Sergei Garmash: filmography, photo, biography and interesting facts from the life of the actor

Childhood and family

Sergei's parents recognized each other in the amateur theater.
Mother, Lyudmila Ippolitovna, has Polish roots on her father's side. She was born in one of the villages of Western Ukraine and worked throughout her entire career at a bus station as a dispatcher. Dad, Leonid Trofimovich, began his career as a simple driver. He subsequently received higher education and rose to a leadership position. The company where he worked gave his father a dacha. His grandfather was an accountant for a construction company in Kharkov, and his grandmother was an accountant (served the railway).

The surname Garmash indicates that Sergei’s family tree included Zaporozhye Cossacks. In these troops this is what the artillerymen were called.

Sergei has a younger brother, Roman.

Actor Sergei Garmash was born into a creative family

The actor himself now recalls that at school he was bad at exact sciences. He was not distinguished by exemplary behavior, but he did well in humanitarian subjects. After graduating from school, Sergei did not know where to go to study next. He read the handbook for applicants entering universities and found out that the most suitable exams are at theater institutes.

But there was a dream of a nautical school, where knowledge of the exact sciences was required. Meanwhile, Sergei went to a sailing competition. At that moment, his mother took her son’s documents to Dnepropetrovsk and submitted them to the theater school. That's how everything was decided. Mom remembered how Seryozha, when he was still little, said: “I’ll be an artist!”

Filmography: Actor

Odessa Steamship (2020)
Invasion (2019)
Two tickets home (2018)
On the other side of death (2018), TV series
Mistresses (2018)
I'm going to save people (2018)
Cold Tango (2017)
Trotsky (2017), TV series
Attraction (2017)
Partner (2017)
Matilda (2017)
Moving Up (2017)
That's the Way the Stars Aligned (2016)
Investigator Tikhonov (2016), TV series
The Duelist (2016)
Murka (2015), TV series
The end of a wonderful era (2015)
Leningrad 46 (2014-2015), TV series
A start to life (2014)
Hetaeras of Major Sokolov (2014), TV series
Once Upon a Time (2014)
Ashes (2013), TV series
Test (2013)
Far Side of the Moon (2013)
Good night! (2012)
White Guard (2012), TV series
Countergame (2011), TV series
Excursionist (2011)
Ivan Tsarevich and the Gray Wolf (2011), voice acting
Burnt by the Sun 2 (2011), TV series
Home (2011)
Marines (2011), TV series
Tricks (2010)
Christmas trees (2010)
The Edge (2010)
Cherche la femme (2010)
Stepan Razin (2010)
Hide! (2010)
Man at the Window (2010)
Black Lightning (2009)
Nice Weather (2009)
Phonogram of Passion (2009)
Train (2009)
Be careful, children! (2009)
Inhabited island. Brawl (2009)
Breaking News (2009)
Anna Karenina (2009)
Cold Sun (2008)
Inhabited Island (2008)
M8 highway (2008)
Hipsters (2008)
Flock (2008)
Morphine (2008)
The illusion of fear (2008)
The One Who Turns Out the Lights (2007)
Wordplay: Oligarch's Translator (2007)
1814 (2007)
12 (2007)
Russian game (2007)
The Last Slaughter (2006)
9 months (2006), TV series
Lacemaker (2006)
Piranha Hunt (2006)
Free translation (2006)
Anna Karenina (2006)
Doctor Zhivago (2006), TV series
The Princess and the Pauper (2005), TV series
Kamenskaya-4 (2005), TV series
Dura (2005)
The Case of Dead Souls (2005)
Poor Relatives (2005)
Brezhnev (2005), TV series
Death of an Empire (2005), TV series
Women in a game without rules (2004)
Red Chapel (2004), TV series
Ours (2004)
My Stepbrother Frankenstein (2004)
72 meters (2003)
And in the morning they woke up (2003)
Lines of Fate (2003), TV series
Kamenskaya-3 (2003), TV series
Lover (2002)
Beyond the Wolves (2002)
Forced march (2002)
Law (2002), TV series
Brigade (2002)
Kamikaze Diary (2002)
Kamenskaya-2 (2002), TV series
Mechanical Suite (2001)
Such a movie (2000)
Kamenskaya (2000)
Tender Age (2000)
Strastnoy Boulevard (1999)
Fan (1999)
D.D.D. Detective Dubrovsky's file (1999)
Voroshilovsky shooter (1999)
Kamenskaya (1999), TV series
The Invisible Traveler (1998)
Crime Squad (1997)
Dancer Time (1997)
The Last Courier (1996)
Ermak (1996)
Wolfblood (1995)
Fatal Balls (1995)
Summer People (1995)
Operation Lucifer (1993)
Silenced Pistol (1993)
I myself am a native of Vyatka (1992)
Education of Cruelty in Women and Dogs (1992)
Demons (1992)
Kestrel (1991)
Along the 206th (1990)
The Tale of the Unextinguished Moon (1990)
Homo Novus (1990)
Mayhem (1989)
Was there Carotene? (1989)
Stalingrad (1989)
Black Corridor (1988)
Moonsund (1987)
The Grudge (1986)
In the Shooting Wilderness (1986)
Squad (1984)

