Lev Prygunov, biography, news, photos

Biography

The family of People's Artist of Russia Lev Prygunov ended up in Almaty not of their own free will. His grandfather was a priest. In 1919 he was sentenced to death. “Grandfather was recaptured by believers. After this he fell ill and died a week later. The family was forced to flee - so the parents first ended up in Tashkent, and then moved to Alma-Ata,” says the actor.

Father - Georgy Prygunov - participant in the Great Patriotic War. Worked as a botany teacher. “Unfortunately, dad died - he crashed in the mountains when I was ten years old and died in my arms.”

Mom was also a teacher, but after the death of her husband she became seriously ill and spent a long time in hospitals.

Remembering his childhood, Lev Prygunov describes himself as an uncommunicative child. He was indifferent to school life, and he was not interested in boys' games. The passion of the future actor at that time was the world of birds, which he enthusiastically explored, constantly escaping to the mountains.

After graduating from school, Lev Georgievich decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and entered the Faculty of Biology at the Pedagogical Institute. During his studies, he became friends with philology students and began acting in plays of the philological faculty. This is how the idea of ​​becoming an actor came. He left the pedagogical institute and went to Leningrad, where he entered the Institute of Theatre, Music and Cinematography, which he graduated in 1962.

Biography[ | ]

Lev Prygunov was born in Alma-Ata, Kazakh SSR.

Father - Georgy Prygunov, botanist, naturalist, participant in the Great Patriotic War, died on a solo expedition in 1949. Mother Tamara Nikolaevna taught literature to high school students. She was the 14th child in the family. Lev Georgievich's maternal grandfather, a priest, died in 1918, being beaten by his parishioners in a village on the banks of the Iset where he served (according to Lev Georgievich himself at a meeting with television viewers).

From the age of seven, his father began to teach Lev to shoot accurately, and from the age of twelve he already went hunting. In his youth he was interested in botany and ornithology.

After graduating from school, he studied for two years at the biological faculty of the Alma-Ata Pedagogical Institute. In 1962 he graduated from the Leningrad Institute of Theater, Music and Cinematography (course of Tatyana Georgievna Soynikova).

In 1963-1964 - an actor at the Central Children's Theater in Moscow, then at the Drama Theater. Stanislavsky.

From 1969 to 1992 - actor at the Film Actor's Studio Theatre.

In 1976 he received the title of Honored Artist of the RSFSR.

He started acting in films while still in his 3rd year at LGITMiK. He considers his best roles to be those in the films “The Heart of Bonivour” and “The Picture.”

In the 1990s, he began actively acting in foreign films, mainly American, playing the roles of “Russian villains.” He declared himself an anti-communist: “Yes, back in 1917 he (Lenin) himself should have been removed anywhere, or better yet, hanged, shot, destroyed. Personally, I believe that nothing more monstrous than what happened in our country was and is not in any state. What this company did to its own people is a million times worse than fascism!”[1]

In the 2000s, the actor began regularly appearing on screen in television series. He played the main roles in the projects “Deadly Force-5” (Dorofeev), “Carom” (Kozyrev), “Weapon” (retired Major General Viktor Alekseevich Chubakov), “Girl Party” (Alexei Stepanovich), “House on Ozernaya” ( Mikhail Semenovich).

Member of the all-Russian public organization of the people's patriotic association "Rodina" [ source not specified 405 days

].

Member of the jury of the Golden Phoenix film festival [ source not specified 405 days

].

In 2013 he was awarded the title of People's Artist of the Russian Federation[2].

In March 2014, together with a number of other scientific and cultural figures, he expressed his disagreement with the policies of the Russian authorities in Crimea[3].

In 2020, he was hospitalized due to an exacerbation of a long-standing illness. The doctors decided to perform an emergency operation, which was successful. [ source not specified 405 days

]

He was friends with Brodsky long before he left for America. After his emigration they continued to correspond. During a trip to the USA, Prygunov stayed with Brodsky for several days. [ source not specified 405 days

][
significance of the fact?
]

Movie

His film debut took place in his third year at a theater university: Lev Prygunov received an invitation to star in the melodrama Shore Leave. His charming and good-natured hero was very popular and remembered by the audience. Lev Prygunov himself admitted that “Shore Leave” is one of his favorite works. On the set, the artist met Vladimir Vysotsky, with whom he maintained friendly relations subsequently.

