Denis Dorokhov: biography
Denis Dorokhov is a Russian artist, comedian, player of the KVN team “Team of the Kamyzyak Territory”. In addition to participating in the Club of the Cheerful and Resourceful, he gained popularity thanks to filming in the television sketch show “Once Upon a Time in Russia.”
Denis was born and raised in Astrakhan. His original appearance and innate wit allowed him to make people laugh even as a teenager. But the artist’s creative biography did not begin immediately: during his school years, Denis did not go on stage, limiting himself to pranks on classmates and jokes in a group of friends.
Comedian Denis Dorokhov
After graduating from school, Dorokhov became a student at the International Law Institute under the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation and, having received a high-quality legal education, got a job at the Astrakhan branch of Gazprom. But after some time, Denis realized that immersion in economic and legal nuances was not at all what he expected from life.
The young man quit and got a job in a taxi service in his hometown, where he continued to work even for some time after his professional debut in KVN. According to the artist himself, taxi passengers often recognized the driver as a popular comedian and were surprised by such a combination of professions.
Biography
Sergei Dorogov was born into a family of civil servants. His father worked as a chief engineer at a mining plant, and his mother worked as a senior inspector in the human resources department. When the boy was six years old, his parents divorced. “Mom had a complex character, she was a very principled woman. She and her father often had quarrels, which led to their separation. 24 years after the divorce, my parents wanted to get back together, but my mother’s illness prevented it,” admits Dorogov. Serezha grew up in the city of Rudny. Already as a child, he loved acting and attended classes at the Sovremennik Theater at the local House of Culture. After school, the young man made the final decision to become an artist. Sergei went to Sverdlovsk (now Yekaterinburg) to enter the theater school. However, he did not pass the selection and returned home. After serving in the army, the young man went to Moscow, where he submitted documents to several theater universities, but again failed. He got a job at a construction site and worked as an electric locomotive driver. For a short time he played at the ZIL theater. It was there that he met Alexander Zhigalkin, the future director of the sketch comedy “6 Frames”. “I didn’t just live in Moscow, I lived while entering theater universities. And when I didn’t get in for the first time, I was faced with the question of whether to return home to Kazakhstan, or get a job in Moscow to try my luck again. I decided to stay. And he got a job as a pile driver - working on construction machines for driving piles. This is the preparation of the zero cycle, when a pit is dug, you need to drive piles into it, on the basis of which the foundation will be made and then the walls and ceilings will be erected. We built a lot of objects throughout Moscow - both in the center and on the outskirts, and we paid very well for such work. I remember when, a few years later, I graduated from college and came to serve in the theater, I received several times less than at a construction site,” recalls the artist. Soon, on the advice of teachers, Dorogov left for the south of Russia; he easily entered the Voronezh State Institute of Arts on the course of N. Dubensky. At that time, Fyodor Dobronravov also studied there. In 1987, Sergei received a diploma in “Theater and Film Actor”.
KVN
Denis Dorokhov joined the Comedians Club in 2002, almost by accident. An invitation to attend the rehearsal came from an acquaintance, after which the lawyer-taxi driver turned into a pop artist. Dorokhov’s first team was called “42nd on the list” and did not participate in official KVN leagues, but performed a lot in city concert halls, thanks to which Denis Dorokhov received recognition and the diploma of “King of Astrakhan KVN” in 2004. Since then, his career as a comedian has taken off.
Then Dorokhov became a member of the Astrakhan national team, on the basis of which in 2009, after the Sochi festival, a new team was formed, “Team of the Kamyzyak Territory”. A year later, the team reached the finals in the KVN First League, and in 2012 they managed to reach the semi-finals in the Major League, and at all previous stages the team scored the maximum possible points.
Further, the team's progress increased. The following season, the “Team of the Kamyzyak Territory” became the silver medalist of the Major League of the KVN finals, and the winner was ahead of Dorokhov’s team by only 0.2 points, and also won the Moscow Mayor’s Cup. In 2014, “Kamyzyaki”, as the team is called by fans and fans, did not participate in the game, but upon returning to the Club the next season, they unconditionally became champions.