The youth of actor Sergei Garmash, the path to the stage

Sergei easily passed the competition to the mentioned educational institution, after which he became a puppet theater artist.
He worked in this specialty in his hometown, went on tour to neighboring villages and collective farms. Two years later, the young man was drafted into the army, and Sergei ended up in a construction battalion. This experience turned out to be very valuable for his future life. At the end of his service, Garmash decided to go to study in Moscow. At the Moscow Art Theater School he read a long passage from Dostoevsky, and the selection committee treated him favorably.

Evening Urgant. An actor reads a song - Sergei Garmash He had the opportunity to study with Tarkhanov. Sergei always had a sense of humor and clearly defined his goals. Being very charming and hooligan, he became a leader among students. He had a couple of friends who were also born in September.

They celebrated their birthdays for a long time, forgetting about their studies. This “warm” company was once deprived of a scholarship for six months due to absenteeism. There was also a period when the guys worked as janitors. In winter it was necessary to clear the area of snow. But they spent their leisure time cheerfully: with feasts and their own performances of Vysotsky’s songs.

Already in my first year I noticed a beautiful girl at my educational institution - Inna Timofeeva. She was only 16 years old at that time, because she entered the studio immediately after secondary school. Inna never thought of starting a relationship with Sergei, a man five years older than herself. In general, he had to achieve his goal for a long time, because things did not go beyond “friendship”. Once, during a fight in a restaurant, Garmash broke his leg, after which he was in the hospital for a month. Then he walked on crutches for another three months, and Inna nursed him. This rapprochement influenced the further course of events.

Cinema

Sergei Garmash made his film debut at twenty-six years old. His first film was the military drama “Detachment”, filmed in 1984 by director Alexei Simonov, where he played Private Urin.

Alexey Simonov speaks of the actor this way: “He is organically reliable in his most varied manifestations. This is amazing stuff! There is an episode in the film when Urin “breaks down”, the team condemns him, and what a paradoxical, unexpected solution Seryozha found for simple things - it was incredibly interesting, and filmed in the first take. It was a pleasure to work with him... All my further observation of Seryozha’s life showed that I not only was not mistaken in relation to my picture, but also in relation to Seryozha himself, who turned out to be a very great artist.”

The film “Detachment” became the first acting success of Sergei Garmash. After the film was released, he began filming almost non-stop.

Most often, Sergei plays real male characters, although he does not consider himself a tough person. His characters are straightforward people, sometimes even cruel. The artist himself reasons as follows: “I think that this rather comes from typicality. With my face it would be difficult to play a tender lover fluttering through life. I don't really consider myself a tough person, although depending on the circumstances I can even be rude. In any case, it’s hard to call me soft and flexible.”

In 1990, Garmash met the outstanding director Vadim Abdrashitov and starred in his film “Armavir”. After some time, Abdrashitov again invited the actor to shoot. The role of Fidel in the film “Time of a Dancer” (1997) became one of his best performances. “It was high-class work. And in general, a meeting with Abdrashitov is always a serious stage for me,” says Sergei.

Vadim Yusupovich recalls: “The auditions for Armavir were long. And Seryozha played his role wonderfully. For “Time of the Dancer,” the auditions were very quick. I was sure that Sergei would do. We put a uniform on him, started with the most difficult scene, and it became clear that the role of Fidel was his. Sergei Garmash is a very bright and talented actor. He played flawlessly in my film. I like what he does in cinema and theatre, especially Lopakhin in the theatre.”

And after the role of captain in “Voroshilovsky Shooter” directed by Stanislav Govorukhin (1999) and Major Yuri Korotkov in Yuri Moroz’s series based on the works of Alexandra Marinina “Kamenskaya” (1999), viewers began to recognize the artist. Sergei Garmash: “Personally, I think that “Voroshilov Shooter” is a good film for that time. And I am grateful to Govorukhin that he invited me to act. My role there is small, but it was interesting for me to play it, and it subsequently served me well.”

