Biography of Mikhail Kononov
Mikhail Kononov is a famous Soviet and Russian actor. Among the most popular films with his participation are “The Chief of Chukotka” by Vitaly Melnikov, “Andrei Rublev” by Andrei Tarkovsky, “Guest from the Future” by Pavel Arsenov. But, of course, the artist’s “calling card” was and remains the role of Nestor Petrovich from the mini-series “Big Change” directed by Alexei Korenev.
Actor Mikhail Kononov
The childhood of Mikhail Kononov
The artist was born on April 25, 1940 into a simple and poor Moscow family. My parents were poorly educated people and had nothing to do with creativity. His father worked as a doorman at the Beijing Hotel, his mother was a cook. Both of them were known as uncommunicative and reserved people. Little Misha was given a 6-meter room without windows in the apartment. Despite everything, the child grew up cheerful, open and artistic.
Mikhail Kononov in his youth (“First Trolleybus”, 1963)
Mikhail Kononov began to be interested in the craft of acting during his school years. Together with Andrei Smirnov, who later became famous as a director (“Belorussky Station”, “Once Upon a Time There Was a Woman”), he actively participated in any amateur performance that allowed him to go on stage. Friends were always writing scripts for school plays, rehearsing, and performing.
| Mikhail Kononov. |
The famous actor Mikhail KONONOV, who has lived in a small village near Moscow for more than ten years, intends to return back to the capital in the near future.
He says it has become difficult to live in the village, his health is no longer the same. But returning to Moscow does not at all mean returning to cinema and theater. In the capital, Mikhail Ivanovich plans to continue working on his first book, which he wrote all these years in the village. In it, the actor will talk about the directors with whom he acted, about his partners in cinema and theater, enemies and friends, betrayal and friendship... The Butyrka farm, where the actor and his wife have lived for ten years, is hard to call “the wilderness.” This is really a village - there are only twenty houses here. True, it’s not easy to find a village - even on the map of the Istrinsky district there is no settlement with that name. Moreover, the only sign at the turn to Butyrsky Farm was broken.
– We have been looking for this place for a long time. We purposefully drove around the Moscow region in a car and watched,” says Mikhail Ivanovich. – And when Natalya (wife – editor’s note) saw the view from the window here, she said: “Swiss roller coaster!” There weren’t so many houses here then, but they were built later. There were cows grazing on the lawn - idyllic! And a separate place...
Mikhail Ivanovich's house (red brick, black roof) is no different from the same red brick neighbors. But this is the only house on the farm that has a number - 21. Yes, perhaps another difference is the purebred dog - the bull terrier Frosya.
The owner of the house meets us on the porch. He leads me into a small living room. It’s very cozy at home – the bubbly canary in a cage on the windowsill doesn’t stop talking for a minute. There is a fireplace in the small living room. But you can’t drown it - the birds have built a nest at the top.
Mikhail Ivanovich doesn’t have a car, he travels by train. They recognize him, although he has not acted in film for more than ten years. Now the actor spends the lion's share of his time working on his book. There will be many famous names in it. In film circles, Kononov is known as a straightforward person, but the actor claims that his book will not be harsh, since he acted “with talented or very talented directors, and was lucky with talent in the theater.”
About colleagues and friends
In my book I write about those people who remained wholesome individuals, for example, Efros, a brilliant director. An integral nature means that a person does not betray himself, his credo. It was very difficult to remain a whole person at any time.
It so happened that I always met people of great moral order. I was friends with many, for example, with Oleg Dahl we were close almost until his very end. But I don’t write about him very well - I have my own opinion about him, which differs from what exists. At one time there was such a wave - “people of the lost generation”. And so Oleg convinced himself that he was that very man of the lost generation. That's why he was in love with Lermontov, that's why he broke down so abruptly - he goes through life, goes, and then gurgles! Something, of course, suddenly appeared in him, but not completely, unfortunately. Oleg did not find himself, and therefore did not realize himself, he drank himself away... Cinema was not Oleg’s business.
