People of the older generation, at the first sounds of the song “Why is the heart so disturbed...” will involuntarily remember one of the most wonderful films of the Soviet era, “True Friends.” The story of three adult comrades realizing a childhood dream could not leave any of the viewers indifferent. Phrases from this picture soon became popular among the people, and the performer of the famous composition, Alexander Borisov, instantly became a favorite of the public.
Biography
His fate was similar to the fates of many other people of the Soviet era, those who survived a hungry childhood and the horrors of war. The only difference is that Alexander Borisov is an actor with a capital A, who with his life has shown that there are no obstacles on the path to the desired goal.
He was born on April 18, 1905 in St. Petersburg, at the very height of the first Russian revolution. The family lived very poorly, the mother served as a laundress, the father as a kitchen worker, there was barely enough money for food. But these difficulties helped the boy early to develop character and a desire to achieve something more in life, which Alexander Borisov, an actor, later achieved. The young man’s family could not give him a good education, but his origins “from the bottom” helped him in his later life and creative activity. After all, after the October Revolution, such people from the people received privileges when entering educational institutions or working.
Education
The talented young man sought to somehow prove himself, so very early he began to participate in amateur productions, which in the 30s of the 20th century were especially popular in the country of the Soviets. In every courtyard, cultural center, or even in the attic of an old house, skits were played, ditties sung, there were many enthusiasts, especially since they took little money for the performances.
In 1927, he graduated from the famous studio at the Leningrad Academic Theater, where he had previously performed on the non-professional stage. At that time, the legendary Yu. M. Yuryev taught there, from whom actor Alexander Borisov adopted a special style of performance - with full dedication, with understanding and embodiment of the psychology of the character on stage and on screen.
The Leningrad theater school is still considered the best in Russia; here they instilled the ability to fully understand their role, think through the details and get used to the character of the hero. Whether it’s a costume or features of speech, manner of movement, etc. - everything should be invested in the image from beginning to end. Alexander Borisov took all the instructions with responsibility, which helped him subsequently become a People's Artist, receive several state awards and play many leading roles in theater and cinema.
The beginning of an acting career
After graduating from the studio school in 1928, he was accepted into the main cast of the troupe, and so began a life-long creative journey, and thus Alexander Borisov, an actor, was born. His biography is inextricably linked with this Academic Drama Theater; here he will play until his last days. The unusual aura of these walls gave birth to more than one galaxy of amazing stage actors; Borisov himself served here for more than sixty years.
Two years later he was entrusted with playing the first major role in the play “Eccentric” by A. N. Afinogenov. Borisov reproduced on stage the image of the poet and enthusiast Boris Volgin with amazing accuracy. His subsequent works included images of a wide variety of types. These were the fighter Stepan from the production of “The Winners” by B.F. Chibisov, the embodiment of Ostrovsky’s classic heroes - Gavrila from “A Warm Heart” or the tragicomic Arkasha Schastlivtsev from the play “The Forest”. In general, this amazing ability of his to play seemingly the most opposite roles, the plasticity of character will subsequently be appreciated by viewers and critics.
He gave himself entirely to the theater, lived and suffered on stage. A wonderful group of young and bright artists has formed here, a talented troupe, of which actor Alexander Borisov forever became a part. The wife also worked in the theater; they became close to Olga Bibinova by chance, met on tour and realized that they could not live without each other. In her last interview, the actor’s widow, already an elderly woman, told how she immediately fell in love with a young man with a sensual voice, for which Alexander Borisov, the actor, was so famous. The personal lives of artists during Soviet times did not become public knowledge, so little is known about their journey together.
Personal life
After graduating from school, Andrei Borisov decided to enter the university at the Faculty of Economics, but after graduation he realized that he would not work in his specialty, since blogging became his calling. Along with this came fame, which attracted the general attention of all subscribers who simply wanted to know all the details of the guy’s personal life. Andrei himself does not say anything about this, but the fans themselves speculate and some argue that there is a lady of his heart, she is just carefully hiding. Others cannot believe it, because he spends all his free time on shows, blogs and vines.
