16 years ago, together with a film crew, Sergei Bodrov ended up in an ice grave in Vladikavkaz. His body was never found and he is still considered missing.
How do the famous actor’s wife and his family live today? His muse and main love in life was Svetlana Mikhailova, director of the “Wait for Me” program. They lived together for 5 happy years and gave birth to two children. After the death of her husband, the woman pushed her personal life into the background, devoting herself to her children. Svetlana was born in 1967. She graduated from the University of Geodesy and Cartography with a degree in journalism. Since 1991, she has worked as a director and administrator in the television industry, helping to create such programs as “Canon”, “Sharks of the Feather”, “MuzOboz”.
It is known that before meeting Bodrov, Svetlana was not long married to a policeman. And after the divorce, she dated Otar Kushanashvili for some time.
Sergei Bodrov: biography, personal life
Bodrov Jr. is an actor, an idol of the 90s generation thanks to his iconic role in “Brother.” He is known not only as an actor, but also as a TV presenter, screenwriter and film director.
Sergei was born in the family of the famous director Sergei Bodrov Sr. in 1971. His mother is a teacher and art critic Valentina Bodrova. His parents divorced when the boy turned 13. Subsequently, his father married artist Aizhan Bekkulova, originally from Kazakhstan. Sergei has a half-sister Asya.
His parents worked a lot, so Sergei became accustomed to loneliness from childhood. He dreamed of being an actor, but his father dissuaded him, because he believed that the boy’s temperament was not suitable for this profession.
After school, Sergei Sergeevich entered the Faculty of History at Moscow State University. He graduated from the university with honors and studied in graduate school.
By the age of 22, Bodrov Jr. already had some acting experience. He starred in episodes in his father's films. And in 1995 he played the main role in the film “Prisoner of the Caucasus.” Oleg Menshikov became his partner. The film received many awards, and brought Sergei fame and a prize at the Sochi Film Festival.
In 1996, Bodrov played the role of Danila Bagrov in the film “Brother”. The film received several awards, and the actor received the award for Best Actor. The character became a youth idol in the 90s.
Sergei’s directorial and screenwriting debut was the film “Sisters”. In this film, Bodrov discovered a young talent in cinema - actress Oksana Akinshina. Bodrov’s second painting, “The Messenger,” remained unfinished. In addition to cinema, Bodrov Jr. was in demand on television. He hosted the program “Vzglyad” on the ORT channel. He interrupted his career as a TV presenter due to filming in the films “Brother” and “Brother-2”. Later he led the project “The Last Hero”.
Svetlana Bodrova - Sergei's wife
Bodrov’s acquaintance with his future wife occurred during his work on television. At that time, Svetlana lived with Otar Kushanashvili, so the relationship did not begin immediately.
A year later, Sergei and Sveta met again in Cuba. Feelings flared up between them and a relationship began. In 1997, the couple got married. Before the wedding, the actor met and talked with his rival. Kushanashvili did not make a scene and gave the young people his blessing.
Despite the age difference (Svetlana is 4 years older than Sergei), they had strong and sincere feelings. This can be judged from the letters that Sergei wrote to his wife during moments of separation.
Here are some texts testifying to Bodrov Jr.’s love for his wife:
“I have a feeling that you and I are two halves of one person. Like twins separated in childhood and meeting years later. You are my Destiny".
The couple lived together for 5 happy years. In 1998, a daughter, Olga, appeared in the Bodrov family. And in 2002, Svetlana gave birth to a boy, Alexander.
It was clear to those around them that they were a completely harmonious couple and had lived a long life together, if not for the tragedy.
In 2002, Sergei Bodrov went to the mountains to shoot his next film. The film crew headed up, but were unable to wait for transport. It was cold, so we decided to return to the city. At the moment when everyone began to leave, the Kolka glacier descended, which covered everyone in a short time. The entire group was buried under a thick layer of ice.
Sergei Bodrov died a few weeks after the birth of his son.
The wife of Sergei Bodrov Jr., Svetlana, got married
After the death of her husband, Svetlana devoted her life to raising children, with the help of her mother and mother-in-law. She loved Sergei, and his departure was a real tragedy.
16 years after the tragedy, her heart is still not occupied; she often thinks about her husband and shows photos of the wedding. Svetlana does not participate in social life and communicates little with journalists. She had a relationship with a businessman, but never got married.
For a long time Svetlana did not believe that her husband was dead. I hoped he survived the gorge. As soon as I heard about the tragedy, I rushed to the scene, leaving my two young children behind. Together with other volunteers, the “Nadezhda” search camp was created to deal with missing people. Bodrov’s mother, Valentina Nikolaevna, was always in the camp with Svetlana.
No miracle happened. The body of Bodrov Jr. has not yet been found.
Bodrov's wife about the film "Dudya"
On the 15th anniversary of the actor’s death, journalist and blogger Yuri Dud presented a documentary film in which interviews with the actor’s father, his colleague Oleg Menshikov, and the host of the “Vzglyad” program Alexander Lyubimov were published. It was the latter’s words that outraged Sergei’s mother and his widow.
As Svetlana shared, Lyubimov has nothing to do with her husband’s arrival in the “Vzglyad” program, despite the fact that he ambiguously states this. Moreover, the widow shared that there was a very cold relationship between Sergei and Lyubimov. And now, many years after the tragedy, he seems to be almost his best friend.