Shore Leave filming took place on board the cruiser Mikhail Kutuzov and in the hero city of Sevastopol. The crowd scenes included Black Sea sailors and city residents. One day, Vladimir Treshchalov, Lev Prygunov and Vladimir Vysotsky, without changing into civilian clothes, went out to drink soda and were detained by a patrol. The actors were found in the commandant's office, where they were about to be sent to the guardhouse. The misunderstanding was cleared up, and the “sailors” were returned to the set.

In 1963 he starred in the film “Morning Trains”, a year later he played in the Soviet-Italian military film “They Went East”. “According to the original plan, the role of Badzocchi was to be played by Anthony Perkins, the greatest American star. But he demanded about a million dollars, which neither Mosfilm nor Galatea could afford at the time. Then young Peter Falk came to play this role. He had a contract for 100 thousand dollars. He came to Poltava, but the director looked and said: “I won’t film him!” By chance they slipped him my photograph. So they approved me for the role,” recalls Lev Georgievich.

Then there were works in the comedy “Children of Don Quixote,” the melodrama “I’m Going into a Thunderstorm,” and the lyrical film “Sasha-Sasha.” All these films aroused great interest among viewers.

In 1971, the actor brilliantly played the role of Komsomol member Vitaly in the film “The Heart of Bonivur.”

In 1975-1977, Lev Prygunov starred in two dramas directed by Alexander Faitsimer: “Without the Right to Error” and “Tavern on Pyatnitskaya.”

In the eighties, Prygunov appeared in the films “Battle for Moscow”, “Dangerous Friends”, “The Lost Expedition”, “I Love You”. I am waiting. Lena”, “Charlotte’s Necklace”, etc.

In 1985, in the film “Picture” based on Granin’s novel, Lev Prygunov played the main role. And, according to the actor himself, his best role. The film was shown only once.

In the 1990s, he began actively acting in foreign films, mainly American, playing the roles of “Russian villains.” By the way, Lev Georgievich speaks English fluently.

Recently, Prygunov has most often acted in television series. Among them: “Marines”, “Bachelorette Party”, “Precinct”, “Third World War”, “Operational Alias”, as well as in the films - “Landing Tour”, “House on Ozernaya”, “Forbidden Reality”.

In 2020, the Rossiya TV channel is preparing for its viewers a new grandiose saga about the fate and family of one of the most prominent rulers of Rus' - Boris Godunov. Filming is already underway in Moscow. In the series “Godunov” Lev Georgievich plays the role of boyar Nikita Yuryev.

Lev Prygunov: I still see my dead wife in my son

Lev Prygunov explained why life is better in Russia than in the USSR, why he sent his son to a boarding school and what killed Joseph Brodsky.

[:same:]

Soviet James Bond, a star of Hollywood and all world cinema, turned 76 years old on April 23. The performer of famous roles in the films “The Heart of Bonivur”, “Tavern on Pyatnitskaya”, “Shot in the Back” has rarely appeared on camera in recent years; for 43 years now he has been painting still lifes and calling them “energy realism”. on the eve of his birthday, we visited the creative workshop of the People's Artist of the Russian Federation and spoke frankly with Lev Prygunov about the death of his first wife, about what forced him to send his son Roman (director of the films “Dukhless” and “Dukhless-2.” - Author) to a boarding school and why he blames the death of his friend, the poet Joseph Brodsky... poetry.

A two-room non-residential building on the outskirts of the capital turned into the abode of Lev Georgievich’s muse. Creative chaos strikes with charm and effortless ease. Here you can find everything from ancient books of the 17th–18th centuries. to moonshine bottles or, for example, the skull of a person whose head was broken.

Cozy workshop of Lev Prygunov / Andrey Strunin / “Interlocutor”

– This is my small collection of butterflies; the last time I caught them was in 1974. But, by the way, in the same year the magazine “Soviet Screen” was published with me on the cover, this is the only cover in this publication in all the years of working in cinema. Photographers usually didn’t want to take pictures of me, they said, no one will print you anyway. But I was never upset because of this, I worked for myself and worked. This antique table and cabinet were made by Vologda craftsmen. I also have a map of Europe, printed two weeks before the outbreak of the First World War. I painted many still lifes against its background.

