Biography
Viewers in the post-Soviet space know actor Oleg Vidov for his role in “Gentlemen of Fortune.” Senior Lieutenant Slavin, who is also a taxi driver, to whom the hero Savely Kramarova (“Squint”) describes a tree and a monument, is remembered by millions.
Actor Oleg Vidov
Oleg Vidov’s cinematic biography has many star projects. The artist starred in the films “The Headless Horseman”, “The Tale of Tsar Saltan” and “The Bat”. But not everyone knows that Vidov, having achieved fame in the Soviet Union, emigrated to the USA and became a Hollywood actor.
The last days of Oleg Vidov
Next to him in the last minutes of his life were his faithful wife and illegitimate son Sergei. Their common son with Natalya Fedotova, Vyacheslav, did not come to his father’s funeral. According to Sergei, he called, expressed condolences, and sent a wreath. But his father once did a lot for him... When Oleg Vidov and Natalya Fedotova divorced, the woman forbade him to see his son. And they began to communicate when Natalya was no longer alive. Vidov invited Vyacheslav to come to America, paid for his studies at the university, wanted to help organize a business, but his son did not want to live in the USA and returned to Russia. Perhaps, deep down in his soul, he was still offended by his father for not keeping in touch with him for a long time, but only he knows this. All friends and relatives unanimously speak about what a decent person Oleg was. He also once brought his illegitimate son Sergei to live with him, did a DNA test that confirmed his paternity, helped him get a good education, bought a house, and participated in business development. And Sergei is very grateful to his father for this. He did not leave his loved one for a minute, spent the night with him in the hospital, since he constantly wanted to run away from there home, and supported him in every possible way. At the request of my father, who apparently missed Russian food, I bought herring and cooked borscht. The family surrounded the patient with care and love. Everyone tried to make him at least a little happier, to distract him from sad thoughts. To brighten up Oleg Borisovich’s last hours, films with his participation were included: “The Tale of Tsar Saltan”, “The Headless Horseman”, “The Bat”, “Gentlemen of Fortune”. The actor’s wife read him his favorite Hemingway work, “The Old Man and the Sea.” Having finished the chapter where the old man releases the fish into the sea, Joan closed the book and promised to continue reading tomorrow. A few minutes later the actor was gone. Oleg Vidov was buried in the most expensive cemetery in California, where one place costs more than 2 million dollars. Colleagues-emigrants came to see him off on his last journey and say his last “sorry”: Milla Jovovich’s mother Galina Loginova, Savelia Kramarova’s widow Natalya Siradze.
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Childhood and youth
Oleg Borisovich Vidov was born in June 1943 in the working-class village of Vidnoye (today Vidnoye is a satellite city of Moscow), into an intelligent family where there were no artists or people of other creative professions. Mother Varvara Ivanovna Vidova worked as a teacher and soon became a school director, father Boris Nikolaevich Garnevich is a financier.
Oleg Vidov in his youth
Oleg Vidov's childhood years were spent moving around the cities of the Soviet Union, Mongolia and Germany. The future screen star graduated from the school for working youth at the age of 14.
It is not known whether Oleg Vidov dreamed of becoming an actor in his childhood and youth, but after school he went to work as an electrician. In this capacity, he arrived in Ostankino and, seeing the world of television and cinema, “disappeared.” At the age of 17, Vidov saw himself on the screen: the 17-year-old boy made his debut in an episode of the film “My Friend, Kolka!”
Oleg Vidov in his youth
In January 1962, 19-year-old Oleg Vidov went to the All-Union State Institute of Cinematography. I entered the acting department the first time and took the course of Yakov Segel and Yuri Pobedonostsev.
Movies
The cinematic biography of Oleg Vidov, which began in 1960, continued during his student years. The young man was invited to play supporting roles in the feature films “If You’re Wrong,” “On Duty,” and “I’m Walking Around Moscow.”
It’s unlikely that anyone will remember the artist in the lyrical comedy by Georgy Danelia: the role of Oleg Vidov is designated as “a boy on a bicycle.” But the aspiring artist was lucky to work under the supervision of a famous director, together with beginners Nikita Mikhalkov and Galina Polskikh. The famous Rolan Bykov and Vladimir Basov also starred in “I Walk Through Moscow.” It was there that Basov noticed the actor, inviting him to his film “Blizzard”.
