Interesting facts from the biography of Savely Kramarov

Saveliy Viktorovich Kramarov

(October 13, 1934, Moscow - June 6, 1995, San Francisco) - Soviet and American theater and film actor, Honored Artist of the RSFSR (1974).

Biography

Born on October 13, 1934 in the Baumansky district of Moscow.

Father Viktor Savelyevich Kramarov (1900, Cherkassy - March 28, 1951, Turukhansk) - a famous Moscow lawyer, arrested by the NKVD in 1938, again in 1950.

Mother Benedikta (Basya) Solomonovna died when Savely was 16 years old. After graduating from school, Kramarov tried to enter the theater institute, but he was not accepted. To continue his education, Savely entered the Moscow Forestry Institute, Faculty of Landscaping. While studying at the institute, in 1954 he entered the First Step theater studio at the Central House of Arts.

After graduating from the Forestry Institute in 1958, he worked in his specialty for some time. Deciding to quit his job, Kramarov sent his photos to all film studios in the country, and one letter received an answer. This is where his acting career began. Real success came to Kramarov after “The Elusive Avengers”, the phrase of his hero “And along the road the dead stand with scythes... And - silence!” became winged.

In 1967 he was invited to work at the Theater of Miniatures. He acted a lot in films and by the early 70s he was one of the most popular comedians. In 1971, he starred in his most famous role - Scythe in the film "Gentlemen of Fortune". In 1972, Savely entered GITIS in the acting department. But, having graduated from GITIS, Kramarov never got a job in any of the Soviet theaters. In 1974, Savely Kramarov became an Honored Artist of the RSFSR.

Emigration to the USA

His social circle and his uncle, who emigrated to Israel, made Kramarov a man with dubious connections for the Soviet Union, which was tantamount to the end of his career [1]. In addition, he began to practice yoga, became a largely religious person, attended synagogue and refused to film on the Sabbath. They began to film him less and less, and in the last three years before leaving they stopped offering him roles altogether.

Savely Kramarov applied for emigration to Israel, arguing that in Israel he had the only relative to him - his uncle, but he was denied permission to leave the USSR. After all, he starred in more than forty films, and in the event of his emigration, all these films, according to the rules adopted at that time, had to be put on the shelf.[2]

Savely Kramarov was not allowed to leave the country, but he could not work in his specialty. In 1981, together with Alexander Levenbuk, he wrote a “Letter to US President Reagan,” in which he openly complained about his fate. The letter was read several times on the Voice of America radio station.

Saveliy Kramarov left the USSR on October 31, 1981 with documents to leave the USSR for Israel and arrived in Vienna - at that time there was no direct communication between the USSR and Israel, since the USSR broke off diplomatic relations with Israel in the late 60s after another Arab Israeli conflict. In Vienna he was met by impresario Viktor Shulman, who organized Kramarov's tour in Europe, America, Australia, Israel, and Japan. In Los Angeles, Kramarov began acting first in advertising, then in films. In 1986 he got married, his wife Marina gave birth to a daughter a year later, named Basya in honor of Kramarov’s mother.

Films with his participation continued to be shown (otherwise a significant part of Soviet comedies would have had to be shelved), but Kramarov’s name was removed from the credits. Savely Kramarov was able to come to Russia only in 1992, as an honorary guest of the Kinotavr film festival. He came to Russia for the second time a year before his death, in 1994. In March 1995, he was supposed to have surgery to remove a cancerous tumor of the rectum, but a complication occurred - endocarditis. Thrombosis followed, then two strokes, blindness, loss of speech.[2]

Savely Kramarov died on June 6, 1995, and was buried in the Jewish memorial cemetery “Hills of Eternity Cemetery

) in Colma (San Mateo) near San Francisco. On October 12, 1997, a monument created by Mikhail Shemyakin and Vyacheslav Bukhaev was erected at Kramarov’s grave.

Cause of death of Savely Kramarov. His grave is in the cemetery

“The cause of death of Savely Kramarov. His grave is in the cemetery,” another sad news that spread throughout the Internet. The cause of his death was illness, namely rectal cancer. After Savely was told the diagnosis, he didn’t even believe it, because he monitors his health so carefully and here is such news. But the diagnosis turned out to be correct, and Kramarov underwent surgery. True, things began to deteriorate after it, then Savely suffered two strokes, after which he lost his sight, and then died completely. But the actor’s widow says that medicine in America is to blame for everything, and that if they had discovered his illness earlier, everything could have been prevented, because Savely underwent a full medical examination quite often. If you are wondering where the actor is buried, his grave is in a Jewish cemetery near San Francisco.

Acting style

Kramarov is a bright, original comedian of the late 1960s - early 1970s. His winning appearance (squint, pleasant smile all over his face), powerful comedic temperament, innate acting skills, charm, facial expressions and body mobility allowed Kramarov to create numerous comic negative characters, funny in their absurdity and stupidity. He was characterized by a grotesque manner of performance. Kramarov's heroes have always been charming and, despite all their shortcomings, essentially harmless. Kramarov was a prominent representative of Soviet satire. Kramarov could pronounce and act out any text, including non-humorous ones, in such a way that it caused laughter and applause.

