On November 11, 2020, actor Sergei Saleev died at the age of 48. The cause of death was suicide and in their report the police recorded the time of death as 10:00 p.m. In St. Petersburg, Sergei Saleev was cremated, and then the ashes were sent to the actor’s homeland - Perm.
Connoisseurs of Russian cinema and theatrical productions greeted with sadness the sad news in the fall of 2020 - actor Sergei Saleev died. The man was only 48 years old. He was on a creative upswing and had a lot planned in his life. Being a native of Perm, he had a significant part of his admirers in the Urals. But he also became known to television viewers throughout Russia as one of the actors in the top-rated series “Sea Devils.” What was the reason for such an early death: illness, unrequited love or mental anguish?
Cause of death
According to the official representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the actor passed away without the intervention of outsiders. Like most creative people, Sergei experienced significant psychological overload. The only way out of depression was drinking alcohol. Sometimes, the passion for alcohol dragged on for a long period, popularly called a binge.
Not being in such demand among directors as the actor dreamed of, interspersed with the existential crisis that overtakes men in middle age, methodically lowered the artist’s self-esteem. Immense libations of alcohol and professional instability made the seeker of fame a hermit. His last work on the film set was his role in the series “Sea Devils. Smerch 3", released in 2020.
More than a year after filming, the actor spent in oblivion. And only when his beloved began to place her pets in good hands, society learned about the tragic death of Sergei. A few days before his death, the actor had dental implants installed. The dentist recommended that the patient regularly disinfect his mouth with alcohol. The attraction to the harmful potion took over, and the artist plunged into another marathon of drunkenness.
His beloved Olga (according to some sources, living with him as a common-law wife) came to Sergei and heard the sound of pouring water from the bathroom. Looking into it, the woman discovered a lifeless body. She made attempts to provide emergency assistance. But, by this time, the common-law spouse was already dead. The film actor simply choked, falling asleep in the water under the influence of alcohol-containing drinks. This is the official cause of death. The time of death established in the protocol is 22:00, 01.11.2017.
*Sergei expressed his last thoughts before his death in his post on the social network Facebook: “Life is the best thing that has been given to such unrestrained idiots like us, who give the “idlers” in the hall the best, the most intimate, the true, nothing, asking nothing in return. Glory to the profession, glory, glory to the actors!”
Actor Sergei Saleev died: the star of “Sea Devils” was only 48 years old
“Life is the best that is given to such unrestrained idiots like us, who give the “idlers” in the hall the best, the most intimate, the true, nothing, demanding nothing in return. Glory to the profession, glory, glory to the actors!” - this is the last post on the social network of actor Sergei Saleev.
On November 1, at about ten o'clock in the evening, actor Sergei Saleev died. A tragic coincidence. Age. The man was 48 years old. An unfulfilled acting career. Alcohol.
The fact is that the day before Sergei got dental implants. Three of them were screwed into him at a time. Doctors advised rinsing them with alcohol. The man took the doctors’ advice literally and went on a drinking binge. So, at least, that’s what the actor’s friends say.
Sergei was found by his girlfriend, 24-year-old Olga. I returned home and there was water running in the bathroom. I looked in, and there was Sergei... The girl herself pulled out her beloved man, tried to give him first aid... But it was too late.
Girl and two cats
After the tragedy, it was scary for Olga to live in Sergei’s apartment, although the actor’s relatives were not at all against her staying there. The girl and her friend rented a small room and moved there with two cats who lived with Sergei.
Now the whole world is trying to find homes for animals. In a small communal apartment it’s cramped with them. And they can seriously damage the furniture for the owners of the room - they will have to buy new ones.
In general, Sergei loved animals very much. And after his death, not only cats remained. There was also a dog, which my friends immediately took away. But it’s a real problem with cats.
- Red Kex, four years old, a decent cat, potty, drying, and everything else according to the rules. And the gray one-year-old Schweppes is a real bully. But not because of the cat’s malice, but simply young and hot,” says Sergei’s close friend Helga Toroschina.
Friends called out on social networks. And now they hope that someone will respond and take the actor’s cats into their home. It’s not easy for Olga to keep them in one small room.
To find homes for the animals, the actor friends called out on social networks. Photo: social networks
Loved animals and theater
Sergei generally treated our smaller brothers with reverence and tenderness. All his friends remember this.
