Childhood and young years
Alexander Khochinsky is a native Leningrader. He was born on February 29, 1944 in the family of actress Lyudmila Krasikova and pop singer Yuri Khochinsky. Sasha, as they say, absorbed his love for creativity with his mother’s milk.
At the age of four, the future artist was orphaned: his young father died under mysterious circumstances. According to some reports, Yuri Khochinsky committed suicide during a tour when he learned that he had throat cancer. Sasha began to be raised by her grandmother; her mother, due to her busy schedule at the Leningrad Youth Theater, could not devote much time to her son.
Female upbringing influenced Yuri. He grew up to be a charismatic intellectual. And, according to his younger sister, Elena Lebedeva, very soft and affectionate, which subsequently attracted women to him.
After graduating from the oldest school in Russia, “Petrishule,” Alexander Khochinsky, whose biography and personal life is full of ups and downs, entered the studio of the Leningrad Youth Theater, where he played dozens of diverse roles. Soon he was drafted into the army. The actor himself wanted to serve.
In the army he was appointed chief of amateur performances, since Alexander Khochinsky sang songs and played the guitar beautifully. Once he even got into a fight with a foreman because he broke his guitar.
Love for theater is inherited: childhood and studies in a theater studio
Alexander Khochinsky in his youth. Photo: 24smi.org
School No. 222 (“Petrishule”). 1900–1912. Saint Petersburg. Photo: O-Palytcheva / pastvu.com
The parents of Alexander Khochinsky are actress Lyudmila Krasikova and singer Yuri Khochinsky. Photo: kino-teatr.ru
Alexander Khochinsky was born in Novosibirsk. His parents, at that time students at the Leningrad Theater Institute, were evacuated there. The family was able to return back to Leningrad only in 1945. Father, Yuri Khochinsky, became a soloist of the pop orchestra of the Leningrad Radio Committee, toured the Soviet Union a lot and recorded records. Mother, Lyudmila Krasikova, got a job as an actress at the Leningrad Theater for Young Spectators (today - the A.A. Bryantsev Youth Theater). When his son was four years old, his father committed suicide: 23-year-old Yuri Khochinsky was diagnosed with an incurable disease. As it turned out later, it was wrong. A few years later, the mother married for the second time. Her chosen one was her stage partner, the famous actor Rem Lebedev. Soon their daughter Elena was born.
Alexander Khochinsky was familiar with the atmosphere of the theater from childhood: in order not to leave him alone at home, his parents took the boy with them to performances and rehearsals. He saw how performances were prepared, played with props in the dressing room - tried on wigs, hid under the scenery. In 1951, Khochinsky went to the famous school No. 222, formerly “Petrishule”, one of the oldest educational institutions in Russia, founded back in 1709. He was not an excellent student: both fours and threes appeared in his diary. Alexander Khochinsky loved big companies and spent a lot of time with friends; he taught himself to play the guitar and tried to compose songs in his free time. After classes, he studied in the school theater and participated in all holiday productions. In high school, he decided to become an actor; he didn’t even consider other options. And after graduating from school in 1961, he began studying in a drama studio for aspiring artists at the Theater for Young Spectators. However, Khochinsky entered there with difficulty. At the audition, he received a B for musicality and, as a result, did not make it onto the list of students. Then my mother, the leading artist of the Leningrad Youth Theater, insisted on a repeat entrance exam.
In the first year, students learned the basics of acting, stage movement and speech, and in the third year they already played small roles in repertoire performances of the Youth Theater. For Alexander Khochinsky it was easy: most of the productions were familiar to him from childhood. In 1964, as his graduation work, he played Sleeper in The Little Humpbacked Horse, and he was immediately accepted into the theater troupe. Artist Nikolai Ivanov recalled: “If we were boys from the street, then he grew up in an acting family, in a house where there were many interesting people. He received a wonderful upbringing, he was raised to be an intellectual. That’s why he attracted everyone’s attention.” However, 20-year-old Khochinsky was unable to perform even his debut performance: soon after he began rehearsals, he was drafted into the army for three years. They were sent to serve in Vyborg. A few months later, he began to head the amateur performance department and conduct concerts in the unit.
Career
After demobilization, Alexander Khochinsky returned to his native Youth Theater. Together with Viktor Fedorov, they created their own duet, and people went to listen to their songs with great pleasure: tickets were hard to get. Khochinsky received his higher acting education at the Leningrad Institute of Theater, Music and Cinematography.
Before entering university, he made his film debut. He starred in the films “Minority Report” and “There is No Ford in Fire.”
Since the 1980s, the actor began to take an active part in enterprises in Moscow and St. Petersburg. He was already well known and loved by the audience. He brilliantly played the gypsy Levka Demchenko in “Bumbarash”, appeared in the TV series “Born of the Revolution”, and played opposite Alla Pugacheva in the film “The Woman Who Sings”.
During his almost 30-year film career, Alexander Khochinsky played in dozens of films. Even though he rarely got leading roles, he played in every film sincerely and with soul.