According to many film critics, the funny, ridiculous and cute Wolf from the animated series “Well, Just Wait!” was created on the basis of the collective stage image of Savely Kramarov. One can also draw some parallels between Kramarov and the famous French comedian Fernandel.

Since characters of Kramarov’s type cannot be the main ones in the film, Kramarov’s main film role can be considered the role of the recidivist thief Fedya Ermakov from A. Sery’s film “Gentlemen of Fortune” (1971). With all the conviction Kramarov shows a good person, not malicious by nature, not to the end of the spoiled, but who became a criminal due to his own underdevelopment and lack of independence. It can be assumed that Fedya in his youth fell under the bad influence of an inveterate scoundrel, which led him to prison. All is not lost for Fedya; one can see how the talented kindergarten teacher, embodied by E. Leonov, helps Feda take significant steps towards correction. In this film, Kramarov perfectly fit into the ensemble of recognized masters of comedy - Evgeny Leonov, Georgy Vitsin. The film was a great success and became a cult favorite; many phrases from it, including Kramarov’s, became catchphrases.

Kramarov participated in both film adaptations of the novel “The Twelve Chairs” by Ilf and Petrov, playing for L. Gaidai the one-eyed chairman of the Vasyukin chess club, and for M. Zakharov - the lone mechanic and artisan V. Polesov.

Catchphrases of his characters

Scythe from "Gentlemen of Fortune"

• “San Sanych, and Gavrila Petrovich is swearing at the hairdryer again.”
• “As soon as possible - immediately Oblique.”
• “And he also drew a naked woman on the mirror with lipstick.”
• “I’ll buy a car with a tape recorder, sew a tailored suit, and off to Yalta.”
• “I have an acquaintance, also a scientist, he has three years of education, and in half an hour he can draw a ten, so you can’t tell it from the real thing.”
• “Who will put him in jail?! He’s a monument!”
• “And the tree there is like that!”
• “Buy a card, bast shoe!”
• “Walk on a horse, you won’t see will forever!”
• "All. There will be no kin. The electricity has run out."
• “So he will split at this race! Radish! At the first crack!”

Feofan from the film “Ivan Vasilyevich changes his profession”

• “Twisted hare kidneys, pike heads with garlic, black, red caviar... Yes, overseas caviar... eggplant...”
• “We had a Nemchin interpreter. He needs to translate, but he doesn’t bother. We boiled it in boiling water.”
• “The demons grabbed you, we chased them through all the chambers. Grab! But there are no demons.”
• “They didn’t order execution, great sovereign, hope!”
• “Don’t be angry, boyar, I don’t recognize you.”

From the movie "The Elusive Avengers"

• “...The coffin with the deceased flies over the crosses, and the dead with scythes stand along the road. And silence!"

