Biography
Nikolai Fomenko is a Russian actor, musician, showman, television and radio presenter, and racing driver. He was able to demonstrate his multifaceted talent in various fields equally. This includes the creation of the popular group “Secret”, and work at the best theater venues in St. Petersburg, and brilliant performances on “Russian Radio”, and filming in the films “The Twelve Chairs”, “Apostle”, and even the management of his own automobile company.
Nikolay Fomenko
Today, the artist takes on new heights - Fomenko headed the Moscow branch of the Party of Growth.
Childhood and youth
Nikolai Vladimirovich Fomenko was born in Leningrad in 1962 into an intelligent family. The boy's father was the famous physicist-meteorologist, corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences Vladimir Fomenko. The scientist was even included in the Cambridge Encyclopedia in the list of outstanding people of the 20th century. The future artist’s mother was a ballerina in her youth and taught at the Vaganova School. Later, due to a meniscus injury, she began working as a civil engineer. Nikolai is often attributed Jewish nationality, but the actor does not comment on this rumor.
Nikolai Fomenko in childhood and youth
Nikolai was a creative child. The boy went to music school (violin class), attended the Theater of Youth Creativity, and was fond of skiing (received the title of Master of Sports).
During his school years, the young man was a real rebel. They even refused to issue Nikolai a certificate - at the graduation party he performed 2 songs in English. At that time it was strictly prohibited. The certificate was issued, but Vladimir Fomenko took it away.
Nikolai Fomenko in his youth
The guy had real talent as a musician, so his parents insisted on appropriate education. But Nikolai chose theater school, despite the fact that he had a speech impediment (he could not pronounce the letter “r”). With such a problem it is difficult to enter a theater university, but Fomenko succeeded.
Short (height 176 cm), burry Nikolai impressed the commission with his ingenuity and talented performance of the fable “The Frog and the Bull.” Later, having gotten rid of his burr, Fomenko graduated from the Leningrad Institute of Theater, Music and Cinema in 1983, where he studied in the workshop of Igor Gorbachev.
Wives of Nikolai Fomenko - Elena, Lyudmila Goncharuk, Maria Golubkina, Natalia Kutobaeva (Fomenko)
The wives of Nikolai Fomenko - Elena, Lyudmila Goncharuk, Maria Golubkina, Natalia Kutobaeva (Fomenko) currently communicate normally with their ex-husband. They are all creative people.
The artist got married for the first time in the early 80s. The lovers met at a student party. The marriage lasted for 5 years. But even the birth of a daughter did not save the relationship. Our hero met a new beloved, so he filed for divorce.
Fomenko lived with Lyudmila Goncharuk, who danced in an army group, for almost 10 years. They spent a lot of time together. But they never became parents.
For a long time, the showman was married to film actress Maria Golubkina. The man called her his greatest love. They traveled together and raised children. But due to the betrayal of the spouse, the marriage union broke up. The former lovers did not speak for some time. Only a year later they began to communicate again. Recently Maria met her new love. She got married. At all social events, a woman appears in the company of her new husband.
Our hero's last love is a woman named Natalya. It was with her that the man cheated on Maria Golubkina. Fomenko Nikolai and his new wife met at a windsurfing competition. After the star's divorce, the marriage was registered. Now the couple live happily together. They are raising their son Vasily. Natalya shares all her husband's hobbies. She is interested in auto racing and extreme sports, and is a good swimmer.
Music
In 1981, Nikolai met with Maxim Leonidov and Dmitry Rubin, which greatly influenced the musician’s biography and the history of Russian music. Thanks to her, the popular Soviet rock band “Secret” appeared. Already the team’s first album, “You and I,” released in 1984, brought the musicians all-Union fame. The public enthusiastically received the performers’ first hits “A Thousand Records” and “She Doesn’t Understand.”
Nikolai Fomenko in the group "Secret"
The artists become participants in the broadcasts of the television programs “Disks Are Spinning,” “Morning Mail,” and “Musical Ring.” The group "Secret" is one of the first to release videos for its compositions. The second collection “Beat Quartet “Secret”” becomes double platinum, and the songs “Hello”, “Your Dad Was Right”, “Sarah Baraboo”, “My Love on the Fifth Floor” included in it became megahits. In 1987, St. Petersburg residents received leading roles in the 2-part musical film “How to Become a Star.”
Fomenko was a bass guitarist, vocalist, as well as the author and composer of the songs “She Doesn’t Understand”, “The Last Hour of December” and others. After Maxim Leonidov immigrated to Israel, Nikolai took the place of the frontman of a rock band.
