked equally with adults - 12 hours a day, and even received a Certificate of Honor for his work. And in his free time, he ran to study at the drama club at the Palace of Culture, went to theaters, and to the conservatory. There was no money for tickets, but he somehow managed to get by, watching performances and concerts while sitting on the steps. Classical music attracted him even more than drama theater (by the way, tickets to the conservatory were much cheaper). If it was not possible to go, I listened on the radio - at that time excerpts from operas and symphonies were often broadcast.

Evgeniy really wanted to work in the theater, but the director of the plant would not let him go (at that time both enterprise managers and collective farm chairmen were given this right). And then he wrote a letter to Stalin: “Take me into art, I want to be like Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko.”

- A bold step!

The most interesting thing is that they answered him. A letter signed by Stalin came to the director of the plant, according to which the boy was sent to the Tairov Chamber Theater (it was like that then), to the auxiliary staff. There Evgeniy learned the basics of acting, and a year later, in 1944, he entered VGIK, taking the course of Sergei Apollinaryevich Gerasimov. He turned 17 years old, he was the youngest on the course. In peacetime, they probably wouldn’t have taken him - they would have offered him to grow up a little, but there was a war going on, almost all the boys went to the front, and someone had to play sketches with the girls...

Their course was golden! Klara Luchko, Inna Makarova, Lyudmila Shagalova, Muza Krepkogorskaya, Sergei Gurzo, Nonna Mordyukova, Vyacheslav Tikhonov studied there, and Sergei Bondarchuk appeared a little later.

Gerasimov was an amazing teacher, and his students adored him. He told them a lot of interesting things, took them to the conservatory, invited them to his home - Evgeniy recalled that he had rare records of classical music. In 1948, Gerasimov cast all his students in the film adaptation of The Young Guard; Morgunov got the low-profile role of the traitor Stakhovich.

- For many years, Evgeniy Aleksandrovich played only episodes. Was he not upset or despairing?

Dejection was generally unusual for him. Morgunov perceived life and everything that it presented to him as a gift. For some reason, it is generally accepted that the role of Experienced spoiled his biography: they say, after that the directors no longer saw him in other roles.

- Isn't that so?

Firstly, he never took himself too seriously, did not claim a place in eternity: if he was invited - good, if he was not invited - no big deal. And secondly, my husband always found something to do.

When there were no film roles, he went with the “Comrade Cinema” group concerts - such meetings with actors were very popular among the audience. I have never heard any complaints from him that he is not understood, not recognized and not appreciated, God forbid! Yes, he could make noise, and he had a complex character, that’s true. But on the other hand, if you put all that aside, he was very easy to communicate with because he had a positive outlook on the world. Evgeniy Aleksandrovich knew how to find the good in everything, he was generally a major person.

- They say that Gaidai was looking for a long time for a performer to play the role of Experienced...

The first of the glorious trinity he found Coward - Gaidai was friends with Vitsin. Then someone advised him to look at the incredibly funny clown Nikulin, and that’s how Balbes appeared. But things didn’t work out with Experienced. Gaidai saw Zharov in this role, but Mikhail Ivanovich was already an elderly man and could not run, as the script required of the character. Someone suggested Ivan Lyubeznov for this role, but for some reason he refused.

Time passed, it was necessary to start filming, but the actor was never found. And then Pyryev, who was then the director of Mosfilm, met Morgunov in the lobby of the Evropeiskaya Hotel in Leningrad. “Wait,” he said to Evgeny Aleksandrovich, “Gaidai is looking for Experienced - this is your role! Go to Mosfilm right now.” Meanwhile, he called his secretary and ordered: “Tell Gaidai not to look for anyone else, I personally approve Morgunov ". Pyryev at Mosfilm was the king and god, no one could afford to disobey him.

"ZHENYA WALKED THROUGH ANY CROWD LIKE AN ICEBREAKER, AND NO ONE RISKED TO APPROACH HIM"

- After the release of the first film with the participation of the famous trinity, fame fell on Vitsin, Nikulin and Morgunov. Perhaps the fans did not give the actors a pass?

In such cases, Vitsin raised the collar of his jacket, pulled his cap over his eyes and tried to slip through unnoticed. Zhenya never disguised himself: he walked through any crowd like an icebreaker, and no one dared to approach him unless he himself wanted to.

- According to rumors, Vitsin, Nikulin and Morgunov had almost no contact in life?

No. They communicated well. True, with Nikulin it was less, but solely because Yuri Vladimirovich was busy: he worked in a circus, he was not in Moscow for six months, and if he did not go anywhere, he played three performances a day. Vitsin was freer, so they met more often - they went to concerts together, and just like that.

- What happened to Morgunov with Gaidai - why didn’t the director film him anymore?

