Biography of Gennady Khazanov
Khazanov Gennady Viktorovich was born in Moscow.
Father Lukacher Viktor Grigorievich is a radio communications engineer and sound recording specialist. Khazanov knew nothing about his father for a long time. The artist has two brothers and a sister on his father's side. Khazanova’s mother, Iraida Moiseevna, is an engineer by training, graduated from the Institute of Communications, and worked at the plant named after her for most of her life. Ilyich. Gennady Khazanov adopted the dream of a big stage from his mother, who dreamed of a career as an artist, but Khazanov’s grandmother, a history teacher, insisted that her daughter choose a more “down-to-earth” profession. Despite this, Gennady’s mother played in the folk theater at the Palace of Culture of the plant. Ilyich, her son was her constant viewer and admirer of his mother’s talent, attended performances and rehearsals, and from a young age he was drawn to the performing arts.
Gennady Khazanov in childhood
Apartment in a house on Embankment
Gennady Viktorovich Khazanov was born in Moscow shortly after the end of the Great Patriotic War: December 1, 1945. The boy's childhood was spent in modest surroundings, since he was an illegitimate child and his mother raised him alone.
At the same time, from early childhood, Gena grew up in a theatrical environment: his mother, Iraida Moiseevna Khazanova, although she was an engineer by profession, had a bright talent as an actress. She played in the folk theater of the Palace of Culture of the Ilyich plant and enjoyed great success there.
Gennady also performed on stage from an early age in amateur performances and graduated from music school. He studied at a technical university (MISI named after Kuibyshev), but did not complete his studies.
In 1965, Gennady entered the State School of Circus and Variety Arts (teacher Nadezhda Slonova), and in 1967 he began performing on the big stage.
It is known that the People's Artist of the RSFSR spent his childhood in a communal apartment in Zamoskvorechye (his house was in Koroviy Lanes, the building has now been demolished), and later changed several apartments in Moscow.
In recent years, Gennady Viktorovich, together with his wife Zlata Elbaum (they have been married since 1970, should celebrate their golden wedding in 2020), has been living in the famous Moscow House on the Embankment. The artist considers his wife Zlata to be a guardian angel who was intended for him by higher powers.
In 1974, Gennady and Zlata had a daughter, Alisa, who became their only child, their pride and happiness.
She will fulfill her dad's long-standing dream, graduate from the choreographic school and become a ballerina of the Bolshoi Theater. He himself was once not accepted into this very school, deciding that he was too weak to perform the necessary supports.
The House on the Embankment or Government House is located on Serafimovicha Street, 20. Until 1952, the building was the tallest residential building in Moscow.
Many famous people live here. For example, until recently the famous journalist Sergei Dorenko lived in the House on the Embankment.
The artist’s apartment is furnished in a restrained classical style; you can get acquainted with the living room furnishings by watching the video of the program “Gennady Khazanov. Family album".
The head of the Moscow Variety Theater does not invite photographers or cameramen for detailed interior photography. Even the “Ideal Renovation” program renovated his office, not his apartment or house.
The childhood of parodist Gennady Khazanov
At school, Khazanov was involved in an amateur group, acted as a reader of humorous works and a parodist, copying famous artists and other famous personalities, winning many competitions.
But it wasn’t only famous people who “got it” - peers and teachers often became victims of his parodies, jokes and ridicule; Khazanov spared only the mathematics teacher. Graduated from the music school named after. Stanislavsky, where he studied piano.
While studying in the tenth grade, Gennady Khazanov attended classes at the amateur group MISS and the variety studio at Moscow State University “Our House,” which at that time was led by the famous playwright Mark Rozovsky.
The scene is like a breath of air
The biography of Gennady Khazanov is rich and interesting. During the period of work on the parody genre, he showed many famous and popular personalities at that time. When Khazanov made a parody of Vysotsky, the musician himself did not like it very much.
Despite his good work in the clownery genre, success came to Gennady when he began performing numbers in the conversational genre.
1974 brings the first victory in the All-Union competition. The monologue “Prize”, written by Semyon Altov, helped him in this.
