“I communicate well with Zagitova.” Davis/Smolkin about Tutberidze, life in the USA and the success of Sinitsina/Katsalapov

» Celebrity life » Boris Smolkin - life, theater, TV series, beloved family

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What is it like to be held hostage to a successful role on a TV series for many years? Actor Boris Smolkin, who has dozens of them behind him - in theater and cinema, and about 50 voiced and dubbed characters - knows this firsthand.

Biographical facts

Boris Smolkin was born in Leningrad. The parents wanted their son to grow up to be a comprehensively developed person. At the age of 4 he began going to a German children's group. A year later - to English. It was a day-care group, similar to a kindergarten, in which teacher-educator Elena Abramovna taught the children. The children called her Angel.

Little Boris, along with several other children, stayed there all day - from morning until early evening. During meals, games and walks, Elena Abramovna spoke to them in English - excellent language practice.

The parents planned to send their son to an English-focused school. Boris's preparation after classes with Angel was brilliant. But admission was denied under some insignificant pretext.

Boris Grigorievich believes that this could be a hidden manifestation of anti-Semitism, which he encountered more than once throughout his life.

I want to be a clown

Boris realized that he wanted to be an artist in early childhood. Fate led him to his vocation along bizarre paths. The first trip to the theater to see the ballet “Shurale” shocked a 4-year-old boy; he began screaming in his sleep. On the advice of a neurologist, visits to the theater stopped for 3 years. By the age of 7, the severity of the problem was removed.

When asked by dad's front-line friend about his future profession, Borya answered that he wanted to become a clown. How can you not remember your great-uncle! During “Eugene Onegin” in the box of the opera house above the orchestra pit I experienced a new shock, this time from the musicians and the conductor. Now he imagined himself not in the arena with a red nose, but in a tailcoat and with a baton. But then I realized that I wanted to be an actor, although sometimes I call myself a sad clown.

Failed programmer

Boris Grigorievich can be called a polyglot, since until the 8th grade he studied at school No. 171 with in-depth study of the French language. However, by high school, the parents decided to transfer their son to what they thought was a more promising place - physics and mathematics school No. 30 at Leningrad State University. It is not so easy for humanities students to survive within these walls, although the entrance exams were successful - he completed 5 out of 6 tasks. Boris turned from an excellent student here into an ordinary average student.

He still respects the exact sciences and helped his sons solve problems while they were in school. But it did not go beyond purely applied use of the once acquired knowledge. An outlet for the future computer programmer was attending lectures on biochemistry at Leningrad State University. This could be useful for entering medical school, since this option was also considered. In high school, he even became the winner of chemistry olympiads.

He practically did not believe in the possibility of becoming an artist, although he dreamed about it most of all. He not only dreamed, but also took advantage of every opportunity to appear on stage. For the first time he did this in the famous Tyuta Theater of Youth Creativity under the direction of Matvey Dubrovin. He played the role of Mishka Kvakin from Timur and His Team.

For the future actor it was a unique experience. Dubrovin's methodology was based on the pedagogical techniques of Anton Makarenko. All issues in the theater were decided by universal suffrage, and self-government operated. The main task was to educate the individual through dramatic art.

The acquaintance with Ilya Reznik, at that time an actor at the Komissarzhevskaya Theater, also turned out to be fateful. Even before TYuT, Boris attended a studio organized by Reznik in the House of Komsomol Members and Schoolchildren. She existed at the intersection of pop and drama. It was Ilya, a graduate of LGITMiK, who pushed Smolkin to enroll there.

After graduating from school, Boris ventured to enter the theater institute, but failed. The selection committee did not see a future stage or movie star in the short young man. One of the members of the commission was the head of the famous theater-studio of Leningrad State University "Drama", director and teacher Vladimir Viktorovich Petrov. He left a note for the unlucky applicant inviting him to come to the theater.

It was not possible to get into the chemistry department of the university in order to be closer to Drama. I got a bad mark for my essay. As a result, he was enrolled in the chemical technology department of the Forestry Academy. Smolkin did not become a student at Leningrad State University, but he was still accepted into the theater studio. It was founded in 1944. Later famous actors took part in her performances over the years: Sergei Yursky, Mikhail Danilov, Ivan Krasko, Igor Gorbachev.

After the first session, Boris realized that he no longer wanted to study as a chemist and went on academic leave in order to better prepare for entering the theater school. He spent all his time during the day in the studio and in the “Chronicle” cinema in order to create for his parents the appearance of active study at the institute. The family had no idea about the changes in the young man’s life.

A year later, Smolkin made another attempt to get into the Faculty of Dramatic Arts, but he was made to understand that there was nothing to count on. Even before the exam, Professor Vladislav Andrushkevich issued a damning verdict: there was no place for someone like Smolkin in the Soviet theater. Luck smiled on the face of one of the senior students, who advised him to try his hand at the faculty of musical comedy.