Or the brilliant actor Yuri Bogatyrev. We met and became friends with him just a couple of months before his death. He was a good person and a magnificent actor, with such nuances, with such guts... Like Tolik Solonitsyn, Vlad Dvorzhetsky. We didn't appreciate wonderful actors. Vlad Dvorzhetsky, while starring in Captain Nemo, was forced to put on dark glasses, go to the station and earn extra money as a private driver. A most beautiful person - in the West there would be no price for him.
Actors are selfish by nature, and in this regard, I do not like this profession. Many people are forgotten. They forgot Nina Sazonova, they forgot Anastasia Georgievskaya - the dog had already half eaten her. Mikhail Kozakov correctly said that works in cinema and theater are drawings in the sand. A new generation appears, the old is forgotten... Who knows Dina Durbin now?
About cinema
No good director has ever touched me. Because there are professional things that an actor has no right to avoid; he must break the director, as I, for example, broke in “The Big Break.” I'm a very harsh person. I can tell anyone my opinion.
I always played how I felt. After all, creativity sits inside a person, and the actor involuntarily expresses those thoughts, those feelings that he professes. Real art is confession. Not a single movie hero of mine is like me. In the theater I always played some kind of hooligans, and Italians - that’s closer to me.
“Big Change” is a film for the people, for the mass audience. “There is no ford in fire”, “Andrei Rublev” is more valuable to me...
About career
My whole life in cinema has been very good and smooth – like a thread. I have always acted with the directors I dreamed of acting with. Materialization of thoughts, yes... I write about this too. I saw Kalik’s film “Man Follows the Sun” and thought: “Lord, what a good director! How can I get a picture of him?” And then they tell me that Kalik selected me based on a photograph for the film “Goodbye, boys!” Then I saw “Ivan’s Childhood” and thought again: “Lord, if only I could act in Tarkovsky’s film, and I won’t need anything else!” And they literally immediately called me to Mosfilm, and again they approved me based on a photo test.
In 1994, I promised myself that I would not act in film! And how it was cut off. True, of the latest films I really liked “Brother”, because the hero of the film is not a traitor. But “Brigade” is horror and falsehood, just like “August 44th”. Cinema must necessarily educate people.
I really like everything Nikita Mikhalkov does. And I like him himself. I was horrified when I read the nasty things that were written about him. I filmed with him and saw how he worked - like an ox! He sleeps 4–5 hours a day. He has been gathering his team around him for 15 years, and now he is filming advertisements for foreigners in order to feed TriTe, so that his workers will be with him. The team idolizes him.
There were many good actors and there are still many. But they don’t open them, they are fixated on the “three em” - Menshikov, Mironov and Mashkov. Of course they are good. But they appear in too many films and thereby spoil themselves. I recently watched The Idiot. In some places Mironov is magnificent, but in others he is a failure. The hero walks along one line, then suddenly turns sour.
Of the young actors, I always liked Pevtsov - he is a great actor, everything he does with Mark Zakharov is wonderful. But what he’s been doing lately on screen with his wife is not good.
About life
We are moving to Moscow soon. The area has already been chosen. Natasha cries every day - she doesn’t want to. We're used to it. After all, we grow grapes here, we gave buckets of tomatoes to neighbors, cabbage, pumpkins—it’s quite possible to live on this. But it’s already become difficult; I can’t work on the site. I feel sorry for Frosya - she is used to running along the street here. It’s unclear how people will walk there. For her sake, we chose the area so that there would be a larger park. And if they invite me to the cinema, I won’t go. I don’t want to act anymore, I won’t.
First steps in the profession
After graduating from school, Mikhail Kononov entered the theater school named after M. S. Shchepkin, where the newly minted student was immediately recognized as a genius. The actor shone even against the background of such talented fellow students as Viktor Pavlov, Vitaly Solomin and Oleg Dal. But due to his hot temper, the actor was unable to make friends in Sliver. The only exception was Dahl, who had the same stubbornness and desire to cut the truth from the shoulder. “Two boots are a pair,” fellow students called their friends.
The first role of Mikhail Kononov (“Our Mutual Friend”, 1961)
Kononov first tried his hand at “big” cinema while still studying (the role of Vitya in Ivan Pyryev’s film “Our Mutual Friend”). From that time on, the role of a tragicomic hero was assigned to him - good-natured, simple-minded, clumsy, but very charming. After graduating from college, the artist worked for a short time in the Maly Theater troupe, but soon left it due to conflicts with management and the desire to connect his career exclusively with cinema.