1975 became a memorable year for Khazanov. After central television showed his previously famous monologue as a culinary student, fame and fame fell upon him. When the seventies were just around the corner, Khazanov decided it was time to think about a solo project. He turns to Arkady Khait for advice, and already in 1978 Gennady’s fans see the play “Little Things in Life.” The production featured the brilliant work of the capital's ballet. The work consisted of several monologues and parody performances.
When performing live, artist Gennady Khazanov mostly preferred improvisation, which was basically prohibited. This ultimately became the reason for the ban on performances. But could this hinder the talent of Gennady Khazanov? Of course not. Thanks to the love and gratitude of a large number of spectators, he was invited to concerts and private evenings. There were no posters for these events.
Idol
Gennady Viktorovich himself considers Arkady Isaakovich Raikin to be a role model and the most important performer who influenced the formation of Khazanov as an artist. As a child, Khazanov memorized the texts of his performances, copied movements and intonations. Right down to facial expressions. And during a tour of the theater of miniatures from Leningrad in Moscow, 14-year-old Gennady personally met the master, who invited the young man to attend all his performances in Moscow for free. Thus, young Khazanov received an excellent opportunity to become more familiar with the work of Raikin, who admired him. Jewish Mother - Gennady Khazanov.
Gennady Khazanov forever deleted his brother from his life
The actor forgave his own father long ago // Photo: Instagram
The comedian was born into a family that broke up shortly after his birth. Khazanov’s mother, Iraida Moiseevna, raised the future star of the Russian stage alone. As the actor admitted to Boris Korchevnikov, they had difficulty finding a common language.
“You need to know what a Jewish mother is... She lived a very long, difficult life. I cannot say that we had a cloudless relationship. As a child, I often asked myself the question: “Does she love me? Or does he love himself in me?”
“At different moments it seemed different. She tried as best she could to put her soul into me. But as soon as I had the opportunity to leave home, I did it without hesitation, almost at the age of 24,” said Gennady Viktorovich.
People's Artist has been happily married since 1970 // Photo: frame from the program
The artist noted that Iraida Moiseevna coldly received his wife Zlata. Even after the birth of her granddaughter Alice, the woman rarely came to visit her famous son. But Khazanov lived in perfect harmony with his mother-in-law. “She was an amazing woman, kind, very bright. She always took my side in disputes, but now she’s gone... I’m left alone, I have to defend myself,” the actor recalled his wife’s mother with tears in his eyes.
Khazanov said that he learned about his father Viktor Grigorievich Lukacher, an engineer in the field of radio communications and sound recording, only in adulthood. As it turned out, the actor lived with his dad in the same house.
“It so happened that at the age of 36 I got an apartment in a 14-story tower on Yakimanka. I had no idea that my dad lived in the same house on the 6th floor, then a neighbor told me. And he, I’m sure, recognized me immediately, that’s absolutely certain. He saw me and his granddaughter Alice when she was walking, but he himself never approached her or me. I don’t blame him, everyone in life has their own motivation, people don’t do things for no reason, which means there is something that bothered dad then. Mom didn’t know where my father lived, one hundred percent. She rarely visited my house. It is quite possible that dad simply did not see in this woman the one with whom he has a son. My mother never discussed it with me; it was not accepted in our family. Once I tried to talk about my dad, in the early 80s, but I quickly realized that my mother didn’t want to talk about this topic,” Khazanov shared.
In addition to Gennady Viktorovich, his father had three more children: daughter Natalya, born from his first marriage before the war, and younger brothers Yuri and Andrey, born in the third family. However, the People's Artist does not want to maintain communication with them. “I saw an interview with one of the brothers. There he explained why my father left my mother and went to another woman. The questions that I wanted to ask him were no longer necessary, I understood everything after reading. The brother answered everything to the journalists. There was a lot of disrespect in that article towards my mother,” Khazanov admitted.
The comedian said that today he is absolutely happy, he has lived with his beloved wife Zlata for more than 40 years, and heads the Moscow State Variety Theater. Sometimes Khazanov participates in television talk shows as a member of the jury. “I don’t feel like I’ve wasted my life. We must try to stop feeling sorry for ourselves and minimize it. It seems to me that I have become better in my old age, because I was probably generally unbearable in my youth. I really wanted success, fame, I believed that it was impossible without it. Now I understand: it’s harder to remain human,” the artist emphasized.