Oleg Vidov in the film "Blizzard"
The film, based on the work of the same name by Alexander Pushkin, was released in 1964. Oleg Vidov appeared on the screens in the title role - warrant officer Vladimir.
In the same year, Oleg Vidov starred in the first film adaptation of Evgeniy Schwartz’s play “An Ordinary Miracle.” Oleg Borisovich is the first performer of the role of the Bear. The film was directed by Erast Garin, who also played the King. Filming took place at the Vorontsov Palace in Alupka.
And in 1966, Oleg Vidov played Tsarevich Guidon in “The Tale of Tsar Saltan,” filmed by Alexander Ptushko. The role of the queen went to Larisa Golubkina.
Oleg Vidov in the film “The Tale of Tsar Saltan”
In the same year, having received a diploma from VGIK, the actor played the main role (Prince Hagbard) in the Danish-Icelandic film Red Robe, a cult film for the Scandinavian countries.
Most often, directors, when offering roles to Oleg Vidov, proceeded from the artist’s bright appearance: Oleg Borisovich was “stuck” with the role of a noble handsome man, a positive hero with an honest look and a pure soul. These are the roles in the Yugoslav-American film “The Battle of Neretva”, in the dramas “Mission in Kabul” and “Waterloo” by Sergei Bondarchuk, in the historical film “The Lion’s Grave”, where Oleg Vidov played the main character - the blacksmith Mashek. The film is based on the work of the same name by Yanka Kupala, and the roles in it went to Igor Yasulovich, Maris Liepa and Nina Urgant.
Oleg Vidov in the film "Waterloo"
Fame fell on the artist in 1971 with the release of the cult comedy “Gentlemen of Fortune.” Oleg Vidov woke up famous throughout the country, and Danelia’s creation entered the golden fund of Soviet cinema.
Other film projects in which Oleg Vidov starred in the 70s did not receive such great success. But among them we can highlight the films “Moscow, My Love” (Volodya), “Trans-Siberian Express” (Andrey) and the film-musical “The Bat” (Alfred). The image of Maurice Gerald in The Headless Horseman, filmed by Lenfilm in Cuba, stands out: the role turned Oleg Vidov into a sex symbol of the 70s.
Oleg Vidov in the film “The Headless Horseman”
In the early 1980s, Oleg Vidov starred in the Soviet two-part comedy-musical melodrama “Pious Martha” by Jan Fried and in the historical saga “The Demidovs”. In the film directed by Yaropolk Lapshin about the dynasty of the first Russian industrialists from the time of Peter the Great, Vidov got the image of Nefedov.
This was the end of the artist’s Soviet filmography: in 1985, Oleg Vidov emigrated to America. Before that, he starred in several Yugoslav films.
In 1988, Oleg Vidov got into the Hollywood project “Red Heat”, in which Arnold Schwarzenegger and James Belushi shone. A native of Russia got the image of the Soviet policeman Yuri Ogarkov.
The following year, Vidov was offered a role in another sensational Hollywood project - Zalman King's erotic melodrama "Wild Orchid": the actor played Otto. For Vidov, filming almost ended in tragedy. He went to filming with Mickey Rourke. Rourke failed to keep the motorcycle on the turn, and Oleg Vidov was injured: he was diagnosed with a benign tumor on the pituitary gland. After the operation, the artist felt better, but his health was compromised. The actor said that he had lost the former energy and pressure with which he had previously worked.
Oleg Vidov in the film “Wild Orchid”
In the 1990s, Oleg Vidov starred in several films. In the drama “Three August Days” - a joint project between the USA and Russia - he starred together with Galina Polskikh, Alexander Belyavsky, Alexander Mikhailov and Russian emigrants. Vidov got the role of General Vlasov.
In 1993, the premiere of Barry Samson's thriller "The Ice Runner" took place. Russian (Olga Kabo, Alexander Kuznetsov) and American actors met on the set of the project.
Oleg Vidov in the film “Ice Runner”
Vidov’s other notable projects include the American films “Captive of Time,” “Love Story” and “My Antonia.”