The tandem of Liliya Abramova and Andrei Borisov also created a special buzz, whose family relationship on camera began to confuse subscribers, as they were so convincing that many began to think that they were really mother and son. But the bloggers themselves refuted such guesses, saying that there are no family ties between them.
Theater works
After the first roles, it became clear that a talented and unusual artist had been born. Friends and colleagues on stage noted the spontaneity and ease of his acting; actor Alexander Borisov was famous for his intelligence and some kind of lyricism. He was never seen in theatrical feuds or struggle for the best roles, and all his works, even small ones, were played by him sincerely and with soul.
Until 1937, his entire life was connected only with his native stage. Here he appeared in the images of famous heroes of Russian classics: the Holy Fool from “Boris Godunov” based on the work of the same name by A. S. Pushkin, the sharp-tempered Peter from the play “The Forest” by A. N. Ostrovsky, Meluzov from “Talents and Admirers” by the same author and many other.
Back in the 20s of the 20th century, the Alexandrinsky Theater was forced to take the course of cultural development that was dictated by the Soviet government. Countless plays about revolutionaries, party leaders and the achievements of the new communist society were staged on this stage. Borisov, like other actors, also had to participate in politicized and frankly bad plays, but, according to eyewitnesses, these artists could play anything well, including plays on political propaganda themes. Even hardened political workers in his performance acquired special features and a lively character.
During the Great Patriotic War
1941 changed the life of every Soviet person; for millions of families, fate was divided into before and after. Actor Alexander Borisov was no exception. The wife and children learned about the terrible events only in July, at which time they were on Lake Seliger. The artist’s son, Kasyan Bibinov, in one of his interviews recalled how they returned to Leningrad on the last train under massive bombing by Nazi planes. Their father was waiting for them in their hometown as the head of civil defense.
On the third day of the war, while still waiting for his family, the actor’s close friend, composer V.P. Sedoy, brought him a new song, “Play, my button accordion.” Borisov performed the composition so sincerely, with such poignant intonation, that soon it began to sound from all loudspeakers, it was sung by soldiers going into battle, to their death.
In August 1941, actor Alexander Borisov with his theater and family was evacuated to distant Novosibirsk. There, together with a friend, he organized a radio program called “Fire at the Enemy.” The artists came up with the images of two scouts who were returning from a mission and, in a humorous form, reminiscent of ditties, talked about what was happening at the front. In sarcastic poems they ridiculed the enemy and glorified the feat of Soviet soldiers. The listeners loved the heroes so much that they began to receive letters from all over the country, they were already perceived as real fighters, they were asked about their family and everyday life in combat. Alexander Borisov and Vladimir Adashevsky toured more than once with the performance of this unusual duet.
After the end of the war, the theater troupe returned to Leningrad, and Borisov successfully continued his work on stage. Thus, he played Pavel Korchagin in the play “How the Steel Was Tempered”, Tsarevich Fyodor in the production of “The Great Sovereign”. His work was appreciated even at the top, and in 1947 the actor Borisov was awarded the Stalin Prize, which in those years was considered the highest degree of honor.
Joint wines with Liliya Abramova
The blogger makes a video not alone, but with his constant friend, Liliya Abramova. She is also known online under the pseudonym Tatar FM. Their joint channel on YouTube collected a huge number of likes, comments, and subscriptions. Whatever the wine, awesome laughter is guaranteed. These are virtual mother and son.
Back in 2020, Borisov and Abramova began working together, creating unique videos. The plot of the Vines is as follows: Lilia is the mother of an adult son who cannot tear himself away from her, and Andrei is that same eternal son. The plots of the videos are related to various topics: stupid and serious, comic and tear-jerking. The guys are trying to figure out a situation that will definitely happen to people in everyday life.
For almost a year, many subscribers firmly believed that this was a real mother and son, since the videos were filmed very realistically. Even the information that the blogger and his assistant were friends did not stop the fans. In fact, the guys are nothing more than good friends. In one live broadcast, they answered the eternal question: “Are they relatives or not?” Apparently, Andrei and Liliya hear this question more often than others, so the partners could not restrain themselves and decided that they needed to clarify the situation, otherwise there might be false information on the Internet.