I had to tell my mother about everything and, with her help, prepare vocal works of different genres for viewing. There was no need to continue studying at the Faculty of Chemistry; the applicant with a beautiful baritone was still enrolled in the Theater Faculty. Smolkin says with a smile that he gets his voice and knowledge of languages ​​from his mother, and his sense of humor from his father.

Excerpt characterizing Smolkin, Boris Grigorievich

The unknown general looked contemptuously down at the short Kozlovsky, as if surprised that he might not be known. “The general in chief is busy,” Kozlovsky repeated calmly. The general's face frowned, his lips twitched and trembled. He took out a notebook, quickly drew something with a pencil, tore out a piece of paper, gave it to him, walked quickly to the window, threw his body on a chair and looked around at those in the room, as if asking: why are they looking at him? Then the general raised his head, craned his neck, as if intending to say something, but immediately, as if casually starting to hum to himself, he made a strange sound, which immediately stopped. The door to the office opened, and Kutuzov appeared on the threshold. The general with his head bandaged, as if running away from danger, bent down and approached Kutuzov with large, fast steps of his thin legs. “Vous voyez le malheureux Mack, [You see the unfortunate Mack.],” he said in a broken voice. The face of Kutuzov, standing in the doorway of the office, remained completely motionless for several moments. Then, like a wave, a wrinkle ran across his face, his forehead smoothed out; He bowed his head respectfully, closed his eyes, silently let Mac pass by him and closed the door behind himself. The rumor, already spread before, about the defeat of the Austrians and the surrender of the entire army at Ulm, turned out to be true. Half an hour later, adjutants were sent in different directions with orders proving that soon the Russian troops, which had hitherto been inactive, would have to meet the enemy. Prince Andrei was one of those rare officers at the headquarters who believed his main interest was in the general course of military affairs. Having seen Mack and heard the details of his death, he realized that half of the campaign was lost, understood the difficulty of the position of the Russian troops and vividly imagined what awaited the army, and the role that he would have to play in it. Involuntarily, he experienced an exciting, joyful feeling at the thought of disgracing arrogant Austria and the fact that in a week he might have to see and take part in a clash between the Russians and the French, for the first time since Suvorov. But he was afraid of the genius of Bonaparte, who could be stronger than all the courage of the Russian troops, and at the same time could not allow shame for his hero. Excited and irritated by these thoughts, Prince Andrei went to his room to write to his father, to whom he wrote every day. He met in the corridor with his roommate Nesvitsky and the joker Zherkov; They, as always, laughed at something. -Why are you so gloomy? – Nesvitsky asked, noticing the pale face of Prince Andrei with sparkling eyes. “There’s no point in having fun,” Bolkonsky answered. While Prince Andrei met with Nesvitsky and Zherkov, on the other side of the corridor, Strauch, an Austrian general who was at Kutuzov’s headquarters to monitor the food supply of the Russian army, and a member of the Gofkriegsrat, who had arrived the day before, walked towards them. There was enough space along the wide corridor for the generals to freely disperse with three officers; but Zherkov, pushing Nesvitsky away with his hand, said in a breathless voice: “They’re coming!... they’re coming!... step aside, get out of the way!” please the way! The generals passed by with an air of desire to get rid of bothersome honors. The face of the joker Zherkov suddenly expressed a stupid smile of joy, which he seemed unable to contain. “Your Excellency,” he said in German, moving forward and addressing the Austrian general. – I have the honor to congratulate you. He bowed his head and awkwardly, like children learning to dance, began to shuffle first with one foot and then with the other. The general, a member of the Gofkriegsrat, looked sternly at him; without noticing the seriousness of the stupid smile, he could not refuse a moment’s attention. He narrowed his eyes to show that he was listening. “I have the honor to congratulate you, General Mack has arrived, he’s completely healthy, he just got a little sick,” he added, beaming with a smile and pointing to his head. The general frowned, turned away and walked on. – Gott, wie naiv! [My God, how simple it is!] - he said angrily, walking away a few steps. Nesvitsky hugged Prince Andrei with laughter, but Bolkonsky, turning even paler, with an angry expression on his face, pushed him away and turned to Zherkov. The nervous irritation into which the sight of Mack, the news of his defeat and the thought of what awaited the Russian army led him, found its outcome in anger at Zherkov’s inappropriate joke. “If you, dear sir,” he spoke shrilly with a slight trembling of his lower jaw, “want to be a jester, then I cannot prevent you from doing so; but I declare to you that if you dare to make fun of me in my presence another time, then I will teach you how to behave. Nesvitsky and Zherkov were so surprised by this outburst that they silently looked at Bolkonsky with their eyes open. “Well, I just congratulated,” said Zherkov. – I’m not joking with you, please remain silent! - Bolkonsky shouted and, taking Nesvitsky by the hand, walked away from Zherkov, who could not find what to answer. “Well, what are you talking about, brother,” Nesvitsky said calmingly. - Like what? - Prince Andrei spoke, stopping from excitement. - Yes, you must understand that we are either officers who serve our tsar and fatherland and rejoice in the common success and are sad about the common failure, or we are lackeys who do not care about the master’s business. Quarante milles hommes massacres et l'ario mee de nos allies detruite, et vous trouvez la le mot pour rire,” he said, as if cementing his opinion with this French phrase. - C'est bien pour un garcon de rien, comme cet individu, dont vous avez fait un ami, mais pas pour vous, pas pour vous. [Forty thousand people died and the army allied to us was destroyed, and you can joke about it. This is forgivable for an insignificant boy like this gentleman whom you made your friend, but not for you, not for you.] Boys can only have fun like this,” said Prince Andrei in Russian, pronouncing this word with a French accent, noting that Zherkov could still hear him. He waited to see if the cornet would answer. But the cornet turned and left the corridor. The Pavlograd Hussar Regiment was stationed two miles from Braunau. The squadron, in which Nikolai Rostov served as a cadet, was located in the German village of Salzenek. The squadron commander, captain Denisov, known throughout the cavalry division under the name Vaska Denisov, was allocated the best apartment in the village. Junker Rostov, ever since he caught up with the regiment in Poland, lived with the squadron commander. On October 11, the very day when everything in the main apartment was raised to its feet by the news of Mack's defeat, at the squadron headquarters, camp life calmly went on as before. Denisov, who had lost all night at cards, had not yet come home when Rostov returned from foraging early in the morning on horseback. Rostov, in a cadet's uniform, rode up to the porch, pushed his horse, threw off his leg with a flexible, youthful gesture, stood on the stirrup, as if not wanting to part with the horse, finally jumped off and shouted to the messenger. “Ah, Bondarenko, dear friend,” he said to the hussar who rushed headlong towards his horse. “Lead me out, my friend,” he said with that brotherly, cheerful tenderness with which good young people treat everyone when they are happy. “I’m listening, your Excellency,” answered the Little Russian, shaking his head cheerfully. - Look, take it out well! Another hussar also rushed to the horse, but Bondarenko had already thrown over the reins of the bit. It was obvious that the cadet spent a lot of money on vodka, and that it was profitable to serve him. Rostov stroked the horse’s neck, then its rump, and stopped on the porch. “Nice! This will be the horse!” he said to himself and, smiling and holding his saber, ran up onto the porch, rattling his spurs. The German owner, in a sweatshirt and cap, with a pitchfork with which he was clearing out manure, looked out of the barn. The German's face suddenly brightened as soon as he saw Rostov. He smiled cheerfully and winked: “Schon, gut Morgen!” Schon, gut Morgen! [Wonderful, good morning!] he repeated, apparently finding pleasure in greeting the young man.