They really had a quarrel - Evgeny Aleksandrovich was rude to Gaidai, but that’s not why Leonid Iovich stopped filming him. Coward, Dunce and Experienced were very good in silent films - in “Moonshiners” and “Dog Barbos...”. “Operation Y” was still going well, but in “Prisoner of the Caucasus” their scenes already looked like insert numbers. Gaidai understood this and decided: I gave birth to you, I will kill you. Then other directors used them for some time in their films. For example, Ryazanov in the film “Give me a book of complaints!”, but they no longer had the same success - the audience laughed, rather, out of inertia.

- Was there a role that your husband dreamed of?

He never set his sights on anything and did not worry about not playing Hamlet or Othello. Another thing is that, knowing well not only music, but also literature, being a well-read person, he could sort out any role and tell how he would interpret it. This is probably why rumors arose that Morgunov passionately dreamed of playing some character. And where could he do this? Evgeniy Aleksandrovich, like many of his colleagues, was listed in the Film Actor’s Theater, but had not played on its stage for a long time.

"THE HUSBAND WAS BROUGHT OUT OF TRANCE BY THE SCREAM OF PASSERS-BY: "CITIZEN, YOU HAVE LOST A CHILD!"

- Has your husband’s life been bothered by his fatness, which has added brightness and character to him as an actor?

He had diabetes mellitus - a disease terrible in its insidiousness. A person does not feel anything - neither pain nor other symptoms, it even seems to him that he is absolutely healthy, and meanwhile his body is destroyed from the inside: the heart, lungs, legs and, worst of all, the nervous system suffer.

- Did he have a special diet?

- (Laughs). The husband talked a lot about her, but hardly stuck to it. Actually, at home we prepared everything correctly - no sugar, mostly buckwheat and vegetables in different variations. Sometimes I’d cook him something lean and sit and wait. And when he arrived, it turned out that he had a meeting and had dinner with someone (of course, dishes that were strictly contraindicated for him), and also forgot to inject insulin. And he’ll also bring cake. If I started swearing, he said: “Well, I brought this to you.” And he’ll grab a piece and try to take it away from him. He loved to eat delicious food and did not deny himself anything.

- There are legends about Morgunov’s difficult character...

Evgeniy Aleksandrovich was a quick-tempered, excitable, angry person, but these were not innate qualities of his personality, but a consequence of the disease: people suffering from diabetes are easily irritated. True, the outbursts of anger to which he was subject quickly passed. The husband could scream, immediately turn around and talk as if nothing had happened.

For the last three years, it even seemed to me that I was not living with him, but with another person, he had changed so much - he had become more rude and embittered. Sometimes he said things to journalists that he shouldn’t have. When I saw Morgunov’s latest “revelations” in the press, I literally clutched my head - Zhenya had again offended someone and made himself several more mortal enemies. Moreover, he deliberately said unpleasant things, and only I knew: in fact, my husband did not think so.

Many were offended by him, but no one even suspected how difficult it was for him. He didn’t tell anyone about how he was feeling, he kept swaggering around, trying to keep his cool. And I even cut the elastic bands on his socks, because they were pressing and causing him unbearable pain.

Evgeniy Alexandrovich became a father quite late - at 39 and 45 years old. Has this left an imprint on your relationship with your sons?

He doted on them. Although he understood his parental duty one-sidedly: he was sure that the main thing was to clothe, put on shoes and feed. I tried to take my sons with me everywhere so that they could see more - he believed that the more impressions, the better for their development. He rarely went anywhere with his grandchildren - at that time it was already an excessive physical activity for him. The only place we took them was to concerts and the opera, and even then I did more of that.

My husband always talked to the children as if they were adults. If it seemed to him that I was overly protective of them, Zhenya scolded me. But there were, of course, oddities. Somehow this caring dad... lost his son. I took them outside for a walk, and he put the child in a stroller and drove her not in front, but behind him. The son fell out, and Evgeniy Alexandrovich was so lost in thought that he didn’t notice. The only thing that brought him out of his trance was the shout of passers-by: “Citizen, you have lost your child!”

- Many actors of his generation were crippled by perestroika. How did Evgeny Alexandrovich react to her?

It didn’t affect him at all: his work didn’t decrease; he still made money from concerts. He managed to perform even while lying in the hospital. In the morning they put him on IVs, gave him injections, and in the evening he could get into the car, which was always parked near the hospital, and drive off to the concert.

Yes, cinema became different, and people, in order to somehow survive, rushed to make any money... But Zhenya had her own life: the conservatory did not close, her favorite books stood in their places, theaters did not cease to exist. Sometimes he told me: “I’m so tired without good Russian speech!” - and went to the Maly Theater, where they still played Russian classics. It was not perestroika that brought him down, but the death of our youngest son.

