On September 29, 1866, in the town of Holm, now the Lublin Voivodeship of Poland, and then the Kingdom of Poland of Imperial Russia, a real storm broke out - rain and squall. The bad weather was raging in earnest. According to popular beliefs, the weather is a harbinger of a person's fate when he is born.
On this day, the most famous Ukrainian historian, Mykhailo Grushevsky, was born. Whether there really is a coincidence or connection between the share and changes in nature is another question, but life has indeed prepared difficult tests for the future “President of the Central Rada of the UPR.”
The childhood of Mikhail Grushevsky
Mikhail was born in Moscow.
All his relatives on his mother’s side lived in Ukraine. Since childhood, he had a sense of humor. As a five-year-old boy, during a walk, he always greeted the Griboedov monument, and then told everyone what he said in response, which made those around him very funny. His family was far from the stage; there were no artists among his relatives. But little Misha’s abilities as a parodist manifested themselves at school age. He first appeared on stage in third grade, where he parodied commentator Nikolai Ozerov. He saw such a parody on TV performed by the artist Gennady Khazanov. Although the boy was worried, he managed to perform, and the audience supported him. Later he performed at the pioneer camp more than once.
Comedian Mikhail Grushevsky is an avid football fan
Already in high school, not a single school evening was complete without Grushevsky. Once, during a rehearsal, he parodied a teacher, so accurately that a school director passing by mistook his voice for that same teacher, deciding that he was performing on stage.
An important meeting for Mikhail’s future career took place during his student years, when he was studying at the Institute of Steel and Alloys. He met with Vladimir Vinokur. Time passed before Vinokur realized that Mikhail’s desire to get on the stage was real, and no difficulties along this path scared him. Only after this did he begin to invite Grushevsky to performances so that he could communicate with new people, visit artists, and immerse himself in the behind-the-scenes scene of the show.
At that time, everything that Grushevsky did was called amateur performances, for which he received certificates and thanks, but he really liked it all.
Grushevsky's parody of Gorbachev and Yeltsin - 1990. It was thanks to perestroika that he was able to gradually move from amateur performances to professional activities. To enter the professional stage, you needed an artist's diploma. But in order to receive such a diploma, Mikhail would first have to serve in the army, so he decides to stay at the institute. After graduation, Grushevsky got a job as an engineer. It was 1987.
Career as a parodist
Mikhail successfully passed the exams and, despite the desire to be a pop figure, entered the Moscow Institute of Steel and Alloys. At the institute, Misha was also involved in amateur performances and showed humorous skits. By the way, it was then, in the mid-seventies, that a meeting between Grushevsky and Vinokur took place: as Mikhail admits, Vladimir is his main mentor on the path to creativity.
Mikhail Grushevsky and Vladimir Vinokur
Thanks to perestroika in the USSR, Misha had a chance to become a stage figure, however, in order to receive an artist’s diploma, Grushevsky would have to serve in the army. Therefore, as a student, he decided to graduate from MISiS, after which he was hired at a research institute. But in 1988, the young man decided to do what he knew how to do most talentedly, and transferred to the Grotesque theater studio, where he was predicted to have a future as an artist.
In the same 1988, Grushevsky was invited to a humorous group in which Vladimir Vinokur participated. The young man immediately agreed, because he was not required to have a special diploma. Even then, Mikhail began to earn his first money for creativity. It was from this moment that his professional humorous career began.
Misha first appeared on television in 1989 on the program “Vzglyad”, in which he became the first to portray political figure Mikhail Gorbachev. The audience was bursting with laughter, although Grushevsky took great risks with his performance.
Thanks to his gift for parodying other people, Mikhail Grushevsky from 1994 to 1995 took part in voicing the “Dolls” program. And a year later, in 1996, the parodist was noticed by the host of the comedy program “Full House” Regina Dubovitskaya, with whom he collaborated until 2004.
In 2007, Mikhail tried himself in a new field: he became the host of the talk show “Baby Riot” on Ren-TV. Despite the social nature of the program, Mikhail, even as a TV presenter, managed to make the audience laugh.
Mikhail Grushevsky on the radio
In addition to humorous performances, Mikhail Grushevsky also participates in various television programs, for example, in 2008 he became a participant in the project “The Last Hero,” which was shown on Channel One, and since 2013, the parodist has performed in the show “Repeat!”
Misha also tried himself as an actor in the TV series “Star of the Epoch,” which was released in 2005. There he performed in the role of composer Nikita Bogoslovsky.
The beginning of the career of comedian Mikhail Grushevsky
A year passed, Mikhail could already say for sure that in life he was only interested in the stage. He was invited to join a humorous pop group, and he agreed with pleasure, especially since they were not at all interested in his lack of an artist’s diploma. This group was created by artists who had previously worked with Vinokur. So, in 1988, Grushevsky became a professional artist who was already receiving money for his work. M. Grushevsky - Little Red Riding Hood Fortunately, the group turned out to be in demand, the artists enjoyed success and toured a lot. Their speeches responded to many pressing topics. Mikhail was the first to parody Mikhail Gorbachev. The number turned out to be a bomb, although many then believed that he was taking a risk. Most of all, the public's interest was fueled by the fact that almost all the numbers where Mikhail performed with this parody were cut from television broadcasts. Later he parodied Zhirinovsky and Khazbulatov.