“One day he left the apartment, hurried to a rehearsal... And a pot-bellied cat was lying at the door. She squeaks, screams and is about to give birth. What a rehearsal this is! They call from the theater, swear and are indignant: “Saleev, scoundrel, where are you?!” Are you completely insolent?!” But Seryoga has not yet taken delivery of the sufferer, and has not accommodated the entire family, nor has he left the house. And then he put the kittens on their paws, treated the mother and put everyone in good hands,” says Helga.
Many people still can’t wrap their head around the fact that the actor and not yet an old man has passed away. After all, he loved life so much. We love our friends and family. He was ready to help anyone and everyone. They explain his death to themselves as best they can.
— Everything came together here: creative lack of demand, and lack of money. When all this doesn’t work out for a male actor, a huge lump forms,” Helga reflects.
She recalls how she met Sergei at the Perm Theater.
— Here I am standing at the next “entrance”, and next to me is a guy with a black eye. Who are you, I ask? Student, they invited me to come out as an extra. Do you want to perform a play for Williams and Saroyan? – she retells their dialogue at that time.
Sergei agreed. And he performed a performance of “American Blues” based on the play “Hey, Somebody!” Saroyan is brilliant. This was very important to him.
— This performance practically made Seryozha as an actor. He himself often remembered this later,” says Helga.
In St. Petersburg, the actor never found his stage. Photo: kino-teatr.ru
In cities and villages
In general, Sergei’s roots are from Leningrad. His grandmother was an anti-aircraft gunner and defended the Northern capital from the Nazis. Already deeply pregnant, she was evacuated to Perm. Sergei’s mother was born there, and then he himself.
He was taken to the Perm Drama Theater, then he went to Yekaterinburg, where he also played leading roles.
Sergei moved to St. Petersburg when the theater in Yekaterinburg, where he worked, began to fall apart. But in the Northern capital the scene did not work out. Although he visited everything in the city.
— St. Petersburg, of course, is beautiful, but in this regard it is a closed city. If you haven’t graduated from the local theater institute, then you’re unlikely to get a job somewhere,” explains Helga.
In St. Petersburg, Sergei played in quests.
- All actors know what it is. It’s one thing when you perform a play year after year, already scratching yourself a little. This is different. In the quest there is not only an acting game, but also a game with the audience so that they enter into the situation. Seryozha did it brilliantly. He always received a lot of compliments,” says Helga.
Help "KP"
Sergey Saleev graduated from the Perm Institute of Culture and Arts in 1994. He worked at the Perm Drama Theater and the Yekaterinburg Volkhonka Theater. Since 2011 - actor at the St. Petersburg Drama Theater "Circle". Many viewers could remember him from the TV series “It Was in Gavrilovka”, “Vazhnyak. Game of Knockouts" and "Sea Devils. Smerch-3". Actor Sergei Saleev died at the age of 48.
Where and how the funeral took place
The burial place of Sergei Saleev was discussed for a long time among loved ones and relatives. For 6 years, St. Petersburg became his hometown, where he made many friends. But the endlessly calling Ural residents did not let us forget our small homeland. They insisted on burial in their native places. Thus, friends and relatives made a mutual decision, according to which they decided to bury the deceased in the Urals, after saying goodbye in the Northern capital.
Disagreements about the burial site dragged on. Only on November 7, 2017 at 9:00, in St. Petersburg, a farewell ceremony for the artist and director took place. The ritual took place at 12 Shafirovsky Avenue, where the deceased was cremated. Employees of the St. Petersburg Drama Theater “Circle”, colleagues from the film set, friends, acquaintances and admirers of creativity came to say goodbye. The next day, the ashes of the deceased were sent to Perm by plane. Farewell to fellow countrymen took place in the apartment of Sergei’s parents on November 11, at the address: st. Ufimskaya, 22, apt. 48 at 11:30.
Interview
About profession and love
“I think that romances on the set interfere with work. You still need to keep a line and not interfere with personal relationships and profession.”