Family

The history of Boris Smolkin's family largely explains the versatility of his talents and the twisting turns of his fate. Mom, Raisa Efimovna, the owner of a beautiful voice, graduated from a music school in her youth, wanted to study at the conservatory and become an opera singer.

However, her father did not allow her dream to come true and instead of the stage she ended up at the Institute of Foreign Languages. English philology promised stability and a guaranteed piece of bread.

Raisa Efimovna graduated from the Institute in 1941. She never forgot about music. During the war, Raisa performed on the front line as part of a concert brigade. This helped to survive during the siege. In the 50s and 60s, she performed on the stage of the folk theater in the Leningrad Palace of Culture named after Tsyurupa, where she was invited by the opera singer Nikolai Pechkovsky, its creator.

At the end of the war, Nikolai Konstantinovich was repressed and released in 1954. I was able to return to Leningrad only after rehabilitation. The amateur opera studio was an outlet for him, as well as for amateur singers, among whom was Raisa. Among her friends at that time was the famous Leningrad singer Lydia Clement, who passed away in 1964 at the age of 26.

Mom also succeeded in the field once chosen by her father: she taught English at the technical school of light industry, as a translator at the headquarters of the Leningrad naval base (cartographic department), and was a professor at the department of English philology.

Dad

Grigory Moiseevich Smolkin, the actor’s father, came to his relatives in Leningrad from Belarus at the age of 17. He graduated from the Architectural Institute in the Northern capital. I worked in my specialty for many years. After the end of the war, he was appointed chief architect of the Smolensk district of Leningrad.

But despite the serious position, the salary after the birth of his son was not enough. The work of a graphic designer at exhibitions, museums and stores turned out to be more lucrative. He never forgot about his roots, about the Jewish school in Belarus where he studied. About the holidays that are celebrated in every Jewish family.

Raisa Efimovna and Grigory Moiseevich got married according to ancient canons in an apartment with relatives. A special canopy was built for the newlyweds, a symbol of their future home - the chuppah. They met at the wedding of their relatives: cousin Raisa and cousin Gregory.

Georges Roshchin

It is possible that artistry and an adventurous streak could have been passed on to Boris from his great-uncle named Goldin. Grandfather did not care about stability and family foundations and joined the troupe of a traveling circus. Pop fans knew him under the pseudonym Georges Roshchin.