- How did it happen?

Kolya crashed his car. Now that I think about him, I understand: he lived as if he felt that he had little time and wanted to do everything. He got married immediately after school. And he drove the car so fast that his father could not ride with him. Evgeniy Aleksandrovich himself was a careful, disciplined driver: he took great care of the car and always did preventative maintenance on time. There was no question of breaking the rules. If Kolya gave him a ride somewhere, it always ended with the husband starting to shout: “You're driving like crazy! Slow down immediately or I'll get out now!” The son just laughed in response...

When Kolya died, Evgeniy Aleksandrovich fell into despair for the first time in his life. “How can this be?!” He repeated all the time. “For what?! Why such injustice?!” In order to somehow escape the feeling of emptiness and loss, he tried to escape from home at the first opportunity - it was easier for him in public. My husband tried not to show how hard it was for him, but I saw: he was cut down at the root. A year after Kolya’s death, he too passed away.

“I READ THE HISTORY OF HIS ILLNESS AND UNDERSTANDED: THEY CAN’T LIVE WITH SUCH INDICATORS”

- How did you survive all this?..

No matter how scary it sounds, I was ready for Zhenya to leave. Despite the fact that he was 72 years old, not so much! - his body was already in such a state that this could happen to him at any minute. He was in the hospital two or three times a year, and when he returned home, I read his medical history and understood: one cannot live with such indicators. Zhenya had practically no healthy organs left, but he held on until the last and could not stand whining: “Everything will be fine!”

- Is it true that the state did not allocate a single penny for the funeral?

We didn't count on this. Neither he nor I ever thought that anyone owed us anything. We had money, we saw off Evgeniy Alexandrovich with dignity. Everything was no worse than others. At the Kuntsevo cemetery, small and cozy, many good actors were buried, and there was also a place there near Kolya.

It was only later that journalists began to count who came to the funeral and who didn’t. But it was summer, everyone had gone somewhere: some on tour, some to filming, some to a film festival. I remember Sergei Nikonenko ran away from some festival to say goodbye to Zhenya, and immediately got into the car (he was driving) and drove back.

It was really hot. In order not to torment anyone, the coffin was immediately transported from the hospital to the church for the funeral service. We didn’t go to the Cinema House - there was no need for that. Maybe some of my colleagues weren’t there, but a lot of ordinary people came, and that’s the most important thing. So I don’t hold grudges against anyone, God forbid! On the contrary, I have always been surprised: why do cultural figures claim to be more than ordinary people? Ordinary people also work somewhere all their lives, give all their strength, invest their souls. Are they really less significant for society just because they are not public?

And on what scales should we weigh the joy that viewers still receive from films with the participation of Evgeny Morgunov?

So after all, he also received dividends from these films! The whole country knew him, he could enter any government office, and he was received with pleasure everywhere. ( Laughs).

In difficult times, when there was no food, the director of any store would always sell him something in short supply. So it’s a sin to complain - roles in films affected his life in the best possible way. As Experienced, he was at home in any environment and could communicate with those who were interesting to him - composers, conductors, artists, writers. The husband considered himself lucky, because all this might not have happened.

- Are you dreaming about him?

Almost never. Only this year, about a month ago, I suddenly had a dream. I made only one conclusion: we need to quickly go to the cemetery and restore order there. After all, as is commonly believed: if you dream of a dead person, it means that some kind of guilt lives latently in you: either you haven’t been to the cemetery for a long time, or you haven’t commemorated him in church, or you didn’t give him something during your lifetime. But I have nothing to reproach myself with regarding Evgeniy Alexandrovich: we lived together for 36 years, and I always did everything that was humanly possible for him. She looked after him until the last day, tolerated him even when he was completely unbearable. People come together to live with each other, as they say during a wedding, “in sorrow, in joy, in health, and in sickness.”

- Two terrible events in a row - first the death of a son, then the death of a husband - it resembles an evil fate...

In fact, there were not two, but three deaths. First my mother got sick. I lived in her hospital room for three months, cared for her, but all efforts were in vain. Then Kolya crashed, Evgeniy Aleksandrovich died... I don’t know how I survived it all. It is believed that grief can be cried out with tears, but I have such a peculiarity! - I can’t cry. When something completely terrible happens, I simply turn to stone and remain in this state for days, weeks, months.

I tried not to poison anyone’s life by demonstrating my grief: there are people around, what right do I have to walk around like a black widow? And then I took my granddaughter in to raise me and since then I have been raising her like a daughter. She came to me as a first-grader, and recently she graduated from the eighth grade and became quite big. Girls are all good, it’s just a pity that they grow up quickly.