It is curious that Denis Dorokhov always appears on stage with a painted mustache, although in ordinary life the artist does not wear facial hair. The first time the artist appeared in this form was when he portrayed the mayor of Arkhangelsk in a sketch, and since this act was a great success, Dorokhov made an artificial mustache an obligatory part of the stage image.
KVN team "Kamyzyaki": composition, performances
The humorous group was created in 2009 in Astrakhan. This happened after the Sochi festival. The team's first game took place in March 2009 as part of the Caspian interregional league festival. Azamat Musagaliev was chosen as captain. Why did the other guys give preference to him? Firstly, his oratorical abilities can be the envy of many. Secondly, by that time Azamat already had experience performing in KVN. He, Denis Dorokhov and Renat Mukhambayev previously played for the Astrakhan National Team.
In a short time, the newly formed team prepared several funny skits and fresh jokes.
In 2010, the KVN team “Kamyzyaki” performed in the First League. The composition of the team was initially as follows:
- Roman Kulyasov (entertainer).
- Ilyukhina Irina (director).
- Panekin Alexander.
- Musagaliev Azamat.
- Dykhanov Timur.
- Dorokhov Denis.
- Kalambatsky Sergey (musician, translator).
- Kurbanov Fuad.
- Makarov Vyacheslav (entertainer, singer).
- Kochnev Vladimir.
- Renat Mukhambayev.
- Eternal Alexander.
In 2012, comedians from Astrakhan entered the Major League. In the ½ finals they shared 3rd place with the Vyatka team.
The guys continued to delight TV viewers with their jokes and skits. In 2013, they reached the semi-finals, finishing in 2nd place. According to the rules, the team could not continue to fight for the main cup. But Kamyzyakov still missed out on the final of the Major League. They performed well there. The jury awarded second place to them and the Dnepr team.
The Kamyzyak region team missed the 2014 season, which greatly upset its fans. However, the guys managed to correct the situation. In 2020, they returned to the Major League and even became champions. The team is not going to say goodbye to KVN. On July 1 of this year, “Kamyzyaki” will go to Astana. The Summer Cup tournament will be held there.
A television
In 2014, the TNT channel launched a new humorous show, “Once Upon a Time in Russia,” which was created by the production company. The authors of the program were Semyon Slepakov and Vyacheslav Dusmukhametov, who invited the best KVN players of recent years to the show. Along with Denis Dorokhov, KVN stars appear in Once Upon a Time in Russia, for example, Olga Kartunkova, Azamat Musagaliev, Alexander Ptashenchuk and others.
As conceived by the writers, the new show is a theatrical comedy production combined with filming. On stage, project participants act out small skits, which are filmed and shown as a teleplay. Vyacheslav Dusmukhamedov is confident that the program has an important social function, since the viewer not only has fun, but also sees from the outside the problems of the country, which need to be discussed publicly.
Denis Dorokhov is impressed by the project, first of all, because the artists are free to make such productions that the comedians themselves like, without looking at the generally accepted boundaries of what is permitted.
Humor "Kamyzyakov"
To some, this team is similar in its jokes to the “Kazakhs” from Astana, although this is only at first glance. Many of their reprises are built on emphasizing the provincialism of Kamyzyak. The audience appreciated the “Meeting of the Kamyzyak Court”; this production became the calling card of the team. It is also worth mentioning “Song about the Mayor”, “Alkaponchik”, “Love Story of an Illegal Alien and a Migration Service Employee”. It is the mayor of Kamyzyak who is the hero of many miniatures. Among other things, the KVN team “Team of the Kamyzyak Territory” did something that no one had dared to do before: they invited Alexander Maslyakov Jr. to participate in STEM.
According to fans, the secret of the team’s success is that jokes are not written to order, but are mostly invented by the entire cast. They are also helped by talented authors - Artem Usov and Taymaz Sharipov.
Cheerful guys from the Astrakhan outback continue to profess extraordinary and “unbored” humor and try to convey the best to the KVN audience. The team “Team of the Kamyzyak Territory” always reminds that the sponsor of their performances is the mayor of their hometown, whom they glorified in their reprises. Very often, famous Kavehan artists are invited to play host roles or star in all sorts of sitcoms. The KVN team “Kamyzyaki” is no exception. Its line-up of players should be remembered, perhaps they will soon become mega-famous.