These are two talented and creative people who are ready to delight their fans every day. Once the guys even wanted to introduce a new hero into the vines - grandma. So far she is not visible in the videos, so whether this is true or not is unknown.
Andrei Borisov's biography is not replete with show business, social events, concert halls and romances with elite beauties. This is an ordinary person who is a student of the Faculty of Economics. He has an average family, completely unknown parents. But one day it seemed to Borisov that he would 100% not work in his profession. Having received an economics education, the guy turned to blogging, where he found himself.
Today the number of views is off the charts. If you refresh the page every time, you can watch the wild increase in subscribers and likes on each vine. This is a success for a 25-year-old guy. Subscribe to his Instagram and watch cool videos, stories and funny posts. Andrey will make your day and cheer you up!
Film roles
Back in the late 30s, Alexander Borisov began to be invited to act in films; his first role in Cheslav Sabinsky’s film “Dnieper on Fire” was still small, especially since the film has not survived to this day. A year after his first attempt at cinema, he was approved for the role of Nazarka in the film “Friends”. Wonderful artists of that time filmed here, and actor Alexander Borisov was able to learn a lot from B. Babochkin, N. Cherkasov and others.
The war made its own adjustments, and the artist returned to cinema only in 1948. Small roles did not bring satisfaction to the talented actor, everything changed a year later, when he played one of the most important roles in his life. The image of academician Ivan Pavlov in the film of the same name brought him nationwide popularity, and the actor was awarded several prestigious awards. This film told about the fate of the great Russian scientist, the creator of the doctrine of higher nervous activity.
The biographical direction was especially popular in the early 50s, so immediately after “Academician Ivan Pavlov” Borisov began to be invited to play the roles of other famous historical characters. So, he starred in a film about Alexander Popov, where he got the role of a close assistant to the scientist Pyotr Nikolaevich Rybkin. The actor was especially memorable in the image of the composer M. P. Mussorgsky; the songs performed in the film quickly became popular among the people.
Fame
Real popularity came to Andrey in 2020, when he first wanted to make a comic video. At first, this idea seemed like a failure to him, but he never expected that after releasing his first video, he would gain more than 100 thousand views in a day. Such success spurred Andrey on, and he realized that he could easily attract an audience with his Vines to ordinary life situations. Thus, after a short period of time, he began to combine the vine scene with his colleague Liliya Abramova (instagram.com/tatarkafm). Together they created a small section of vines, which depict the life of their son and mother. The public especially liked this tandem and over time Andrei was able to become even more famous.
True, the popularity did not end there, since for the first time the guy was able to be seen as an expert on the famous TV show “Let Them Talk” with Andrei Malakhov. In one of the episodes, the fate of a minor girl named Diana Shurygina was discussed, which an adult guy decided to take advantage of, who later went to prison. The eloquence, conciseness and clarity of all the words spoken helped Andrei attract even more attention to himself, since he was able to bribe everyone with his prudence and maturity.
"Faithful friends"
In the life of any artist there is that special role that becomes his calling card, thanks to which he is known and remembered. The story about three mature, accomplished men who remained boys at heart instantly became popular in the USSR, and Alexander Borisov, the actor, became known to a large circle of viewers. “True Friends,” a film from 1950, remained the most watched film in our country for decades. Even now, the screening of the film gathers the whole family around the screens.
The film owes such popularity, first of all, to the songs “Why is the heart so disturbed” and “The boat floats, rocking...”. They were performed by Alexander Borisov; even in his youth he was interested in music, and his ability to sing was legendary. The actor did not have a strong operatic voice, but by emphasizing intonation and emotionality, he could touch the soul of any person. And so it happened: from all over the USSR the artist received letters of admiration and declarations of love. It was also about the role itself, because on the screen viewers saw the reunion of two lovers who had once separated due to a misunderstanding. Alexander Borisov, an actor whose personal life remained a mystery to viewers, embodied the ideal Soviet man, spouse or lover on screen.
