Childhood, youth and choice of profession
Alexander Borisovich is a native Muscovite. Born in May 1932. In addition to Sasha, there were two children growing up in the family. Parents did not have the opportunity to get a good education. Despite this, children were instilled with a love of knowledge. Subsequently, everyone became educated, intelligent people.
When the Great Patriotic War began, the youngest Belyavsky was barely nine years old. He, like the entire Soviet people, experienced fear, devastation, and hunger. But even in such difficult times, the boy pored over his textbooks. I gave myself my “word” that I would fulfill my parents’ dream and enter a higher educational institution.
Alexander Belyavsky in his youth. Source: kino-teatr.ru
Sasha decided to become a geologist when he was a schoolboy. Having received the certificate, he submitted documents to the Moscow Institute of Non-Ferrous Metals and Gold. He passed the exams successfully and was admitted to the geological exploration faculty. In the mid-50s, a certified specialist was sent to Irkutsk and worked at Sosnovgeologiya.
It was there that Alexander was offered to take part in amateur performances. Soon everyone noticed that it was not difficult for the young man to create the desired image on stage. Believing in his talent, Belyavsky leaves for the capital. Then he successfully passes the exams and becomes a student of the famous “Pike”.
The actor was born on May 6, 1932 in Moscow. Due to the difficulties of the post-revolutionary period, the boy’s parents were unable to receive a proper education, but they clearly saw its importance and necessity. That is why Lyubov Alexandrovna and Boris Moiseevich tried to give it to their children, and there were three of them in the family: the eldest Sasha and the youngest Tolya and Olya. Despite the war years, Alexander received a full secondary school education. Then he submitted documents to the Moscow Institute of Non-Ferrous Metals and Gold. Belyavsky's choice fell on the geological exploration faculty. The future actor saw a kind of romance in his chosen profession. In addition to studying in the capital, university students were regulars in different parts of the country. Geologists could go to practice almost anywhere in the Soviet Union. Alexander successfully completed his studies and by 1955 became a certified specialist. According to the accepted practice of distribution, the future actor was sent to work in distant Irkutsk. He settled in the East Siberian Geological Department. There were not many options for spending free time, but one of them was participation in amateur theater performances. It was there, in the amateur theater, that Belyavsky first tried himself as an actor. His first work was the role of Alexei Stepanovich Molchalin in the production of Alexander Griboyedov’s comedy “Woe from Wit.” After some time, Belyavsky returned to the capital, where he received a position as a junior researcher at the NITRZoloto Institute. Despite the move, Alexander did not abandon his favorite hobby. In Moscow, he continued to play roles in amateur theater. Over time, the acting profession captivated the young man so much that he decided to radically change his life and submitted documents to the Boris Shchukin Theater Institute. The entrance tests were passed successfully, and Belyavsky became a student in the course of Vladimir Etush. The actor's cinematic debut took place already during his first year of study. In 1957, Alexander was chosen to play the role of electrical engineer Nikolai in Sergei Yutkevich’s biographical drama “Stories about Lenin.” In his fourth year, he appeared in the image of the pseudo-foreigner Fred, who in fact turned out to be a Soviet journalist, in the film feuilleton directed by Eduard Zmoiro “Foreigners.” At the same time, together with Lydia Fedoseeva-Shukshina, Belyavsky played the main role in the adventure film “Save Our Souls” by Alexei Mishurin. After graduating from the Shchukin School, the actor joined the troupe of the Satire Theater. Three years later he moved to the Stanislavsky Theater, and in 1966 he entered the Film Actor Studio Theater. The first major work was the image of the gentleman presenter in the series of popular humorous programs “Zucchini “13 Chairs”. In 1975, Belyavsky was remembered by viewers for the small role of his wife’s friend Alexander in Eldar Ryazanov’s lyrical New Year’s comedy “The Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath!”, and four years later he appeared in the image of the bandit Evgeny Fox in Stanislav Govorukhin’s crime detective “The Meeting Place Cannot Be Changed” " In total, during his long career, Belyavsky played more than a hundred film roles, was married twice, had three relatives and one adopted child. The actor's sons died at the age of two and twenty years. Alexander himself died at the age of eighty as a result of a fall from a window and was buried at the Kuzminskoye cemetery.
Theater
The actor began serving Melpomene at the Satire Theater. But after a few years he moved to the theater troupe. K. Stanislavsky. Over the course of two seasons, I managed to replenish my creative baggage with interesting performances.
