Honored Artist of Russia Vladimir Gusev, whose biography is of interest to many fans of Soviet cinema, was born on February 23, 1933, not far from the center of Ivanovo (Kokhma on the Uvod River, Russia). Born on Defender of the Fatherland Day, the hero in film roles and the person in everyday life fully corresponded to the image of a courageous, charismatic man.
Actor biography
The future artist spent his childhood in a wooded area, in the urban settlement of Sobinka (Vladimir region, Russia). The boy lived there with his family until he graduated from school.
Natural beauty, assertive character, artistry from God - all these qualities awakened in young Vladimir the desire to connect his life with cinema. A graduate of the Sobinov School easily entered the All-Union State Institute of Cinematography named after S. A. Gerasimov (Moscow). Since 1952, the student studied acting skills with the head of the directing and acting workshop, Yuli Yakovlevich Raizman.
Vladimir Gusev became a graduate of VGIK in 1957. In 1959 he began acting at the cinema's Studio Theater (now the State Film Actor's Theatre). He devoted almost thirty years to theatrical art.
In everyday life, Vladimir was a modest person, but demanding of himself. In 1989, he received a state award - the title of Honored Artist of the RSFSR.
The head of the laboratory becomes an actor
The brave soldier returned home in November 1958. It’s unlikely that Yuri would have guessed then that he would have to wear the uniform more than once, including the general’s uniform.
He went to work at the All-Union Research Institute of Electronics and Radio Engineering. Gusev’s professionalism was quickly appreciated, and in three years he rose from a simple technician to the head of the radio engineering laboratory of the Institute of Rheumatism of the USSR Academy of Medical Sciences.
For further successful career development, it was necessary to obtain a higher education, and Yuri actually entered the evening department. But the choice of university turned out to be a complete surprise for my colleagues - the acting department of the Shchepkin Theater School.
Gusev, who by that time firmly knew that he had mastered one profession, decided to try his luck in a craft that had previously been just a hobby for him.
He finished “Sliver” at the age of 30. Many by this time have already become stars of the first magnitude, and Yuri had to take his first steps in the profession.
He was assigned to the Mossovet Theater, but Gusev was unable to prove himself on this stage. Three years later he tendered his resignation.
Perhaps the director did not see any prospects for the “overage” student from the evening department, or perhaps Yuri himself realized that he would not be able to realize his full potential in the theater.
“SOS over the taiga”, 1976. Still from the film
Actor Gusev Vladimir: personal life
The talented young man met his future wife Valentina (born in 1934) while preparing for entrance exams to the university. In 1958, the young people got married, and on May 4 the couple had a son, Sergei.
Vladimir Gusev is an actor who was surrounded by the attention of many famous film actresses. He cheated on his wife multiple times. But Valentina Ivanovna’s flexible character and her ability to forgive helped save the marriage.
Despite the betrayals, Vladimir’s only beloved was his wife. Gusev was often jealous of Valentina. The position of director of the CSDF (Central Studio of Documentary Films) obliged her to communicate with the country's top government officials.
Vladimir Gusev attributed to his wife an affair with General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev. However, all this could not destroy a strong family. The couple lived together in love until their golden wedding, which they celebrated in 2008.
During his successful career, the artist starred in many films. Let's get acquainted with the most popular ones.
Star child
His wish did not go unheeded. At the age of fifteen, Gusev appeared in the film about Budyonny, “The Fearless Ataman ,” and a year later he became the son of a painter in the film “Acting.” But this was just a warm-up.
In 1974, the young artist played his first leading role - schoolboy Oleg Pochinkin in the film “The Car, the Violin and the Blob the Dog.” The young talent had to portray his peer, a jack of all trades, who, together with his best friend, was in love with the first beautiful girl in the yard.
At the age of eighteen, Andrei Gusev was invited to film the psychological drama “Prank”, which was directed by Vladimir Menshov. The young talent was given the role of Oleg Komarovsky , the leader of the high school students, who persuaded his friends to disrupt the lesson.
The film was not only a box office success, but also received a number of prestigious awards. Andrei Gusev began to be called a rising star and the hope of Soviet cinema . There was nowhere to retreat from the intended path, but the parents decided otherwise.
With a certificate of secondary education, the young man went not to the theater institute, but to the Moscow Institute of Steel and Alloys. While studying to become an engineer, he did not stop acting, and his parents realized that their son would not be a technician. No one prevented Andrey from enrolling at VGIK , where he was accepted into the acting department.