Group “Secret” - “My love is on the fifth floor”
Since the beginning of the 90s, problems began in the musical group, and as a result, “The Secret” broke up. Former bandmates tried to revive the band in 2007 and 2013, but nothing worked out. The musicians periodically perform together and even recorded a new album, “All This Is Love,” but there is no talk of full-fledged and permanent tours and performances.
According to the press, Nikolai Fomenko was no longer particularly interested in participating in the team; the actor became interested in other projects. However, Fomenko’s voice can be heard in the musical compositions of other creative groups. So, together with members of the group “Keramika” the artist performed the hit “Lamps”.
Group "Ceramics" - "Light Bulbs"
In 2020, the musicians came together again to hold an anniversary tour in honor of the 35th anniversary of the creation of the Secret group, which passed through the capitals of Russia, Belarus and the cities of Germany.
Television and theater
In 1983, Fomenko was invited to work at the prestigious Alexandrinsky Theater. The actor played both comic and dramatic roles equally well. As theater director and former mentor Igor Gorbachev said, “the guy has talent from God.”
Fomenko's theatrical career developed rapidly, he played in the Leningrad Pushkin Drama Theater, Satyricon, and the Liteiny Theater. The actor’s most striking performances are “The Threepenny Opera” based on the play by Bertolt Brecht, “Academy of Laughter”, “Locust” and others. Also, at the invitation of Lyudmila Gurchenko, Nikolai played the main role in her musical.
Nikolai Fomenko in the theater
The artist came to television with the group “Secret”. In 1984, the popular television program “Disks Are Spinning” was released, the TV presenter of which was Maxim Leonidov, and the scriptwriter was Fomenko. It was thanks to the group (the authors of the idea) that the program “Morning Mail” appeared. The first episodes of the program were hosted by Nikolai Fomenko.
After a while, the actor was invited to work on NTV, where he created a number of original programs: “Russian Nails”, “Interception”, “Empire of Passion”, which brought him popularity and love from the audience. The actor established himself as an excellent TV presenter and began working a lot on different TV channels. Nikolai has more than 30 original television programs, which he created and hosted independently.
Nikolay Fomenko
In 1998, Nikolai was awarded TEFI and given the title of People's Artist of Russia. Fomenko received 3 Ovation awards for the television products “Oba-na”, “Russian Nails”, “Empire of Passion”.
In the same year, the man acted as a commentator. From 1998 to 2001 and from 2002 to 2003, he commentated on the sports show “Wrestling Titans” on TNT.
In 2020, the showman began hosting another program - “Saltykov-Shchedrin Show” on NTV.
THEATER
After graduating from the institute, Nikolai Fomenko ended up at the Alexandrinsky Theater, where his teacher Igor Gorbachev was the artistic director at that time. There he managed to play the main role in the play “Trumpeter on the Roof”, and three months later he was drafted into the army. He served first in the tank forces, and then in the ensemble of the Leningrad Military District.
After returning from the army, Nikolai briefly returned to the theater, but then left it for the group “Secret,” which was gaining popularity every day.
In 1988, Fomenko played Sharikov in the play “Heart of a Dog” at the Leningrad Drama and Comedy Theater on Liteiny. However, the next time the artist appeared on the theater stage was only in 1996. Then, at the Moscow Satyricon, Vladimir Mashkov staged the play “The Threepenny Opera” based on the play by Bertolt Brecht. Nikolai was invited to play the role of Peacham, the king of the beggars, and this work brought him the Seagull Award in the Diagnosis: Actor category.
Nikolai Fomenko is not a member of the troupe of any theater. In an old interview, he explained: “I’m not ready to come and stay in some theater yet. Not everything has fermented in me yet - I still cannot walk for a long time under someone’s continuous guidance. But when (if) the demon in me settles down and calms down, I will definitely walk around with a halberd in the background.”
However, he is regularly invited to participate in a variety of productions. He played with Lyudmila Gurchenko in the musical “The Bureau of Happiness” (1998), and staged the symphonic fairy tale “Peter and the Wolf” with the Russian National Orchestra (he acted as a reader).
Then there were roles in Roman Kozak’s productions “Academy of Laughter”, “Three on a Swing”, “Mad Money”.
“In Kozak, with my crazy luck, I found a person with whom I completely coincide with my ideas about what modern theater should be like - from the type of stage to the composition of the troupe. I’m pleased that we didn’t disappoint each other,” Nikolai shared his impressions of working with the director.