Surprisingly, the film is not perceived as one of the “masterpieces” of socialist realism; all the ideological ideas here are somehow evenly dosed and seasoned with excellent humor and melodrama. The choice of actors was also of great importance. Alexander Borisov, Boris Chirkov and Vasily Merkuryev were real talents, already established and famous artists at that time. Critics are still wondering why such a successful on-screen trio did not appear together in other films.
Saransk bandit Andrei Borisov had patrons in the Presidential Administration?!
Andrei Borisov destroyed people without thinking about the consequences... Photo: Capital C
Stanislav Kholopov. “The history of “Capital S”: the price of truth.
Borisov bandits began preparing to seize “Capital C” at the end of 1997, when some of their representatives announced their intention to take power.
It is possible that this is precisely why the Mordovian Republican Organization of the Trade Union of Medium and Small Business Workers was born in 1997, which is still headed by Rais Khairov. Apparently, its leader Andrei Borisov, having watched enough Hollywood action films about the mafia, dreamed of becoming a trade union boss, and not just a street scarecrow. And subsequently, some of the “Borisovites” managed to become deputies! It is known that there was some kind of agreement between the groups on the division of the political space of Mordovia. Chaos played into the hands of those who, under the guise of fighting crime, seized real estate and businesses. Naturally, Borisov, a native of Saransk, wanted to grab his piece of the pie. “I have the right,” said a man with a short haircut and a criminal past and present. “It’s not for nothing that they killed so many people.” With whom exactly from the powerful of this world Andrei Mikhailovich made “friends” - the conversation lies ahead. Naturally, without patronage, this crime boss would not have been able to go on such a rampage, even encroaching on Rezinotekhnik. What can I say, he thought. And what about some kind of “Capital S”... At some point, Borisov businessmen established LLC “Stolitsa S”, preparing an economic and legal platform for taking over the publication. One of Borisov’s consultants in the field of politics and media at that time was Alexander Zamotaev, the former head of the Oktyabrsky district of Saransk, ex-Minister of Housing and Communal Services, and now a bard and a pensioner. Whether he participated in the development of the plan to “squeeze out the capital” is unknown. He himself will never admit it...
At that time, the newspaper took an independent position in relation to the authorities. It had a circulation of about 70 thousand copies per week and was not afraid to criticize the activities of Nikolai Merkushkin. To verify this, just look through the binder. After certain “manipulations,” the bandits managed to “turn off” the editor of Stolitsa S, Stanislav Kholopov, from the political space. The public will learn more about this in the following parts of the series “The History of “Capital C”: the price of truth.” In April 1999, he was forced to leave for Moscow. The famous businessman Igor Shulyaev, whom his close friends called Petrovich, helped him “emigrate”. Unfortunately, he died in 2012... What follows is Stanislav's story...
“In Moscow, I managed to get a job at Novaya Gazeta, which, in essence, became my universities,” recalls Kholopov. — Real professionals worked there. Deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation Yuri Petrovich Shchekochikhin, columnist Anna Politkovskaya... Only my relatives knew where I worked. The danger to life remained, and therefore I was very surprised when “an employee of the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation” called the editorial office. Something like this dialogue took place.
- I need to meet with you. This is very important, Stanislav...
- For what purpose?
- Well, I would like to help you. It's difficult for you right now. Help is needed. Let's meet tomorrow near the monument to the Heroes of Plevna. This is where Ilyinsky Gate Square is. It’s not far from Novaya Gazeta, and it’s convenient for me.
- You know, a very strange proposal. Even though I’ve only recently been to Moscow, I know that this place has a somewhat dubious reputation. Isn't that where homosexuals hang out, waiting for administration officials to pay attention to them?
- Don't like the place?! Let's meet at the cafe then. On Lubyansky Proezd. There is only one there. Tomorrow at 13.00. If you can.
- I can.
“Then see you later, Stanislav.” This is very important to you.
