Andrey Smirnov

Childhood and youth

The director and actor was born into a creative family in the spring of 1941 in Moscow. Andrei’s father is the famous Russian writer Sergei Smirnov, who wrote the novel “Brest Fortress.” The ancestors of his mother Virginia Smirnova were representatives of different nationalities - Jews on his father’s side and Armenians on his mother’s side.

Andrei Smirnov’s half-starved childhood was burned by the war; he had to grow up during the years of rebuilding the country from ruins. As a child, the future director did not dream of a career in theater or cinema, although the atmosphere in the house was creative.

Andrey Smirnov in his youth.
Published by Alexandra Me Flowers Thursday, August 29, 2019

Andrei Smirnov In his youth,
Andrei planned a working specialty, but in high school he became interested in cinema and enjoyed attending performances in the capital's theaters.

Smirnov was interested in the process of creating films and productions, so after graduating from school he entered VGIK, choosing the directing department. I ended up in the workshop of the famous master of Russian cinema, Mikhail Romm. In 1962, Andrei was awarded a diploma.

Andrey Smirnov. Actor, biography and personal life

Andrei Sergeevich Smirnov was born on March 12, 1941 in Moscow in the family of the famous Soviet writer Sergei Smirnov, who wrote many books, including “Brest Fortress”. Mother, Virginia Genrikhovna Smirnova, was from an Armenian family. Andrei himself, after graduating from school, decided to become a worker in order to feed himself, but his love for cinema took over, and he entered VGIK in the directing department. While studying, I tried out for small roles in films, not doing it for the sake of popularity. Thus, the young man gained experience in directing and acting.

The first time he married actress Natalya Rudnaya, they had two daughters: Alexandra and Evdokia. One of whom (Dunya Smirnova) became a famous screenwriter and presenter on television. But he separated and met his soulmate again, with whom he still lives. This is the actress, Elena Prudnikova, with whom Smirnov had children in marriage - a boy and a girl - Aglaya and Alexey Smirnov.

Andrei Smirnov is currently, despite his age, one of the busiest people in Russian cinema.

Personal life

In the man’s personal life there were two striking unions. His first marriage to actress Natalya Rudnaya, which he entered into in his youth, ended in divorce. The family had two daughters, Avdotya and Alexandra.

The eldest Dunya chose a creative path - she became a screenwriter, writer and popular director. Her active life position has influenced her social activities: since 2012, she has been a co-founder of the “Vykhod” charitable foundation. The organization provides assistance to children suffering from autism.

The younger Alexandra moved to live in London, where she works for a large company not related to cinema.

Elena Prudnikova and Andrey Smirnov
Published by AZ Museum Thursday, June 22, 2021

Andrei Smirnov and his wife Elena Prudnikova
Andrei Sergeevich met his second wife Elena Prudnikova on the set. A daughter, Aglaya Smirnova, was born into this family. Today she works as an editor at the Marmot film studio with Valery Todorovsky.

11 years later, when the director was 50 years old, his wife gave him an heir, son Alexei. The guy followed in his father’s footsteps and graduated from VGIK, directing department. Together they starred in the documentary project “Dynasty” in 2013.

Andrey Sergeevich is a happy grandfather of two adult grandchildren, daughter Aglaya Taisiya and son Avdotya Smirnova Danila. He is also proud of his relationship with Anatoly Chubais, who in 2012 became the director’s son-in-law.

The actor does not use social networks, but his photos appear on Instagram in thematic accounts dedicated to Russian cinema.

Movies

Andrei Smirnov took his first steps in cinematography as a student. He starred in episodes of several popular feature films - “They are calling, open the door”, “White Sun of the Desert”. The roles did not bring fame, but they did add experience.

In his final years at VGIK, a student made the short films “Yurka - the Pantsless Team” and “Hey, Someone!” Teachers and critics praised the work of the aspiring director and predicted a successful career for him, but his meteoric rise did not happen.

In 1964, the premiere of the military drama “An Inch of Earth” took place, starring Alexander Zbruev and Evgeniy Urbansky. The film about the hot summer of 1944 was liked by both viewers and film officials.

Andrey Smirnov in the film “Contact”

The film turned out to be the only problem-free project of Andrei Smirnov. All further films by the young director met with a cold reception and were mercilessly cut up by the censor's scissors. Some projects ended up on the shelves of the Goskino archive: they were banned from showing.

The breakthrough came in 1970, when the military drama “Belarusian Station” was released, starring Evgeny Leonov, Anatoly Papanov, Vsevolod Safonov and Nina Urgant. The film is still called the best film about the Great Patriotic War today. In 1971, “Belorussky Station” received the main award at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival.