Personal life
Denis Dorokhov has a huge number of fans. This is not hampered by the artist’s specific appearance - short stature (not exactly known, but KVN fans have calculated that the artist’s height should be approximately 165 cm) and a congenital orthodontic defect, which is commonly called a “cleft lip.” Denis turned the shortcomings of his appearance into advantages, making him a topic for his own jokes and a memorable fragment of his own type. However, the actor admitted to journalists that he suffered and had complexes in childhood and even more in adolescence, when due to a defect he was unable to join the army. Therefore, already being famous, the artist joined the board of trustees of the new fund for helping children with physical disabilities “Indifference. No".
Denis Dorokhov with his wife
Despite the hopes of his fans, the comedian is the type of man for whom there is only one beloved woman. Denis sought the location of his future wife Elvira for a long time. Before getting married, the young people dated for more than 7 years. The artist decided to propose to his beloved woman only when he got a job at Gazprom. After Elvira agreed, the couple submitted an application to the registry office on the same day.
The wedding fell at the beginning of the tour of Dorokhov's KVN team, so the preparations turned out to be crumpled and not too romantic. However, Denis and Elvira chose a wedding dress together and discussed controversial aspects of the wedding. Elvira recalls with a laugh in an interview that along with the dress, the future spouses bought boards for the ongoing renovation.
Denis and Elvira
The wedding itself was small: the newlyweds invited only relatives and friends. Denis admitted that he sympathized with the toastmaster. Due to the fact that the groom’s friends are KVN players, the guests responded to every joke of the toastmaster with a dozen improvisations, which made the wedding host embarrassed and nervous.
Today Denis Dorokhov dotes on his wife just as much as in the first years of their romance. In addition, on March 19, 2012, the first-born son Artem appeared in the family.
Denis Dorokhov, who has worked in many fields, would like to receive professional acting education and is seriously thinking about enrolling in a Moscow theater university.
Denis Dorokhov with his family
The artist maintains an account on Instagram. On his own page, the comedian posts both everyday photos and posters of upcoming performances. 90 thousand people have subscribed to Denis Dorokhov’s page.
Some people think that you can learn to joke. Although it seems to me that you still have to be born into a Kaveen specialist. There are not so many of them - people with a good sense of humor. Such as Azamat Musagaliev, captain of one of the most beloved KVN teams of the major league, “Team of the Kamyzyak Territory,” with whom we met after their performance in our city.
– Azamat, the first time I saw your performance on Channel 1, I thought that Kamyzyaki was a fictional city. That’s why you criticize both the mayor and the Kamyzyak court so freely... What is there to be afraid of...
Azamat Musagaliev
– Alexander Vasilyevich Maslyakov also thought so at first. We’ve already been playing in the major league for six months, and he somehow tells us: “These guys are great! They invented the fantastic city of Kamyzyaki and are inventing more and more new situations that supposedly happen in it”... And we answered him: “Kamyzyaki is a real city! Sixteen thousand population thirty-five kilometers from Astrakhan!” He was so surprised!..
– But it’s a really funny name...
– “Kamyzyaki” translated from Kazakh means “reed area”. By the way, the first mention of the city dates back to 1560. Our city is located on the Kamyzyaki River, which is located in the Volga delta. Initially, it belonged to the Kazakh Khanate and only then went to Russia. And ordinary Russians live here - Russians and Kazakhs. The composition of our team is just as international: Renat Mukhambayev, Denis Dorokhov, Sasha Panekin, Slava Makarov, Sergey Kalambitsky, Roma Kulyasov, Artem Usov... and I, the team captain Azamat Musagaliev.
– Your name translates as “hero”, “knight”, “dashing daredevil”. This requires a lot.
– Being the leader of a large team is very responsible, and I try to live up to this to a greater extent.
- Who doesn’t play KVN - physicists, lyricists, and rais... And what will you be by profession?
– Actually, I’m an environmental engineer. And I never dreamed of becoming a Caveman player. My parents told me that I needed to get a serious profession. That’s why I entered the medical faculty of the medical institute, but already in the process of studying I realized that this was not for me. And then I again entered the Astrakhan State University at the Faculty of Ecology and Fishery Conservation. I studied well for all five years, I really liked this profession, and in the end I received a diploma in fisheries engineering. But my health has not been very good since childhood, and this specialty is so unique, you need to spend a lot of time in the water. That’s why I didn’t go to work by profession, but went to KVN (smiles).