Alexander Belyavsky, Tatyana Konyukhova and Alexey Dobronravov (right) in the play “The Fool” based on the comedy by Lope de Vega. Moscow. Film actor's studio theater, 1970
In 1966, Belyavsky was lured to the film actor’s Studio Theater. The audience immediately remembered the textured guy with strong-willed features. And even the roles of “scoundrels” could not stop us from looking at Alexander Belyavsky with adoration.
However, cinema increasingly attracted the actor. And directors were increasingly inviting me to film sets. Belyavsky left the theater stage for thirty years. He returned to the stage in the late 90s. He played in enterprises of classical heroes, noble nobles, and contemporaries.
The beginning of the path to art
In Soviet times, a lot of scripts were written on patriotic and historical themes. It is not surprising that the aspiring actor’s film debut began with the biographical film “Stories about Lenin”, the role of electrician Kolya.
Alexander Belyavsky in the film “Save Our Souls”, 1960
The plot of the next film, “Save Our Souls,” was much more interesting and kept the audience in suspense until the very end. Belyavsky was entrusted with playing the main character of a cadet at a naval school. His partner was Lydia Fedoseeva-Shukshina. A year later, together with Larisa Kronberg and Leonid Markov, he took part in the filming of the drama “Night Without Mercy”. And again the leading role went to Alexander.
The film adaptation did not bring much success to the actor. But the directors continued to offer Belyavsky to play people in uniform. The military uniform suited him very well and emphasized his stately figure.
Alexander Belyavsky felt his first success after the release of several films: the drama “Interrupted Flight” - pilot Mironov, the film “They were known only by sight” - Lieutenant Commander Kulagin, the film adaptation of “I’m Going into a Storm” - scientist Krylov, the melodrama “July Rain” - Volodya. According to critics, the film “July Rain” is one of the best works of the talented director Marlen Khutsiev.
Alexander Belyavsky and Mikhail Derzhavin in the television play “Zucchini “13 Chairs”, 1966
In the mid-60s, Alexander Borisovich was invited to become the first host of the legendary television play “Zucchini “13 Chairs”. For 14 years, the musical tape was a huge success. Its creators managed to assemble a brilliant ensemble of Soviet actors.
Star role
And yet, Belyavsky’s real fame and recognition came from the role of the cold-blooded handsome Fox in Stanislav Govorukhin’s detective story “The Meeting Place Cannot Be Changed.” To say that the film was an incredible success is to say nothing.
Alexander Belyavsky in the film “The meeting place cannot be changed”, 1979
After the premiere, all the actors became so beloved that they were called by the names of the heroes. V. Vysotsky - Gleb Zheglov, S. Yursky - Ivan Gruzdev, A. Belyavsky - Evgeniy Fox, V. Konkin - Volodya Sharapov, A. Dzhigarkhanyan - Karp, aka Gorbaty, L. Perfilov - Grisha, aka “6 by 9” ", I. Bortnik - Blotter.
In subsequent years, Alexander Borisovich played a lot of diverse interesting characters. But none could outshine the charming scoundrel Fox. Despite the fact that the role was negative, for Belyavsky it became a star.
Left: A. Shirvindt, Alexander Belyavsky and G. Burkov in the film “The Irony of Fate...”, 1975. Right: Janusz Gajos and Alexander Belyavsky in the film “Four Tankmen and a Dog,” 1970
It is difficult to list the entire filmography of the actor. Let us note the most iconic works: the multi-part feature film “Four Tankmen and a Dog”, the comedy “The Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath!”, the fantasy “The Collapse of Engineer Garin”, the historical films “At the Beginning of Glorious Deeds” and “The Youth of Peter”, the tragicomedy “Say a word for the poor hussar”, detective story “Aniskin again”, drama “Born of the Revolution”, crime film “The Investigation is Conducted by Experts”, etc.
Man of the Day: Alexander Belyavsky
Actor Alexander Belyavsky was born on May 6, 1932.
Private bussiness
Alexander Borisovich Belyavsky (1932-2012) was born in Moscow. In his youth he studied in a theater studio under the direction of actor Leonid Weitzler. However, after graduating from school in 1949, he entered the geological exploration department of the Moscow Institute of Non-Ferrous Metals and Gold. In 1955, he defended his diploma and went on assignment to Irkutsk, where he worked at the East Siberian Geological Department (“Sosnovgeologiya”).