Fans of Alexander Khochinsky especially highlight the following films in his filmography:
- “If I fall in love”;
- “General”;
- “When I'm 54 years old”;
- “According to the criminal investigation department”;
- “Certificate of Poverty”;
- “Stories about Keshka and his friends.”
Alexander Yuryevich Khochinsky was born on February 29, 1944 in Leningrad, into a family directly related to the performing arts. His father, the famous pop singer Yuri Khochinsky, passed away when the boy was three years old. Mother - actress of the Leningrad Youth Theater Lyudmila Krasikova - subsequently married the popular artist Rem Lebedev.
After graduating from the famous Petrishule school, the young man announced to his family that he wanted to connect his life with the stage. After graduating from the studio at the Leningrad Theater for Young Spectators, he began to make his first professional successes here. In 1970, Khochinsky received a diploma from the Leningrad State Institute of Theater, Music and Cinematography. Then there was army service in Vyborg, during which the artist was in charge of amateur performances.
Upon returning from the military unit, Khochinsky continued his work as part of the troupe of the Leningrad Youth Theater, on the stage of which he brilliantly played more than 60 roles in various productions - from children's fairy tales to performances based on the works of classics of world literature ("Spring Changelings" by V. Tendryakov, "Cat" , which walked on its own” R. Kipling, “Hamlet” W. Shakespeare, etc.). After the scandalous dismissal of the theater's chief director Z. Korogodsky, Khochinsky and his wife also left the troupe.
The artist worked for some time in the small Interatele theater, took part in Moscow and St. Petersburg enterprises, and attempted to create his own theater, the Globus. The last years of Khochinsky’s creative activity were spent on the stage of the Satire Theater on Vasilievsky.
The artist had excellent vocal abilities. He sang songs both on the stage and in front of a movie camera. Some of his most famous performances are considered to be his performances of songs in the films “Bumbarash” and “Squadron of Flying Hussars.” He was also the composer of the music for Lev Tsutsulkovsky’s film “3 Rainy Days.”
Although Khochinsky mainly gave preference to working in the theater, and on movie screens he managed to embody many bright and colorful images: the secretary of the district committee Simonov in Lev Mirsky’s “The Great Hungry Men,” Rodkin in the series “Born of the Revolution,” Evgeny Trofimov in Igor Usov’s drama “ Today or never,” Boris Pasternak in Igor Nikolaev’s military drama “General” and others.
Alexander Khochinsky was unsuccessfully married twice. The actor’s first wife was circus artist Irina Asmus, known to many as the clown Toffee from the children’s entertainment program “ABVGDeyka,” and his second wife was popular artist Marina Azizyan. Khochinsky's third wife was actress Antonina Shuranova, with whom the artist lived until his death.
Alexander Khochinsky passed away on April 11, 1998 due to cardiac arrest. Antonina Shuranova survived her husband by five years. The couple is buried side by side at the Serafimovskoye cemetery in St. Petersburg.
Songs
Modern youth today are unlikely to listen online for free to all the songs of Alexander Khochinsky. And at the same time, the songs are very beautiful and soulful. And the performer’s voice is melodic, which cannot be confused with anyone else’s. This voice was called “high,” “antique,” characteristic of the 19th century.
The best songs of the bard:
- "Mother";
- "Start";
- “We are getting older every hour”;
- “If you're lucky or unlucky”;
- “Homage to Dassin”;
- “Most Favorite”;
- “Oh, have mercy”;
- “Yellow Angel” and many others.
Songs by Alexander Khochinsky can be downloaded for free on the Internet.
Childhood
The future artist was born into a family also closely connected with creativity. The boy Sasha's birthday fell on February 29, 1944. Khochinsky’s mother was an actress at the Leningrad Youth Theater, and his father was a soloist in a jazz orchestra.
However, the boy did not remember his dad; he died when Sasha was 4 years old. Therefore, his grandmother and mother were involved in his upbringing. However, women were able to give Alexander a good education and instill a love of art.
Alexander Khochinsky. Source: starandstar.ru
When his mother remarried, Khochinsky had a younger sister, Lena, who later also became an actress.
Personal life
The favorite of women, Alexander Khochinsky, only after 30 years he knew happiness in his personal life. Many novels were attributed to him, and each of his lovers was sure that the actor loved only her. But only one woman became the love of his life: actress Antonina Shuranova.
And before marrying her, the actor had to go through two divorces. Moreover, the first one, with the clown Irina Asmus (Iriska), was the most painful.
Alexander returned from the army and learned that his beloved wife had filed for divorce. Young, bright, beautiful, she could not stand the long separation and started an affair with someone else. His sister, Elena Lebedeva, recalled how Khochinsky turned gray from grief overnight.
The actor’s second attempt to build a family with artist Marina Azizyan was also not successful. The couple quickly divorced, realizing that they were very different.