Lviv period
Grushevsky went to Lviv and headed the department of history of the university. There he began work on creating his own theory of the origin of Kievan Rus and the Ukrainian people. After several essays on the “history of Ukraine” were published, Mikhail set about creating the “History of Ukraine-Rus”, which fit into 8 volumes. Many of Grushevsky’s historical statements do not have convincing evidence, this has been emphasized more than once by his colleagues. However, “Ukrainization” found support in society, and the scientist’s statements began to wander through Ukrainian history textbooks.
According to Grushevsky, the historical process looked like this. He argued that Ukrainians are a people who have existed since the early Middle Ages. During the times of Ancient Rus', they were the core of the state, and over time they became a separate nation. The successor to the state of Kievan Rus, according to the scientist, was the Galician-Volyn principality, and not the Vladimir-Suzdal principality, as previously thought.
In 1897, the historian became the center of scientific life in Galicia. He presided over a scientific society and led national movements in the region. In 1906, the University of Kharkov awarded Grushevsky the academic degree of Doctor of Russian History.
The new interpretation of historical science could not suit the Russian authorities. During this period, Grushevsky intensified anti-Russian propaganda, and therefore was under the vigilant control of counterintelligence. In 1914, he was arrested in Kyiv and after several months in prison he was sent into exile, first to Simbirsk and then to Kazan. Only petitions from fellow scientists allowed Mikhail to return to Moscow and continue scientific research.
Mikhail Grushevsky on television
Starting in the nineties, when Boris Yeltsin came to power, Grushevsky’s path to television was opened.
So in 1996, Regina Dubovitskaya invited him to Full House. He worked for some time on this television show, while simultaneously taking part in other programs where he had to voice certain political figures. He always spoke of Dubovitskaya as a workaholic, and believed that without her “Full House” simply would not have existed. The artist is devoted to the stage and approaches life with humor. He considers himself a loner and thinks that he could not participate in shows like KVN. In 2005, Mikhail played in the film “Star of the Epoch” by composer Nikita Bogoslovsky. He was the host of a program broadcast on the REN TV channel. Its name is “Baby Riot”. In addition, the voice of Mikhail Grushevsky sounded in the “Dolls” program.
Mikhail goes on tour abroad. He is always well received in both America and Israel. According to Mikhail, foreign audiences know how to leave the burden of their problems outside the concert hall; they come to relax and laugh. He believes that our people, unfortunately, do not know how to do this, and this is always felt.
After the revolution
At the general meeting of the Central Rada in Kyiv after the February Revolution, Grushevsky, who was in exile, was elected its chairman in absentia. Until this moment, the historian adhered to liberal views, but in 1917 he became the head of the Socialist Revolutionaries and Social Democrats. The aspiring politician began to create Ukrainian state power.
After the events of October 1917, Grushevsky proclaimed the emergence of the Ukrainian People's Republic as part of the federation. However, the politician was at the head of the state created on paper for only a few days. The people of Kiev delegated the scientist to the All-Russian Constituent Assembly. And in January 2018, the UPR declared independence and, after signing a separate peace, was subject to occupation by Austria and Germany. The Central Rada as a governing body was abolished.
In 1919, the scientist went to Austria and opened a sociological institute in Vienna. Several times Grushevsky wrote petitions to Moscow and repented of his counter-revolutionary activities. Only in 1924 was he able to return to his homeland and continue his scientific work. In 1929, the historian became a member of the USSR Academy of Sciences and returned to Kiev University to a professorship. However, his many years of research caused conflicting opinions among scientists, especially regarding the Ukrainian national movement.
In 1931, the scientist was accused of counter-revolution and arrested, but he was soon released. But university employees were massively subjected to repression. There is an opinion that the first Ukrainian “ex-president” was involved in this.
Three years later, Grushevsky passed away. His wife and daughter were repressed, and the scientist’s works were sharply criticized by the scientific community. The works of the famous Ukrainianist were remembered in 1991, when independent states appeared on the map of the former USSR. Unconfirmed conclusions made by the scientist during his many years of activity ended up in Ukrainian textbooks for schools and universities. Grushevsky’s portrait appears on the 50-hryvnia Ukrainian banknote.
Personal life of Mikhail Grushevsky
The artist first got married in 2001.
His chosen one was music video director Irina Mironova, who works in a similar field. According to Mikhail’s stories, they met, and then didn’t see each other for a year, then they met again, and again there was separation for a year, when he and his future wife saw each other again, they got married absolutely unexpectedly. He considers himself an impromptu person. The marriage produced a daughter, Daria.
Comedian Mikhail Grushevsky with his ex-wife Irina Mironova
Mikhail says that he was completely ignorant in matters of marriage. Before marriage, he had two months of experience in a civil marriage and that’s it. Therefore, in 2012, the marriage broke up, and with considerable scandal. It is known that for a long time before the divorce the couple no longer lived under the same roof.