In Irkutsk, Belyavsky made his debut on the stage of the regional drama theater - he played Molchalin in the amateur play “Woe from Wit.” Returning to Moscow, in 1957 he entered the Shchukin Theater School on the course of Vladimir Etush.
At the same time, Belyavsky made his film debut - he played the worker Kolya in Stories about Lenin.
In 1960, he received his first big role - a cadet at a naval school in the film “Save Our Souls.”
In 1961 he graduated with honors from the Shchukin School, going to work at the Moscow Satire Theater. He was also invited as a presenter to the first KVN games.
From 1964 to 1966, Belyavsky was an actor in the troupe of the Moscow Drama Theater named after K. S. Stanislavsky (now the Stanislavsky Electrotheater).
In 1964 he starred in the leading role in the Polish film “Interrupted Flight”. For this work he received the title of Honored Cultural Worker of Poland. During filming, he began to learn Polish and subsequently starred in six more Polish films, including the TV series “Four Tank Men and a Dog” (1966). On Polish television, Belyavsky saw the program “Cabaret of Old Gentlemen” and got the idea to do something similar in the USSR.
Together with the director of the Satire Theater Georgy Zelinsky, they developed the script for the program “Zucchini “13 Chairs””. This program began airing on Central Television in 1966. The roles of regulars at the tavern were performed by actors from the Satire Theater. In 1966-1967, the program was hosted by Belyavsky himself, then, when he began filming films, Andrei Mironov became the host. And for the longest time, from 1967 to 1980, the program was hosted by Mikhail Derzhavin.
In 1966, Belyavsky went to work at the Theater-Studio of Film Actors.
Among his early film roles are a promising physicist in the film “I'm Walking into a Storm” based on the novel of the same name by Daniil Granin, Kulagin in the film “They Were Known Only by Their Faces,” and Volodya in “July Rain.”
In the 1970s - 1980s, Belyavsky embodied many images in films, mostly small ones. Among them are the physicist Shelga in “The Collapse of Engineer Garin”, Sasha, Zhenya Lukashin’s friend in “The Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath!”, a jeweler in one of the episodes of the serial film “Born of the Revolution”, Fox in “The Meeting Place Cannot Be Changed” and others .
Among Belyavsky's later roles are Leonid Brezhnev in the film Gray Wolves (1991), an admiral from the comedy DMB (2000), and a crime boss in Antikiller (2001). In total, Alexander Belyavsky played more than a hundred film roles, and also voiced about the same number of foreign films and cartoons.
In the 1990s, he worked a lot on television: he starred in the humorous programs “White Parrot”, “Ships Came into Our Harbor”, “Have an Easy Bath”, and hosted the program “To Your Health”. He played in enterprises.
In December 2003, Belyavsky suffered a stroke, after which he had to learn to speak again. The actor was never able to fully recover. However, he appeared in cameo roles from time to time.
One of his last works was filming the comedy “The Irony of Fate. Continuation” (2007), where Belyavsky, as before, played the role of one of Zhenya Lukashin’s friends, this time without words.
Alexander Belyavsky died on September 8, 2012, falling from the window of his house. The actor's cane was found on the fifth floor, although he himself lived on the third. The actor was 80 years old.
Alexander Belyavsky
kino-theatr.ru
What is he famous for?
Belyavsky played more than a hundred film roles, but many will remember him for his role as Zhenya Lukashin’s friend in “The Irony of Fate” (1975) and the role of Fox in the series “The Meeting Place Cannot Be Changed” (1979). He himself called his favorite work the role of a scientist in the film “I'm Going into a Storm” based on the novel by Daniil Granin.
Belyavsky is also known as a master of dubbing. Characters from 90 foreign films and two dozen cartoon characters spoke in his voice. He voiced Benny Hill in his comedy show, several characters in the films about Angelica, Commissioner Navarro in the series of the same name, Commissioner Cattani in Octopus and many others.
What you need to know
Belyavsky first married in 1955 to a student at the Moscow Institute of Non-Ferrous Metals and Gold. However, the first child in the family with Valentina Viktorovna Belyavskaya appeared only in 1973. And in the summer of 1975, the Belyavskys’ son Boris drowned. Soon after this, the couple took the boy Andrei from the orphanage. In 1976, their daughter Nadezhda was born. In the early 1980s, the couple divorced.
Belyavsky's adopted son died tragically - at the age of 20, he fell out of a window after slipping on the windowsill.
From his second marriage to traumatologist Lyudmila Tikhonovna, the actor had a daughter, Alexandra, in August 2003. He was then 71 years old, and his wife was 53. A few months after her birth, Belyavsky had a stroke.