In 2020, the premiere of the play “And Again with the Coming” took place in Moscow, starring Nikolai Fomenko and Leonid Yarmolnik.
Radio
The actor began working on radio in 1995, when he was invited to the Russian Radio station. He hosted his own programs “Good Morning, Vietnam” and “Golden Gramophone”. After Fomenko’s arrival, the ratings of Russian Radio instantly increased. He himself wrote funny, sharp jokes that were constantly played during breaks between songs and programs.
Nikolai Fomenko - radio star
Radio listeners fell in love with the presenter for his original sense of humor and unique charisma.
The showman has a recognized sense of humor, which is why even today fragments of his programs and texts are often divided into quotes. There are entire collections of Fomenko’s aphorisms on the Internet, but most often the authors of the collections are not sure whether all the jokes belong to the artist personally or whether some of them are anecdotes that imitate his style.
Son of Maria Golubkina - Ivan Fomenko
The son of Maria Golubkina, Ivan Fomenko, was born in 2003. He loved his mother and father very much, so he was worried about their divorce. In 2020, the boy decided to live with his father Nikolai Fomenko, having a negative attitude towards his mother’s new chosen one. Maria Golubkina did not oppose this, believing that when Ivan grew up a little, he would figure everything out.
Outwardly, the young man is very similar to his father. But he has the look of his mother, as fans of the works of Maria Golubkina and Nikolai Fomenko often say.
Now Ivan is studying at one of the Moscow gymnasiums, while also playing sports. He especially loves playing rugby and American football. Ivan doesn’t yet know who he will become, but he believes that the main thing in this life is to become a real person.
Motorsport
One of the showman's most famous hobbies is car racing, which he started doing in 1994. Fomenko participated in the preparation of the “Racing for Survival” project and at the same time took lessons from professional racers. Three years later, Nikolai received his first medal for winning road racing. In the future there were many more victories and awards. The actor received the title of Russian champion, as well as several international prizes.
Nikolay Fomenko loves cars
In 2004, the showman showed himself in journalism. Fomenko became editor-in-chief of Autopilot and headed the automobile magazine until 2008.
In 2007, Fomenko voiced the popular computer racing game Need For Speed: ProStreet, and also began working on the Russian-language version of the Top Gear television program. In the same year, he founded his own automobile company (“Marusya Motors”), which began producing sports cars under the “Marussia” brand.
Nikolai Fomenko and his “Marusya”
In 2011, Nikolai Fomenko was appointed director of the Formula 1 department.
In April 2014, the Marussia Motors project was closed. The reason for the closure was the bankruptcy of the company: according to media reports, only 4 cars were sold, production of serial cars never began, and all produced prototypes were donated to “privileged clients” or, as journalists suspect, friends of Fomenko and the co-chairmen of Marusya.
Movies
The actor began his film career in the early 80s. At that time, he only had episodic roles in the films “Speed” and “Anecdotes.” Fomenko received his first serious role in the film “The Orphan of Kazan” in 1997.
Nikolai Fomenko in the film “Orphan of Kazan”
One of the most famous films in the actor’s career is “Moon Dad.” The main female role was played by Chulpan Khamatova. Another significant work of Nikolai is the series “Apostle”, where he played the main role. It is interesting that the script for the youth series “Fizruk” was created specifically for the famous showman, in which Dmitry Nagiyev eventually played the main role.
Fomenko continues to constantly appear on screens and in the theater. In 2015, the actor played in Leonid Yarmolnik’s new theatrical project “And Again with the Coming” at the Moscow Russian Song Theater. In the same year, Nikolai Fomenko became the TV presenter of the First Channel program “Park”.
Nikolai Fomenko in the film “Moon Dad”
In 2020, Fomenko played the role of the main character’s psychiatrist in the comedy series “You’re All Infuriating Me!” and transformed into the main character of the comedy “Find a Husband for Daria Klimova.” The melodrama “Blue Rose” was also released with the participation of the actor.
The roles of Nikolai Fomenko in films and other works
Nikolai performed his first film role in 1974.
However, an episodic appearance in the series “Jumble” was only the beginning of a long journey. In the mid-80s, the actor began to appear frequently in films, playing a wide variety of roles. Thus, in his filmography there appeared such famous films as “The Orphan of Kazan”, “Moon Dad”, “The Sky in Diamonds”, “The Twelve Chairs” (in which he played the role of Ostap Bender), “Apostle”, “Radio Day” and many other. Each of these paintings brought Fomenko a new portion of success and popularity. At the same time, already in the status of a famous and recognized showman, the actor began to appear frequently on radio and television, where he worked on several significant projects.
