Childhood
The biography of Valery Garkalin began on April 11, 1954. It so happened that his parents were poor people and could not give their son everything he wanted. In those years, the family regularly had to save. The future actor’s mother worked as a cashier, and his father worked in a workshop. With age, Valery began to show interest in creative professions. In particular, he was interested in acting on the theater stage. But my parents were categorically against everything that was in one way or another connected with acting. They dreamed that their son would become an engineer. But Valery was not good at exact sciences.
Childhood and adolescence
The future actor was born on April 11, 1954 in a simple, poor Moscow family.
The boy's parents were from the village and moved to Moscow after the war. My mother, a native of Belarus, worked as a cashier in the canteen at , and my father, a Tambov resident, was in charge of a garage workshop. The boy was born in a workers' dormitory, and 5 years later, when his younger sister Marina was born, the family received a room in a communal apartment in the Syromyatniki area. On Sundays, his mother gave him and his sister money for a movie - they went to a children's show at a local recreation center, and when the movie ended, Valera hid under the seats and secretly watched “adult” films.
Every summer, the brother and sister spent with their grandparents in the village of Maloye Gagarino near Tambov. The actor always called this place his small homeland. Sometimes his uncle took Valery with him to the board, where the boy, who demonstrated artistry from an early age, sang for the amusement of the assembled adults.
The future actor has demonstrated extraordinary artistry since childhood
Acting generally attracted Garkalin from an early age, and therefore his village comrades considered him a little “out of this world.” He loved to read books, declared the episodes he liked out loud and laughed infectiously at the same time.
Valery always knew what he wanted to be when he grew up, but his father did not approve of his choice - acting seemed to him not a man’s business. He saw his son as an engineer, although Garkalin did not have the ability for exact sciences, but in school amateur performances he was a real star. At the insistence of Boris Alekseevich, after school the young man got a job at a factory and worked as a mechanic for some time. In 1973, Garkalin was drafted into the army. He served in a unit located in the Kurgan region, in the communications battalion at the headquarters of the rifle division itself, and later characterized these two years as follows: “I guarded senseless equipment parks in the city of Shadrinsk, Kurgan region, I remember them as an absolute nightmare.”
Valery Garkalin in his youth
Returning from the army, the young man decided, in defiance of his parents, to try to enter a theater university - he made this decision even before serving. Having tried to become a dramatic actor, Garkalin was rejected. My mother came to the rescue: she saw an advertisement in the newspaper that the Gnessin School was recruiting an experimental group for the puppetry department at the Sergei Obraztsov Puppet Theater. Obraztsov himself and Leonid Khait became mentors to the student Garkalin.
Education
After graduating from school, Valery worked for several years at a local factory. He held the position of mechanic. This was followed by military service, which took another two years of the young man’s life. During this time, he finally decided that he did not want to spend his entire life making ends meet as a simple laborer. And going against his parents, Valery decides to enroll in the acting department. But then failure awaited him. At that time, the teachers came to the conclusion that such a specific appearance would not allow the young man to succeed on the big screen. But Garkalin did not despair. He submitted documents to another educational institution - the Music College named after. Gnessins, where he got the chance to study pop art. A few years later, in 1978, he completed his studies. Valery Garkalin's biography, family, career, best roles - all this is under the close attention of his many fans. All this will be discussed further.
Career blossoming
Valery was lucky. After graduating from Gnesinka, he got a job. Former teacher Leonid Khait decided to form a theater group “People and Dolls” from his students. The creative group toured Russia for about 6 years and managed to become quite famous.
Having gained experience, he went to Moscow to enter GITIS. At the same time, he was hired to work at the Moscow theater of Sergei Obraztsov.
After finishing his studies, he moved to the Satire Theater. In a short period he became a leading artist. Fits perfectly into comedic and avant-garde productions. Participated in performances of the theater-studio “Man”.
Recently, Valery Garkalin rarely appears on the theater stage, and all because of health problems (more on this in the latest news). Works as a teacher at GITIS at the variety department.
Performs periodically. Once, together with Tatyana Vasilyeva, he showed the production “Boomerang”, where he played a lonely man who had achieved a lot in life. And in order to somehow improve the situation, the hero buys himself a family - a wife and daughter.
Carier start
After studying, Valery Garkalin joined the local theater troupe. No one could have imagined that he would eventually gain incredible popularity and go on tour throughout the country. Six years later, thanks to unexpected fame, Valery finally got the chance to get a professional acting education. In 1988, with a diploma from GITIS, he was taken to the prestigious Moscow theater. Quite quickly, the potential of the aspiring actor was revealed. Performances with his participation attracted full houses, and the actor himself easily worked in a variety of genres.