Four years later, Andrei Smirnov directed the melodrama “Autumn,” in which the main roles went to Leonid Kulagin and Natalya Rudnaya. Supporting roles were played by Natalya Gundareva and Alexander Fatyushin. But the censors saw explicit shots in the film, which they mistook for a very modest bed scene by today’s standards. Perhaps the film was shelved because of the poems of the disgraced writer and poet Boris Pasternak that were featured in it.

Andrey Smirnov in the movie "Dinosaur-2"

In 1979, Andrei Smirnov shot a 2-part production drama “Faith and Truth” based on the script by Alexander Chervinsky. This is the first Soviet film about the place and importance of architecture in life, about housing construction during the reign of Nikita Khrushchev. But due to censorship pressure, the director had to cut down the plan and throw out many “seditious” scenes. As a result, the tape turned out to be emasculated, all the sharp corners were smoothed out.

Not believing that the censors would allow his plans to be realized, Andrei Smirnov quit directing. Acting saved me from poverty. In 1986, he starred in the production drama Red Arrow and the melodrama My Favorite Clown.

Among the best acting works of Andrei Sergeevich are roles in the melodrama by Rodion Nakhapetov “Coming Next” and in the feature film based on the story of the same name by Sergei Yursky “Chernov”. In the latest project, Smirnov played the main character. Sergei Yursky, Elena Yakovleva and Oleg Basilashvili appeared in the film.

Andrey Smirnov in the film "Casanova's Cloak"

In 1993, the films “Dreams of an Idiot” and “Casanova’s Cloak” were released. The first project is a joint film between Russia and France based on the novel “The Golden Calf” by Ilya Ilf and Yevgeny Petrov. Smirnov got the role of Koreiko in it. Russian director Alexander Galin shot the second film with Italians. The main role in the film is played by Inna Churikova. Andrei Smirnov appeared in the image of the artist Daphnis.

A year later, the actor made his debut on the theater stage. He staged the play “Dinner” based on the play by Jean-Claude Briseville at the Moscow Theater of Oleg Tabakov.

Demand and great success came to the artist in the early 2000s. In 2000, the premiere of Alexei Uchitel’s biographical drama “The Diary of His Wife” about the life of the writer Ivan Bunin took place. The main character was played by Smirnov. The author of the script was Dunya Smirnova, his daughter.

In 2003, viewers saw a film adaptation of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novel “The Idiot.” The 10-episode film was directed by Vladimir Bortko, and the main roles went to Evgeny Mironov, Vladimir Mashkov, Lydia Velezheva and Inna Churikova. Andrei Smirnov appeared in the image of Totsky. In the same year, the performer was awarded the title of People's Artist of Russia.

Andrey Smirnov in the film “Black Cats”

The actor often stars in sensational TV series. He played prominent roles in the projects “Moscow Saga” and “Apostle”. In 2005, the premiere of the Polish drama “Persona Non Grata” by Krzysztof Zanussi took place, where Smirnov played the role of the secretary of the Russian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. In the same year, the actor appeared in the film adaptation of Alexander Solzhenitsyn’s novel of the same name “In the First Circle,” where he played Bobynin.

In 2008, the film “Fathers and Sons” was released by the artist’s daughter Avdotya Smirnova, where Andrei Sergeevich got the role of Pavel Kirsanov. Three years later, the actor’s filmography was replenished with a landmark work - Andrei Zvyagintsev’s drama “Elena”, where he played one of the key roles. The film premiered in Cannes in 2011. The film won the Un Certain Regard jury prize and was seen in 45 countries around the world.

In the same year, Andrei Smirnov returned as a director. He presented to the audience an epic canvas about the events that took place in Russia from 1909 to 1921. The film “Once Upon a Time There Was a Woman” touched on the theme of the Civil War and the Tambov uprising.

The guest of the “Subscriber Available” program on Radio Baltkom on Tuesday will be the director (“Belorussky Station”), actor Andrei Smirnov.
Ask questions. After 13 o'clock. Published by Vadim Radionov Monday, May 11, 2021

Andrey Smirnov now
The main character of the story is a young woman, Varvara, who lost her husband almost immediately after the wedding. The film was warmly received by film critics and viewers. At the “Window to Europe” film festival she was awarded a special prize, and Andrei Sergeevich himself became a laureate of the “Nika” award. Smirnov spoke about his work in an interview with Vladimir Pozner.

In 2013, Andrei Smirnov pleased fans with his appearance in the popular TV series “Black Cats” and “Thaw”. In the spring of 2014, the artist signed a letter from Russian filmmakers in support of Ukraine.

In 2021, Andrei Sergeevich presented his book “Burdocks and Quinoa,” in which he presented his thoughts on the development of Soviet and Russian cinema.

In 2021, the man appeared in the series “Optimists” by Alexei Popogrebsky. This is a historical adventure drama about Soviet diplomats in the 1960s. The project premiered in the spring of 2021 on the Russia-1 TV channel.