Filmography

1. 1959 - Guys from our yard - hooligan Vaska Rzhavy
2. 1960 - They were nineteen - soldier Petkin
3. 1960 - Farewell, pigeons! - hooligan Vaska Konoplyanisty
4. 1961 - Horizon - driver
5. 1961 - My friend, Kolka! - hooligan Pimenov
6. 1961 - The Adventures of Krosh - Ivashkin
7. 1962 - Without fear and reproach - Svetik Savelov (Owl)
8. 1962 - Beat the drum! - "Musyu"
9. 1962 - On the seven winds - patrolman
10. 1962 - Knight's move - Kolka Lopatin
11. 1963 - First trolleybus - parasite, Colin's neighbor
12. 1963 - The trial is coming! — Trofim
13. 1964 - The Tale of Lost Time - Vasya the Grandfather
14. 1965 - It happens like this (short story “The Skeleton of Apollo”) - Veselkin
15. 1965 - City of Masters - Click-Klyak
16. 1965 - Road to the sea - head of the sailor
17. 1965 - On Tomorrow Street - Matveychuk
18. 1965 - Thirty-three - poet Rodion Khomutov
19. 1965 - Emergency Assignment - anarchist
20. 1966 - Ballad of the Attic
21. 1966 - Acquaintance - Sanka
22. 1966 - The Elusive Avengers - Ilyukha the Bandit
23. 1966 - Comrade Song (short story “Song at Dawn”) - radio operator
24. 1966 - Rainbow Formula - Vasya, a drinking vacationer
25. 1966 - The Devil with the Briefcase - Petya Likhov
26. 1967 - Red, blue and green - registry office registrar
27. 1968 - Smile at your neighbor - artist
28. 1968 - Thunderstorm over Belaya - scout
29. 1968 - Golden watch - Tkachenko
30. 1968 - New adventures of the elusive - convoy soldiers
31. 1968 - Trembita - Petro
32. 1969 - Kidnapping - Pasha Vetchenko
33. 1970 - The Mystery of the Iron Door - guitarist Zaitsev
34. 1971 - 12 chairs - one-eyed chess player
35. 1971 - Hold on to the clouds
36. 1971 - Gentlemen of Fortune - Oblique (Fedya Ermakov)
37. 1971 - The stars do not go out - soldier Andreev
38. 1971 - The mechanical adventures of Shtepsel and Tarapunka - a talkative driver
39. 1972 - Big change - Pyotr Timokhin
40. 1972 - Golden Horns - Chest, the evil robber
41. 1973 - This cheerful planet - inventor Prokhor
42. 1973 - Ivan Vasilyevich changes profession - clerk Feofan
43. 1973 - New adventures of Doni and Mickey - Kesha the bully
44. 1974 - Big Attraction - Senya
45. 1974 - Screen star - driver Grisha; SS man in the crowd
46. 1975 - Afonya - Egoza
47. 1975 - Awww! (short story “What is our life?! or What is our life?!”) - Duke
48. 1975 - It can’t be! (short story “The Wedding Incident”) - Sergei, Vladimir’s friend
49. 1975 - Solo for elephant with orchestra - uniformist Lopukhov
50. 1976 - 12 chairs - Polesov
51. 1976 - Mom - Teen Wolf
52. 1977 - Mimino - a prisoner at the door of the court
53. 1978 - Live in Joy - Bacillus
54. 1978 - New Adventures of Captain Vrungel - Agent Fierce Harry
55. 1978 - A chest of drawers was driven along the street - professor
56. 1984 - 2010: A Space Odyssey - Dr. Vladimir Rudenko, Soviet cosmonaut
57. 1984 - The Fall Guy, Olympic Quest series - taxi driver
58. 1984 - Moscow on the Hudson / Moscow on the Hudson - Boris, a man from the KGB
59. 1986 - Armed and Dangerous - employee of a security company
60. 1987 - Double Agent / Double Agent
    -
    Yuri
61. 1987 - Morgan Stewart's Coming Home - Ivan Ilyich Vindikov, Stewart's butler
62. 1988 - Red Heat - Grigory Mazursky, liaison
63. 1989 - Tango and Cash - car owner
64. 1993 - Valerie, series “From Russia with Fries” - Nikolay
65. 1993 - Nastya - thief
66. 1993 - Russian business - Uncle Vasya
67. 1994 - Love story - Russian sailor telephone operator

Films with the actor

The very first film in which Savely Viktorovich took part was “Guys from our yard.” Here the artist got the role of the hooligan Vaska Ryzhy. The actor received true recognition from the public after the film “My Friend Kolka!”, released in 1961. Kramarov called the role of the hooligan Pimenov the best in his entire acting career. After this film, Kramarov began to be invited to filming more and more often.

Frequent employment on the set directly influenced the fact that the actor began to refuse filming. The film “The Elusive Avengers” and his role as Ilya “Slant” brought great success.

By the early 1970s, Savely Viktorovich had a rich filmography: the actor already had about 30 films in his treasury. Kramarov became one of the most popular Soviet comedy actors. In 1971, Savely Kramarov presented a sketch about the family budget, which the audience liked. The period 1971-1975 can be called golden in the career of Savely Viktorovich, it was during these years that the actor played his most famous roles, such as clerk Feofan in the film “Ivan Vasilyevich Changes His Profession”, recidivist thief Fedor in “Gentlemen of Fortune”, Pyotr Timokhin in “Big Change”, Egoza in “Athos”. Kramarov recorded songs for the film “Gentlemen of Fortune,” but they were never included in the film.

After receiving the title of “Honored Artist of the RSFSR,” director Evgeny Ginzburg staged a benefit performance by Saveliy Kramarov (1974 film), which was attended by such famous artists as Lyudmila Gurchenko, Mikhail Derzhavin, Valentina Sharykina and others.

Kramarov’s sharp career rise gave way to a difficult fall. He fell out of favor with his superiors and was practically not invited to the set. The years of life without roles were very difficult for Kramarov.

Only in 1983, already in a foreign land, the actor continued acting. The list of films in which Kramarov took part gradually began to grow. His first film in America was “Moscow on the Hudson,” where he played a KGB officer. Then there were such projects as “A Space Odyssey 2010”, “Armed and Dangerous”, “Red Heat”.

Links

• Saveliy Kramarov (English) on the Internet Movie Database website
• Savely Kramarov on Peoples.ru
• Website about Saveliy Kramarov
• After Savely Kramarov left the USSR, his title of People's Artist was canceled, and his last name was erased from the credits
• About Kramarov's father Viktor Savelyevich. Baby photos
• Interview with Kramarov's cousin V. Volchek
• Yuri Druzhnikov. Memories of Savely Kramarov
• Savely Kramarov... To be remembered
  , 08/01/2009.ko:사벨리 크라마로프

sv:Savelij Kramarov Notice

: The preliminary basis for this article was a similar article in https://ru.wikipedia.org, under the terms of CC-BY-SA, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, which was subsequently modified, corrected and edited.