In the 2000s, Oleg Vidov appeared in six films. In the 2000s, he starred in the role of USSR Ambassador Valerian Zorin in the American historical drama “Thirteen Days” about the Cuban Missile Crisis, which was based on the book of the same name by Robert Kennedy.
Oleg Vidov in the film “The Enchanted Site”
In 2006, Vidov visited Russia, starring in a small role (Fraser) in the comedy series by Alexander Baranov “The Enchanted Site”.
The latest work of Oleg Borisovich Vidov is a role in the Canadian thriller “6 Days of Darkness”. As often happened in the American life of the artist, he got the role of a Russian named Sergei Nikolaevich.
Hooray, cinema!
1960 was the starting year in Oleg Vidov’s career: he starred in a small role in the feature film “My Friend, Kolka!”, however, the episode with his participation was cut out during editing. But if this upset the aspiring artist, it was not to such an extent that he forgot about his dream. After just two years, he submits documents to VGIK and easily gets in. Of course: the selection committee immediately noted the handsome handsome man with blue eyes. Actor Oleg Vidov, whose biography developed in the most successful way, was simply inundated with offers from directors. Despite the fact that in those days students were prohibited from acting in films, Oleg managed to take part in the filming of eight films! His most striking works are the role of Vladimir in the film “Blizzard”, Bear in “An Ordinary Miracle”, Prince Guidon in “The Tale of Tsar Saltan”, and what directors, all masters of the highest class: Basov, Ptushko, Garin! After graduating from VGIK, Oleg Vidov was taken into the troupe of the Film Actor Theater Studio, and who would have thought, to play the main role of Prince Hagbard in the cult film “The Red Robe”. It was a happy year for the actor in 1966, in which the actor, by the way, got married. Veljko Bulajić’s film “The Battle of Neretva” is another lucky ticket for Oleg Vidov. Then there are other Yugoslav paintings. 1970 is marked by the fact that Sergei Bondarchuk himself invites him to his historical drama “Waterloo”. It was a joint Soviet-Italian project. Young artists could only dream of such a career! In the same year, Oleg Vidov, whose biography and personal life are inseparable, again goes to the registry office. This time he ties the knot with Natalya Fedotova, a close friend of Galina Brezhneva herself. The girl’s parents are against this marriage, as they believe that Vidov is pursuing mercantile interests. Of course: an apartment on Kotelnicheskaya Embankment, connections, money, but, as the actor’s friends say, he loved his wife very much. However, constant scandals and disagreements took their toll, and soon the newlyweds separated. By that time, their son Vyacheslav was already growing up, who remained with his mother. Natalya was a domineering woman, and therefore she forbids Oleg to see his son.
In 1971, Oleg Vidov, whose biography alternates between disappointment and happy moments, starred in “Gentlemen of Fortune” directed by Alexander Sery.
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This cult comedy, which became the leader in the Soviet box office, was watched by over 65 million viewers in 1972. Many of the phrases of the comedy heroes literally spread among the people and became popular. Vidov has a very tiny role in the film, an episode, but he played a taxi driver so convincingly that he was forever remembered by the audience. Two years later they shoot the film “The Headless Horseman”, where Vidov is offered the main role. Soviet boys did not leave the cinemas and played “horseman”. Then there are such films as “The Legend of Tila”, “Trans-Siberian Express”, “Pious Martha”. All these films were included in the treasury of Soviet cinema. After graduating from the VGIK directing department, Vidov made the short film “Moving” based on his own script. In this film, the now popular actress Irina Muravyova played her first role, but, unfortunately, the film has not survived. Therefore, unfortunately, it is impossible to watch Vidov’s directorial debut and Muravyova’s acting debut.
Personal life
In the 1960s (other sources call the 70s), the artist married Natalya Fedotova, the daughter of a KGB general. Ill-wishers associate Vidov’s streak of good fortune in his career with this circumstance. In this marriage, the artist had a son, Vyacheslav. Information about the years of life of the spouses also differs: some sources claim that the couple lived for 15 years, others say that no more than 5.