At the top of the closet I notice a sculpture of Jesus Christ without a hand...

“I found him on the road many years ago, lying there without an arm or legs.” In Soviet times, churches were used as repair shops, warehouses, etc., so many church attributes were thrown away without a second thought. It turned out that the sculpture I picked up was made back in the 18th century.

[:rsame:]

But what impressed Lev Georgievich most was his functioning American gramophone from 1929. By the way, Prygunov bought this device for 30 “wooden” back in Soviet times.

– In your interviews you often say: it’s a shame to be an actor, it’s not a man’s profession. And they themselves starred in more than a hundred films.

– It was during the Soviet era that it was shameful to be an actor, but not now. I don’t like Soviet power; at the helm there were communists, if honest, then stupid, if smart, then vile, and the most arrogant ones got to the top. In the West, the acting profession is well paid, the actors are rich and respected. In addition to their main activities, they often also engaged in business. In our country, a Soviet actor is a serf, especially if he is on the staff of, for example, Mosfilm, then he has no rights at all. What he is ordered to do, he does. In 1969, together with Anatoly Kuznetsov (comrade Sukhov from “White Sun of the Desert.” - Author) they starred in Germany in the military comedy “My Zero Hour.” So in the financial statements we signed for 800 marks a day, but in fact we received 60. The rest was taken by the embassy. But even what they gave us was five times more than our salary in Moscow. I often played the so-called positive heroes, this is the most thankless task, since the Soviet hero did nothing, they only talked about him. In the end he would definitely die. This is the difference between the heroes of American cinema and Soviet cinema: their hero is beaten, humiliated, kicked, and he fights with some corrupt Tsaresh or FBI agents, but in the end he always defeats everyone. In 1975, he played a villain and a scumbag in the film “No Room for Error.” Afterwards he received hundreds of letters from enthusiastic girls - the vice turned out to be more attractive than the positive qualities of the Soviet hero.

Roman Prygunov / Russian Look

– You didn’t like living in Soviet times, but now you are also dissatisfied with political realities and the president. It turns out you won’t please...

[:same:]

– Now, thank God, despite neither the political realities nor the president, life is still better than in the Soviet of Deputies. Our country has been lagging behind America and Europe for the entire Soviet era, that is, 75 years. And it will always be like this, especially if the leaders continue to rape the people with propaganda. The USSR collapsed because it was built on lies and terror. The problem is that my compatriots do not like the truth; this is a pure slavish inferiority complex. Our country cannot be destroyed from the outside; it can only be destroyed by the Russians themselves. I believe in reincarnation (transmigration of souls), perestroika happened in 1991, because the number of “reincarnated” victims of the terror of Stalin, Lenin and Trotsky was thousands of times greater than the number of executioners. This proportion, in my opinion, should be repeated in 3-4 years, and everything will stabilize. But this is only possible if Vladimir Putin does not manage to start a third world war. I hope that people will eventually understand that America is not an enemy and, in essence, they don’t care about us. Two long visits to the USA convinced me of this. Russia was remembered there so rarely that they forgot that it even existed. And we are convinced that the whole world only thinks about us, as if they have no other concerns. If they hadn’t interfered with another country, if they hadn’t taken Crimea away, everything would have been fine with us.

– You say that Russia lags far behind the United States in development, but you had the opportunity to stay and live in a developed country, why then did you come back?

[:rsame:]

– My task, like, I think, many other Russians, is not to live where it is good, but to make sure that it is comfortable in our homeland. In 1989, at 50 years old, I was released into a free country for the first time. If this had been in Soviet times, of course, I would have stayed there; I didn’t want to live in a general regime camp. But now everything has changed, I can go anywhere, but those who didn’t let me out are forced to face sanctions. But did anyone think 30 years ago that this was possible?

On April 21, 1968, Lev Prygunov wrote in his diary: “I consider myself a professional actor and do not pretend to greater art. I’m not at all afraid of acting in bad films, because I don’t see much difference between the bad ones and those that are favorably treated by our press.”