I remember my sons were already finishing school, and everyone told me in a deep voice: “Mom, let’s go to the movies!” - and they ran to me with all the questions. And this one, from the age of 10, is so independent that you can’t even get close to her. I was lucky with her; unlike my lazy sons, she studies very well. Besides her, I have other grandchildren: one is 19 years old, the other is nine.

- None of them dreams of becoming an actor?

Not yet. But the granddaughter fulfilled Zhenya’s other cherished dream - she graduated from a music school in cello class. She and I immediately agreed that we were not betting on a musical career. She will just study, and then whatever happens. If it goes well, then he will try to enter the conservatory... How I would like Zhenya to hear Zhenya play! Her name is also Zhenya...

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We liked everything about Ryabtsev: the way he teaches, and the way he talks about his favorite art of dance. It was a pleasure to work with him. “Polygamy is a contamination of the expression of thought. The laconicism of a gesture is a great art,” Ryabtsev used to say. One day Ryabtsev came to class with a strong limp. Having surrounded him, we began to ask what happened to him. Vladimir Alexandrovich, suffering from pain in his leg, sat down on a chair and said very quietly:

- I got drunk... like a pig, I don’t remember what happened. Our faces instantly changed. There was no more compassion. Surprise, and some of the girls were scared: Ryabtsev - and suddenly he got drunk! The boys hid their grins... Vladimir Alexandrovich looked at everyone, smiled painfully and said to the accompanist:

- Can I have Mazurochka? With the very first beat, Ryabtsev got up from his chair and literally “flew” around the hall, dashingly leading the imaginary Lady. The whole class gasped at once. It was a delightful deception, a teacher's game.

Ryabtsev, satisfied and smiling, sat down on a chair and, turning to Misha Kaverinsky, said:

- That's it. You, brother, really believed in my fantasy. Well done you all. The range of rapidly changing feelings was perfectly readable. Why did you believe me? Is Ryabtsev famous as a drunkard? I drink, I’ll tell you a secret, only in two cases: when it rains and when it doesn’t... Ryabtsev could not continue. His joke caused homeric laughter. When we calmed down, he continued:

Why did you believe me? Yes, because I sincerely, deeply felt my “sore leg” and you all experienced this moment in your own way. I emphasize - re-re-live. And on stage, what do you need to do to make your partner, partner, and audience believe you? It is deeply sincere to experience, even if you are performing this performance for the hundredth time. But! Beware of over-playing. It’s better not to over-play. Let our motto be: “A little stronger than in life, and it’s better to be under than over.” He often said: “It turned out too bad for you.” The student understood that he had overacted and that it turned out implausibly.

Ryabtsev devoted a lot of time to studies at the school. I searched for and selected musical material, and together with my students composed plots for scenes and sketches. He taught enthusiastically and with great interest. No matter how busy he was in the theater, both as an artist, and as the director of a ballet troupe, and as a member of the artistic council, he never missed lessons. In parallel with the art of choreography, Vladimir Alexandrovich devoted a lot of time to dramatic art. Since childhood, my love for the Maly Theater and participation in performances with luminaries of dramatic art over the years has turned into a need to try my hand at this genre. In 1913, he toured St. Petersburg, where at the Fontanka Theater he played together with the outstanding artist Roshchina-Insarova in the play “The Landlady of the Hotel.” She played the role of Mirandolina, and Ryabtsev - Fabrizio.

In 1921, Ryabtsev was one of the founders of the Ancient Vaudeville Theater. He was an actor, director, and choreographer. Artists of the Bolshoi Theater loved to go to this theater. Ryabtsev was great in vaudeville. This theater did not exist for long, but Ryabtsev’s love for this genre remained for the rest of his life. Only once was I lucky enough to see my teacher in one of the pictures of the old vaudeville “Lev Gurych Sinichkin”. He played the role of Lev Gurych himself. His daughters are Ryabtsev’s wife Varvara Kesler. also a ballet dancer. This happened under sad circumstances in my life. Vladimir Aleksandrovich found out that I had undergone an operation due to pulmonary tuberculosis, gathered a team of artists and came to the sanatorium where I was staying. A kind, sincere person, Ryabtsev decided to please the sick ballerina. That evening he played like a great master, he played selflessly, with the dedication of all his creative powers. The public didn't let him go for a long time...