Gusev studied with only straight A's, delighting teachers with his zeal for learning. Having received a diploma confirming his skills, Andrei Gusev got a job at the Maxim Gorky film studio.
At the film studio, he met a girl who soon became his wife. For a long time, the young couple lived in a hostel near the capital's Sovremennik Theater , where their neighbor was Sergei Garmash.
During his eight years of work at the film studio, he took part in the filming of such films as “The Return of Budulai”, “Stalingrad”, “Accelerator”, “Mayhem”, “Believe and Know”.
Vladimir Gusev: films in which the actor played the main roles
- "Footprints in the Snow" (1955). The detective film was based on the story by G. Bryantsev. Post-war time. An investigation is underway led by State Security Lieutenant Petrenko. In the small village of Taigi, the head of a geological expedition was killed. The saboteurs are trying to escape on an American plane. State security officers detain the killers.
- "A Man Is Born" (1956). The Soviet melodrama tells the story of the life of a provincial girl in the capital. After breaking up with her lover, pregnant Nadya finds a job and rents a house. Fate presents the girl with difficult trials. But soon Nadezhda Smirnova will meet a new love that will change everything.
- "Four" (1957). Soviet drama. Times of great Siberian construction. A group of scientists led by laboratory assistant A. A. Knyazev is developing a remedy against the treatment of a terrible disease - endemic fever. Experts create a vaccine by finding the source of infection.
- "Mended to Believe" (1959). Detective story. The main character Andrei Kovalenko is framed by the criminal Grinya. The girl she loves believes in Andrei’s innocence. The investigator will have to unravel the methods of the crime, and the hero will have to prove his innocence.
- "Kievlanka" (1960). War drama. In the film you can see the dramatic story of a Kiev family against the backdrop of historical events of 1917–1957. Matvey Doroshenko (Vladimir Gusev) is the chief foreman of the group, which decides to win the title of communist labor brigade.
- "Diamonds for Maria" (1975). Criminal detective. Ivan works with his fiancée Maria at a diamond factory. The couple is about to get married. The main character is tormented by remorse. He cannot tell his bride the secret about the bag of diamonds he keeps.
- "Talking Spring" (1985). Drama made in Tajikistan. The actor played the main role of Zubov.
Films with supporting roles
Among the early works with the participation of Vladimir Mikhailovich, it is worth highlighting the film “Soldier Ivan Brovkin” (1955). The actor plays the role of mechanic Bukhvalov, after which the image of a blue-eyed handsome man was assigned to him.
The melodrama “A Test of Loyalty” (1954) tells the story of love and devotion, and the ability to forgive.
An adventure detective story based on real events, “On the Far Island” (1957) tells the story of the journey of six sailors on the open ocean.
Famous films of the 60s with the participation of the actor:
- French-Russian painting “Normandie-Niemen”;
- Soviet film adaptation of L. Tolstoy’s novel “Resurrection”;
- film adaptation of I. Turgenev’s work “First Love”;
- film produced by Dovzhenko Studio “Stitches-Paths”;
- children's film "Pavlukha" and many others.
It is worth noting that Vladimir Gusev, whose films were loved by millions of viewers, very professionally played the role of pilot-commander Tsyganok in the film “Inaccessible.”
Film roles
Among the serious first works of Vladimir Gusev, one can highlight the paintings “Footprints in the Snow” (1955), “Soldier Ivan Brovkin” (1955), “Correction to Believe” (1959), “Katya-Katyusha” (1959). But in the films of the next few years, Gusev received mainly episodic roles. One can note the film “The Hussar Ballad” (1962), where Gusev played the wounded adjutant of the field marshal, “Stitches-Paths” (1963) - where the actor was cast as the driver Semyon.
The actor’s subsequent roles in the films “Resident Mistake” (1962), “Eternal Call” (1973–1983) are associated with the images of military people, officers, strong and courageous.
Actor Gusev also played negative characters, for example, in the film “The End of the Ataman” (1970) he got the role of a traitor security officer, and in the film “Start Liquidation” (1983) - a bandit named Valka Krest.