Lev Prygunov with his wife Olga / personal archive of Lev Prygunov

– Many of your colleagues do not act in modern cinema, considering it an unworthy alternative to Soviet cinema; they especially like to criticize TV series. How do you feel about this?

- Nonsense! This means they are simply not called... During the period of perestroika, when there was no work in cinema, many actors were fed by serial films. We have one problem in cinema - there are few professional producers who can look 20 years ahead. In general, I am convinced that the time of cinema has passed, now there are many other things to do.

[:same:]

– At the same time, your son Roman is involved in directing and, by the way, directed the famous films “Duhless” and “Duhless-2”. Do you give him advice? How do you evaluate the performance of the main character of these psychological dramas, Danila Kozlovsky?

– I definitely don’t advise Roman how to make a movie, he knows it better than me. He and I agreed that he would film me in episodes. I also played in his debut film “Loneliness of Blood” and in “Indigo”. As for “Duhless”, I like this work of Roman. I consider Kozlovsky to be a brilliant actor; he played the hero perfectly in both films.

– I know that Roman grew up in a boarding school. How did this happen?

– Roman’s mother died in a car accident in 1977 in Riga, she was left alone with her son, there was no other way out. Honestly, I still see Ella in my son... It’s very difficult for me to remember those events, understand.

After the death of his beloved woman, Lev Georgievich could not come to his senses for a long time, but there was no time for depression. It was necessary to raise my son to his feet.

Lev Prygunov in the film “The Heart of Bonivur” (1969) / Freeze frame

– For the first two years, my mother helped me, as long as she had the strength to do so. At that time I had a lot of filming, work in the theater, I was constantly on the road, so I had to send Roman to a Moscow boarding school. Whenever I had the opportunity, I took him home for the weekend. Sometimes I flew to Moscow specifically from filming for two days to see my son. Roma lived in a boarding school for three years (according to the rules of the institution at that time, they were only there until the 9th grade. - Author) with the children of actresses Sasha Nazarova, Tanya Samoilova, Larisa Luzhina. Yes, perhaps it was hard for him, but it was there that he learned independence and got used to being responsible for his actions. I am very pleased that he did not notice what I did for him, he thought that he did everything himself.

Six years after the tragic death of his first wife Ella, Lev Georgievich fell in love with Olga, who is 16 years younger than the actor.

[:same:]

– Did you immediately agree to go down the aisle?

- What do you! She was afraid of me for a long time (in those years, Prygunov was already starring not only in Soviet, but also in foreign films. - Author). I talked her into three films; Olga was working as an assistant director at Mosfilm at that time. Finally she gave in. The wedding took place quietly and calmly in Moscow. Many people weren’t invited; you know, I can’t stand pompous celebrations. Now Olya is my everything: advisor, friend, beloved! A very smart woman, I was lucky to have her. Olga is talented, she could make a wonderful artist.

– On April 23 you turn 76 years old. Despite the scary numbers, you are in great shape. What is the key to this?

– I have been practicing Chinese gymnastics “Tai Ji Chuan” for 38 years. Several times a week, for 15 minutes a day, I do special exercises and read a lot of literature on Eastern philosophy. For example, if a person hears interruptions in the functioning of the heart, this means that he is doing something wrong in life and the body is trying to warn him that this cannot continue.

Lev Georgievich could not come to the funeral of Brodsky’s friend / personal archive of Lev Prygunov

– Your friend, the disgraced poet Joseph Brodsky, died of a heart attack. Was he doing the wrong thing too?

– We communicated with him intermittently for 30 years, I always sincerely admired his work. Joseph smoked a lot even after suffering two heart attacks. The third one turned out to be the last... If not for cigarettes, he would definitely have lived another 10 years. I suggested to him many times that he turn to the Chinese, they literally eliminate addiction to nicotine in just two acupuncture sessions. He waved me off, I showed him the exercises that I do myself, he just laughed. It seems to me that for the most part Brodsky was killed by poetry. They take a lot of subtle energy, which is vital for the functioning of the heart. Plus terrible insomnia. No poet knows what poetry is and how it comes to him. So recently, having published several poetry books, I gave up this business and began to feel better. It’s better to draw pictures, they feed people with energy. For example, at my exhibition in Lipetsk, old women sat for a long time in the center of the hall and said that they came here for treatment. Valentin Gaft felt this healing energy and immediately bought a painting from me.

