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Alexey Makarovich Smirnov is a wonderful Soviet comedian with a very difficult biography. The war deprived him of a full life - family and children, and his comic role did not allow him to fully reveal his talent.
Alexey was born on February 28, 1920 in the city of Danilov, Yaroslavl province. After the birth of his younger brother Arkady , his parents - Makar Stepanovich and Anna Ivanovna - moved to Leningrad. Soon the father died, and Anna Ivanovna was left alone with two young sons.
Arkady, Anna Ivanovna and Alexey Smirnov. Photo sobesednik.ru
The boy decided to become an actor already in childhood. During his school years he played in a drama club, and then entered the theater studio at the Leningrad Musical Comedy Theater . After graduating in 1940, he worked for some time in the troupe of the same theater, but the outbreak of war with Germany cut short his career.
War years
Having entered the war as a private, Smirnov rose to the rank of senior sergeant. He served in reconnaissance and repeatedly carried out combat missions behind enemy lines.
Alexey Smirnov, war years. Photo um.mos.ru
Then he commanded a fire platoon of a mortar regiment. For his personal courage he was awarded many awards, incl. Orders of Glory II and III degrees, which were awarded for exceptional merits. But he was only 24 years old! Alexey did not make it to Berlin: in 1944, due to a severe concussion, he was hospitalized, and after treatment he was discharged. The younger brother Arkady died in the war...
Childhood
Alexey Makarovich Smirnov was born at the end of February 1920 in the small town of Danilov, which is located in the Yaroslavl region. Soon another child appeared in the family. Alexey and his younger brother Arkady were very close.
When Alexei was barely six years old, the whole family soon moved to Leningrad. His father, Makar Stepanovich, was given a room in a communal apartment. But soon a tragedy struck their family - their father suddenly died. The mother of the future actor, Anna Ivanovna, had to raise her two sons herself. It is known that until his death, the famous artist Alexei Smirnov lived in the apartment where he lived with his parents as a boy.
Return to the stage
Alexey returned to Leningrad and to the Musical Comedy Theater, where he served for the next 6 years. His work in the theater began with extras. Then came supporting roles, exclusively of a comedic nature. The viewer greeted Smirnov's appearance on stage with delight, but the actor wanted serious dramatic roles...
Alexey lived with his mother in two rooms of the same communal apartment that his father had received. Having such military merits, Smirnov could have improved his living conditions without much difficulty, but he was disgusted by knocking on the thresholds of bureaucratic offices. He never talked about the war or his awards.
After the death of her youngest son, Anna Ivanovna's health deteriorated greatly and she needed constant care. Therefore, in 1952, Smirnov was forced to leave the theater due to frequent tours and entered the service of Lengosestrad.
Late start to film career
The actor first appeared in films at the age of 38 in the historical film “Kochubey” (1958) directed by Yuri Ozerov. The episodic comedic role of a bourgeois opened Smirnov to a wide audience and directors. This was followed by small but striking roles in the comedies “Striped Voyage” (sailor Knysh) and “Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka” (Cossack Ambassador), which were released in 1961.
Sailor Knysh. “Striped Flight” 1961
The films were a success, but the real triumph for Alexei was the main role of the kidnapper Bill in the short story “The Leader of the Redskins” from the film “Business People” , where the second main role was played by Georgy Vitsin ( dir. Leonid Gaidai , 1962).
Read also Sergei Tikhonov: the tragic fate of the boy from “Leader of the Redskins”
Alexey Smirnov and Seryozha Tikhonov. “Leader of the Redskins” 1962
Among the most famous films with Smirnov’s participation are the comedies: “Operation “Y” and other adventures of Shurik” (1965), “Aibolit-66” (1966), “Wedding in Malinovka” (1967), “Seven Old Men and One Girl” (1968), etc.
Fedya. “Operation “Y” and other adventures of Shurik” 1965
Rolan Bykov and Alexey Smirnov. “Aibolit-66 1966
Mikhail Vodyanoy (Popandopulo) and Alexey Smirnov (Smetana). “Wedding in Malinovka” 1967
All his life Alexey dreamed of serious, deep roles, but none of the directors wanted to discern his dramatic talent behind the comedic image of a narrow-minded, ridiculous big man. The actor’s dream came true only twice: in 1968, he played in the military film “Scouts,” and a few years later, director Leonid Bykov (for whom Alexey had already starred in the comedy “Bunny”) invited Smirnov to play the role of mechanic Makarych in the military drama “They Go to Battle Alone.” old people” (1973). This work glorified both the director and the actors who starred in the film, and revealed Smirnov as a wonderful dramatic actor.
Makarych. “Only old men go into battle” 1973
On the set, Alexey became friends with Bykov and throughout the rest of their lives they communicated closely. He regretted that he “met my director so late.” Subsequently, Bykov would invite Smirnov to star in another of his films - “Aty-Bati, the Soldiers Came” , but by that time the actor would already be very ill and refuse the role.
