Boris Khmelnitsky - biography, photo, personal life, filmography

Boris Khmelnitsky: biography, childhood

The hero of this article was born in Ussuriysk, this happened in June 1940. Boris Khmelnitsky, whose biography and personal life are discussed in the article, was born into a family that had nothing to do with the world of dramatic art. His father was a state security worker, and his mother took care of the house and children.

The first years of the boy's life were overshadowed by the war. Borya and his sister Louise spent the years of WWII in the taiga with their grandfather. Already as an adult, Khmelnitsky loved to talk about how interesting and exciting life was in nature, far from the rear cities. However, it was then that an event occurred that might not allow Boris to become an actor. The boy was very frightened of the rooster and began to stutter. It was not easy for him to express his thoughts, especially when he was overcome with excitement.

After the end of the war, the family led a nomadic lifestyle for a long time. Father Khmelnitsky was transferred from city to city, he took his family with him. Borya began dreaming about acting as a child. He tried to participate in amateur performances, but his stuttering hindered him. The parents tried to treat their son, but without much success.

Early years, family

Boris Khmelnitsky was born a year before the start of the war on June 27, 1940 in the Primorsky Territory in a small town that took its name from the Ussuri River.
During Boris's childhood he was called Voroshilov. He was born into a family distantly connected with art, since all the Houses of Officers were in his father’s department. And there were often concerts and recreational evenings. The mother was a simple housewife, as was the case in many families where the man was a military man. In addition to Boris, his parents devoted a lot of time to his sister Louise. From his childhood, Khmelnitsky remembered many garrisons and a music school. It was very difficult for him to communicate, as he had stuttered since childhood.

When Boris was 12 years old, he was sent for treatment to a Kyiv professor. The treatment helped, but sometimes during times of great excitement, the stuttering returned. But despite everything, Khmelnitsky managed to successfully graduate from the music school of the city of Lviv in the accordion class.

All his adult life, Boris aspired to become an actor, he entered the famous VGIK - he failed immediately. But fate once brought the family together with the future celebrity Wolf Messing, who assisted in Boris’s admission to the Shchukin Theater School, which Khmelnitsky graduated from in 1960.

Education

In 1961, Boris Khmelnitsky, whose biography and personal life was not yet of interest to the public, graduated from the Lviv Music School. Then the ambitious young man set off to conquer Moscow. First, the young man attempted to become a student at VGIK. It is known that he dropped out in the first round due to his stuttering.

Wolf Messing was a close friend of the Khmelnitsky family. Boris turned to the famous predictor with a request for help. Messing did not refuse him; with his assistance, the young man entered the Shchukin School.

Biography

Boris Khmelnitsky was born in the city of Voroshilov (in the future - Ussuriysk) in the Primorsky Territory, in the family of a state security worker.

In 1961, Khmelnitsky graduated from the Lvov Music College[3]. Arriving in Moscow, he tried to enter VGIK, but failed in the first round[4]. Thanks to the help of Wolf Messing, with whom the Khmelnitsky family was friends, Boris managed to enter the Shchukin School (since Boris Khmelnitsky stuttered, at the Shchukin Theater School he sometimes even took written exams - he could not speak [5]) [6].

In 1966 he graduated from the Theater School. B.V. Shchukin (course of A.A. Orochko). Already in his third year at the Shchukin School, from 1964, Boris took part in performances at the Moscow Taganka Theater. The first training production was subsequently the legendary performance of the Taganka Theater “The Good Man from Szechwan”. He served in this theater until 1982.[1] For his kindness and responsiveness in the theater they called him Bambi.

In 1999, together with other famous artists, he took part in the project of Viktor Merezhko and composer Evgeniy Bednenko “Theater and Film Stars Sing”, where he successfully performed as a performer of songs. The result of the project were concerts and a music disc “And it snowed in Siberia” (Khmelnitsky recorded it for three years[7]), released in the USA and duplicated by Radio MPS.

After the death of Vladimir Vysotsky, Boris Khmelnitsky became the organizer of annual evenings in his memory and constantly gave concerts. Thanks to his persistence in Moscow, a monument to Vysotsky was erected at the Petrovsky Gate.[1]

Died of prostate cancer[8][9]February 16, 2008 at 10:30. He was buried on February 18, 2008 at the Kuntsevo cemetery in Moscow.[10][11]

Family

He was married to actress Marianna Vertinskaya and lived with her for three years. Married to her in January 1978, a daughter was born, Daria Khmelnitskaya, who later became an actress and then a designer. Khmelnitsky’s second wife was Irina Goncharova, a professional psychologist-consultant, but the marriage with her turned out to be just as fleeting. Boris Alekseevich also has an illegitimate son, Alexey, who graduated from a financial college in London.[1]

Student years

From the biography of Boris Khmelnitsky it follows that stuttering prevented him from studying at the Shchukin School. The young man was even forced to take some exams in writing, as anxiety aggravated the problem. Fortunately, teacher Yuri Lyubimov recognized the guy’s talent. He took Boris under his wing and helped him get rid of his stutter.