Gennady Viktorovich noted that he was proud of his only heiress, Alice. The actor’s daughter followed in his footsteps, successfully acted in films and even tried herself as a director. “Alice is a talented person, when I look at her on the screen, my father’s reflexes do not work that this is my daughter. I have only the deepest respect for her; she never wanted to be lobbied into any projects, like many others. I know that you need to be very sensitive to your children and grandchildren. I understand perfectly well that Alice already has her own life, a family. So she didn’t call me today, for example, and the next day I suddenly find out that she had a screening at the House of Cinema. Well, I found out a day later what it was. I am not yet in a state where I can be monitored every hour. I’m not offended,” Gennady Viktorovich summed up ironically.
Gennady Khazanov on his way to the stage
After graduating from evening high school, starting in 1962, Gennady Khazanov made many attempts to enter theater higher education institutions in the capital, such as the Shchukin School, the Moscow Art Theater School, GITIS and others.
But all his tests ended in nothing, and Khazanov entered MISS. It is interesting that, while auditioning for “Pike,” Khazanov received a very practical recommendation from the artist and director Alexander Shirvindt, who was present at the entrance exams, to enroll as a variety artist at the Variety and Circus School (GUCEI). As a student at MISS, Khazanov began playing in the institute’s KVN team. There his first stage image appeared - “a student at a culinary college.” The image of the “student...” soon fell in love with many viewers, becoming Khazanov’s “calling card” for many years, and over time it even became difficult for him to get rid of the attached stereotypical judgment of himself as an “artist of one role.” In 1965, having heeded Shirvindt’s advice, Gennady Khazanov entered the variety and circus arts on his second attempt, taking a course with Nadezhda Ivanovna Slonova, a former actress at the Moscow Satire Theater. In GUTSEY Khazanov continued to develop the image he had invented, with which he began to appear on the stage in 1967. For his first performance, Khazanov was not screened and approved by a special commission, and his school was notified that the aspiring artist was engaged in allegedly illegal activities. But the master of the course did not offend young Khazanov, and subsequently contributed in every possible way to his creative growth, helped expand and rehearse his repertoire, and worked a lot with the student individually.
Gennady Khazanov in his youth
Films with Khazanov
In nineteen seventy-six, he starred in the musical film “The Magic Lantern” in the role of Commissioner Juve.
In nineteen ninety-seven, the comedy film “Cops and Thieves” was released. Here Khazanov plays a swindler.
The actor played the great Stalin in the film “Ordered to Destroy!” Operation "Chinese Box", Comrade Saakhov in the legendary film "Prisoner of the Caucasus 2", Karl the crow in the children's film "The Snow Queen" and so on.
If some other famous actor plays the roles of either only a good person or only a villain, then Khazanov turned out any role perfectly and uniquely, be it a policeman or a criminal.
Khazanov’s unusual voice attracted the attention of animated film directors. He was invited to voice roles in cartoons such as “Leopold and the Goldfish” (cat), “Return of the Prodigal Parrot” (Kesh the parrot), “Dunno and Barrabass” (Murzilka) and others.
Such a famous humorous newsreel as “Yeralash” also did not go unnoticed by Khazanov. He was given roles in some scenes.
The variety of characters and roles emphasizes what a versatile actor Gennady Khazanov is. Films and television shows are not his entire acting arsenal. He is invited to play roles in various performances in different theaters. Such performances with his participation are known as “Tight Turns”, “Birds”, “Dinner with a Fool”, “Mixed Feelings” and so on.
But everything was not always good for the actor. There were also failures in my acting career, misunderstandings with colleagues, and so on. But this did not break him. On the contrary, he understood how to avoid further mistakes and misunderstandings, and rose higher and higher. His wife certainly helped him with this. Khazanov Gennady’s wife is Zlata Iosifovna.
Stage activities of Gennady Khazanov
After graduating from college, Khazanov worked for some time as an entertainer in an orchestra directed by Leonid Utesov.
Then, in 1971, he moved to Mosconcert, first trying on the role of a parodist. During his time working in this genre, Khazanov presented many parodies of famous people, Soviet and not only: Louis de Fines, Sergei Kapitsa, Lev Leshchenko, Roman Kartsev and many others. Interestingly, the parody of Vysotsky caused a sharply negative attitude from the poet, actor and musician. Khazanov also worked in the genre of clownery, but success came to him as a performer of spoken numbers.