- How did this happen?
- Accidentally. One day, a friend of mine, who plays for the student KVN, asked me to watch their performance from the outside and edit it. I sat down in the auditorium, then suggested something. They did as I advised and they liked it. Then they asked me to play along with them on guitar. And then my friend became disillusioned with KVN and left. And I stayed. Honestly, I can’t even imagine that everything could have turned out differently. I'm lucky - I'm doing what I love now.
– I recently read that Misha Galustyan, doing what he loved, became the richest KVN player, earning $23 million in 2013. Is this possible?
- Well, why not? I know Misha Galustyan very well; we recently worked with him in one of the projects. And you know, I was shocked to the depths of my soul by how this generally well-known actor does not betray his “coolness” in any way, and is not at all affected by star fever. I’m happy for him, sincerely glad that he was able to get up and flourish. I hope that we will be lucky too. KVN is a business where no one can guarantee anything to anyone. If you play well, then everything is in your hands. Misha Galustyan, for example, is a fantastically efficient person. He can work as long as necessary, repeat the same episode countless times, go on stage as much as he is told. When he is on stage, it seems to everyone that he knows no fatigue, nothing ever hurts, and there is nothing in the whole world that could distract him or interfere with his dedicated work. He devotes himself completely to his work. This is probably the secret of his success.
– Do you have professional actors or singers? Who does the vocals for you, who writes the numbers?
Denis Dorokhov now
In 2020, another series appeared in the filmography of Denis Dorokhov - the comedy series “The Bearded Man”. The film was a continuation of the comedy sketch project “Our Russia”. But if “Our Russia” showed scattered sketches from the lives of a number of characters, then in the new series the plot focused on only one hero - the character of the sketches, the burry handyman Alexander Borodach, played by Mikhail Galustyan. The hero constantly loses and changes jobs, gets caught by the police and writes explanatory notes, and the Bearded Man’s catchphrase “Understand and forgive” has become an aphorism even outside the audience of the project.
Denis Dorokhov in the TV series “The Bearded Man”
Gradually, the comedian became in demand as an actor and began to receive roles in feature films. In 2020, Denis Dorokhov played a minor role in the comedy melodrama “When Harry Met Sejal.” The film was shot in India and followed Harry and Sejal's journey through Europe. Together, the characters search for a lost wedding ring and enjoy freedom.
Today Dorokhov is working on a new comedy project, “Zomboyashchik,” which is scheduled to premiere on January 25, 2018. The annotation of the future film states that the film ridicules people's dependence on television and will show in a parody manner the idols of our time - politicians, football players, priests, public figures and actors. The film features popular comedians and residents of the Comedy Club: Garik Kharlamov, Timur Batrutdinov, Garik Martirosyan, Pavel Volya, Vadim Galygin, Andrey Skorokhod, Alexander Revva and others.
early years
Azamat Musagaliev was born on October 25, 1984 in the small town of Kamyzyak, which is located in the Astrakhan region. According to the comedian himself, Kamyzyak is an urban-type settlement where 15 thousand simple and very cheerful people live. The town is even called “Astrakhan Odessa”. The main occupation in the village is working in a rice factory.
Azamat Musagaliev is Kazakh by nationality, and he studied at Russian-language school No. 4. Despite living in Russia, the boy was taught to speak Kazakh from childhood. The guy understands the language perfectly and speaks it with family and friends.
Like many guys, Azamat did not think about a future career. His mother wanted him to devote his life to science or teach children , while his father dreamed of seeing his son in a medical gown. The teenager himself liked music more - he played the guitar a lot. As a child, his mother took him to a music school, where he studied in the string instruments class. Later, the acquired skills helped him out more than once during his performances in the KVN major league.
When Azamat was in high school, his father died. The guy remembered his parent’s dream, so he submitted documents to the Astrakhan Medical Academy. However, he soon realized that he did not want to treat people, so the next year he entered the specialty of environmental engineer at the technical university of the city.
True, the guy did not work in his specialty. At this time, he had already become a full-fledged member of the team performing in the Club of the Cheerful and Resourceful. Azamat decides to connect his life with the artistic path, starting to tour with colleagues in Russian cities.