Lev Prygunov is not afraid of death, he believes in reincarnation and is convinced that his soul will find life after death. In his poem “Train of Life” he wrote: “There is so much sadness and happiness behind! How to come to terms with such a loss? How to get away from the last misfortune? Deserting into childhood - back? Or is it better - into the womb, like hide and seek? Eh, that's enough! After death, you’ll end up in someone’s womb anyway...”

Artist

In addition to working in cinema and theater, he enjoys painting and writing poetry. He has been painting since 1972. “I studied as a child, took private lessons. Unfortunately, I don’t remember the name of my teacher, this amazing artist. She was with us in Almaty during evacuation. She taught me how to paint a still life, we went to sketches. The next stage was supposed to be drawing the head and figure of a person, but... she left. So I was left “without a head and without a figure.” Then I became friends with artists and studied with one or the other. Now I don’t have teachers, but I have inspirers. One of my favorite contemporary artists is Oleg Tselkov, he is my friend and lives in Paris. He and I have nothing in common in our painting style, but he inspires me with his energy,” says the actor.

Since 1983, his personal exhibitions have been held in Moscow, St. Petersburg, London, his works were exhibited in the Kaluga Regional Art Museum, in the Sergiev Posad Museum-Reserve and other museums and exhibition halls.

From February 1 to March 18, 2020, the Surgut Art Museum presents the author’s exhibition of paintings by Lev Prygunov “Energy Realism”.

About Brodsky

In 1965, in Leningrad, Lev Prygunov met Joseph Brodsky. “By that time I already knew all his poems, many by heart, and was in love with Brodsky as a person and a brilliant poet. But he wasn’t his closest friend; he called people like me “sidekicks.” We were good friends. I adored him, and he allowed me to do it. In our small circle everyone considered him great and called him “V.R.” (Great Russian).

In 1972, he emigrated, and we only saw each other in 1989, when I went abroad and lived with him for three days. Those were wonderful days... Brodsky sent me all his autographed books from America. He gave me his Nobel speech - there are only 300 copies, I have the 33rd copy with a gorgeous autograph and with the “stamp” of his beloved cat Mississippi.

Brodsky is the smartest person I have ever met in my life. The Chinese have the concept of a “perfectly wise person,” that is, one who calls things by their proper names. I can call Joseph Brodsky an absolutely wise man,” this is how Lev Georgievich said about the poet Joseph Brodsky in one of his interviews.

Lev Prygunov: biography

Lev Prygunov is a Soviet and Russian actor, artist and poet, People's Artist of the Russian Federation. The actor starred in more than a hundred films, the most famous of which were “Children of Don Quixote.”

", "Tavern on Pyatnitskaya", "I'm going to the storm" and "Battle for Moscow".

Lev was born in Almaty in the family of botanist-naturalist Georgy Prygunov. Mom worked as a teacher of Russian language and literature. When the boy was not yet ten years old, the father of the future actor, who went through the Great Patriotic War, accidentally died while making a solo scientific expedition. This happened in 1949, and since then, raising his son fell on his mother’s shoulders.

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Actor Lev Prygunov

Prygunov grew up withdrawn and quiet. The boy shunned his peers, studied poorly, and did not like to read. Following the example of his father, Lev disappeared in the forests and steppes, studying living nature, as he became interested in botany and ornithology. In memory of his father, Lev even tried to become a biology teacher, for which he entered the biological faculty of the Almaty Pedagogical Institute. But the young man lasted there only for two years.

The fact is that the innate craving for art, which Prygunov suppressed in childhood, began to make itself felt, again in memory of his father-scientist. Realizing that he has his own path, Lev takes the documents from the pedagogical institute and goes to Leningrad, where on the first try he enters the Institute of Theater, Music and Cinematography on the course of Tatyana Georgievna Soynikova.

Lev Prygunov in his youth

After university, Lev Prygunov performed on the stages of the Central Children's Theater in Moscow, the Konstantin Stanislavsky Drama Theater, the Film Actor Studio Theater, and then began to play in enterprise performances.