While still in his third year, Khmelnitsky began participating in productions of the Taganka Theater. The young man made his debut in the play “The Good Man from Szechwan”. He got a small role, and he coped with it perfectly.

The beginning of an acting career

Daria Khmelnitskaya applied to the Shchukin School after finishing school, which was difficult for her. Her creative biography began quite early. At the age of eleven, the girl personally took part in the filming of the film. It was more of an event in her life. Together with her father, she starred in the film “Studies about Vrubel.” Dasha often recalls this happy episode of her life.

Father taught Daria to love life, because the man himself was cheerful, fiery, and optimistic. She always tried to imitate her father, which is why she wanted, like him, to devote her life to theater and cinema. But it turned out a little differently.

Daria with her parents Boris Khmelnitsky and Marianna Vertinskaya

With her dad, Daria Khmelnitskaya starred in several more films: “Warm Winds of the Ancient Bulgars” (this film was never released) and “Roksolana”.

After graduating from the Shchukin School, Daria took part in productions of the Satire Theater. But she was given only roles in crowd scenes. She hoped to advance her acting career and make positive changes in her life.

But it turned out that it is not so easy to play in the theater, where many people know her parents. And not from the best side. Some turned out to be former lovers of their father or mother. Daria began to take revenge for the mistakes of her parents.

She had to bitterly part with her acting career. However, Daria managed to star in some films. These are: “Roksolana 1”, “Roksolana 2”, “Roksolana 3”, “Code of Honor”. And also in documentaries dedicated to her parents and relatives: “Anastasia Vertinskaya. Running on the waves", "Boris Khmelnitsky. Grow together according to Boris”, “Other shores of Anastasia Vertinskaya”.

Daria Khmelnitskaya acted in theater and cinema

She always speaks very warmly about her father, who left this life so early due to a serious illness. Viewers will learn a lot of new things about their favorite actor from her lips. For example, that Boris wrote songs. He dedicated one of them to his daughter Dasha. Or another interesting and little-known fact - her father stuttered severely since childhood. For this reason, he even had to take some exams at a theater university in writing; the teachers met him halfway. Boris joked that they took him there by miracle, only thanks to the mystical abilities of his friend V. Messing.

Theater

The biography of actor Boris Khmelnitsky indicates that the diploma from the Shchukin School was awarded to him in 1966. Immediately after this, the young man joined the Taganka Theater, with which he began collaborating as a student. Boris served in this theater until 1982. Colleagues dubbed Khmelnitsky Bambi, a nickname he earned for his responsiveness and kindness.

It is difficult to name all the famous productions in which Boris Alekseevich was involved over the years of work in the theater. He played the poet Mayakovsky in the play “Listen!”, embodied the image of Vershinin in “Three Sisters”, and played the role of Woland in “The Master and Margarita”. In “Crime and Punishment” the hero of the actor was Razumikhin, in “Pugachev” - Kryamin, and in “The Life of Galileo” - Galileo Galilei.

Khmelnitsky was prompted to leave the Taganka Theater by resentment. He was a kind and modest person, he never knew how to “get” roles for himself. He was often undeservedly ignored. His wish came as a surprise to everyone. It is interesting that Khmelnitsky managed to remain on good terms with director Yuri Lyubimov and other colleagues.

Interesting Facts

• Boris Khmelnitsky was the only one of all the actors who was a master of sports in billiards. Shortly before his death, he organized a tournament in memory of Vladimir Vysotsky, in which he himself took an honorable second place.
• During the days of the putsch, the State Emergency Committee barricaded himself in the White House along with M. Rostropovich, S. Govorukhin, A. Pashutin and others.[14][15]
• In 1982, Boris Khmelnitsky left the Taganka Theater due to the fact that he was first introduced by Yuri Lyubimov to the play “The Master and Margarita” for the role of Woland, which by that time had been played by Veniamin Smekhov for five years, and then suddenly removed from this role. However, after leaving the theater, Khmelnitsky maintained good relations with Lyubimov and all the actors.[1]
• In 2001 he was awarded the title of "People's Artist of Russia". He is one of the few who received this title, bypassing the “Honored” one. When in 2000, on the 60th anniversary of Boris Khmelnitsky, his colleagues submitted a petition to award the hero of the day the title of “Honored Artist of Russia” and the paper was signed by the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin personally corrected “Honored” to “People’s”.[16]
• In 2008, the actor’s sister Louise Khmelnitskaya, after the death of Boris Alekseevich, released the CD “My Angel...” for his birthday, in which they sing a duet of songs based on her music.[12]

Film debut

The actor's path to fame was quite long. The personal life and biography of Boris Khmelnitsky did not interest the public after the very first film roles he played. For the first time, a graduate of the Shchukin School came to the set in 1966. Boris was playing in the play “Fallen and Living” when director Leonid Oska noticed him. He invited Khmelnitsky to star in the film “Whoever returns will love.”