The meeting took place. A bald, short and wrinkled man in an unkempt jacket was waiting for me near the cafe. He immediately began pouring out compliments. Tell me what kind of fighter I am. It's just a turbulent time right now and we need to be together. The man did not specify who we should be. But at the same time he volunteered to treat him to beer, which was somewhat strange for an employee of the Presidential Administration. Then I found out that such a specimen actually worked there.
“I would like to clarify,” he began the conversation over a glass of beer. — I know that you are critical of Nikolai Merkushkin. And what values you... Andrey Borisov.
After these words, I decided not to even order tea. The tension grew. The interlocutor evoked a feeling of disgust. I wanted to get up and leave. And the “influential person” felt it.
— The fact is that in Moscow there are people who are opposed to Merkushkin and his policies. He is leading Mordovia to collapse. Everything is rowing under itself. All in the family. This causes discontent even in the Kremlin.
Here he paused and looked at me carefully, studying the effect his words had.
- We have to stop him. Remove from office. There are all possibilities for this. Your newspaper...
“I left Saransk,” I noted.
- But you left control over the publication. It's still influential. High circulation. Yes, and you are known as a fighter against Merkushkin.
- I didn’t fight Merkushkin. I was just trying to do journalism. Moreover, when Nikolai Ivanovich was just striving for power, “Capital S” worked against his rivals. This was the attitude of the founder of the “XXXX Century” association, Oleg Enikeev...
- Yes Yes. I know. But now everything has changed. Enikeev was killed. Whom, I hope you know. And Andrei Borisov continues his work in Saransk. He is a smart and pragmatic politician. With great prospects. Believe me. He has very influential patrons in Mordovia and Moscow. And we would like you to become our ally in the fight against Merkushkin.
— If you have such a strong and united team, why do you need me?
- Well, you want to avenge Enikeev?!
“You know, I’m having a hard time trying to get out of this big shit.” I thought that I had comrades who could support me. Help. But it turned out that I was alone. Or almost alone. And none of your or not your friends extended a helping hand to me. And even vice versa... I wouldn’t like to name names. I'm no longer interested in this. I'm out of politics. I left Saransk. I have no more illusions about Mordovia. And I am not interested in Mordovian politics. At all. I have a different life. And other plans for life. So I’m not going to take part in your fight with Merkushkin. Don't call me anymore.
— It’s a pity, Stanislav, we were counting on you. And Andrey Borisov too.
- Sorry for not living up to expectations.
“And all because you don’t drink beer,” the nondescript man finally tried to joke.
...What a person, such are the jokes. What was it? Checking for lice? Like, what does Kholopov, who got too involved in politics in 1998, breathe in Moscow? Or did some people, relying on the authoritative Andrei Borisov, really form a coalition against Nikolai Merkushkin? And isn’t that why Borisov was killed by his “deputies” in 2003? Then how to explain the fact that some representatives of “Borisov’s” nevertheless penetrated the legislative bodies of power?! How did they do it? With the approval of Nikolai Merkushkin? These questions will be partly answered in the following excerpts of the series “The History of “Capital C”: the price of truth.”
And yet, Borisov’s surviving former comrades, Yuri Shorchev and Sergei Kovalev, know a lot. But they will most likely remain silent...
1950–1960
After success in cinema, Borisov returned to his native stage of the Alexandria Theater, where he played many more multifaceted and diverse roles. Some performances with his participation (“Forest” and “Warm Heart” by A. N. Ostrovsky, “Yegor Bulychev” by M. Gorky) were later filmed. His roles were sometimes comical (Arkasha Schastlivtsev in the play “The Forest”), sometimes tragic and multi-layered, as in “The Deep” by the author Kiselnikov.
Borisov Alexander Fedorovich, a theater and film actor, soon decided to try himself as a director. In 1960, he himself wrote the script and directed a film adaptation of M. F. Dostoevsky’s novel “The Meek One.” Two years later, he repeated his experience and, together with M. Ruf, shot the film “The Soul Calls.”
Borisov's subsequent roles in films, although not the main ones, were very colorful and memorable. Thus, he played in the films “Maxim Perepelitsa” 1955, “Mother” 1955, “Footprints in the Snow” 1955, “Baltic Glory” 1957, “The Deep” 1958. The actor often appeared on television, performed famous romances, songs from “True Friends” and other films, sang ditties and funny couplets, and told fairy tales for children.