Direct speech
The actor’s first wife Valentina Belyavskaya about filming in Poland (“Caravan of Stories”, 2011): “You know how the Poles loved him! Their husband worked in four films. He told me that when he arrived to film the first film, “Interrupted Flight,” he immediately asked: “Speak to me in Polish.” Sasha has always been an inquisitive person and mastered a new language quite quickly! Well, probably, such a turn could not leave the Poles indifferent, and new proposals followed. I liked this country. When Sasha was filming in Poland, I bought a tour package to go there too. By the fourth film, my husband spoke Polish with almost no accent. Sasha is generally a sociable person. Easily gets along with a variety of people. And they do not remain in debt. His Polish epic, for example, led to the fact that during a period of total shortage, we stocked juices and delicacies in the embassy store. In general, people loved my husband, recognized him, and tried to please him somehow.”
About betrayal (ibid.): “Once a friend invited me to the premiere of a film; her husband worked as a cameraman on that film.
I called unexpectedly, I was at work and, of course, not dressed to go to the cinema. I decided to quickly go home to dress up so that I could immediately meet my friend in the evening. She arrived, inserted the key into the lock, and the door was locked from the inside. Classics of the genre. For my husband to come home during the day, ten bears in the taiga must die! I knock, call, knock again... But he won’t let me in! Although I hear someone hovering at the door. In the end, apparently, he recovered from the shock and opened it. There are two rooms in the apartment, I don’t know who was hiding in the closed one, which I never dared to look into. I changed my clothes and went back. And Sasha could only ask: “Why go home?..” He remained silent. My husband often simply avoided discussing unpleasant topics.”
About filming “The Irony of Fate” (ibid.): “The famous scene in the bathhouse, where Sasha with Andrei Myagkov, Georgy Burkov and Alexander Shirvindt “every year on December 31st,” was filmed at night in the cold pavilion of Mosfilm. They only took palm trees from Sanduny... And Eldar Ryazanov set the shooting day for the next day after the next anniversary of our wedding with Belyavsky. It's cold - try walking around in a towel! - it also gives me a headache... In a word, the men participating in the scene slowly replaced the fake vodka with real one.
After the first take, the cast felt an unprecedented creative surge and demanded a second take, then a third. “Yes, they’re in the insole!” — the angry director finally noticed. The next day they re-shot everything again... Sasha later said that it was the first takes when they got really drunk that were included in the film, and not attempts at acting.”
Belyavsky about Fox (“Komsomolskaya Pravda”):
— Is it true that Vysotsky invited you to the film “The Meeting Place Cannot Be Changed”?
- Yes, he recommended me to the director. Boris Khimichev had already started acting in this role, but for some reason he did not suit Stanislav Govorukhin. And I was quickly brought in as a replacement. I was friends with Vysotsky... But the role of Fox brought me not only national fame, but also difficulties. Directors stopped perceiving me as an artist. And they saw only Fox in me, inviting more and more roles of negative characters. And it upset me.
About hair bleaching (ibid.): “The film “I'm Going into a Storm” by Mikaelyan became one of my first big works in cinema. <…>
Lanov and I looked alike: we both had dark hair, and had previously played similar roles in films. Mikaelyan said: “You and Lanov need to be different in some way. Maybe change the hair color.” Lanovoy categorically refused to repaint. Well, I agreed to become blonde. God, I didn't know what was waiting for me! What a pain it is to bleach your hair with hydrogen peroxide for a whole year! The black hair roots will only grow a little, but you can already see them, you need to dye them again! And these are burns, flaky skin! And I decided to cheat. I began to cut my hair longer in order to use long hair to mask my growing roots. Mikaelyan noticed this and once said: “You can’t be filmed. You feel like you have a wig on your head. Cut your hair shorter!” And then I saw a suitable wig at Plyatt’s. But for the role of a prisoner - with a short hedgehog.
Plyatt and I decided to play a prank on the director. <…>
I appear - in a cap. Mikaelyan orders: “Take off your cap!” I whine and whine, but in the end I take off my cap. My God, what happened on the set! There is a wave of hands - the filming is disrupted, there will be no bonus. Mikaelyan asks in despair: “How long will his hair grow?” "Two months." "You're an idiot?! How could you do this?!” - the director shouts at me. “You asked for it to be shorter! I told the hairdresser “to keep it short” and dozed off. I woke up and here I am.” <…>
I take off my wig. And... I receive another portion of abuse - for bullying! "
5 facts about Alexander Belyavsky
- The actor had Jewish roots. Due to the revolution and civil war, his parents Boris Moiseevich and Lyubov Aleksandrovna Belyavsky received only a primary education, but did everything possible to give their children - Alexander, Olga and Anatoly a higher education.