Still from the film “Chief of Chukotka”
The first serious recognition and one of the most important and worthy of his works, in the actor’s opinion, was the role of Thomas in Tarkovsky’s historical drama “Andrei Rublev” (1966). Next year - success again, already in Vitaly Melnikov’s film “Chief of Chukotka”.
Carier start
After finishing school and receiving a diploma, the young man went to enroll in a theater university; he chose the school named after M. S. Shchepkin.
He successfully passed the exams and was successfully enrolled as a student. Already in the first year, teachers noticed a talented young man; he stood out from his classmates, although no less famous future artists studied with him in the group:
- Oleg Dal;
- Vitaly Solomatin;
- Victor Pavlov.
True, he did not have friendly relations with them; he was unable to make friends due to his complex character. The only person with whom Mikhail communicated was Dal, who was also stubborn and straightforward, like Kononov. Behind their backs they were called “Two boots - a pair.”
The first film with the actor was released on television in 1961; Kononov played Viktor Koryagin in the film called “Our Mutual Friend.” It was after this role that the artist became assigned the role of a tragicomic hero with his good-naturedness, simplicity and clumsiness. But his characters had a lot of charm.
During the same period, Mikhail collaborated with the Maly Theater. True, the artist appeared in only one production, it was called “Christmas in the House of Signor Cupiello.” Due to disagreements with the director, the actor was forced to leave. However, he himself did not want to stay, since he was no longer approved for roles in new performances.
After this, Kononov became an actor at the Maxim Gorky film studio. Since 1968, his career has taken off sharply. The country's best directors wanted to work with him, despite the fact that he had an unbearable character, but Mikhail's talent covered all his shortcomings.
Public favorite Nestor Petrovich
After two successful premieres at once, job offers increased significantly. But real, national fame fell on Mikhail Kononov after the release of the 4-episode film “Big Change” by Alexei Korenev.
Star role of Mikhail Kononov
The actor himself did not like this picture and until the end of his days he was irritated at the slightest mention of the film. From the very beginning, he categorically did not like the script, but after much persuasion from Korenev, he finally gave in and accepted the invitation to play the role of the main character.
“Big Change”: Mikhail Kononov as Nestor Petrovich
As he later admitted, out of the sole desire to work on the same set with true stage geniuses. Evgeny Leonov, Rolan Bykov, Svetlana Kryuchkova, Alexander Zbruev, Yuri Kuzmenkov, Saveliy Kramarov, Natalya Gvozdikova... The list of masters of their time who took part in the “Big Change” can be continued for a long time. In his memoirs, Kononov wrote that the film brought together 4 generations of talented artists, and “any nonsense in their performance looked sweet and charming, and most importantly, sincere.” Waltz from the film “Big Change”. In memory of Nestor Petrovich Despite the fact that the artist was burdened by filming, as a professional he again rose to the occasion: the story about the class teacher of an evening school and his students remains a favorite picture of millions of Russian viewers to this day.
Movies
He appeared on the stage of the Kononov Theater for 5 years. But the actor felt more comfortable on the set. And the demand for Mikhail Ivanovich in cinema was enormous. After his debut role in Ivan Pyryev’s film “Our Mutual Friend,” played by the young artist during his student years, offers followed one after another.
Mikhail Kononov in the film “Our Mutual Friend”
Mikhail Kononov's appearance often dictated his roles. He was offered to play ingenuous, simple and bright-hearted heroes. Vitka in the melodrama “Our Mutual Friend”, Kolka in the lyrical film “The First Trolleybus”, Alyosha Semyonov in the military drama “There is No Ford in Fire”, Lieutenant Maleshkin in the military comedy “In War as in War”. All these images, although different, were still connected by one role. There was a tragicomic quality to everyone, laughter through tears.
Mikhail Kononov in the film “In War as in War”
Mikhail Kononov was doomed to play tragicomic images all his life. Only small exceptions occasionally disrupted this order of things. For example, in Andrei Tarkovsky’s drama “Andrei Rublev” Kononov played the monk Thomas. This supporting role later turned out to be one of the actor’s favorite roles. It was this work that he was proud of, although it was not Foma, but other film images that glorified the artist.