Personal life that never happened
The actor’s screen image did not correspond at all to the real Smirnov. Alexey was modest and kind, he preferred to see only the good in people. He loved to read (especially poetry) and had a luxurious library for those times. He was interested in entomology and collected a large collection of all kinds of insects.
He was never married. Before the war, Alexei had a beloved girlfriend, Lydia Maslova, who waited for him from the front. But upon returning, Smirnov broke up with her - the injury he received forever deprived him of the opportunity to become a father. He did not condemn his beloved to a childless life. Alexey did not explain to Lydia the reasons for his action; perhaps he did not want to be pitied. She found out about everything many years later.
Despite his heroic military background, Smirnov was unusually timid with women. He was embarrassed by his appearance and sincerely believed that none of them could love him. But Smirnov actually had fans, he just didn’t know how to behave with them or what to talk about. Once on tour, an anecdotal incident occurred: a girl came to Alexei’s room and asked for this date. Instead of taking decisive action (which the girl was clearly counting on), the actor spent several hours straight telling her about his collection of beetles. Not every lady, with all her sympathy for a man, is able to withstand such a lecture. The fan literally ran away from Alexei.
It was also important that Smirnov lived with his mother, who was often ill and was very tyrannical. Having lost her youngest son in the war, she focused her existence on the surviving Alexei. Anna Ivanovna tried to control his every step, most likely out of a desire to protect him, but in fact deprived her son of freedom and personal initiative.
Having never met his life partner, the actor decided to adopt a child from an orphanage. He became very attached to one sick boy, Vanya, who suffered from a heart defect. For several years, Smirnov visited him in the orphanage, but was unable to obtain permission for adoption from the guardianship authorities. Probably, frequent tours and a sick mother became an obstacle.
Anna Ivanovna’s health was getting worse: serious mental problems arose. She stopped recognizing her son. Alexey could no longer care for her on his own and was forced to place his mother in a nursing home. Every time he visited her, the actor cried: he was left completely alone.
Last years. Disease
Practically, having already lost his mother, Smirnov could not stand it: he began to go on binges. The actor had problems with alcohol before, but now nothing was holding him back. The communal apartment in which he lived turned into a passageway for local alcoholics. The actor was no longer offered work - everyone knew about his illness. In addition to alcoholism, Smirnov suffered from coronary heart disease and atherosclerosis, and due to excess weight he could not even sleep normally: he began to choke...
The actor had relatives on his mother's side - four cousins and a brother, but he maintained relationships with only one sister - Valentina. It was she who helped Smirnov with the housework and tried to ward off his drinking buddies, which she, of course, failed.
Svetlana Chekir is the niece of Alexei Smirnov, the daughter of Valentina’s sister. Photo sobesednik.ru
Personal life
“My personal name is Tanya, she is 23 years old, she is a graduate of the Shchukin School, and my ideal. It is, of course, very unfair to meet your ideal woman at 17, but what can you do? It's better than never. In general, I am terribly against all early marriages, but with Tanya I simply could not do otherwise. I really wanted to call her “my wife.” And now, we have been married for three years, and my admiration for her is only growing. And she, in turn, keeps me in love and severity,” the actor explained in an interview.
Cause of death
Alexey Smirnov spent the last few months of his life in the hospital due to heart problems. On the eve of his discharge, he learned about the death of his only friend Leonid Bykov, who died in a car accident. Alexey Makarovich could not bear this news - his heart broke (there is another version of the cause of the actor’s death, according to which on the eve of discharge he drank a bottle of cognac, which led to death). The actor died on May 7, 1979 at the age of 59.
Alexey Makarovich was buried at the Southern Cemetery of St. Petersburg. Anna Ivanovna outlived her son by 2 years and was buried next to him.
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The exploits and awards of Alexei Smirnov, which he did not like to tell anyone about
Alexey Makarovich Smirnov is a great Soviet film actor, beloved by many generations of viewers. Most of us know and remember him as a great comedian. Even episodic roles performed by A. Smirnov were remembered as if they were the main ones. Looking at his characters, you forget your problems, your soul becomes light and cheerful.
Many people know and remember the actor Alexei Makarovich Smirnov (02/28/1920 – 05/07/1979). We remember him most for his comedic roles. One of his “Bugs” from “Operation Y...” was worth it.
He was a great friend of Leonid Bykov and starred in some of his films on a military theme, such as “Scouts” or “Only Old Men Go to Battle”...
Meanwhile, Alexey Makarych himself went through the entire Great Patriotic War and served not just anywhere, but in military intelligence.
He himself went behind enemy lines several times. A holder of two Orders of Glory, a holder of the Order of the Red Star, was awarded the medals “For Courage” and “For Military Merit.”