Already in years, he did not stop working in the theater, and his last film role was an episodic appearance in the historical series “Young Russia” in 1982. In the same year, Alexander Borisov died. The actor was buried at the Volkovsky cemetery, on the Literary Bridge, not far from the grave of his childhood friend, composer V.P. Sedov.
Movies
His film debut took place in 1955 in the film “Mother”, where he played a small role as an underground worker. Borisov received the role that made him famous in 1961 - he brilliantly played Golokhvastov in the cult comedy “Chasing Two Hares.”
Oleg Borisov in the film “Chasing Two Hares”
He was offered comedic roles later, for example, in the film “Marriage,” but he did not become a hostage to one image and managed to realize himself as a talented dramatic actor. A striking work was the role of Vladimir Vengerov in the film “Workers' Village”.
Borisov often received supporting roles, but managed to make them central. This happened in the film “Baltic Sky”, in which he played the pilot Tatarenko, and in the film “Give me a book of complaints”, in which he appeared in the image of Nikita.
Oleg Borisov in the film “Give me a book of complaints”
He was best at films in which his heroes were ordinary people, as in the films “Stop the Train”, “Parade of the Planets” and others. Borisov’s negative characters turned out no worse - a clear confirmation of this was his role in the films “Road Check”, “Rafferty”, “The Collapse of Engineer Garin”.
The actor scandalously refused to film the role of his favorite author F. M. Dostoevsky in the film “26 days in the life of Dostoevsky.” He was outraged by the interpretation of director A. G. Zarkhi: having failed to find a compromise regarding the image of the Russian writer, he left the site in the midst of the filming process.
Oleg Borisov's last role in the film “I'm Bored, Devil”
As a result, Oleg Borisov was excommunicated from cinema for two years. During this period, he was also banned from acting in the tragicomedy film “Kinfolk” by Nikita Mikhalkov.
The actor’s filmography includes more than a dozen diverse roles. His last work was the film “I'm Bored, Devil,” in which he played God and Mephistopheles. The film was released in 1993.
Songs
Alexander Borisov is a product of the St. Petersburg traditions of psychological and thoughtful play. This artist not only had the talent to transform himself on stage or screen, but also his voice - amazing, with a special intonation, bewitching and attracting people. Directors often used his abilities; for example, the film “Mussorgsky” was invented and built specifically on Borisov’s singing talent. Even despite the fact that his voice did not match the voice of the great composer in timbre.
Due to the peculiarity of expression, theatrical art rarely remains in the memory of the audience for a long time. Another thing is cinema, which preserves images, ideas and songs for many years. Thanks to the film “True Friends,” the entire people of the Soviet Union remembered the adventures of the heroes of the film, where the most musical role was played by Alexander Fedorovich Borisov. The actor, whose personal life has never been made public, was the love of many Soviet women. His sensual voice and romantic roles made him, if not a sex symbol of the Soviet Union, then certainly a model of an ideal man.
Interesting Facts
Once, after a tour in America, at his own peril and risk, he brought to Leningrad a book by Mikhail Chekhov, then banned in the USSR. This publication later changed hands among the actors of the Alexandria Theater.
Alexander Borisov was awarded many times with prestigious State Prizes: he had four Stalin Prizes, the K. S. Stanislavsky Prize, the title of People's Artist of the RSFSR and the USSR, Hero of Socialist Labor, and the Order of the Badge of Honor.
Even before the war, he married the actress of the Alexandria Theater Olga Bibina, they had two children - Kasyan and Lyudmila. Alexander never used his fame, was not an agitator or an opponent of the system. Participation in foreign trips and various state awards did not change the fact that, first of all, Alexander Borisov is an actor. Family and children have always been one of the main goals in his destiny, but by no means the most important. For a creative person, the main thing in life is to realize his talent, his full potential as an artist. Borisov succeeded, he entered the galaxy of stars of Soviet actors, but most importantly, he remained in the memory of people.
