A world without a wizard

Oleg Yankovsky died

Actor Oleg Yankovsky, known to millions of Soviet and Russian viewers from dozens of his favorite films, has died. The leading actor of the Moscow Lenkom Theater was 65 years old. For a long time he suffered from pancreatic cancer.

The wizard from “An Ordinary Miracle”, the dragon from “Kill the Dragon”, Baron Munchausen are some of Yankovsky’s most famous roles. The actor starred in more than 70 films.

The farewell ceremony for Oleg Yankovsky will take place on Friday, May 22, at the Lenkom Theater, where he served for many years, said theater director Mark Warshaver. Approximately farewell will begin at 11.00.

The funeral service will take place in the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Khamovniki.

Oleg Yankovsky will be buried at the Novodevichy cemetery in Moscow, said Sergei Volter, deputy director of the Lenkom Theater.

Fans of the famous actor's work gather near the Lenkom Theater, where he served for more than 35 years, and bring flowers to honor his memory. Near the service entrance there is a portrait of Oleg Ivanovich with a mourning ribbon. Dozens of people come up to him, having learned today about the death of their favorite artist.

“It will be very difficult for us without him, but we will try to move on,” said Lenkom artistic director Mark Zakharov. According to him, the rehearsal of the new play “The Cherry Orchard” has not been canceled at the theater today, and it will continue to work as usual - in the evening, as planned, the production “Royal Games” will be shown. “If I asked Oleg Ivanovich whether we should cancel the rehearsal or not, I’m sure he would say: “Be sure to rehearse,” and wish you luck,” the director is sure.

Coincidentally, the day before Yankovsky’s death, a retrospective of films with the artist’s participation opened at the Khudozhestvenny cinema.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev expressed condolences over the death of the outstanding actor, People's Artist of the USSR Oleg Yankovsky, the press service of the head of state reported on Wednesday. A telegram sent to the artist’s family says: “Possessing a rare combination of acting talent, charm and a subtle mind, he was able to rise above time and fully reflect this time. Convey in his roles the whole gamut of human emotions, play any role in an extraordinary way, evoking only bright feelings."

According to Medvedev, the grief that befell the artist’s family “is shared by everyone who knew Oleg Ivanovich, who has ever seen him on the silver screen or in the legendary Lenkom productions.” “The memory of the outstanding Russian actor Oleg Yankovsky will remain with us forever,” the telegram emphasizes.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences to the actor’s family and friends. "Oleg Yankovsky was a true master, an extraordinary, generously gifted person, an actor from God. His passing is an irreparable loss for the legendary Lenkom, for national culture, for all of us. Oleg Ivanovich remained faithful to his calling to the end and, despite a serious illness , courageously served the stage and the audience. Oleg Yankovsky will always live in our memory, in those brilliant, unique images that this great Russian artist created,” the telegram of condolences says.

Yankovsky worked at Lenkom since 1973. He became the last People's Artist of the USSR - he received this honorary title on December 21, 1991, a few days before the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Oleg Ivanovich Yankovsky was born in 1944 in the city of Dzhezkazgan (Kazakhstan) into a noble family. His father Ivan Pavlovich, a former staff captain of the Semenovsky Life Guards Regiment, came from Polish nobles. Yankovsky’s father was arrested during the purges in the Red Army after the Tukhachevsky case and was sent with his family to Kazakhstan, where he died in the camps of the Gulag system. After Stalin's death, the Yankovskys were able to leave Central Asia for Saratov. The eldest of Oleg’s brothers, Rostislav, graduated from the Saratov Theater School and went to Minsk to play in the Russian Theater. He took 14-year-old Oleg to his place in order to relieve his relatives (there was only one breadwinner in the family - middle brother Nikolai) at least part of the material worries. In Minsk, Yankovsky Jr. made his debut on stage - it was necessary to replace the ill performer of the episodic role of a boy in the play "Drummer".

After graduating from school, Yankovsky returned to Saratov, where in 1965 he graduated from the Saratov Theater School. He was accepted into the troupe of the Saratov Drama Theater, where over eight years of work he played a number of leading roles. After success in the role of Prince Myshkin in the play “The Idiot” (based on Fyodor Dostoevsky), in 1973 he was invited to the Moscow Theater. Lenin Komsomol (now Lenkom).

On the Lenkom stage, the most significant works of Oleg Yankovsky were roles in the plays "Autograd XXI", "Not on the Lists" by Boris Vasiliev, "Clairvoyant" by Lion Feuchtwanger, "Blue Horses on Red Grass" and "Dictatorship of Conscience" by Mikhail Shatrov, " Optimistic tragedy" by Vsevolod Vishnevsky, "Pocket Theater" by Jean Cocteau, "Hamlet" by Shakespeare, "School for Emigrants" by Dmitry Lipskerov, "The Seagull" by Anton Chekhov, "The Jester Balakirev" by Grigory Gorin, "Tout paye, or Everything is Paid" by Yves Zhamiak.

In 1968, Oleg Yankovsky made his film debut. His first films – “Shield and Sword”, “Two Comrades Served” – immediately made him one of the most popular artists in the country. Later, this list was replenished with a number of outstanding works in the films of Andrei Tarkovsky ("Mirror" and "Nostalgia"), participation in the films "Flights in Dreams and in Reality" by Roman Balayan, "The Kreutzer Sonata" by Mikhail Schweitzer, "My Affectionate and Gentle Beast" by Emil Loteanu , “An Ordinary Miracle”, “That Same Munchausen” by Mark Zakharov and others. In total, Oleg Yankovsky starred in more than a hundred films. One of Yankovsky’s last film works is Valery Todorovsky’s film “Hipsters,” which premiered in December 2008.

In 2000, Oleg Yankovsky made his directorial debut - he shot his first film, “Come See Me,” in which he played one of the main roles.

Since 1993, Oleg Yankovsky has been the President of the Open Russian Film Festival in Sochi (Kinotavr IFF). Since 1997 - director of the Kinotavr film festival.

People's Artist of the USSR (1991). Laureate of the USSR State Prize in 1987 - for his participation in the film “Flights in Dreams and in Reality.” Laureate of the State Prize of the RSFSR named after the Vasilyev brothers (1989) - for participation in the film “The Kreutzer Sonata”. Laureate of the State Prize of the Russian Federation (1997). Laureate of the State Prize of the Russian Federation in 2002 - for playing the main role in the performance of the Moscow Lenkom Theater "Jester Balakirev". Winner of the Lenin Komsomol Prize in 1977 (for the talented embodiment of the images of his contemporaries in cinema).

In 1983, he was awarded the title of laureate of the XVI All-Union Film Festival in the category “Prizes for Best Acting Work” for the best male role in the film “In Love of His Own Will.”

In 1984, for his role in the film “In Love of His Own Will,” he was recognized as “best actor” according to the readers of the magazine “Soviet Screen.”

Awarded the NIKA Award in the Actor category for 1991.

Winner of the International Stanislavsky Theater Prize for the role of Peter I in the Lenkoma play "The Jester Balakirev" (2001). Winner of the Golden Eagle Award (2004) in the category “supporting role” (Count Palen in the film “Poor Poor Pavel”).

Oleg Ivanovich Yankovsky was awarded three orders "For Services to the Fatherland" - IV degree (1996), III degree (2007) and II degree (2009).

Based on materials from news agencies