AWARD LIST
The exploits of platoon commander Smirnov
The Central Archive of the Ministry of Defense stores in its depths a red daddy with the personal file of Red Army soldier Alexei Makarovich Smirnov. He commanded a fire platoon in the 169th Mortar Regiment. He went from private to lieutenant. Two Orders of Glory - 2nd and 3rd degrees, the Order of the Red Star, medals “For Courage” and “For Military Merit”... And the future film actor also brought back from the war a severe shell shock, “earned” in the bloody battles for the Oder bridgehead.
The award sheet for the order for the third artillery division dated September 15, 1944 briefly “accompanies” the first Order of Glory of Alexei Makarovich: “On June 20, 1944, in the area of height 283, the enemy with a force of up to 40 Nazis attacked the battery. Comrade Smirnov, inspiring the fighters, rushed into battle and repelled the attack of the Nazis. There were 17 Germans left on the battlefield, and he personally captured 7 Nazis..."
One can only imagine that fight. The four-gun mortar battery hardly numbered more than a dozen fighters. And going on counterattacks is not artillery’s bread and butter. And how in hand-to-hand combat you can “tie” seven people at once alone is unlikely to be explained by today’s masters of martial arts.
He received his second “Glory” for a battle near the village of Postaszewice. The mortarmen apparently were not covered by infantry, and what kind of cover would there be in an offensive? Again there was a German attack, hand-to-hand and - meager lines on the award sheet: “Comrade Smirnov with three soldiers rushed at the Germans and personally killed three Nazis with a machine gun and captured two. On January 22, 1945, despite intense machine-gun and artillery-mortar fire, he carried the mortar on himself to the left bank of the Oder River; in this battle, two machine-gun points and twenty Nazis were destroyed.”
Swimming a 120-mm barrel with a cast-iron plate and mines on yourself in the winter—how’s that? The Oder, by the way, is not the narrowest river... It turns out that our favorite artist Alexey Smirnov was such a desperate fighter. It’s a pity that we found out about this only recently - he never spoke about the war.
“And he died after learning about the death of Leonid Bykov...”
Director Leonid Bykov met Smirnov long before the filming of “Only “Old Men” Go to Battle” - back at Lenfilm, at the auditions of the film “Bunny”. And he invited the artist into his film at a time when Alexey Makarovich was going through hard times.
— On the sidelines of the artistic council they grimaced: “Why do we need this type?” - recalls the editor of the film “Only Old Men Go to Battle,” Kiev film critic Emilia Kosnichuk. — They said that Smirnov drinks heavily, doesn’t do a lot of filming, why do we need additional complications... But Lenya didn’t see anyone other than Smirnov in the role of a mechanic. And what a brilliant alliance that emerged! How they improvised on the fly! Remember - a mechanic baptizes a plane leaving for a combat mission? This was not in the script, but it came from the truth of the war.
They joked at the studio: Smirnov looks at Bykov with adoration, like a mother at a newborn.
“Or like Turgenev’s girl,” Kosnichuk smiles. - However, no one had a different attitude towards Bykov. “Only “old men” go into battle - more than just a film. It used to be and still is found incomprehensible intertwining of cinematic and real destinies.
Emilia Kosnichuk heard the story of how Alexey Smirnov died from a colleague who acted as an extra. When Bykov crashed in a car near Kiev, Smirnov lay in the hospital in serious condition, and those around him did not dare to tell him the bitter news. On the day of discharge, Alexey Makarovich, a generous person, decided to thank the doctors. And he proposed the first toast to his best friend and great director Leonid Bykov. Like, life wouldn’t be worth living without Leonid! Someone said in confusion: “Don’t you know - Bykov died...” Smirnov fell silent, left the table, returned to his room, lay down on his bed and died.
“I won’t say that this story is one hundred percent true,” says Kosnichuk. - Although I remember Alexei Makarovich as a very sincere person and I think: such a blow could stop his heart...
We will always watch these films with Smirnov:
- "Striped Flight" (1961)
- “I’m Walking Through Moscow” (1963)
- "Welcome, or No Trespassing" (1964)
- “Operation “Y” and other adventures of Shurik” (1965)
- “War and Peace” (1965 - 67) “Aibolit-66” (1966)
- "Three Fat Men" (1966)
- "Wedding in Malinovka" (1967)
- “Only “old men” go into battle (1973)
FROM THE DOSSIER
Fedya from Operation Y was an ace in hand-to-hand combat. And a holder of two Orders of Glory... The Order of Glory is, according to experts, the Soviet analogue of the legendary St. George's Cross.
The order had three degrees, and was awarded sequentially - from the third to the first. In 2000, 350 full holders of the Order of Glory remained alive in Russia.
The basis for the award is personal courage.
According to the status of the Order of Glory, it was awarded to privates and sergeants of the Red Army (in aviation - and junior lieutenants) who showed “glorious feats of bravery, courage and fearlessness.” The list of feats for presentation includes: saving the unit’s banner, destroying up to 50 soldiers and officers or two enemy tanks, capturing a “tongue,” destroying a machine gun or mortar behind enemy lines, returning to duty after bandaging, assisting a wounded man under fire...