Uncle Misha

My mother’s brother Mikhail was a cadet at the Kronstadt Naval Medical School. After graduation, he was supposed to become a doctor. The war began, and the entire course was sent to the front, where he died a few months later.

Way to success

A fantastic career take-off occurred in 2004, when Smolkin was cast in one of the central roles in the comedy sitcom “My Fair Nanny.”

TV series were not produced in such quantities back then, so they became events. The original version is the American family sitcom The Nanny starring Fran Drescher.

During the auditions, Smolkin’s knowledge of languages ​​came in handy. He joked with the Americans who attended them in English.

The call for the casting of the series “My Fair Nanny” took place largely thanks to my KVN friends who became the screenwriters of the project. Everyone liked Smolkin and was approved almost immediately, but was forced to travel to Moscow for several more months. The producers wanted to see if the other cast members matched him.

104 episodes were filmed over 11 months. It was an exhausting marathon. American TV series take much longer to film. A similar volume took about 7 years. However, the result was worth it. The success of the sitcom “My Fair Nanny” was stunning, although the actors’ fees, especially in comparison with their colleagues from the United States, were very modest.

The main partner in “Nanny” was actress Olga Prokofieva in the role of Zhanna Arkadyevna. Their brilliant, hilarious skirmishes were one of the main decorations of this series. Both Boris Smolkin and Olga Prokofieva were ideal for a comic duet that set off the romantic line of the main characters.

Movie

At the beginning of his film career, Boris Smolkin successfully starred in such musical films as: “Krechinsky’s Wedding” (Ivan Antonich Rasplyuev), “New Year’s Adventures of Masha and Vitya” (good Lesovichok), “Truffaldino from Bergamo” (two roles: a robber and a guardsman) .

The actor shares his impressions of filming the fairy tale “New Year's Adventures of Masha and Viti”: “The film was shot by the wonderful director Usov. The music was written by Gena Gladkov, whom we met during this film. When I was offered this role, I, a young artist, was terribly happy. What a film - a fairy tale, and a musical one at that! And he filmed with classmates: Misha Boyarsky, Valya Kosogubskaya, who played Baba Yaga, the wonderful actor Boyarsky Sr. Really, it was all excellent. There I sang a song: “The old boletus got caught on a hook.” Interestingly, it was written an octave lower. When I came to Gladkov and he played this song for me, I suggested: “Gena, let me sing an octave higher, it will probably be funny.” I sang it and it turned out really very plaintive.”

Also memorable with the participation of Smolkin: the comedy “Cranberries in Sugar”, the drama “About Freaks and People”, the fantasy “Russian Ark”. But great fame came to the actor with the role of the butler Konstantin in the television series “My Fair Nanny.”

"My Fair Nanny"

The actor's friends Mikhail Shats and Mikhail Shchedrinsky recommended Boris Smolkin to the producers of My Fair Nanny. When the project just started, no one knew what would come of it, no one suspected that the series would become so popular.

“The script for the film was written by my Kaveen friends with whom I once worked. They proposed my candidacy. I don’t know how many applicants there were for the role of Konstantin, but the casting lasted almost a year. And since I was soon approved, I spent nine months auditioning with the rest of the actors. By the way, the other main characters were found at the very last moment,” notes Smolkin.

Speaking about the role of Konstantin Nikolayevich, the actor emphasizes that he played such a character for the first time: “He doesn’t exist in Russia, hasn’t existed, and can’t exist. Judging by the laws of the stage, my character is most likely a gloomy clown... My hero is restrained, efficient, has impeccable manners, knowledge of etiquette and an inexhaustible sense of humor. All this is a consequence of his many years of work at the Soviet embassy in London. I don’t know how the viewer will react to him, but I like my character, he matches my perception of life. Since I am not a young man, I approach life approximately the same way as he does.”

And the duet of the quarrelsome businesswoman Zhanna Arkadyevna (Olga Prokofieva) and the imperturbable butler became no less beloved for the audience than the nanny Vika (Anastasia Zavorotnyuk) and her owner, producer Maxim Shatalin (Sergei Zhigunov) - the main characters of the series. It is not surprising that after the release of the comedy, Smolkin and Prokofieva are perceived only as a couple. They are both invited to appear in commercials, host festive events and ceremonies, and humor festivals.

The actor says that filming was physically difficult: “I had to travel a lot, often spend the night on a train, live in Moscow in hotels and rented apartments. I saw my family only a couple of times a month. TV series are not so much creativity as production: a sweatshop system, a certain amount of film footage per day, which you can die for! And in this sense, only the division of labor saves, when everyone monitors their own area of ​​​​work. The actors are responsible for being convincing in the frame, and the people who organize all this are responsible for delivering the footage planned for that day.”