- According to the actor’s ex-wife, when he became interested in theater in Irkutsk, fellow geologists gave him the nickname Belyavsky-Stanislavsky.
- Having already become an actor at the Satire Theater, in the winter he worked as Santa Claus at the Christmas trees. “We joined the cooperative of the Union of Cinematographers and settled in the center, he kept running with a beard and a staff to the Polish and Japanese embassies,” recalled the artist’s ex-wife.
- Belyavsky acted a lot abroad; in addition to Poland, he played in films shot in the GDR, North Korea, Czechoslovakia, France, Finland and the USA.
- The actor preferred to relax at the dacha. He said: “I love tinkering in the ground, planting is up to me. I like to drink tea from a samovar with currant jam.”
Materials about Alexander Belyavsky:
Biographical information on Wikipedia
Biography RIA Novosti
Article about the actor on 24SMI
Biography on the site “Find out everything”
First marriage and misfortunes
Belyavsky's creative biography was successful and eventful. It seemed that this handsome man with a radiant smile was the darling of fate. Unfortunately, it is not. The off-screen life of Alexander Borisovich was tragic. The actor had to go through a lot in life, and this seriously undermined his health.
Alexander Belyavsky with his wife Valentina and son. source: wellnesso.ru/
Belyavsky met his future wife Valentina after becoming a geologist. The lovers got married and dreamed of an heir. When the baby was born, he was named after his grandfather - Boris. Alexander doted on his son. And he even hired a nanny so that the boy would not be left alone for a minute. But the woman left her two-year-old child for a few minutes and did not see him fall into the pond. They couldn’t save Borya.
Alexander Belyavsky blamed himself for everything. He rushed about like a hunted animal and went into a deep binge. My wife helped me get out of terrible depression. Soon the couple decided to take the boy Andrei from the orphanage.
Adopted son Andrei of actor Alexander Belyavsky. Source: wellnesso.ru
As a teenager, he learned that he was an adopted son. Despite the love and care of his parents, he began to move away from them. The guy was not destined to meet the 21st spring: he fell out of the window of a high-rise building.
Death
Belyavsky struggled with the disease for eight years, but his health did not improve for long. He had difficulty walking, forgot words, and was unable to hold a pen in his hands. Alexander Borisovich understood that he would no longer return to theater and cinema and would not be able to support his family. On September 8, 2012, he jumped out of a fifth floor window
, and it turned out to be a staircase window. This circumstance makes the actor’s death especially mysterious, because Alexander Belyavsky lived on the second floor, and in order to get to the fifth floor, the poorly moving actor would have to go up specially. Such circumstances of death assured law enforcement agencies that the actor committed suicide.
Alexander Belyavsky
Friends and close families claim that, despite a protracted illness and gloomy prospects for the future, Alexander Belyavsky was distinguished by his love of life, and was also a real “fighter” in life and would not commit suicide. The artist’s wife Lyudmila also still does not believe that he deliberately committed suicide and believes that the cause of the actor’s death was an accident.
In addition, the actor’s little daughter was growing up, and Alexander Borisovich simply could not leave his family, as opponents of the version of the actor’s suicide claim. The actor’s eldest daughter told the press that due to her illness, her father experienced fainting and bouts of dizziness. The woman is sure that on that ill-fated day, Alexander Borisovich had an attack, which led to the tragedy.
Funeral of Alexander Belyavsky
At the same time, some of the actors believed in the explanation of law enforcement agencies and even found an explanation for this act of the actor. Belyavsky's colleague Stanislav Sadalsky said that the Soviet artist was driven to death by prolonged poverty and blamed
The tragedy of the Union of Cinematographers is that talented actors in old age cannot lead a decent life and struggle for existence.
Stanislav Sadalsky claims that with the huge fees of popular actors, all other artists are paid so much that it is impossible to live on this money. Separately, the actor noted Soviet cinema; films of this period are still regularly shown on television, providing TV channels with advertising revenue, but the film crew of these films does not receive the required royalties.
The grave of Alexander Belyavsky
The grave of Alexander Belyavsky is located in Moscow. The urn with the ashes of the famous actor was buried at the Kuzminskoye cemetery.