In 1974, Khazanov won the All-Union Competition of Variety Artists with Semyon Altov’s monologue “Prize”.
In 1975, after his monologue in the guise of a “culinary college student” was broadcast on central television, Khazanov gained all-Union fame.
By the end of the 70s, Gennady Khazanov began to think about a solo performance, turned with this idea to one of his favorite authors (and at that time the artist had already worked with such authors as S. Altov, M. Gorodinsky, L. Izmailov), Arkady Khait (it was with him that Khazanov released his famous monologue “Parrot”). And in 1978, the premiere of the play “Little Things in Life” (dir. B. Levinson) took place; the ballet of the capital’s pop theater took part in the production; it consisted of several monologues and parodies of famous artists.
Khazanov - Parrot The texts for the next play “Obvious and Incredible,” released in 1981, were also written by Arkady Khait. The production featured a variety of circus tricks and ballet performances. Directed by the famous director Roman Viktyuk. Khazanov showed himself not only as a “reader” of a memorized text, but also as an actor of plastic talent, with an excellent sense of tempo-rhythm. The work received many positive reviews from professionals and ordinary people. In 1984, the play was withdrawn from performances due to the fact that many of the texts contained highly social and critical-political allusions and references, and sarcastically ridiculed many famous people, incl. and party leaders.
1986, Gennady Khazanov releases a new performance, maximally limited in technical and performing means, thus entering. into a dialogue with the viewer, “Favorites”.
In 1987 - another performance, again in collaboration with director Roman Viktyuk, “Little Tragedies...”, a short story by M. Gorodinsky, more tragic than humorous.
In 1987, a pop group was created, whose artistic director was Gennady Khazanov, “MONO”.
Since 1988, Khazanov has been Honored Artist of the RSFSR.
Gennady Khazanov with his wife Zlata
In the “real” theater, Khazanov tried his hand at playing in the play “Players” directed by S. Yursky, which premiered on the stage of the Moscow Art Theater.
Since 1997, Gennady Viktorovich Khazanov became the artistic director of the Variety Theater. Under his leadership, enterprises were published, which became a prominent event in the theatrical life of the capital.
early years
Gennady Viktorovich was born on December 1, 1945. His hometown is Moscow.
His father was a radio communications engineer who abandoned the family before his son was born. Her mother was also an engineer, and in her free time she participated in folk theater productions. Gena often visited the theater where his mother performed, and participated in amateur performances as a child. The mother enrolled her son in a music school. Khazanov mastered playing the piano, but dreamed of being an actor. The boy was very fond of Arkady Raikin’s performances and memorized his monologues. One day he attended a satirist’s concert and managed to meet him.
After the 8th grade, Gena worked as a mechanic and studied at night school. Then he entered a theater university, but didn’t get into one. Then Gennady decided to study as an engineer, ending up at MISS.
Having become a student, Khazanov began to participate in amateur performances. He was a member of the KVN team, and at that time a monologue from a culinary college student appeared. In 1965, Gennady entered the circus school.
Khazanov in cinema, television, animation
Khazanov began acting in films back in 1970; he played a cameo role in E. Abdalov’s comedy “Cyclone Margarita is Raging.”
Khazanov was “noticed” as a film actor after his role in the film “Requiem for Sirloin” (directed by E. Tsymbala, 1988), where he played Gena Munkin, a paper worker in a symphony orchestra. Khazanov surprised everyone with the main role in the 1992 film “Little Giant of Big Sex” (directed by N. Dostal), where he played the role of the hero-lover Marat. He starred with E. Ryazanov in “Quiet Whirlpools” (2000). Also seen in TV series. Khazanov appeared in soap operas: “My Fair Nanny”, “Happy Together”, “Who’s the Boss?”
Many famous characters from animated films speak in Khazanov’s voice: “Leopold the Cat and the Golden Fish”, “Return of the Prodigal Parrot 1,2,3”. Starred in three issues of the film magazine “Yeralash”
Since 2011, he has been working as the host of the television program “Family Sentence” on the TV3 channel.