Boris Smolkin received a special prize for his role as a butler from the English Club of St. Petersburg “For truly English humor in a Russian series.” It is worth noting that many Russian celebrities happily played episodic roles in this family comedy: Andrei Grigoriev-Apollonov, Gennady Khazanov, Sergei Penkin, Bari Alibasov, Natalya Krachkovskaya, Nikolai Baskov, Aristarkh Livanov, Mikhail Grebenshchikov, Armen Dzhigarkhanyan, Fyodor Bondarchuk.

"Demon in the Rib"

In 2006, Smolkin starred in another comedy, “Demon in the Rib, or the Magnificent Four.” The artist explains: “It was filmed, like “Nanny,” based on an English tracing paper, they had such a series (I even watched a little - just for general development). Such a paraphrase of “Sex and the City,” only for men. Thematically, it's a little broader than just sex—the story of four friends my age looking for love." The actor plays one of these men: “In this series I have the role of a plastic surgeon, and I am surrounded by a huge number of women who want me to improve their appearance.”

"Military intelligence. Western Front"

In 2011, the military adventure series “Military Intelligence. Western Front" about the work of intelligence officers during the Great Patriotic War and the Soviet-Finnish company of 1939-1940. This is a story about three comrades with difficult destinies. The command entrusts them with the most difficult tasks. However, the heroes of the multi-part film come out of seemingly hopeless situations with honor.

“Our series is made in the best traditions of good Soviet films about the war,” says director Alexey Prazdnikov. – Films that I grew up with. Maybe the stories on which the series was based are quite simple, but they are true. In addition, the heroes of these stories were played by wonderful artists of both the old school - Boris Shcherbakov, Vladimir Gostyukhin, Lev Durov, Boris Smolkin, and young actors - Konstantin Vorobyov, Pavel Trubiner, Stepan Beketov, Olga Lomonosova... By the way, Olga demonstrated herself in this series in a fairly new role. But I won’t reveal all the details - see for yourself. I'm sure you'll like it." “It was a big surprise for me that the director was invited to play this role,” says Boris Smolkin. “I even resisted.” I was confused whether I could play the role of Dr. Bakhtin. Before this, I had never played traitors... This was the first time I was able to try myself in the role of an enemy of the Soviet Union. And it was my first time playing a doctor. It turned out to be very informative. So much so that I even began to think that I had made a mistake in choosing a profession? But this is, of course, a joke."

Career

Boris Grigorievich considers himself more of a theater actor, although he also does not feel discomfort on television or in front of a movie camera. He is not afraid to learn new things and try himself in different genres.

In his youth, Smolkin repeatedly appeared in drama theater troupes: in the Bolshoi Drama Theater, in Alexandrinka. But I heard about a not quite suitable texture, type. He was offered to come again in 20 years at a more mature age. Thanks to the arrival of the talented director and wonderful person Vladimir Vorobyov at the Musical Comedy Theater, his career in the theater was successful.

Since 1972, Smolkin’s main place of work has been this theater. He remained with the troupe for almost 36 years, until 2008. He played about 20 roles there: Rasplyuev, Floridor, Pelican, Truffaldino. He left the troupe a few years after the tragic death of Vorobyov, who was killed on the threshold of his house.

His filmography began in 1967. The first episodic role in cinema was in Pyotr Todorovsky’s film “The Magician”. A few years later, the films “Krechinsky’s Wedding”, “Ganna Glavari”, “Truffaldino from Bergamo”, “The Bird Seller” followed. In total, his acting portfolio includes 49 film images.

One of the important aspects of his work is voice-over and dubbing. Grumpy from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Master Yoda from Star Wars, Panoramix from Asterix speak in Smolkin’s voice. He has repeatedly voiced domestic films, including such famous actors as Vitaly Solomin, Nodar Mgaloblishvili, Rudolf Furmanov.

Leningrad theatergoers remember well the sparkling skits of the Fourth Wall theater. The mini-theater was directed by Vadim Zhuk, and since 1989 Smolkin has been a participant in all performances along with Irina Pyarson, Igor Okrepilov, Alexander Romantsov, Sergei Losev.

The actor is not afraid to try himself in different roles and constantly participates in new projects. In the programs “Processed Cheese” and “Free Cheese” he performed satirical couplets. Starred in commercials. He hosted the TV programs “This is Funny” on “Russia-1”, “The Price of Good Luck” and “Songs for Your Table” on NTV. I tried myself on the floor in the “Dancing with the Stars” program. He has good films, successful TV series, and theatrical roles behind him.