The war drama takes viewers back to 1941. The young poet, whose image was embodied by Boris, carries the seriously wounded commander from the battlefield. They come under fire from an enemy fighter, killing the commander and wounding the poet. His life depends on whether he is able to reach the partisan detachment. Unfortunately, the film was not particularly successful with viewers.

Personal life of Boris Khmelnitsky

Boris was not married once and for all, such is life. Khmelnitsky's first wife was the beautiful Marianna Vertinskaya. When they divorced, they decided that the daughter Daria, born in marriage, would remain to live with her father. Her grandmother, Boris’s mother, helped raise the girl.

Boris Khmelnitsky’s marriage with his second wife, psychologist Irina Goncharova, did not work out and fell apart very quickly. A son, Alexei, appeared out of wedlock. Now he has already studied in London at a financial college.

First roles

“War and Peace” is the next film in which Boris Khmelnitsky appeared. The actor appeared only in an episode, playing Bezukhov’s father’s assistant. Then he played one of the central roles in the film “Sofya Perovskaya”. The actor's hero was the revolutionary Kibalchich.

Khmelnitsky embodied the image of the key character in the fantasy drama “The Evening on the Eve of Ivan Kupala,” the plot of which was borrowed from the work of N.V. Gogol. The actor played the role of a poor farm laborer, Petro, who falls madly in love with a local beauty. Of course, the object of the hero’s passion does not reciprocate his feelings. In desperation, Petro turns to the witch, who advises him to win love at the cost of someone else's life. The hero is in love so much that he is ready to bring this desperate plan to life. Boris himself loved this role very much and considered it important in his career.

Also, you can’t help but o. In this film, the actor brilliantly played the Italian officer Villieri. The musical drama “Prince Igor” also deserves attention, the plot of which is borrowed from the opera of the same name by Alexander Borodin. In this picture, Khmelnitsky embodied the image of a key character.

Finest hour

“Robin Hood's Arrows” is a film thanks to which the talented actor Boris Khmelnitsky finally acquired star status. Biography, personal life, children, photos - a growing army of fans was interested in everything that had to do with the idol.

The plot of the film is based on several ballads about Robin Hood, a famous character from English medieval legends. The hero and his glorious riflemen kept feudal lords and clergy at bay and persecuted everyone who oppressed the poor. This team always came to the aid of those who became victims of tyranny. Khmelnitsky in this film got the role of the most brave and noble robber.

Film and television projects of the 80s

In the 80s, Boris Khmelnitsky actively starred in films and TV series. A list of film and television projects with him released during this period is given below.

• "Antarctic Tale".
• "At the beginning of glorious deeds."
• "The Youth of Peter".
• "Forest song. Mavka."
• "Black Triangle".
• "The Ballad of the Valiant Knight Ivanhoe."
• “Password “Hotel Regina.”
• "Black arrow".
• "In Search of Captain Grant."
• "The Life and Immortality of Sergei Lazo."
• "Interception."
• “Enter, you who suffer!”
• "Court in Ershovka."
• "Ten Days That Shook the World."
• "Tragedy in rock style."
• "Trains without smiles."
• "The Comedy of Lysistrata."
• "Sketches about Vrubel."
• "Sultan Baybars".
• “I hope without hope.”

The “Youth of Peter” stands out separately. In these films, the actor convincingly played a participant in the Streletsky revolt, the organizer of the assassination attempt on Emperor Peter the Great.

Unrealized dream

Few people know that Khmelnitsky had a chance to become a Hollywood star. American director Kirk Douglas invited him in the early 80s in his film “Cliffhanger”. The actor was promised a fee of a million dollars.

Of course, Khmelnitsky really wanted to accept this tempting offer. Legend has it that he even vowed to donate his entire fee to Goskino if he was allowed to travel to the States. However, Boris was deprived of such an opportunity, which he regretted for the rest of his life.

Difficult 90s

In the nineties, cinema plunged into the abyss of crisis, which negatively affected the fate of many talented actors. Unfortunately, Boris Khmelnitsky was no exception. The biography, personal life, and children of the star no longer aroused such interest among the public as they did in the 80s. Boris Alekseevich was rarely offered interesting roles.

This does not mean that he did not have outstanding works during this period. It was in the 90s that Khmelnitsky managed to demonstrate that negative characters were just as easy for him as positive characters. In 1991, the film “Caravan of Death” was presented to the audience, in which he embodied the image of the leader of a gang of Afghan Mujahideen planning sabotage.