Vladimir Alexandrovich also tried his hand at choreography. In 1920, Vladimir Ivanovich Nemirovich-Danchenko invited him to choreograph dances in Lecoq’s operetta “Madame Ango’s Daughter” in the music studio of the Art Theater. At the Bolshoi Theater in 1921 he staged Stravinsky's ballet Petrushka. On the same evening as “Petrushka,” Ravel’s “War Dance” was performed. Ryabtsev created this number for E. Geltser and L. Zhukov. During the war with Nazi Germany, Vladimir Alexandrovich was in Moscow. In the front-line capital, he still played his favorite roles - Marcelina, Sancho Panza and others. He bravely endured all the hardships of wartime. On November 27, 1945, Glinka’s opera “Ivan Susanin” was performed at the Bolshoi Theater. At Sigismund's ball, the artists danced the Krakowiak and Mazurka. Vladimir Alexandrovich, as always, danced in the first couple, creating the image of a proud Polish nobleman, with a mane of gray hair and a dashing mustache. With the first bars of the mazurka, Ryabtsev suddenly swayed and fell. He died on stage...

Who doesn’t know the legendary Evgeny Morgunov - the good-natured fat man from the comical trinity of Gaidai?! Seeing his cheerful, hilarious face, you might think that the actor has never experienced any grief or suffering in his life. However, it is not.

The biography of the artist Evgeny Morgunov is replete with all sorts of sorrows and disappointments. As a child, he experienced deprivation and poverty, in his youth - oblivion and lack of recognition, in his mature years - illness and mental suffering. Therefore, the fact that he smiled so authentically and made us laugh speaks of great and inimitable skill and talent.

Yes, Evgeny Morgunov, whose biography, personal life and acting work will be discussed in this article, was remembered by all acquaintances and viewers as a cheerful joker and joker. Let's look deeper and find out what this original, inimitable actor lived and strived for.

Childhood

The biography of Evgeny Morgunov dates back to the distant and difficult year of 1927. The future actor was born in Moscow, into a family of ordinary workers.

The father left the children when Zhenya was one year old. This negatively affected the economic situation of the entire family. Mother was forced to work at a factory. Then she found a position as a nurse at the Ostroumovsky maternity hospital. So all family members were in need.

Then it got even worse. The Great Patriotic War began, which brought hunger and devastation to the house. At the age of fourteen, Evgeniy went to work at a factory for the production of artillery shells, where he sharpened blanks along with adults - twelve hours a day, almost without breaks or days off. In order for the boy to reach the machine, a huge wooden box was placed in front of him.

Malnutrition in the Morgunov family has become commonplace. There was not enough money, good products were impossible to find. One day my mother brought a pack of butter from work. Zhenya, who had not eaten since the morning, pounced on the product and swallowed it whole. After that he became very ill - his pancreas failed. The boy was taken to the hospital and barely pumped out. Following this, Morgunov’s metabolism was disrupted, which subsequently led to diabetes.

Youth

Despite adversity, the future famous actor grew up as a playful and cheerful child. He studied carelessly, but he loved football and other outdoor games. Moreover, the guys played not with a ball, but with a tin can.

The biography of Evgeny Morgunov, in fact, is inextricably linked with the art of acting. He performed in school amateur performances, played on the stage of the House of Culture and regularly visited the cinema, spending almost all his pocket money on cheap morning shows.

Zhenya really wanted to become an actor. He was attracted by the possibility of reincarnation, he wanted to become a hero and amaze the audience with his performance.

At the age of fifteen, the boy wanted to enter drama school. However, the director of the plant where he worked did not want to let go of the responsible, hardworking young man. Then Evgeniy, without thinking twice, wrote a letter to Stalin himself, asking him to allow him to leave production for the sake of studying acting.

Surprisingly, a positive response from the leader came literally a month later. Joseph Vissarionovich sent a letter to the general director of the plant with an order to send Comrade Morgunov to study at a theater school. Since then, the biography of Evgeniy Morgunov has been closely connected only with acting.

Education

At the beginning, the guy took courses at the Chamber Theater, but after a year he transferred to it. It was a wise and correct decision.

At that time, young Morgunov (he was barely seventeen) was a very interesting and sophisticated young man, with regular facial features and a beautiful figure. Thanks to such external data, as well as his bright eccentric talent, Zhenya was invited to play cameo roles in famous films dedicated to the events of the Great Patriotic War. These were the films “Days and Nights”, “At six o’clock in the evening after the war”, “Native Fields” and “It Was in Donbass”, where the aspiring actor vividly and realistically played a soldier, an artilleryman, a conscript and an underground fighter, respectively. And although the actor’s name was not mentioned in the credits, this did not discourage him, but encouraged him to play even more talented and sincere.

First bright role

Soon the gifted student was entrusted with the leading role in the new film. his teacher at the institute, decided to make a full-length film based on the novel “The Young Guard,” in which he wanted to involve almost all of his students.

He assigned the central role to the charming and graceful Morgunov, but the screenwriter of the film Fadeev saw another actor in the main character. Then Evgeniy was offered to play a hero of a completely different plan - the traitor Stakhovich. The young actor approached his role so seriously and so responsibly that he completely connected with the image, realistically conveying all the feelings and emotions of his character.