The artist also has very bright and memorable supporting roles. It is impossible not to note the general in the film “Moscow Doesn’t Believe in Tears” performed by Gusev. According to the script, the actor didn’t get too much text, but that doesn’t matter - his appearance and appearance said everything for him. Needless to say, a military uniform suits Vladimir Mikhailovich very well. By the way, he was often called Alain Delon of the Soviet era.
Films of the 70s
Historical action film “The End of the Ataman”, revealing the military events of the 20s in Kazakhstan, military drama “Minute of Silence” about the incredible story of a soldier’s feat during the Great Patriotic War, military thriller “Battle after the Victory” (another story from the life of Soviet intelligence officers) , the stereo film “SOS over Taiga”, the Soviet action movie “Risk is a Noble Deed”, the drama “No Seagulls Flew Here” - films in which Vladimir Gusev showed his talent and acted as a noble and strong man.
Hard times in the creative life
For a long time, Vladimir was not invited to appear in films. According to some directors, the young man lacked charisma and a specific facial expression.
Once Vladimir was approved for a role in one project, but during the filming he was disqualified and the contract was terminated. The reason for this decision was the actor’s obscene behavior on the set. They said that the man came to work in a state of entertainment.
Photo: vokrug
In the 90s, there were practically no filming proposals either. Vladimir himself often refused to work because... he was not interested in some roles. The last time Gusev starred in the film “Ermak”, released in 1996.
80s movies
The two-part television film “Chief Designer”, based on real events about the creation of the T-34 tank, the military drama “Messengers are in a Hurry” (the history of the military operations of the Dzungar conquerors on the territory of Kazakhstan), the action-packed action film “Alarming Flight”, where Vladimir Mikhailovich plays the role the brave Major General Vashurin - these are not all the films in which the famous Soviet artist starred.
The last movie
Since the beginning of the 1990s, Vladimir Gusev practically stopped appearing on screens. After filming the film “Ermak,” Vladimir Mikhailovich left cinema forever.
The films in which Vladimir Gusev, an actor with a capital A, starred during his life, have become classics of Russian cinema.
In the last years of his life, the film actor was seriously ill and was bedridden. His faithful wife looked after him. Despite her advanced age, Valentina Guseva refused the services of a nurse. She wished to take care of her sick husband on her own.
On February 7, 2012, at the age of 79, the great artist passed away. The people's favorite was buried at the Troekurovsky cemetery.
Film career
Like many other VGIK students, he began acting while still studying. The first role was played by the great and terrible Ivan Pyryev in the film “Test of Loyalty” . The same picture was the last for the great actress of Soviet cinema, Pyryev’s wife Marina Ladynina . True, Gusev had a very small role here.
But soon Vladimir got the main role in the wonderful film “A Man Is Born . It was after this film that girls all over the Soviet Union fell in love with the blond handsome man.
Vladimr Gusev and Olga Bgan. “A Man Is Born” 1956
In 1959, the young actor received another leading role - this time playing a reformed criminal in the detective story Corrected to Believe . Here, the role of the investigator was excellently played by Georgy Zhzhenov , who himself spent many years in the camps.
Gusev never had such notable film work again. They say that Pyryev, who was all-powerful at that time, greatly harmed his career. The fact is that Gusev was friendly with actress Lyudmila Marchenko and introduced her to his friend, with whom the actress became close. But at the same time, the loving Pyryev also had plans for Marchenko. Out of revenge, the all-powerful director forbade filming Gusev. However, in 1965, Ivan Pyryev resigned as head of the Union of Cinematographers , and soon passed away. So Pyryev’s curse alone cannot explain Gusev’s lack of major film work. Apparently, his time has simply passed, his type has become less in demand for leading roles.
But the actor plays quite a lot in minor and episodic roles. He is especially good at military roles. The uniform suited the handsome, handsome actor. For example, in the films “Normandie - Neman” , “Nakhalyonok” , “Hussar Ballad” the actor invariably plays military men.
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Vladimir Menshov’s later films “Moscow Doesn’t Believe in Tears” and “Shirley Myrli” Gusev is already in a general’s uniform, which suited him very well. Irina Muravyova’s heroine stares so hard at the stately general in the famous Oscar-winning comedy, who, however, is quickly taken away by his wife ( Muse of Krepkogorskaya ).
“Moscow Doesn’t Believe in Tears” 1979
In the 90s, like many other Soviet-trained actors, he almost stopped appearing on screen. After “Ermak” in 1996, where he appeared almost as an extra, Vladimir Gusev no longer acted in films.