Childhood

Boris Khmelnitsky, whose biography, personal life and roles have always interested his fans, was born in 1940 in the city of Voroshilov (modern Ussuriysk) in the Primorsky Territory. His father was an officer of the Red Army, and his mother was a housewife.

Boris was very friendly with his sister Louise, with whom they were almost the same age. During the Second World War, children were sent to the taiga, where their grandfather lived. Subsequently, they also often visited him. As an adult, Khmelnitsky more than once spoke with admiration about how interesting his and his sister’s life was in nature, far from the rear cities, where the breath of war was felt, although distant, but still. However, it was during this period that an event occurred that could have made the boy’s further acting career impossible. One day, when the children were sleeping, grandfather brought a rooster into the house. At night, a bird fell from the closet onto Borya and frightened him greatly. The child became a stutterer and found it difficult to talk, especially in moments of excitement.

In 1945, the children returned to their parents, and their wandering life began. Boris's father, Alexey Khmelnitsky, was in charge of the Houses of Officers, and he was constantly transferred from city to city, so the children had to travel a lot across the USSR from the Far East to Ukraine.

Love, family

How was the personal life of Boris Khmelnitsky? The handsome actor, of course, had many women. Once he almost married actress Lyudmila Shlyakhtur, who played Natalya in the television project “Shadows Disappear at Noon.” While studying at the Shchukin School, Boris was in love with Alla Demidova. His passion for her forced him to do crazy things that almost led to his expulsion. Khmelnitsky had a short affair with Margarita Terekhova. He became interested in this woman after filming “The Red Tent.”

Khmelnitsky met his first wife, Marianna Vertinskaya, within the walls of the Shchukin School. The young people married for love, but their union did not stand the test of everyday life. Boris's sister later stated that it was Marianna who was the main love of his life. In this marriage, Daria, his daughter, was born. The biography of Boris Khmelnitsky indicates that he insisted that the girl stay after her divorce from him. Marianne did not object. Daria was raised mainly by the actor’s mother and sister, since he himself was constantly missing on set. Boris's daughter also wanted to act in films, but she did not achieve much success in this field, so she switched to design work.

Khmelnitsky's second wife was Irina Goncharova. This woman has nothing to do with the world of cinema and theater; she is a consulting psychologist by profession. This marriage also did not last long. The woman easily managed to find a common language with the actor’s daughter, but Boris did not like her constant attempts to put pressure on him.

Khmelnitsky also has an illegitimate son, who was born to a woman named Irina. The guy's name is Alexey, he was raised by his stepfather. He did not follow in his father's footsteps; he graduated from a financial college in London.

Boris always spoke only positively about his ex-wives and mistresses. He claimed that he was never able to arrange his personal life through his own fault.

Personal life

According to his sister’s recollections, Boris was supposed to go to the registry office for the first time with actress Lyudmila Shlyakhtur, who played the role of Natalya in the TV series “Shadows Disappear at Noon.” However, Khmelnitsky’s 25th birthday became the day of separation. Then he began an affair with Alla Demidova, because of which he was almost kicked out of the school. After filming “The Red Tent,” Boris became interested in Margarita Terekhova, but not for long.

Boris Khmelnitsky and Marianna Vertinskaya

Khmelnitsky studied together with his first wife Marianna Vertinskaya. Alas, very soon the marriage cracked. Three years later, the couple divorced, the actor asked his daughter Dasha to stay with him, Marianne did not object. The girl was raised by her sister Louise and grandmother, since her father disappeared on the set.

Boris tried to find personal happiness with psychologist Irina Gerasimova. The woman found a common language with Daria, but tried to change her husband - she wanted him to stay home in the evenings and stop playing his favorite billiards. Khmelnitsky did not like this pressure. The family lasted less than a year.

Boris Khmelnitsky and his daughter Daria

Now Dasha, having received acting, directing and design education, heads a fund to help animals. The fact that Khmelnitsky is the father of two children is no secret, but why he did not marry the mother of his son Alexei remained unknown. The new lover was also named Irina. The child was raised by his stepfather, rumored to be billionaire Mark Garber.

It was not for nothing that the actor was considered similar to his own characters, noble and honest. Boris considered it an unworthy act for a man to say that he left his wives, and moreover, to turn the private into public.

“I had two wives, and both were wonderful. They abandoned me, and rightly so.”

It seemed to her sister that her brother retained his feelings for Marianna until his last days.

New Age

In the new century, Boris Khmelnitsky did not act as often as he could have. The actor was demanding when choosing projects. He did not like the popularity that the series was rapidly gaining. In multi-part television projects, he agreed to play only episodic roles, and even then only if the director aroused his sympathy.

The talented actor played his last role in the film “Taras Bulba” by Vladimir Bortko. He left this world even before the melodrama was presented to the public.