They say that getting along with Khochinsky was problematic. He was absolutely helpless in everyday life and, moreover, by nature he was a nomad. Alexander loved freedom; he could leave the house for a walk with the dog and return the next day. I could suddenly take the train and go to another city there and back.
Probably, not every woman could put up with this state of affairs, especially since due to low demand, Khochinsky began to drink and smoke a lot. And only Antonina Shuranova was able to accept Khochinsky for who he was.
They knew each other since their service in the Youth Theater, but only years later fate brought them together. Alexander and Antonina lived together for more than 20 years.
Wikipedia is often searched for information about Khochinsky’s children and photos of them together. Surprisingly, the actor never produced any heirs in any of his marriages. Perhaps because he was a big child himself.
Elena Lebedeva recalled how Antonina Shuranova loved and cared for her husband like a mother, almost spoon-fed him. Especially during periods when the actor began to get sick: he had a stomach ulcer. However, she was not the cause of the artist’s death.
Death of an artist
We talked about Alexander Khochinsky and his biography, but did not mention the causes of death. They say the actor could live if he gave up bad habits. 2 years before his death, he was diagnosed with heart problems: it was enlarged. And if the actor tried to give up alcohol, he did not quit smoking.
Perhaps his health was affected by stress from work. After the director of the Youth Theater Zinovy Korogodsky was fired, many artists also followed him.
Khochinsky and Shuranova were left without work. Alexander earned money by performing songs, his wife tried to engage in handicrafts. Then they both came to work at Interatele, and later at the Globus Theater.
When Alexander Khochinsky was invited to the Satire Theater, it seemed that favorable changes had finally occurred in his creative biography, there was no longer any reason to worry. Alexandra Shuranova came to work at the Theater with him.
Life began to get better. But the fateful day of April 11, 1998 crossed out all their plans. The actor was getting ready for work in the morning when he suddenly felt ill. The arriving doctors tried for a long time to start his heart. Shuranova stood nearby and, without breathing, looked at her husband. She understood that he no longer had a chance to survive.
Alexander Khochinsky, a man with an interesting biography, had a cardiac arrest: this was the cause of his death. The talented artist died at the age of 55.
Alexander Khochinsky: cause of death
Alexander Khochinsky lived a short but eventful life. A talented actor, a wonderful singer, a handsome man, he was always in the thick of things and knew how to get carried away by them with childlike spontaneity. The cause of Alexander Khochinsky's death, naturally, was related to his lifestyle: he did not know how to take care of himself and did not make any effort to do so.
Born into the Leningrad family of a pop singer and theater actress, Khochinsky had the abilities inherited from his parents and had no doubt about the correctness of his choice of profession.
In the photo: Alexander Khochinsky
He became an actor at the Leningrad Youth Theater, the native theater of his mother, Lyudmila Krasikova. Over the years of work on his stage, Khochinsky played about sixty diverse roles.
A huge number of fans went to performances in the theater just for his performance. Together with Khochinsky, his last wife often appeared on stage - the gifted artist Antonina Shuranova, who finally made all Alexander Yuryevich’s dreams of family happiness come true. Despite the complete dissimilarity of their characters, they were a friendly couple, delighting those around them with their loyalty and love. Their union became one of the legends of the Youth Theater.
In the photo: Alexander Khochinsky and Antonina Shuranova
Khochinsky's cinematic fate was not as successful as his theatrical one. He had many roles in films, but only a few were the main ones. Soviet viewers remembered him for his portrayal of the gypsy Levka Demchenko in the film “Bumbarash”, where he and Valery Zolotukhin superbly performed the song “A Crane Flies in the Sky...”.
In total, from 1967 to 1994, Khochinsky played roles in almost forty feature films. He often sang from the silver screen, as well as from the theater stage. This actor, of course, could have become the main decoration of any film, but fate so happened that he was unlucky. But be that as it may, crowds of loving fans followed him everywhere, trying to make acquaintances.
Leningrad bard Alexander Goroditsky recalled Khochinsky as an ideal chansonnier for the combination of external and vocal abilities, characterizing him as “elegant, thin, swift, nervous.” When, after the scandalous dismissal of the Youth Theater director Zinovy Korogodsky, Khochinsky and his wife left the theater, and the actor found himself unemployed, he began to take part in concerts of bard songs. The audience was delighted with him.
St. Petersburg Pokrovka, where Shuranova and Khochinsky lived, adored him. Everyone here knew the actor, appreciated him and invited him to visit. Simple, friendly, immediately eager for a new adventure, he could go for a walk with the dog and return home in a day or two. And this, of course, did not happen without drinking. In 1996, Khochinsky’s ulcer worsened and problems with the cardiovascular system appeared.
The actor's last role was the image of Pastor Manders in the play "Vassa Zheleznova", brilliantly played at the Leningrad Satire Theater.
In April 1998, he died suddenly in his wife's arms. The cause of death of Alexander Khochinsky at the age of 54 was cardiac arrest.
He is buried at the Serafimovskoye cemetery in St. Petersburg.