Since then, Evgeny Morgunov, whose biography began to interest all his fans, acquired all-Union fame and recognition. He became famous, became recognizable. His masterful, genuine performance was so impressive and amazing that it almost cost him his life! One day a gang of guys attacked Morgunov, calling him a traitor and an enemy. And if actor Ivanov had not arrived in time and explained to the boys their error, who knows how it all could have ended.

However, in 1964, the film was revised and remade due to changes in the political system, as well as the emergence of new data. For example, it became known that Stakhovich betrayed the Young Guard voluntarily, and not under torture, as previously thought. Therefore, Morgunov’s hero was renamed Pocheptsov, and many episodes with his participation were cut out or duplicated. Because of all this, Eugene’s role became small, almost episodic, in which it became impossible to consider the boundless talent and skill of the young actor.

Theater activities

After graduating from VGIK, the creative biography of Evgeny Morgunov was closely intertwined with his place of work - the Theater-Studio of a Film Actor, where he played small episodic roles. Unfortunately, the artist was not able to fully reveal himself on stage. Perhaps he felt constrained and embarrassed on the stage. Or some interpersonal troubles and misunderstandings got in the way. Be that as it may, they wanted to kick Evgeni out of the theater several times for inactivity and mediocrity. The only saving grace was that he was still acting in films.

Movie episodes

Until the 1960s, the acting biography of Yevgeny Morgunov could not be called successful. By this time only many diverse but episodic roles in films and films can be attributed. These were pictures of military-political themes that almost never reached the modern audience.

In many credits, Morgunov’s name was not even used, which, however, does not indicate his mediocrity or mediocrity. The actor was easily given the roles of both a miner and a military man, both an anarchist and a policeman. Perhaps he would have been remembered forever as an episode artist, if not for one happy accident.

Trio of comic anti-heroes

It so happened that at that time the aspiring director was experiencing personal In order to somehow escape from depression, he decided to create something that no one had ever created - a short film with comic content. Actors were immediately found for the role of the two main characters, but no one agreed to play the role of the third character.

But one day Morgunov was noticed by Ivan Pyryev, the director of Mosfilm. It was he who advised Gaidai to try the actor for the role. And indeed, the plumper and balding Evgeniy was simply a godsend - he was the spitting image of Experienced, one of three bosom comrades-offenders.

Experienced

The creative biography of actor Evgeny Morgunov changed radically after that. He began to play in comedies, vitally and comically embodying his hero - a massive, strong and self-confident man, the leader of a criminal gang.

Along with this role, all-Union love and recognition again came to the artist. He was recognized on the street, invited to concerts and evenings, and featured in films and television shows.

In which films did actor Evgeny Morgunov appear in the role of Experienced? The biography speaks for itself. Of course, these were the famous “Moonshiners”, as well as “Prisoner of the Caucasus”, “Operation Y”, “Give me a book of complaints”, “Comedy of bygone days” and others.

Gap

There was a period when Vitsin, Nikulin and Morgunov were very friendly and inseparable, often meeting and relaxing together. However, a little later this unity was broken due to the stupid pranks of Evgeny Morgunov.

In addition, Evgeniy had the imprudence to be rude to Gaidai, which also negatively affected his creative activity. Since then, the actor was again invited only for episodes.

Until his death, Morgunov played short, insignificant roles, being very offended and yearning for fame and recognition.

Character

Friends remember Evgeniy as a comic joker and a fan of practical jokes. Despite serious health problems (the actor suffered from diabetes from the age of twenty-five), Morgunov was famous for his cheerful and cheerful disposition.

He loved to make fun of people, and he did not always do it harmlessly. Mostly, strangers never found out that they had been deceived, and friends and family rarely took offense at the comedian.

For example, Evgeniy could ride a taxi for free, showing the driver a non-existent red certificate and assuring that he had faithfully served for the good of the Fatherland.

Personal life

It is noteworthy that Evgeny Morgunov’s personal biography began with his stupid prank. This time he decided to play a prank on the girl who mistakenly called his apartment. Subsequently, this girl became Eugene’s wife and went through all the hardships and difficulties with him.

Morgunov's second wife is Natalya Nikolaevna, whom he met at the age of thirty-five. Since then, the artist Evgeny Morgunov, whose biography was the topic of our article, has found a faithful companion throughout his difficult life.

Natalya, despite the fact that she was thirteen years younger than her husband, sincerely loved him. She supported him in all his creative endeavors, encouraged him in times of obscurity, treated him for serious illnesses and was always by his side.

She gave Evgeniy two sons. One of them, Nikolai, died in an accident, which greatly undermined the actor’s already weak health. The second son, Anton, gave the happy couple three grandchildren and several great-grandchildren.

Evgeny Morgunov died in the summer of 1999 from a second stroke.

