Viktor Kosykh died

Obituary

Yesterday in Moscow, at the age of 62, actor Viktor Kosykh died, despite a solid filmography, who remained in cinema history with his first roles - Kostya Inochkin in Elem Klimov’s film “Welcome, or No Trespassing” (1964) and Danki in Edmond’s trilogy Keosayan about the “elusive avengers” (1966, 1968, 1971).

A stable and, as a rule, true stereotype of the fate of child actors who became famous early on: accidentally got into the cinema - could not stand the fame - fate went downhill. Viktor Kosykh refuted this stereotype with his entire life. Of course, Klimov could choose from a whole crowd of pioneers, selected on the principle “so they knew how to swim,” anyone to play the role of Kostya, the unforgettable “illegal immigrant” in the pioneer camp run by the voluntarist Dynin. But, probably, sooner or later Victor would have followed the acting path. After all, his stepfather, whose last name would be Viktor, then still Volkov, at the age of 18, was the famous master of the episode Ivan Kosykh. Together they will play in five films, including Igor Gostev’s trilogy about the “front without flanks” (1974, 1977, 1981), where Victor, according to the director’s irony, will get the role of Lieutenant Kosykh.

When Keosayan invited him to the role of Danka, the informal leader of the “elusive avengers,” Victor could already be considered a professional, having played with the masters of Soviet cinema Rezo Chkheidze in “Father of a Soldier” (1964) and Alexander Mitta in “They’re Ringing, Open the Door” (1966). Studying at the Moscow border guard school did not distract him from his acting path: Kosykh graduated from Sergei Bondarchuk’s workshop at VGIK and became, like his named father, a master of the episode.

Well, yes, he did not play leading roles, although he starred in fifty films. The most famous of them are “Tavern on Pyatnitskaya” (1978) by Alexander Faintzimmer and “Cold Summer of '53” (1988): there, the usually “positive” Kosykh was transformed into the criminal bander Shurup. But, in the end, an episode actor is perhaps the main acting profession: movie stars alone don’t do it. The fate of the Kosykhs has been darkened, perhaps, only by a few accidents in recent years. He was a master of sports in sambo and equestrianism. Happily married twice. Good fate, what can I say.

Mikhail Trofimenkov

Life in episodes