Mikhail Kononov in the film “Andrei Rublev”
The tragicomedy “Chief of Chukotka” brought tangible fame to Mikhail Kononov. Here the audience saw a magnificent duet of two artists - Kononov and Alexei Gribov. But national fame fell on the actor after the release of “Big Change.” This cheerful comedy, which brings together the best of Russian cinema, is still loved by millions of television viewers today. But when it first appeared on the screens, it had the effect of a bomb exploding. The audience adored Nestor Petrovich and all his students.
Mikhail Kononov in the film “Big Change”
Oddly enough, Mikhail Kononov himself did not like his star roles. He remembered the “Big Change” and the “Chief of Chukotka” with reluctance.
In the early 1980s, the actor first tried his hand at children's films. The films with his participation “Guest from the Future”, “The Rings of Almanzor” and “Finist - Clear Falcon” appealed to more than one generation of children. Despite the fact that Kononov’s heroes were written in the script as supporting characters, thanks to the talent of Mikhail Ivanovich they became quite equal in rights with the main characters of the films.
Mikhail Kononov in the film “Finist – Clear Falcon”
But in the late 1980s, the world of cinema began to change rapidly. And these changes were not to the artist’s liking. Mikhail Kononov said that he was brought up in a different value system and belongs to that generation of the acting class that cannot afford to act in low-grade projects for the sake of money. Therefore, Kononov refused many of the proposed roles. This could not but affect his financial situation. The actor sold his apartment in the capital and built a small house in the village of Butyrki near Moscow.
During this period, the actor’s friends and relatives recall that he was very proud of his achievements in the household. He enjoyed working in the garden, growing a wonderful crop of cabbage and watermelons. Grapes grew near the house. Kononov raised a pig and dreamed of digging a pond.
Mikhail Kononov in the film “Guest from the Future”
But he couldn’t boast of working in cinema. He refused the offered roles, not agreeing to them for any money. After reading the next script, he openly called the proposed role anti-art and anti-aesthetics.
Kononov said that he was ashamed to act in such “nonsense” in front of his dead comrades. As you know, Oleg Dal, Viktor Pavlov and Vitaly Solomin were classmates of Mikhail Ivanovich at Shchuk. Therefore, in recent years, Mikhail Kononov has appeared in only a few films. Viewers saw their favorite artist in the films “Balshazzar’s Feasts, or a Night with Stalin,” “Ryaba the Hen,” and “In the First Circle.” In the last film, the actor acted while overcoming illness.
Mikhail Kononov's relationship with his mother
Among filmmakers, Mikhail Kononov was known as a difficult and even harsh person. Mikhail’s friend, actress Inna Churikova, recalled that he could approach an unfamiliar actor and call him to his face mediocrity. First of all, the relationship with his mother played a role in the development of his character, which was so incompatible with the sweet, kind and naive film images.
Still from the film “Hello and Goodbye” (1972)
The actor not only loved this woman, but fanatically adored her, literally idolized her. After her father's early death, he felt responsible for her well-being. However, Kononov’s mother was a cold, closed person and often responded to her son’s care only with irritation.
Mikhail Kononov – clerk Yashka (“Finist – Clear Falcon”, 1975)
She didn't like Mikhail's wife either. Accusing her son of a complete lack of taste, the mother announced a boycott of the young people living in the same apartment with her. However, in the cold war she unleashed, the woman herself put an end to it.
On the 30th birthday of Mikhail, who at that time was already a star of Soviet cinema, his mother gave her son a terrible “gift”. The woman pointedly did not come to the festive table. The son decided to take her some holiday treats as a sign of reconciliation. Entering the room, he dropped the tray from his hands: a cooling body lay behind the door. As it turned out, on Mikhail’s birthday, his mother drank poison for cockroaches. This event traumatized Kononov forever. He reproached himself (“I didn’t understand, I didn’t notice!”), then she, calling his mother a “vile traitor.”
Personal life of Mikhail Kononov
The tragic death of his mother had a particularly difficult impact on Kononov’s relationship with his own wife Natalya, who had previously had a hard time paired with the withdrawn and irritable actor.