Nikolai Fomenko in Evening Urgant For outstanding achievements in the field of cinema, television and music in 1999, Nikolai Fomenko was awarded the title of Honored Artist of the Russian Federation.
Personal life
The actor was officially married 4 times. His first wife was Elena Lebedeva, the daughter of the famous actor Rem Lebedev and actress Lyudmila Krasikova. The couple lived together for 5 years and had a daughter, Katya. Now she is a famous Russian journalist. Works under the name Ekaterina Grishkovets (husband's last name). The daughter from his first marriage has already given Nikolai two beautiful granddaughters - Aglaya and Masha.
Nikolai Fomenko with his first wife
The actor’s second wife was the lead singer of the army dance ensemble, Lyudmila Goncharuk. They say it was because of her that the first marriage broke up. The dancer and actor lived together for 10 years, but eventually divorced. The couple had no children.
For the third time, Fomenko led actress Maria Golubkina, daughter of Larisa Golubkina and documentary film director Nikolai Shcherbinsky-Arsenyev, down the aisle. When Nikolai was little, he liked Larisa Golubkina. And, ironically, the artist’s third wife was her daughter.
Nikolay Fomenko and Maria Golubkina
For a long time, the Golubkina-Fomenko couple was considered the most beautiful in the world of show business. Photos of the married couple regularly appeared on the front pages of the tabloids. In their marriage, they had two children: son Ivan and daughter Nastya, but the personal life of the artists did not work out. 13 years after the wedding they separated. The reason for the divorce was not disclosed.
The fourth wife of the actor was Natalya Kutobaeva, who first worked as press secretary for the governor of St. Petersburg. Since 2011, she has served as head of the press service of the Federation Council. She loves extreme sports (she enjoys windsurfing) and shares her husband’s hobby – auto racing. In 2009, the couple had a son, Vasily.
Nikolai Fomenko and his wife Natalya Kutobaeva
Despite the rumors that the media often spread, the lovers are happy and live together.
Daughters of Nikolai Fomenko - Ekaterina, Anastasia
Nikolai Fomenko’s daughters, Ekaterina and Anastasia, love to go out of town with their father on weekends. Our hero regularly gathers all the children and spends weekends with them.
The showman became a father for the first time in the early 80s. His first wife gave him a girl. She did well at school. Then she studied at MGIMO, becoming a journalist. After defending her diploma, she worked for several years at Komersant, where she covered the international situation in the world. Ekaterina is already a mother herself. She has two daughters, born a year apart. Ekaterina named her first daughter Aglaya, the second - Maria. They study at one of the capital's schools.
In the late 90s, Maria Golubkina gave our hero a second daughter, whom they named Anastasia. The girl studied at one of the elite schools. Now she is studying at one of the capital's universities, while working on Russian television.
Nikolay Fomenko now
Now Nikolai’s creative life is as varied and active as all these years. With the participation of the artist, the films “On the Edge” and “Difficulties of Survival” are being prepared for release. Fomenko will play the main role of the crime boss in the action film Drive. The film is about stuntman Anton (Vladimir Epifantsev), who is forced to start a dangerous game with law enforcement agencies and the mafia.
Nikolai Fomenko and Vladimir Epifantsev on the set of the film “Drive” in 2020
Since February 2020, weekly radio fans have been enjoying communication with the showman on the air of the “Fomenko on Humor FM” program. Nikolay still delights listeners with original jokes and humorous remarks.
On his Instagram page, the artist announced a performance by the group “Secret” entitled “Big Concert for Two Capitals,” which will take place in the fall of 2020. In Moscow, the musicians will perform at the Crocus City Hall concert hall, and in St. Petersburg at the Yubileiny Sports Complex. Now the members of “The Secret” are in the process of preparing the creation of a musical film dedicated to the work of the group. The director of the project was Grigory Konstantinopolsky, and the arranger of the musical material was Anton Belyaev.
Nikolai Fomenko headed the Moscow branch of the Party of Growth
In the same year, the artist began his political career. In the presidential elections, he acted as a confidant of candidate Boris Titov, and since October he has headed the Moscow branch of the Party of Growth. Alexander Lyubimov also entered there and took the post of federal secretary of the organization. In an interview, Fomenko criticizes the latest government initiatives, be it optimization in the healthcare sector or pension reform.