Oleg Vidov and Natalya Fedotova
After a family breakdown, the artist’s career, not without the “help” of his ex-wife, hit a rough patch. He was rarely offered roles. Invitations to film abroad came, but his wife prevented Vidov from going abroad. In 1985, Oleg Borisovich managed to go to Yugoslavia to film. According to rumors, Oleg Vidov asked for political asylum, but was refused. To avoid deportation, the actor secretly crossed the Austrian border and again asked for asylum, now in Europe. His request was granted.
Oleg Vidov with his son Alyosha
In Italy, Oleg Vidov met his future second wife, American journalist Joan Borsten, who became not only his beloved wife, but also a friend. After getting married in 1989, the couple went to the USA, where the couple had a son, Sergei Vidov.
Oleg Vidov with his wife Joan Borsten
At first, the Soviet star had a hard time: Oleg Vidov worked at a construction site and took on any job to feed his family. According to rumors, Savely Kramarov helped him. With his help, Oleg Borisovich got to the Hollywood Hills.
Emigration
Despite the fact that everything is going more or less well in his homeland, in 1983 Oleg emigrated to Yugoslavia, where he married Veritsa Jovanovic. There, too, he does not sit idle: he acts in several films and a couple of television series. Then follows a move to Austria, and after some time to Italy. It was there, in Rome, that he met his fourth and, as it turned out, last wife, American journalist Joan Borstyn. Soon they leave for the USA and legitimize their relationship there. As Vidov himself later explained, he decided to emigrate due to ideological differences with Goskino. In 1990, Oleg Vidov was invited to star in the famous Hollywood blockbuster “Wild Orchid”, and not just anyhow, but in one of the main roles. It would seem that there is nothing else to dream about, but now we can already say that the filming of this particular film became fatal for the actor and radically changed his life forever. While making a sharp turn on a motorcycle, Vidov fell heavily and hurt himself. This fall had its tragic consequences: it turned out that a brain disease that had been developing for a long time became a complication. In one of the Californian clinics, Oleg Vidov underwent several complex operations, after which there was a long period of rehabilitation, but the actor passed all the tests with honor. Then he began to recover and even starred in several American films, such as “Love Story”, “Immortals”, “My Antonia”. He stars alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger, Warren Beatty, and Mickey Rourke. In addition, Vidov becomes a co-founder of the film company Films by Jove, Inc., which receives international rights to distribute animated films from the Soyuzmultfilm studio. However, soon there was no time for that: Vidov’s health again deteriorated sharply, and a medical examination revealed the reason. Still the same old sore, and again a repetition of all the circles of hell: the operating table, the post-rehabilitation period, but this extended Oleg Borisovich’s life by as much as 19 years! A handsome man, the idol of millions of women, he came to Russia many times, missed her and sincerely loved his homeland. And I didn’t consider it necessary to hide it. “I constantly write poems about Russia, and I dream about it. You can scold officials and politicians.
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But what does the country have to do with it? “Thank God, I still have a head on my shoulders,” he said in an interview shortly before his death. He constantly repeated that an actor is nothing without the audience's attention. He truly loved people. And they, it must be said, answered him in the same way. More than 30 years of emigration could not dislodge the actor from the hearts of his fans. Oleg Vidov, whose biography is full of love and joy, disappointment and pain, is still of interest to a huge number of people, which means that the actor is remembered and loved!
Filmography
- 1964 — “Blizzard”
- 1964 — “An Ordinary Miracle”
- 1966 — “The Tale of Tsar Saltan”
- 1967 — “Red Robe”
- 1968 - “Battle of Neretva”
- 1969 — “Waterloo”
- 1970 — “Mission to Kabul”
- 1971 — “Gentlemen of Fortune”
- 1971 - “The Lion's Grave”
- 1973 — “The Headless Horseman”
- 1974 — “Moscow, my love”
- 1977 — “Trans-Siberian Express”
- 1979 — “The Bat”
- 1980 — “Pious Martha”
- 1983 — “The Demidovs”
- 1988 — “Red Heat”
- 1989 — “Wild Orchid”
- 1992 - “Three August Days”
- 2006 — “Enchanted Site”
- 2014 — “6 days of darkness”