Trailer for Andrey Smirnov’s film “The Frenchman”

The main roles in the series went to Vladimir Vdovichenkov, Severiya Janusauskaite, Egor Koreshkov and Rinal Mukhametov. Masters Yuri Kuznetsov and Anatoly Bely also appeared in the film. Viewers saw Andrei Smirnov in the image of the main character's father-in-law.

In the summer of 2021, the 75-year-old director complained about the disruption of filming of the film, the working title of which was “The Frenchman.” This is a film based on a 2014 script written by Smirnov about the times of the Thaw in Moscow. Money from sponsors appeared in 2015, at the same time Andrei Sergeevich began filming. But in 2021, the bank in which the funds were kept “burst”, and filming had to be stopped.

Despite all the difficulties, Smirnov managed to finish work on his film, and it was released in 2021. The news about the drama's screening pleasantly pleased the man's fans.

Biography of Andrey Smirnov

An event in Soviet cinema was Smirnov’s film “Belorussky Station” (1971), where the director managed to recreate the psychological atmosphere of events closely intertwined with the memory of the past war.

In his next film, “Autumn” (1974), he turned to the theme of love, talking with an unusual frankness for that time about the relationship between a thirty-year-old man and a woman.

After the film “Faith and Truth” (1979), dedicated to different stages of the construction of Moscow, Smirnov decided to leave film directing. The reason was claims from various authorities and dissatisfaction with one’s own work.

Smirnov began to work mainly as a screenwriter and playwright. His play “My Dear Ones” was staged by the Moscow Satire Theater in 1985.

He wrote the screenplays for the films A Sentimental Journey to Potatoes (1986), I Did My Best (1986), and the Fear Medicine episode of Beyond Wolves 2 (2004).

In the 1990s, Smirnov staged television plays, television concerts, and theater productions. Among them are “Dinner” at the Chekhov Moscow Art Theater - O. Tabakov Theater-Studio (1994), “A Month in the Country” at the Comedy Française (1997).

In 2011, he returned to film directing and directed the folk drama “Once Upon a Time There Was a Woman,” acting simultaneously as a screenwriter and producer. The film was recognized as the best film of the year according to the Russian cinematographic award “Nika”. She also received four more Nika Awards - for Best Screenplay, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor and Best Costume Designer.

Andrei Smirnov as an actor starred in a number of notable roles. Among his works are the main roles in the films “Chernov” (1990) by Sergei Yursky, “The Diary of His Wife” (2000) by Alexei Uchitel, “Fathers and Sons” (2008) by Avdotya Smirnova and “Elena” (2011) by Andrei Zvyagintsev. Smirnov also starred in the series “Right to Defense” (2002), “Idiot” (2003), “Instructor” (2003), “Moscow Saga” (2004), “In the First Circle” (2006), “Apostle” (2008 ), “Heavy Sand” (2008), “Churchill” (2009), “The Thaw” (2013), “Black Cats” (2013), etc.

Andrei Smirnov was involved in social activities. In 1988-1990 he was acting first secretary of the USSR Cinematographers Union.

In 1987-1995 - artistic director of the Debut studio.

He taught at the Higher Courses for Scriptwriters and Directors.

The work of Andrei Smirnov has been awarded various awards. In 2003, he was awarded the title of People's Artist of the Russian Federation. In 1971, the main prize was awarded at the 1st Festival of Contemporary Cinematography as part of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival for the film “Belarusian Station”.

Among his awards are prizes from the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (1990), the Listopad film festivals (2000), Stalker (2000), Kinotavr (2011), Window to Europe (2011), and the Nika Award (2000). , 2011 - two).

Andrei Smirnov is married for the second time to Honored Artist of Russia Elena Prudnikova. His first wife was actress Natalya Rudnaya. Smirnov has two daughters from his first marriage - Avdotya and Alexandra, and from his second - daughter Aglaya and son Alexey. Avdotya Smirnova is a famous screenwriter and director, and was the host of the television program “School of Scandal.” Her father starred in her films “Giselle’s Mania”, “The Diary of His Wife”, “Fathers and Sons”, “Two Days”.

The material was prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources

Andrey Smirnov now

In May 2021, the premiere screening of the 2nd season of the comedy series about the former “safeguard” Semyon Babushkin “Dinosaur” began.

In the new series, the hero of Andrei Smirnov, together with his friend, the character of Alexander Pankratov-Cherny, starts his own business, opening a company for opening doors. But on their way, the elderly adventurers meet real swindlers in the person of father and son Kuritsyn, played by Valery Barinov and Alexander Oleshko.

Now the film “Empire V” is being prepared for release, in which Andrei Sergeevich played the role of the vampire Osiris. You can hear Smirnov today on the radio “Echo of Moscow”, in the programs “Persons” and “Dithyramb”.