Personal life

Lev Prygunov was married twice. The first wife is Ella. They got married in the mid-1960s. The couple had a son, Roman, now a famous film director. The wife died tragically in a car accident. The son was raised in a boarding school along with the children of other film and theater workers.

Second wife - Olga. I met her six years after Ella’s death. She is 16 years younger than him. They have been together since 1983. “Thank God, I met my beloved wife Olga in time. I don’t want to say anything at all about family and personal life. I have a wonderful personal life. The son from his first wife works in cinema, he is a director. We are good friends,” admitted Lev Prygunov.

Filmography: Actor

• Godunov (2018), TV series
• Dead Lake (2018)
• Londongrad. Know ours! (2015), TV series
• Spiritless-2 (2015)
• World War III (2013)
• Pure Victory (2012)
• Marines (2011), TV series
• Moskva.Ru (2010)
• Bachelorette Party (2010), TV series
• Landing (2009), TV series
• The Pirate and the Pirate Woman (2009), TV series
• Forbidden Reality (2009)
• Precinct (2009), TV series
• House on Ozernaya (2009)
• Smersh XXI (2009)
• Street Racers (2008)
• Weapons (2008)
• Indigo (2008)
• Why did you leave (2008)
• Still I Love (2008), TV series
• Gromov. House of Hope (2008), TV series
• Carom (2006), TV series
• Shift (2006)
• All inclusive (2006), TV series
• Thank you for everything-2 (2006), TV series
• Confrontation (2006)
• 9 months (2006), TV series
• Officers (2006), TV series
• Under the Shower of Bullets (2006), TV series
• Thank you for everything (2005), TV series
• Saga of the ancient Bulgars. The Tale of Olga the Saint (2005)
• KGB in a tuxedo (2005)
• Archangel (Archangel) (2005)
• Brezhnev (2005), TV series
• Blind (2004), TV series
• Detectives-3 (2004)
• Spy games. Illegal (2004)
• Return of the Titanic 2 (2004), TV series
• Lost the Sun (2004)
• Against the Tide (2004)
• In June '41 (Rose's Song) (2004)
• Joker (2004)
• The Motherland is Waiting (2003), TV series
• Lethal force-5 (2003)
• Operational Alias ​​(2003), TV series
• Drongo (2002), TV series
• Loneliness of Blood (2002)
• Cage (2001)
• We must live again (2001)
• Saint (1997)
• Black Ocean (1997)
• Midnight in St. Petersburg (1996)
• Devil's Symphony (1994)
• Fall (1993)
• Stalin (1992)
• Called the Beast (1991)
• Exodus (1990)
• Crime Quartet (1989)
• Native Shores (1989)
• Pursuit (1988)
• Garden of Desires (1987)
• Defeat (1987)
• Battle for Moscow (1985)
• Painting (1985)
• Shining World (1984)
• Charlotte's Necklace (1984)
• Auction (1983)
• I love. I am waiting. Lena (1983)
• Leave a Trace (1983)
• For No Apparent Reason (1982)
• Against the Tide (1981)
• Honest, Smart, Single (1981)
• Shot in the Back (1980)
• Dangerous Friends (1980)
• Look for the Wind (1978)
• Tavern on Pyatnitskaya (1977)
• Born of a Revolution (1974)
• Do You Remember Sometimes (1977)
• Smile, my age! (1977)
• Fatherless (1976)
• The Intern (1976)
• No room for error (1975)
• How the Steel Was Tempered (1975)
• The Lost Expedition (1975)
• Second Wind (1974)
• Singing Four (1973)
• Pyotr Ryabinkin (1972)
• Liberation (1971)
• Bonivour's Heart (1971)
• Between tall loaves (1970)
• The Devil's Dozen (1970)
• Step Off the Roof (1970)
• Search (1968)
• Wedding Bells (1968)
• Three days of Viktor Chernyshev (1968)
• Sasha-Sasha (1966)
• Tunnel (1966)
• Children of Don Quixote (1965)
• Walking into a Storm (1965)
• I'm Twenty Years Old (1965)
• They Went East (1964)
• Morning Trains (1963)
• Shore Leave (1962)