The couple, who had lived together for almost 40 years, met at a party in 1969. Mikhail was immediately captivated by the blond beauty, who was 9 years younger than him. At that time, Natalya was successfully working at a radio station, was seriously involved in skiing and was trying to build a career as a fashion model. The lovers quickly got married.
Mikhail Kononov with his wife Natalya
His mother's funeral radically changed the actor's world. And he, in turn, changed his attitude towards Natalya. He became rude and tyrannical. He strictly forbade his wife from filming, then skiing, and then meeting with friends. To save her family, she gave up all her hobbies and devoted herself entirely to her husband.
In the name of the peace of her beloved husband, Natalya also abandoned motherhood. She always received a harsh refusal when she made timid attempts to start a conversation about children. In one of the interviews, Natalya admitted that the actor never wanted “competition” in the person of the baby. Mikhail Kononov never had children.
Mikhail Kononov in the film “While the Clock Strikes” (1976)
Natalya also forgave numerous infidelities. Despite his only marriage, the actor has always been popular with women. “I can make anyone fall in love with me!” he wrote in his memoirs.
In the 90s, Mikhail Kononov almost did not act in films.
Mikhail Kononov had a particularly vivid and long-lasting romance in his declining years. At the age of 54, he met the unknown aspiring actress Rita, who at that time was barely 18.
The last love of Mikhail Kononov - Rita
The actor actively brought his young companion into the world, presenting her as either a niece or a daughter. He paid for her education, helped with her career and housing. The romance ended badly: the girl tried to take possession of the couple’s Moscow apartment by deception. Natalya saved the situation by noticing the forgery and suing Rita. She forgave Mikhail, as usual.
Personal life and family of the actor
The meeting with his future wife took place in 1969; Natalya Pavlovna was 9 years younger than her husband. At that time, the girl worked at a radio station and was also a professional skier. The young lady also liked the handsome and handsome guy; his height in his youth was 175 cm.
They did not meet for a long time, the artist quickly proposed, and she agreed. In the same year they got married.
After his mother’s suicide, Kononov became a real tyrant, he was constantly angry, rude and irritated by every little thing. The woman had a hard time, but still she decided to save the family. In recent years, the wife did not work, she abandoned her hobbies and completely devoted herself to household chores and the interests of her husband.
She fought his depression and cared for him during his illness. They lived together for almost four decades, but, unfortunately, they never became parents; somehow the couple did not succeed with children.
The couple rarely appeared together in public, so it is extremely difficult to find photos with the family; the actor also did not provide home photos, he did not want journalists to pester his loved ones.
But he often appeared in society with a young lady, whom he introduced as either his daughter or his niece. Colleagues knew that he had a warmer relationship with the aspiring actress. But Kononov himself did not comment on his personal life.
The girl turned the people’s artist’s head so much that he left his wife and cohabited with the young lady for some time. True, he soon had to return home; he learned that Rita was trying to fraudulently take away his expensive living space. The police brought the fraudster to light. Natalya Pavlovna forgave her husband and took him back.
Last years and death of Mikhail Kononov
A painful parting with his last hobby turned into terrible stress for Kononov. Life literally went downhill: serious problems with money and health began, and terrible pain appeared. To pay for treatment, I had to sell real estate. Mikhail Kononov. The Chief of Butyrka (documentary film) They weren’t giving me good roles anymore. And the actor refused to appear in low-grade TV series and commercials of the 90s himself. The last joy for Mikhail Kononov was the offer of director Gleb Panfilov to work on the film “In the First Circle” (although filming was already difficult - the pain and weakness did not recede).
The last role of Mikhail Kononov (“In the First Circle”, 2006)
In recent years, the actor and his wife lived in the Moscow region, leading a reclusive lifestyle and saving on literally everything. Kononov devoted a lot of energy to writing his memoirs, but no one was interested in his memories. Illnesses became more and more intense: heart attack, pneumonia, heart failure.
Mikhail Kononov was buried at the Vagankovskoye cemetery.
On July 15, 2007, he was admitted to the intensive care unit in serious condition, where doctors made every effort for a day to save his life. However, this did not bring results, and the actor himself was tired and did not want to fight. On July 16, 2007, at the age of 67, the artist died. Mikhail Kononov. Parting