Filmography[ | ]

Movie roles[ | ]

1. 1967 - Magician
2. 1974 - Wedding of Krechinsky - Rasplyuev
3. 1975 - New Year's adventures of Masha and Vitya - Lesovichok
4. 1976 - Truffaldino from Bergamo - chief highwayman/guardsman under the captain
5. 1979 - Ganna Glavari - Nikosh
6. 1982 - Bird Seller (film-play) - Baron Stanislav
7. 1985 - Sunday Dad - dad with a child in a cafe (uncredited)
8. 1988 - Gypsy Baron - Zupan's servant
9. 1995 - Cranberries in sugar - Semyon
10. 1998 - About freaks and people - photographer in the studio
11. 1999 - Streets of Broken Lanterns (episode: "New Year's Adventures of Cops. Case No. 1999") - circus performer
12. 2001-2004 - Vovochka - school director
13. 2001 - Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin - Grove, impresario
    (film 2. “The Flying Gun”)
14. 2002 - Russian Ark - Ambassador Nesselrode
15. 2002 - Knife in the Clouds - Hilarion Shamne, jeweler
16. 2003 - Good luck, detective - police lieutenant colonel
    (part 3. “Circus”)
17. 2004-2008 - My Fair Nanny - Konstantin Nikolaevich Semyonov, butler
18. 2004 - Be careful, Zadov! - neighbor Boris
19. 2005 - Talisman of Love - Leopold, historian
20. 2005 - Night in the style of childhood
21. 2006 - Money Day - Lucky
22. 2006 - The Devil in the Rib, or the Magnificent Four - Fima
    [18]
23. 2006 - First at home - TV salesman / drunk / Uncle Fyodor's dad
24. 2007 - Shakespeare never dreamed of - Altyn
25. 2007 - Leningrad - canteen worker in Smolny
26. 2009 - Aside from the war - entertainer Mozelsky
27. 2010 - Military intelligence. Western Front - Igor Kirillovich Bakhtin, factory doctor
    (film 3. “The Eleventh Workshop”)
28. 2010 - Traffic cops - Alexander Ivanovich, father of the groom
    (film 15 “Raider Waltz”)
29. 2010 - Ligovka - Efim Yakovlevich Natanzon, jeweler
    (film 5. “Diamonds of Natanzon”)
30. 2011 - Retribution - school head teacher
31. 2011 - Love and separation - lawyer Kurochkin
32. 2011 - Three days with an idiot - president of the company
33. 2011 - New Adventures of Aladdin - Merchant
34. 2011 - New Year's SMS - janitor
35. 2012 - Poor relatives - Yuri Ivanovich Lisitsyn, doctor
36. 2012 - Masha - Matvey Markovich, professor
37. 2012 - Little Red Riding Hood - Chief of the Royal Guard
38. 2012-2013 - Jokes - different characters in several sketches
39. 2013 - The Three Musketeers - Mr. Coknard
40. 2013 - Oh, ma-mo-ki! — Mikhalchenko, professor
    (3rd and 4th series)
41. 2013 - Three heroes - Sultan
42. 2014 — Turn in reverse
43. 2015 — Horoscope for luck — Doctor
44. 2015 - Plague - Leonid Vyacheslavovich Veksler, lawyer
    (film 1. “Zaletny”)
45. 2016 - Baby boom - Stepan Pavlovich, private detective
46. 2017 - Twelve Wonders - Evgeny Mikhailovich, neighbor
47. 2018 - Dinosaur - Isaac Yakovlevich Court, trial lawyer
48. 2018 - Cinderella - Cinderella's father
49. 2018 - Last fight - grandfather Maryan
50. 2018 - Witch - Pyatak

Voice acting and dubbing[ | ]

1. 1939 - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (2001, dubbing "Neva-1") - Grumpy
2. 1979 - Bat - dubbing verses by Igor Dmitriev
   [18]
3. 1980 - The life and adventures of four friends - Song of Friends
4. 1980 - Star Wars. Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back / Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back
   -
   Master Yoda
   (2010, CPIG dub)
5. 1981 - Silva - dubbing verses by Vitaly Solomin
   [18]
6. 1983 - Star Wars. Episode VI: Return of the Jedi / Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi
   -
   Master Yoda
   (2010, CPIG dub)
7. 1991-1992 - Pirates of Dark Water (1996, dubbing "Neva-1" for Ekaterinburg Art Home Video) - Konk
8. 1994 - The Swan Princess (1998, dubbing "Neva-1") - turtle Skorokhod
9. 1996 - Indestructible spy
10. 1996 - Scala - Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
11. 1997 - Nothing to Lose - Davis "Rig" Lanlow
12. 1999 - Asterix and Obelix against Caesar - Panoramix
13. 1999 - 2001 - National Security Agent 1-3 - Filaret, photographer Konstantin
    (series “Blackmail”, season 1)
14. 1999 - Star Wars. Episode I. The Phantom Menace / Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
    -
    Master Yoda
15. 2001 - Streets of Broken Lights. Cops 3 - Shtolman
    (role of Nikita Strukov, episode “Shalom, Cops”)
16. 2001 - Animal - Chief Wilson
17. 2001 - Mulholland Drive - Detective Harry McKnight
18. 2002 - Streets of Broken Lights. Cops 4 - Alfred Adamovich Mosel
    (role of Rudolf Furmanov, episode “Lent Sentence”)
19. 2002 - Knife in the Clouds - Colonel
    (role of Vladimir Leletko)
20. 2002 - Enough is Enough - Jim Toller
21. 2002 - Lilo and Stitch - Cobra Butterfly
22. 2002 - Stylish Thing - Earl Smooter
23. 2002 - Asterix and Obelix: Mission Cleopatra - Panoramix
24. 2002 - Neither Alive nor Dead - Warden of El Fuego Prison
25. 2002 - By the name of Baron - “Baron”
26. 2002 - Star Wars. Episode II. Attack of the Clones / Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones
    -
    Master Yoda
27. 2003 - Gangster Petersburg. Film 5. Opera - Magomed Dzhabrailov (role of Alexander Tovstonogov)
28. 2003 - Scam - Morgan Price
29. 2003 - Agent and Banks - Brickman
30. 2003 - To hell with love! — C.W.
31. 2003 - New Adventures of Stitch - Cobra Butterfly
32. 2003 - Finding Nemo - School of Fish
33. 2003 - Dancer - “Administrator”
34. 2003 - Cheaper by the Wholesale - Shake
35. 2004 - Killer Couple: Starsky and Hutch - Leon
36. 2004 - Around the World in 80 Days - Lord Salisbury
37. 2004 - The Three Musketeers: Mickey, Donald and Goofy - Shorty Gavs
38. 2004 - Mulan 2 - Ruler Chin
39. 2005 - Star Wars. Episode III. Revenge of the Sith / Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
    -
    Master Yoda
40. 2005 - Favorsky - Rudolf Farikovich Wallenberg
41. 2007 - Seconds before... - Devil
42. 2008 - Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Master Yoda
43. 2009 - International - Ahmet Sunay
44. 2009 - Julie and Julia: Cooking up a recipe for happiness - Paul Child
45. 2013 - Return of Pinocchio - Duremar
46. 2015 - Star Wars: The Force Awakens / Star Wars: The Force Awakens
    -
    Master Yoda
47. 2017 - Star Wars: The Last Jedi / Star Wars: The Last Jedi
    -
    Master Yoda