About the difference between St. Petersburg and Moscow actors
"There is a difference. There is less fuss in St. Petersburg. This is conducive to work. In Moscow, as a rule, actors meet somewhere on the run and do everything quickly. As a result, everything is less “detailed”, sometimes “aggressive”. Aggressive in the sense that whoever didn’t have time, didn’t have time: success does not await. And in St. Petersburg, the approach to work is more family-oriented, more kitchen-based, intimate, with an emphasis on interaction and relationships. In Moscow, as they say, “nothing personal or superfluous.”
About friendship with colleagues
“I have many friends who are actors, directors and other colleagues. Both in cinema and in the theater. And I value them very much, although, unfortunately, we don’t see each other often. But still, there is a telephone and the Internet to communicate, and the works of friends can be seen on the screen and on stage. I’m happy for them more often than I’m sad, and that’s nice.”
About popularity and roles
“The guys and I woke up famous after the second season of “Sea Devils.” Unexpectedly, to be honest, for ourselves! Evaluating yourself is difficult. But my Dad turned out to be convincing. I grew up with him... Although there were many other interesting works - and in feature films too. But I don’t have a favorite role, because each of them is dear to me in its own way. Each one contains my work, my experiences, my doubts. These are my children."
“In Moscow they know even more than in St. Petersburg, and in the provinces, where TV is the only entertainment, it’s difficult to be on the street. I’m not complaining, I’m pleased, I’m always happy to sign an autograph or take pictures - it’s part of my profession. But there are very obsessive fans.”
“I’d be lying if I said that I don’t like popularity. This is a component of the success of any actor, and the actor who says that he does not strive for this is lying. This is, after all, the fruit of our labors! And yes, my popularity helps me quickly resolve some everyday issues.”
short biography
Sergei Saleev was born on July 20, 1969. The event took place in Perm. It is noteworthy that his grandmother was from Leningrad. During the war, she was evacuated to the Urals due to her pregnancy. And before that, she served as an anti-aircraft gunner and participated in the defense of Leningrad. In Perm, Sergei's mother was born to his grandmother.
In 1994, the young man became a graduate of the Perm Institute of Culture and Arts. Entered the Perm Drama Theater in 1995. And a year later, he moved to the Yekaterinburg Volkhonka Theater, where he served as an actor for almost 8 years. Further, the career developed as follows:
- from 2004 to 2005 he worked at the Ural Central Committee as the head of a theater group;
- in 2006-2007, he became a permanent morning presenter on radio “Maximum”;
- from 2007 to 2010, he combined acting and directing activities at the Yekaterinburg Volkhonka Theater, after returning.
Thanks to his script, the public holiday “National Unity Day” was held for the first time in Yekaterinburg. And the Yekaterinburg Circus will long remember the specially created performances “Secrets of the Old Circus” based on the digital studio “Harlekino” and the 12th festival “Circus of Our Childhood” in 2008.
His last directorial work was the ethnic fairy tale play “It Was Like That in the Urals.” There was and is no other such production, since the folklore and blades of grass of the Ural population were taken as the basis. At the age of 40, Sergei was uncontrollably drawn to his historical homeland, where he moved in 2011.
Saint Petersburg
After moving, he found an acting position at the St. Petersburg Drama Theater "Krug", where he worked until the last moment. Experiencing an overabundance of creative energy, in addition to the theater, he began to collaborate with the network, but not as a distributor. He wrote art scripts and staged presentational and educational performances for the creative development of the company.
Sergei Saleev, as an artist and director, was invited to organize special events in such companies as “OLMI”, “CKM Furniture”, “Pinur”, “Min Atom” and others. He has numerous presentations of banking and commercial organizations, including: Bank Intesa San Paolo, salon of elite stairs “Lady Le”, brand “Maretti”. This period was the peak of creative realization of directorial and acting talents in the northern capital.
Creative growth
As Olga says, the first success for the now deceased actor came completely unexpectedly - during a joint introduction to the general performance, she noticed a guy who was performing in the crowd. And then she offered to take part in the central role in the play “American Blues.” As it turned out, the artist had enormous dramatic abilities, which made him recognizable to directors.
Actor on theater stage
In 2011, the Artist takes a desperate step in search of an application for his abilities - he sets off to conquer the northern capital.
But here he was deeply disappointed - the St. Petersburg theatrical environment is favorable only to people from local universities.
Recently, the artist has been busy with theatrical quests, which have become fashionable quite recently. For those who don’t know, this is a type of performance in which the actors offer the viewer direct participation in the production itself, by guessing all sorts of puzzles in the process of acting.