In 2000, Sergei Solovyov’s drama “Tender Age” was released, in which Garmash played a small role of a retired military man - a school teacher in basic military training. People's Artist of Russia Nina Usatova says: “With Sergei, everything is real, and in every role he is real. And he is one of those actors who does not spare himself. I love such partners. He is in the game and gives you a lot, and does not spare himself. When an actor gives his all, this is probably the most rewarding thing in our profession. This does not go unnoticed by the audience, because the viewer sees how the artist works on stage and pays with gratitude, and the partner even more so.” For his role in this film, Sergei became a laureate of the Nika and Golden Aries awards.

Garmash’s successful works also include the main role in Dmitry Meskhiev’s comedy drama “Mechanical Suite” (2001). “This is my first meeting with Meskhiev, and I really love the Mechanical Suite. I consider the time when this picture was filmed to be a happy time for me. I haven't played weak people very often. Here my character is weak, unlucky and sick. And with all this, with some kind of inner world,” explains the artist.

In 2003, Valery Todorovsky’s film “The Lover” was released. For his role in this film, Sergei Garmash was nominated for the Nika Award. Director about Kamenskaya." He is a very successful actor. There will always be a role for him. It may be small, but it will be there. In addition, Garmash perfectly fulfills the tasks assigned to him, giving his best to the end. Any frame with him is a complete work of art.”

Garmash considers working with Valery Todorovsky a real miracle: “A role in such a film is a gift for an actor. In my opinion, the film was a success, I liked it, but I don’t like all the films in which I acted.”

The peak of Sergei Garmash's fame came in 2007, when he starred in two films nominated for an Oscar: “12” by Nikita Mikhalkov and “Katyn” by Polish director Andrzej Wajda. For playing the role of a juror in the film “12,” the actor became a laureate of the Nika national cinema award for best actor.

According to Sergei, the relevance of Mikhalkov’s drama is that “the jury system has not worked for us. The film is a clear example of how it can work and develop skills of civic behavior... Since deep Soviet times, I have liked it when cinema gives moral lessons to viewers. People read less now – but we used to be a very reading country! The Komsomol and the Pioneers disappeared. I don’t regret them, but institutions that can instill a sense of civic responsibility from a young age are necessary. I learned a lot from cinema. Starting with the basics: what is good and what is bad. And I think it’s important that the film 12 appeals to our civic conscience.”

And Andrzej Wajda spoke about his film: “The role of Captain Popov, brilliantly played by Sergei Garmash, is important... This image was formed from two stories. In one, a Russian officer, leaving for the Finnish front, saved a Polish woman from exile by marrying her. In the second, another Russian officer, when they came to take the wives of Polish prisoners of war, saved a woman and her daughter by covering them with his own overcoat.”

In 2008, Garmash superbly played the role of the protagonist’s father in Todorovsky’s musical drama “Hipsters.” In this film, the actor sang for the first time in a movie, performing the song “Man and Cat” by the group “Zero”. “It was the first time I heard myself sing. I haven't done this professionally before. I sang Vysotsky’s songs a couple of times at the presentation of the “Own Track” award of the Vladimir Vysotsky charitable foundation, and that’s all. The producer of our film, the amazing composer and music director Konstantin Meladze, made me sing, although before that I was sure that I couldn’t…”. For this role, Sergei Garmash received the Golden Eagle award as best supporting actor.

In the 2010s, Garmash played mainly military roles. Thus, in the 2011 TV series “Countergame” he played Colonel Kosachev, in “The White Guard” he played Petlyura’s Colonel Kozyr-Leshko. In the 2013 series “Heteras of Major Sokolov,” the artist was convincing in the role of retired captain Ryazantsev.

Recent works include the role of Danilov in the post-war crime drama “Leningrad 46”, as well as Captain Lapin in the film “The End of a Beautiful Era”, Pavel Vasilyevich Ikonnikov in the series “Investigator Tikhonov”, Alexander III in “Matilda”, Khromov in the comedy “Partner” ", Deputy Prime Minister in the science fiction film "Attraction", Nikolai Trotsky in the historical film "Trotsky", Major Taratut in the melodrama "Cold Tango".

On December 28, 2020, the action drama “Moving Up” with the participation of Sergei Garmash was released. In this film, the inimitable Vladimir Mashkov starred as the coach of the Soviet basketball team, which beat the “invincible” US team at the 1972 Munich Olympics.

The team players were played by young talented actors - Ivan Kolesnikov, Kirill Zaitsev, James Tratas, Kuzma Saprykin, Alexander Ryapolov.

Garmash’s filmography is constantly expanding; he already has more than a hundred film roles to his credit. In addition to the listed directors, he was invited to act in films: Timur Bekmambetov, Sergei Bodrov, Pavel Lungin, Vladimir Khotinenko and others.