“There are a lot of ridiculous rumors and gossip about Morgunov. And they forget that it was he who brought Sergei Bondarchuk into art, knocked out an apartment opposite the Kremlin for Bronevoy and was ready to come to the aid of anyone,” Vladimir Tsukerman, a friend of Yevgeny Morgunov, told AiF.

TRUTHFUL

— Morgunov was a straightforward person, he cut the truth straight in the face. He had a fight with the Ministry of Culture - because of this he was not given the next title, and Morgunov died as an honored, and not a people's artist. They deleted it from film dictionaries and refused to film it. We remember Evgeny Morgunov only for the role of Experienced, but he has more than 100 roles in his filmography! Yes, he got the roles of gendarmes, fascists, policemen, and some thugs. And he could play Churchill - there are photo tests of Morgunov for this role. Shpalikov wrote the role of the poet Demyan Bedny for him, but this did not work out either. They say that during the filming of Gaidai’s last film, which featured the famous trinity, “Prisoner of the Caucasus”, Gaidai had such a quarrel with Morgunov that he kicked him out right during filming and has not spoken to him since then.

“Their conflict arose over nonsense,” explains Vladimir Tsukerman (according to one version, Morgunov behaved incorrectly while watching filmed fragments of the film, where for some reason he brought his fans. - Ed.). — After that, Gaidai filmed only stunt doubles instead of Morgunov in “Prisoner of the Caucasus” - he wasn’t the one carrying the refrigerator anymore; there was also a stunt double at the wheel on Mount Ai-Petri. Gaidai himself later told me: “Bondarchuk brought Morgunov to me to make peace. Why put up? I don’t want to, this person doesn’t exist for me.”

After Gaidai, other directors tried to “reanimate” the troika - Eldar Ryazanov in “Give me a book of complaints” and Karelov in “Seven Old Men and One Girl,” but it was not the same.

ALL IN THE FAMILY

“Evgeny Morgunov was not a poor man,” continues Vladimir Tsukerman. — He lived in a four-room apartment on Krasnoproletarskaya Street in the center of Moscow. He had a wonderful family - two children, his wife Natalya Nikolaevna, who idolized him. They married in 1962. Before this, Morgunov lived with ballerina Varvara Ryabtseva, who was 10 years older than him. He did not stop communicating with Ryabtseva even after marriage. When she was completely old, he looked after her, carried medicine and food. The wife was not jealous, she was a wise woman. (By the way, in this Morgunov to some extent repeated the fate of Georgy Vitsin. Vitsin at one time stole the wife of his teacher Nikolai Khmelev, People's Artist of the USSR. Vitsin was then 19 years old, and his chosen one was 34 years old.) Yes, and Morgunov was a great family man. He brought everything to the family. He came to the director of the Ocean store during a period of total shortage and said: “Five jars of black caviar, five jars of red caviar and ten jars of crabs.” The director was surprised: “Why so much?” Morgunov shrugged: “Vitsin’s birthday is in four days.” - “And you know, a week ago Vitsin came and said the same thing about you...”

There are a lot of bad things being said about Morgunov now: they say that he had connections with crime; that he was jealous of his more sought-after colleagues in the industry, since he was rarely called for serious roles, and his own scripts, in which he dreamed of resurrecting the troika Coward - Dunce - Experienced, were turned down; that he drinks a lot, and when he has too much, he gets rowdy; that can, out of the blue, send a person to a known address. But few people remember that sometimes he was ready to break into pieces in order to help someone.

Yuri Nikulin, Evgeny Morgunov and Georgy Vitsin

One day, on New Year’s Eve, Morgunov gathered a star team and went to Butyrka prison - the son of his friend, journalist Genrikh Sechkin, was imprisoned there. The actors gave a free concert, and only then the guy was transferred to a double cell in terrible conditions - in a crowded cell, the detainees could only stand, and slept in turns for 2 hours. Morgunov and Yakubovich went somewhere to the Far East to rescue a man from prison. He was always like this - once an unknown student Evgeniy Morgunov approached VGIK professor, the then famous director Sergei Gerasimov, with a request: “Sergei Apollinarievich, look at the soldier!” Gerasimov waved it off: “What soldier? The set is already finished! - “Well, look, listen, let him read something. It’s five minutes!” Gerasimov had mercy, listened, and took the soldier without exams. This soldier turned out to be Sergei Bondarchuk. It was Morgunov who gave Bronevoy an apartment opposite the Kremlin. He helped place some children in kindergarten, helped someone find a place in the hospital, brought food to others. Somehow Oleg Anofriev’s license was taken away. Morgunov found out about this and says to Anofriev: “Let's go to the head of the traffic police. He turns 50 today, let’s congratulate him and resolve the issue.” Anofriev refused: “Well, Zhenya, no need.” But Morgunov insisted. And so they came to the head of the Moscow traffic police, he already had mountains of flowers in his reception room. Morgunov grabbed the best bouquet from the vase and headed into the office. After 15 minutes, Anofriev had his license in his hands. Vitsin categorically forbade his daughter Natasha to come to Nikulin’s circus for free, only with purchased tickets. Morgunov wrote out countermarks for two faces, then drew on a single person and escorted 12 people to the management box.