According to his wife, she wrote a book, “Family Life by the Rules of Photography,” about the midlife crisis and its impact on family life. In addition, after the divorce, Irina switched to a younger fan, Sergei Savin, winner of the TV project “Factor A” in 2011. True, this relationship was short-lived.
Soon, joint photographs of the parodist and the young model Tatyana Yakusheva appeared online. After this, piquant details regarding these meetings again appeared in the media. But whether this was true is difficult to say.
At the end of 2014, Mikhail married for the second time. His chosen one was 35-year-old Evgenia Guslyarova, who works as a marketer. They got married on December 30 after the artist’s birthday in a narrow circle of relatives, and the wedding celebrations were postponed to the end of January. Lev Leshchenko, Vladimir Vinokur, Alsou, Joseph Kobzon, Dmitry Dibrov, Dmitry Malikov were invited to the wedding.
Mikhail Grushevsky with his wife Evgenia
Mikhail and Evgeniya met on vacation in Germany in April 2014, and upon arrival in Moscow they began to communicate closely. And after a few months, Grushevsky proposed to his chosen one. This is Evgenia’s first marriage; she is 15 years younger than her husband.
The couple together founded the agency “A Dream Possible,” which organizes events.
On May 21, 2015, the couple had a son, Mikhail, who was named in honor of his star father. Three weeks later, the new parents celebrated their son’s birthday with colleagues and friends in an Italian restaurant.
Dreamer Hooligan
According to the recollections of Grushevsky himself, his parents - Sergei and Glafira Grushevsky - are real Ukrainian patriots, representatives of the Ukrainian-speaking intelligentsia. They managed to instill in their children a love for their native land, which was not easy in those turbulent political times.
Article on the topic Three unhappy loves of the “father of Ukrainian music” Nikolai Lysenko The family lived in Kholm for only three years after the birth of a child. His father had health problems and, on the “classic” advice of the doctors of that time, he was advised to change the climate. In 1869, the Grushevskys moved first to Stavropol, and a little later to Vladikavkaz.
Little Misha grew up as an introverted child, prone to escapism - escaping from the real world into a fantasy world. Reading books was more interesting for him than communicating with peers. Moreover, he felt differences in his character and the character of other children.
You can really say about him that he grew up as a “bookworm.” Songs, stories and legends of Ukraine's past interested young Grushevsky more than the usual interests of boys of his age.
The future historian received his primary education at home and only in 1880 was he immediately enrolled in the third grade of a gymnasium in Tiflis (now Tbilisi). Here he became so interested in literature that he decided to try his hand at this field.
In the 19th century, it was quite common for “young talents” to send their samples of writing to eminent writers for an objective assessment.
Misha sent his first stories by mail to the famous author of “The Kaidash Family” Ivan Nechuy-Levitsky. In his letters, Mikhail noted that his parents also came from the Kyiv province, like Nechuy-Levitsky himself (the Kiev province then included the territories of several modern regions of Ukraine). He also admitted to Ivan Semenovich that he grew up with reverence and deep respect for Ukrainian culture.
Nechuy-Levitsky, a gentle person by nature, positively assessed the first “experiments” of young Grushevsky and even helped publish his stories - “Bekh-al-Jugur” and “Poor Girl”.
However, Misha's writing career did not have a serious continuation. Interest in literature was replaced by interest in history, or more precisely the history of his native land - Ukraine.
The end of his studies at the gymnasium was marked by an unpleasant episode - the boys from the gymnasium, according to the “ancient tradition”, stole exam papers, and according to the unwritten laws of “male brotherhood” they did not admit who the culprit was.
But among the students there was one “traitor” who told who the kidnappers were. The leadership of the gymnasium decided to act radically and punish everyone indiscriminately - both the right and the guilty. Mikhail himself also came under attack because he did not want to betray his comrades. The medals they deserved were taken away from the high school students, and the issue of expulsion arose, because “hooliganism” became known even outside the walls of the educational institution. However, everything worked out and Misha was able to graduate from school.
In 1886, he enrolled in the Faculty of History and Philology of the Kyiv University of St. Vladimir (now the Taras Shevchenko National University). Mikhail’s father asked his son not to participate in various student circles that were related to the themes of Ukrainian patriotism and populism. It was not that my father was against these trends, but Sergei Grushevsky understood that after this the students began to have problems with the tsarist police.
At the university, Grushevsky studied the history of Ukraine under the guidance of the famous professor Vladimir Antonovich. In his third year, the student wrote the work “The History of the Kyiv Land from the Death of Yaroslav to the End of the XIV Century,” which was awarded a gold medal in 1890.
Within the walls of the university, Mikhail had a unique idea at that time - to describe the history of Ukraine from ancient times to the present. Here he broke his word to his father not to participate in any circles. Young Grushevsky joined the Ukrainian movement, and Professor Antonovich introduced him to the so-called “Old Community” - the community of the Ukrainian intelligentsia of those times.
A funny fact is that he also began to grow his “noticeable” beard during these years. Thus, he tried to give his youthful appearance solidity. However, by this he only emphasized a certain childishness in his character - Grushevsky often had a desire to “mask” his indecision.
Young Mikhail Grushevsky Photo: Screenshot