Gennady Khazanov. Culinary College. Cockroaches
Films and television
Gennady Khazanov played his first film role back in 1976. It was Yevgeny Ginzburg’s film “The Magic Lantern” - a musical parody of foreign films, in which all the stars of Soviet show business starred: Lyudmila Gurchenko, Natalya Krachkovskaya, Lyubov Polishchuk, Nikolai Karachentsov and others. Gennady Khazanov got the role of Commissioner Juve.
Gennady Khazanov in the comedy “Little Giant of Big Sex”
In 1992, he brilliantly played the main role in Nikolai Dostal’s film “Little Giant of Big Sex.” In the 2000s, the artist twice embodied the image of Joseph Stalin on the silver screen, and in the series “Juna” he transformed into his idol Arkady Raikin.
Gennady Viktorovich has starred in “Jumble” more than once and has voiced a number of Soviet and Russian cartoons. The famous parrot Kesha from the cartoon “Return of the Prodigal Parrot” speaks in his voice.
Gennady Khazanov and Eldar Ryazanov in the program “Kinopanorama”
The man teaches at the Russian Academy of Theater Arts (formerly GITIS), is on the jury of the Major League of KVN, and hosts television shows on TV-3 and Channel One.
On television, the artist appeared not only in programs dedicated to humor. At one time, his participation in Vladimir Solovyov’s talk show “To the Barrier!”, in which Vladimir Zhirinovsky became his opponent, caused a great resonance in society. The artist managed to conduct the dialogue so skillfully that the politician, distinguished by his verbosity and emotionality, was discouraged. The video was later posted on YouTube, where it was viewed by 2 million users.
Gennady Khazanov and Vladimir Zhirinovsky in the talk show “To the Barrier!”
Thanks to his bright personality and ability to build a dialogue, Khazanov was at one time a contender for the role of TV presenter of the “Big Dispute” program on Channel One, but then Dmitry Nagiyev was approved for this place.
In 2011, Khazanov launched the entertainment program “Repetition of the Past,” which took on the character of home gatherings. During each episode, the comedian demonstrates to his guests the numbers that previously made up his concert repertoire, while simultaneously recalling funny incidents from his biography.
Gennady Khazanov in the show “Exactly”
In the same year, with his participation, the program “Family Sentence” was broadcast on channel TV-3. Later, the artist repeatedly became a member of the judges of the television shows “One on One!”, “Repeat!”, “Exactly the Same”, “Variety Theater”.
First steps to success
After school, Gennady Khazanov made many attempts to enter theater schools. He tried to take exams at the Moscow Art Theater School-Studio, the Shchukin School, GITIS and a number of other institutions. But it didn’t work out anywhere, so the young man became a student at a construction institute. While studying, he performed as part of the local KVN team. It was then that the image of the “culinary college student” that later became famous appeared. This became Khazanov’s calling card.
By the way, even as a student at MISS, Gennady Viktorovich continued to take entrance exams to theater universities. At one of the auditions at the Shchukin School, Alexander Shirvindt sat on the selection committee. Khazanov also “failed” that exam, but Shirvindt advised the young man to try to enter the circus school. And this advice turned out to be prophetic.
In 1965, Gennady Khazanov managed to pass an audition at GUCEI and took the course of the famous actress Nadezhda Slonova. She worked a lot with the student individually, helping to develop the talent of a parodist, as well as polishing the image of a “culinary college student.”
Having successfully graduated from college, Khazanov worked for some time as an entertainer in the orchestra of Leonid Utesov himself. But literally a year later he was hired at Mosconcert, where he fully demonstrated his talent as a parodist. He was excellent at showing Louis de Phineas, Lev Leshchenko, Sergei Kapitsa and many others. True, not all the prototypes of the parodies had a positive attitude towards the young artist. For example, Vladimir Vysotsky criticized the parody of himself and was even going to sue, but then changed his mind.
In 1974 he came to Gennady Khazanov. He won the main competition among pop artists, performing with the monologue “Premium”, which was written by Semyon Altov. And a year later his name became known throughout the Soviet Union. On TV they showed the same monologue that he had been rehearsing for so long. In those days, there was no such thing as a rating, but the “culinary college student” was watched and loved in almost every home.