Personal life

The actor’s personal life is not replete with high-profile romances and scandalous breakups. He met his first wife, Maria Kuznetsova, at the theater institute. He was a freshman, she was an applicant. A few years later, in 1972, they got married. Two years later, their son Vladimir was born. After 6 years, the family broke up. Both were too busy at work: the wife at the Alexandrinsky Theater, the husband at the Musical Comedy. They remained a family only on paper.

Son Vladimir stayed with his dad. Raisa Efimovna could help with raising the child and spend much more time with him than both actor parents combined. The former spouses are on excellent terms. Their son is 45 years old. Vladimir is a theater producer. Was involved in organizing tours of the Moscow Art Theater. Chekhov, Sovremennik.

He met his second wife at his native theater. Svetlana worked there as an accompanist, was 23 years younger than Boris, and was also married. However, this did not stop them from seeing their soul mates in each other and deciding that they wanted to be together. By that time, Smolkin had already lived alone for 17 years, but dreamed of a normal family.

Many were shocked by this office romance. The mother-in-law received her aged son-in-law with hostility. The son told his grandmother that dad had gone crazy and was dating a pioneer. Raisa Efimovna was waiting for “Lolita” with horror, but she saw a sweet 26-year-old woman. However, life put everything in its place. Over time, everyone around them came to terms with the so-called misalliance, realizing that we were talking about a real feeling.

In 1999, the couple had a son, Gleb. The young father was 51 years old at that time, and he felt immense happiness. Life began to sparkle with new colors. Now Gleb is 20 years old. His mother Svetlana brought him into sports. He is a famous figure skater, candidate master of sports. Together with his partner Diana Davis, daughter of coach Eteri Tutberidze, they win high places in international competitions.

In the summer of 2020, the dance duo moved to a new coach, Igor Shpilband, and moved to the USA. The couple trains at a sports base near Detroit. Gleb loves his parents very much and is grateful to them for their care and support. He says that his father does everything to make sure that all family members feel good, so that no one needs anything. His personal life is not in the public domain.

1. According to some rumors, a distant relative of Grigory Moiseevich Smolkin was the legendary Kirk Douglas-grandmother (born Danilovich). The Golden Globe and Oscar winner, like Boris’s father, came from the Mogilev province.
2. In July 2020, Smolkin’s eldest son, Vladimir, was accused of illegal cash withdrawal and sentenced to a fine of 300 thousand rubles. The actor is reserved in his comments, saying that he is not aware of the circumstances of the case, that all the problems with his son have been resolved by this moment.