WIFE'S FAVORITE

Morgunov loved to tease friends, colleagues and just passers-by.

“One day he got hold of red tickets somewhere, rode a tram, checked tickets,” recalls Vladimir Tsukerman. “At a stop, sometimes I lowered the horns of the trolleybus and said to the first person I came across: “Here, hold it, why are you standing there?!” He, naturally, held on, thinking that Morgunov was the driver. And Morgunov crossed to the other side and watched. At this time, the real driver already realized that something was wrong, got out of the cab and cursed the one who grabbed the horns. When Morgunov was still young and handsome, the wives of the generals loved him very much. Once at a banquet, several ladies pestered him: “Well, Zhenya, well, cut a small piece of the cake.” - "Don't want!" - "Oh please!" Then he cut off a small piece, left it, and took the rest of the cake and carried it away. He liked to tease traffic cops. One day he was driving a Zhiguli, he made a deliberate turn into oncoming traffic, and, of course, he was stopped. Then Morgunov shouted to the traffic cop: “Attention!” He saluted. Morgunov asked: “Well, did you violate it?” - “Violated.” - “At ease! I decided to test your vigilance." And I moved on. Another time, when a traffic cop stopped Morgunov, he lowered the window and said: “Come here, my dear! Here, shake Morgunov’s hand, Vitsin and Nikulin are riding behind. Filming!” The law enforcement officer even dropped the baton from his hands.

Evgeny Morgunov in the film “Big Attraction”

He joked, made puns, fooled around, but he himself was an incredibly smart and well-read person. He could play Brahms, Chopin, and Shostakovich without notes. When I had a presentation of the Museum of Three Actors, I dictated the address to Nikulin and Morgunov: “Come to General Berzarin Street...” Nikulin asked: “Who is this Berzarin?” And then Morgunov began to tell the general’s entire biography - where he was born, who he married, where he studied, on what fronts he fought.

Before the tour, he first studied the history of the city where he was supposed to go. Cemeteries, markets and local history museums were the first three places he went to when exploring local attractions. Once in Kemerovo after a concert, the car that was sent to pick up the actors was late. Everyone is standing, asking each other: “Who will take us?” Morgunov, without asking anything, suddenly pointed at the first person with a car parked near the concert venue: “Here is the driver!” The man became embarrassed: “Well, of course, I’ll take you there.” What are you talking about?" The “driver” turned out to be a KGB colonel from the department for combating organized crime in the highest echelons of power. Once Morgunov arrived in the Gorky region and immediately called the administration: “Greetings to you from Alexei Nikolaevich Kosygin. This is Morgunov, People's Artist, Member of the Bundestag. After me, Vitsin and Nikulin will come to you on tour, I will take care of it. Tomorrow at 10 am, please, to avoid any complications, bring three special rations - for me, Vitsin and Nikulin. I will report you to the right people." At 10 am the rations actually arrived. And in the Far East, Morgunov was given 8 kilograms of fish for his participation in the concert. He shook his head: “I have no right to take such an expensive gift from you, knowing that my friends Vitsin and Nikulin will not have such fish.” They gave him two more fish. Nikulin later complained: “At least he brought us a piece.” Evgeny Morgunov loved to eat, loved sweets, although he was not allowed all this. In his youth, he developed diabetes, and from a thin, handsome man with gorgeous hair, he turned into a big bald man.

“In fact, he could control himself when it came to food,” says Vladimir Tsukerman. “At Utesov’s wake he didn’t even drink a glass, he said: “I came to say goodbye to a friend, not to drink or eat.” And he sat there all evening, didn’t drink a single gram, didn’t eat anything. At VGIK, a fellow student of Morgunov once drew pictures of the future. Morgunov was depicted as a respectable, plump man. Everyone laughed, but after a short time he really became like that - he weighed 132 kg. At the end of his life, diabetes completely crippled him, and the death of his son broke him so much that he began to lose weight again (Morgunov’s youngest son Nikolai died in 1998 in a car accident. His father would survive him by only a year, having suffered two heart attacks and a stroke during that year. - Approx. ed.).

He had a diabetic foot, he limped on stage in a boot and slipper, said that he fell from a horse while filming and injured his leg. It was all very sad, my leg hurt terribly, but nothing could be done.