Sergei Garmash about his work in cinema:

“I refuse (the role) when I feel: bad material. Sometimes I can’t film because I’m busy with another film. To be honest, I don't always refuse when I need to do this. Sometimes I agree, knowing that the work will not be successful, just to make money. There are many films where I starred just to make money. There are jobs that are embarrassing. I would like to play a doctor. I am interested in this profession, as a child I dreamed of becoming a doctor, then I realized that it would not work out. I would also like to play in a comedy.”

Personal life of Sergei Garmash

Sergei did not consider himself handsome and knew that at first he did not arouse Inna’s interest.
But gradually he achieved reciprocity on her part. Their acting marriage has existed for a long time. He was imprisoned during the filming of the film "Squad". They took place in the Baltic states, and the registration was going to be carried out in Kherson, where Sergei was born. The bride and her parents arrived there on time, but the groom arrived a day late. Actor Alexander Feklistov, Garmash’s then comrade, spoke about this. Sergei Garmash - Man and Cat When Sergei was hired at the Sovremennik Theater in 1984, he asked that his Inna be hired there as well. (According to distribution, she first ended up in the theater of the city of Noginsk). So they have been serving in the same theater ever since. Garmash believes that they should not help each other at work. This couple got married in the Novodevichy Convent. They have two children. In 1988, daughter Dasha was born, and 18 years later, son Vanya. Sergei always dreamed of having a boy in his family.

According to friends, Sergei and Inna have a very harmonious marriage. Actor S. Garmash extremely values his own family hearth. Dasha entered the production department of VGIK. In preschool age, Vanya began attending the “Little Genius” club, where he studied drawing, mathematics, reading, and so on.

Sergei Garmash with his wife

It won't be long before he has to choose a professional path. Since the parents were very busy, a nanny was hired for the boy. The family lives in a country house that Sergei built in Bykovo. There is also a bathhouse there. Garmash is a very careful owner. Meanwhile, he does not hang up on the Internet because it takes a lot of time. Sergey is passionate about more useful things.

Children

Sergei and Inna are raising two children - daughter Daria and son Ivan. Their daughter was born shortly after their wedding in 1988, and their son 18 years after Daria’s birth. Due to constant filming and performances, Sergei and Inna could not devote much time to their daughter, and for the first 2.5 years she mainly lived with Inna’s parents. Sergei recalls that when he first held his daughter in his arms, he felt such tenderness and love that he could not imagine whether he could experience the same feelings if they had a son. When Ivan was born in 2006, it became a great joy for both parents. Sergei loves his son very much and tries to spend more time with him. They watch good Soviet cinema together, which Sergei Leonidovich respects very much, and ride bicycles. The actor admits that he pays more attention to his son than to his daughter when she was the same age. Daria gave Sergei Leonidovich his first grandson in 2020. In the photo below is Daria with her famous father.

Career of actor Sergei Garmash

While participating in the graduation performance “The Eldest Son,” Garmash was noticed by director Konstantin Simonov and invited to film the heroic ballad “Detachment.”
Unknown artists were selected there. Now it can be noted that Sergei in films usually got roles with a “truly masculine character.” Having started acting in 1984, he played many “supporting characters” in a large number of films. As he grew older, his cinematic status increased. For the famous Andrzej Wajda, Garmash played in the film “Katyn”. The actor participated in the series “Kamenskaya” (in the role of operative Korotkov). Elena Yakovleva, Sergey Nikonenko, Andrey Ilyin and others also worked on this project.

The artistic director of the Sovremennik Theater, Galina Volchek, treats such “side” works with understanding. In her troupe, Garmash also became a “star” on whom performances were staged. He became an Honored Artist of Russia in 2004, and in 2006 he was awarded the title of People's Artist.

Theater career

When the actor successfully graduated from the Art Theater in 1984, he was accepted into Sovremennik, which is his second home to this day. The actor’s theatrical repertoire includes dozens of performances and other productions, despite the fact that Sergei Garmash’s filmography is also replenished every year. Leading roles in plays, which are sometimes staged for an actor, and minor but striking roles in TV series and movies - this is why the viewer loves Garmash. The actor has performed such performances as:

"The Cherry Orchard";
"Woe from Wit";
"Murlin Murlo";
"Demons" etc.

Awards and recognition of Garmash

The hero of our article is the winner of the national Golden Eagle and Nika awards, as well as a laureate of many international film festivals. In 2011 he was awarded the honorary Order of Merit of the Polish Republic. In 2004, for his services in the field of art, he received the respected title “Honored Artist of the Russian Federation ,” and in 2006, for his great contribution to the development of theatrical art in the Russian state and the creative success achieved, he was given the worthy title “People’s Artist of the Russian Federation.”

Sergei Garmash - about New York, acting superstitions and good roles.