Notes[ | ]

1. YouTube
2. Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of June 17, 1999 No. 786 (unspecified)
   . Archived March 28, 2014.
3. Boris Smolkin: “It’s good for one, but it’s better with family.” (unspecified)
   (inaccessible link). Archived from the original on July 21, 2012.
4. Basya Grinberg. Interview with Boris Smolkin in the magazine "Aleph".
5. Architect G. M. Smolkin (Preobrazhenskoye Jewish Cemetery).
6. ↑ 1 2
   Boris SMOKIN: “Who will replace Alain Delon in Russia?”
   (undefined)
   . Red Star (November 13, 2014).
7. ↑ 1 2
   Butler Konstantin from the series “My Fair Nanny” Boris SMOLKIN: “In Crimea, I only went out at night, but even at that time about 10 people pestered me. Two of them turned out to be alcoholics”
   (unspecified)
   . Gordon Boulevard (October 10, 2006).
8. ↑ 1 2
   Boris Smolkin: “Don’t meddle where you shouldn’t!
   You'll end up with your face on the table less..." (undefined)
   . Komsomolskaya Pravda (August 18, 2016).
9. Boris Smolkin: People fainted on the set of “My Fair Nanny” (unspecified)
   . Interlocutor (August 21, 2016).
10. ↑ 1 2
    Famous actor Boris Smolkin visited Almaty
    (unspecified)
    . Zakon.kz (October 4, 2013).
11. ↑ 1 2
    Boris Smolkin: “I wouldn’t take a nanny like the one in “The Beautiful Nanny” for my child”
    (unspecified)
    . Komsomolskaya Pravda (September 2, 2012).
12. Gurevich and Smolkin learned “The Price of Luck.” Our correspondent visited the filming of the new NTV game (unspecified)
    . Komsomolskaya Pravda (September 23, 2005).
13. Boris Smolkin: People fainted on the set of “My Fair Nanny” (unspecified)
    . Komsomolskaya Pravda (November 15, 2014).
14. Vladimir Smolkin, St. Petersburg, 44 years old - photo and page
15. Smolkin is 23 years older than his wife and 5 cm shorter!
16. Vladimir Smolkin Production Center
17. Gleb Borisovich Smolkin - Gleb Smolkin - Personalities (unspecified)
    (inaccessible link). Retrieved August 5, 2020. Archived August 5, 2020.
18. ↑ 1 2 3
    Boris Smolkin (butler Konstantin from the series “My Fair Nanny”: “My wife is 23 years younger than me. It all started with an office romance”
    (unspecified)
    . Facts and comments (July 18, 2006).

Current activities

In 2020, the actor turned 70 years old, but life does not stand still, he is still in action. Age is not a reason to relax. Smolkin does not visit gyms, but maintains good physical shape through regular walking and swimming. Relaxes with a good book, a game of chess, or a good cup of coffee or tea.

Boris Grigorievich never sought to move to Moscow for career reasons, as some of his colleagues did: Trukhin, Khabensky, Porechenkov. There is a danger of getting lost in the capital, which already has no shortage of great actors. He believes that registration does not solve anything in this matter. If the director is interested in someone, geography doesn't matter.

The actor teaches acting at the St. Petersburg Institute of Culture, plays in several enterprise performances: “Bobsleigh for an adult man”, “No. 13”, “Hero of the occasion”, “Clinical case”. Performs with creative and poetic evenings. His favorite poets are Sasha Cherny and Igor Guberman. One of the latest works on the screen is the series “The Witch”.

He does not post reports about his life and career on Instagram or Odnoklassniki; he prefers to devote time to work and loved ones. Family is more important to him than PR. He loves his wife and is proud of his children.

Once in his youth, the actor had a strong complex about his short stature. But now he remembers it with humor. He believes that he might not have played many of the roles that audiences loved. Talent and luck do not depend on physical parameters. Fate, as he admitted, was favorable to him.

Interesting Facts

• One of Smolkin's hobbies is painting. As a child, his architect father, not wanting his son to choose an artist’s profession that was unstable in terms of earnings, even took away his pencils. But from time to time he designed wall newspapers at school and drew friendly cartoons. With the fee from “Krechinsky’s Wedding” I bought, in addition to the household appliances needed for the house, oil paints and a sketchbook.
• For a long time, Boris Grigorievich successfully played the merry servant Truffaldino in his theater. But in Vladimir Vorobyov’s wonderful film “Truffaldino from Bergamo” he only got the role of the main robber. The main role went to Konstantin Raikin. A similar story repeated itself with Silva. The actor dreamed of the role of Bonnie, but Vitaly Solomin was approved for it, and Smolkin was offered to perform verses for him.
• The actor loves to play chess in his free time. Once he tried to do them with the famous trainer Vladimir Zak, who led the section at the Palace of Pioneers. But when I had to make a choice between drama school and chess, I chose the first without hesitation.

Theater

Cinema and television series introduced Smolkin to a wide audience of viewers, but he has been known to the St. Petersburg public for a long time. Being the “calling card” of one of the best theaters in the cultural capital - the St. Petersburg Theater of Musical Comedy, he played in dozens of performances, including “Truffaldino from Bergamo”, “Die Fledermaus”. The artist’s track record also includes the Comedy Theater of N.P. Akimov and Alexandrinsky.

After leaving musical comedy in 2008, the actor took a break, but already in 2014 he became a participant in a number of popular projects, for example, the 3D musical “Pola Negri”, as well as the stage blockbuster with the intriguing title “Number 13”. The latter is successfully shown in the capital's Theater on Serpukhovka.