“You know, in the film by Yuri Dud, Alexander Lyubimov talks about how he noticed the young artist... This outrages me. And Seryozha’s mother too. The person constantly repeats: “I saw him, I invited him, I noticed him.” No! It is not true. Lyubimov had absolutely nothing to do with inviting Sergei to Vzglyad. They were never even friends, did not have a warm relationship. Now he actively participates in films and interviews about Seryozha, introducing himself as his good friend.” – Mikhailova says.
Svetlana shared that in fact, Sergei owes his appearance in “Vzglyad” to journalist and television producer Sergei Kushnerev, who created the projects “Wait for Me” and “The Last Hero.”
Creative path
Sergei did not choose the profession of an actor due to his father’s instructions, although he played his first role in the film “Freedom is Paradise”, and a little later - “Prisoner of the Caucasus”. Cinema and television followed Sergei on his heels. Bodrov began working in the “Vzglyad” program, then starred in the film “Brother”. Later, a sequel to the film was filmed, followed by work as a director in the film “Sisters.” The films “Stringer”, “East-West”, “Let’s do it quickly”, “Bear Kiss” passed almost unnoticed by the viewer. But it was “Brother” that made Bodrov the most popular artist at the time of its release.
“Vulgarity is about the obvious with pathos”: Andrei Myagkov about art and life
I made a cozy hammock for my cat out of a cardboard box: step-by-step instructions
Why the Siri voice assistant has become worse than its competitors
The family of Sergei Bodrov Jr. now
After the death of his son, Bodrov Sr. renounced the inheritance in favor of his daughter-in-law. He wanted Svetlana to have the opportunity to raise children. The family still has a 4-room apartment in the capital, and a private house in the Moscow region.
Sergei's daughter Olga, after graduating from school, entered GITIS without outside help. The institute learned that she was the daughter of the idol of millions after she was enrolled.
The girl has a calm character and tries not to talk to strangers about her father. This is a sore subject for her. At home, she often watches films where dad starred.
Teachers speak of Olga as a serious student who takes her studies responsibly. She does everything possible to become a person that her father would be proud of.
The youngest son Alexander has not yet decided on his future profession. Most likely, he, like his father, will enter the history department. The young man has a kind-hearted disposition and loves animals.
The actor's father has been living in America for many years. His mother published a book with Sergei’s dissertation, giving fans the opportunity to get acquainted with his work on Renaissance art.
I'm watching movies with my father...
Daughter Olga graduated from school with a gold medal and entered the acting department of VGIK. The girl withstood a competition of more than 1,000 people for a place, and only after the entrance test the selection committee clarified who her father was.
According to classmates, Olga is modest, watches films with her father and is diligent in her studies. As it became known from close sources, as an amulet around Olga’s neck is an ancient coin of the Crimean Khanate, which Bodrov Jr. found during excavations in Kerch.
She remembers her father, although she was only 4 years old when he died. The girl is taciturn with journalists, believing that she does not deserve close attention. On Olga’s Instagram page, she has creative sketches and photos, judging by which her subscribers are already careful not to affect feelings, talking about her external similarity and acting talent.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Olyan Bodr (@olyabodrova) on Nov 12, 2021 at 9:00am PST
Olga Bodrova
Svetlana
For Svetlana Bodrova this was already the second marriage. A short relationship with a policeman ended in divorce. After this, the girl graduated from the Faculty of Journalism. She worked as the director of the “Muzoboz” program, participated in the creation of “Sharks of the Feather” and “Canon”, and starred in small roles in many films. Married to Sergei, she gave birth to two children. When the actor died, his daughter Olga was four years old, and his son Sasha was only a month old. After the death of her beloved husband, Svetlana did not remarry.
Over the years, she gave only one interview, in which she admitted that she would never be able to find a replacement for her lover. Now he works on Channel One as a television program editor. The woman recalls that Sergei once called her his twin brother, from whom he was separated at birth (he considered her so close to him). Today she sadly notes that the twins have been separated again.
Seal or dinosaur. The remains of a strange beast were found in Antarctica
Cambridge: miniature installations that make you think about other worlds
Star Wars Battlefront 2 servers could not cope with the influx of new users
Tragedy in North Ossetia
And my wife also remembers the last call, when for some reason Sergei advised him to take care of the children when saying goodbye. The shooting day on September 20 did not go well. We waited a long time for transport and left for the location three hours later. And in the evening a tragedy happened - the glacier, which had been silent for more than half a century, woke up. An unthinkable combination of circumstances led to a terrible disaster; the entire film crew of 106 people found themselves under the ice.
The news left loved ones in shock. Relatives of the filmmakers rushed to the scene. Bodrov Jr.’s wife left two young children and went to North Ossetia. People distraught with grief created a search camp with the name “Nadezhda”, starting a search for a tunnel that could turn out to be salvation for people buried alive. It lasted two years. Sergei’s mother Valentina Nikolaevna clung to every opportunity to be there and find at least the remains of her own son. The father, Sergei Bodrov Sr., who lives with his second wife in the USA, also visited the scene of the tragedy.
No miracle happened. Already in 2008, the tunnel was discovered, but it turned out to be empty. What does it feel like to not even be able to bury someone close to you? How do Bodrov Jr.’s wife and children live today, 15 years later?