Sergei Saleev on the set of the series “Sea Devils”
According to the artist’s friends and colleagues, he was the star of such productions and often outside observers of his performance simply could not believe that so many images could coexist in one artist in a short time.
Filmography
Sergei Saleev has very few roles in films. But he had the opportunity to work with real masters of Russian cinema, such as Boris Shcherbakov and Alexey Zharkov. All film roles were performed in the series:
- It happened in Gavrilovka (2007) - Dronov;
- Important. Game to Bang (2011) - Korevich;
- Sea Devils. Smerch-3 (2015) - Pavel Kislov.
The intervals between filming were exactly 4 years. Such breaks for actors take forever. Theater colleagues and friends noticed that the only way for a man to console himself was increasingly becoming a strong drink. But this did not mean that the artist did not love life and wanted to die. He was ready to return to the set at the first invitation. But he wasn't called.
Special Forces Commander
The television series was produced by NTV, with the participation of many directors, including Alexey Prazdnikov, Kirill Kapitsa, Sergey Basin and others.
Oleg Chernov played one of the main roles in the series. He is the commander of a special squad, whom his subordinates call Dad. By the way, each of the heroes has a certain nickname, which is explained by the fact that code names are absolutely necessary in their work, because they perform many secret operations.
Actor Oleg Chernov has been acting in television series for a long time. In his filmography you can find roles in “Streets of Broken Lanterns”, “Deadly Force”, “Secrets of the Investigation” and others. He also periodically acts in feature films, and even does dubbing. In Skyfall (2012), he doubled for Raoul Silva, played by Javier Bardem, James Bond's adversary. In 2009, the hero of the film “12 Rounds”, Dani Fisher, played by John Cena (famous American wrestler), spoke in his voice.
Oleg Chernov is currently 50 years old. He was born in the Kemerovo region and studied at the theater department in Saratov. The man played a lot in the theater and was the leading actor of the Omsk Academic Drama Theater.
Currently involved in the continuation of “Sea Devils”.
Personal life
Throughout his entire life, Sergei has never been married and has no children. Attractive in appearance, he was not deprived of female attention. The desire to connect his life with a worthy person made him picky, and he was constantly looking for or waiting for his betrothed. According to reliable information, the actor had a serious relationship with a 24-year-old girl named Olga, who was his last common-law wife. Plans for marriage are unknown to the public.
The actor loved animals very much. He had two cats and a puppy was adopted shortly before his death. After an accidental death, new owners were sought for Sergei’s pets through advertisements through social networks. Olga flatly refused to live in the ill-fated apartment and moved in with a friend. Therefore, there was no one to care for the animals.
*From the memoirs of one actress, Sergei’s acquaintance: “One day, Saleev was getting ready to go to a rehearsal. Time was pressing. Literally at the front door, in the entrance, he came across a cat about to give birth. The artist’s kind heart did not allow him to abandon the animal. He settled the cat at home and decided to stay with her. Angry calls from the director were heard from the theater. However, until the animal lambed, Sergei did not go to the rehearsal. Further, the woman in labor was nursed, and the kittens were placed in good hands.”
Under what circumstances was the actor's body discovered?
Some sources indicate that the actor’s body lay in the bathtub for several weeks. Other Russian publications insist that Sergei died on November 1 at approximately 10 pm.
Olga Toroshchina, Sergei’s acquaintance, mentioned the man’s death on her social network page. It was this girl who found the actor’s body in the bathroom on November 1. Olga is much younger than her deceased friend. The age difference was 24 years.
Toroshchina said that she tried to provide first aid to the actor herself. However, the manipulations performed did not help him. The girl called an ambulance, hoping that Saleev could still be saved. However, the doctors who arrived pronounced him dead. When the ambulance arrived, he was already dead.
Olga also told the actor’s fans about his love for pets. The man was very kind to his pets. All the animals ended up in his house completely by accident. Sergei picked them up out of pity.
Some sources indicate that Olga Toroschina was the lover of Sergei Saleev. If Olga and Sergei actually had a love relationship, the girl would have discovered her lover much earlier, and not 2 weeks after the moment of death. If Toroshchina found Saleev exactly on the day of his death, she could well turn out to be his beloved woman, who was worried about the fate of the actor.