Comedian with sad eyes
Valery Garkalin was born on April 11, 1954 in Moscow. The family was far from the theater. The parents wanted their son to get an understandable, applied profession, for example, to learn to become a mechanic. The future People's Artist worked at a factory for a year until he was drafted into the army. And the young man wanted to go on stage. After service, he entered the Gnessin Music College, the faculty of puppetry.
Valery Garkalin in the film “White Clothes” (1992)
Sergei Obraztsov was taking an experimental course. The guys gathered together were talented, they all became very good friends. Here Valery Garkalin met his future wife Ekaterina. After graduating from college in 1978, graduates created the theater troupe “People and Dolls” and performed pop concerts throughout the country for several years.
After six years of nomadic life, Garkalin returned to Moscow and joined the Central Puppet Theater under the direction of Sergei Obraztsov. Here he was offered the role of Aladdin, which was once played by Zinovy Gerdt. How does a puppeteer transform into a dramatic actor? Valery Garkalin himself answers this question this way: “Yes, I went on stage with a doll and practically played roles... Some were dolls, but some were living roles. And this disgusting thing entered me back then, it developed, took shape and eventually pushed me out of the screen.”
Soon Garkalin entered the GITIS faculty of variety performances and successfully graduated in 1988. The next stage was the Satire Theater and the first film role. In 1989, Valery Garkalin appeared in the film “Katala” in the title role of a card sharper.
Real national fame will come to Valery Garkalin six years later, after four wonderful comedic roles he played in the film “Shirley Myrli” (1995). After this work, he received the Kinoshock Film Festival Award for Best Actor. Then he will regularly appear in films and TV series. The most famous are, perhaps, “White Clothes” (1992); “Silver Lily of the Valley” (2000), where Garkalin played the eccentric composer Roman Kromin; series “My Fair Nanny” (2004).
Still from the film “Silver Lily of the Valley” (2002)
Valery Garkalin in the film “Shirley Myrli” (1995)
Still from the film “6” (2012)
All this time, Valery Garkalin continued to play successfully at the Satire Theater (until 2001) and at the Chelovek theater-studio. Many remember him in the role of the sparkling Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew. The role of a temperamental handsome man with cloudy eyes and a shock of wild curls suited Garkalin perfectly. There is information that a drop of the blood of a mysterious ancient people - the Karaites - flows in his veins. Southern rebel blood. She doesn’t let you calm down, she constantly pushes you forward to new victories.
Film career
Thanks to his theatrical successes, the actor soon began to be invited to films. Valery's dream finally came true. In 1989 (at age 35), he played his first major role in his career. The debut was the film “Katala”, which was a success with the audience. Then offers rained down on the actor one after another. He played several roles a year, gradually gaining star status. And even the notorious events of 1991 did not undermine his rapid career rise. The peak of Valery Garkalin's popularity occurred in the second half of the 90s. Next we will talk about his most striking acting works.
"Shirley Myrli" (1995)
Perhaps one of the brightest and highest quality comedies of the 90s. In those years, Russian cinema was going through hard times, so such films were worth their weight in gold. This amazing film is about three twin brothers who, until recently, did not even know about each other’s existence. Their fates turned out differently: one became a musician, the second became a gypsy baron, and the third went down the criminal path. But one day their destinies crossed. This led to a series of funny situations.
"Silver Lily of the Valley" (2000)
A popular Russian musical, in which, in addition to Garkalin, such major stars as Alexander Tsekalo and Yuri Stoyanov starred. The film tells the story of a young provincial girl who has dreamed of singing on stage since childhood. And one day fate gives her an excellent opportunity to fulfill her cherished dream. The heroine meets two producers, after which her usual life is turned upside down. Will she be able to overcome all the difficulties with dignity and become a celebrity?
"Pops" (2005)
Another musical that was incredibly popular at the time of its release. The plot centers on a young girl who decides to move to the Russian capital. She pursues the goal of becoming a pop singer and performing on the big stage. Soon she manages to establish the necessary connections and achieve what she wants. But quickly enough the heroine realizes that such a life does not suit her...
Valery Garkalin: biography, personal life, wife
Many fans are interested in how the actor’s personal life turned out. Valery Garkalin, whose biography you already know, met his wife during his studies. By that time, the girl had graduated from the Faculty of Pedagogy and was working as a teacher in one of the theaters to which Valery was sent for practical training. It was there that he met Catherine. Strong feelings flared up between them almost immediately. They began to see each other more and more often and spent a lot of time together. This eventually led to a serious relationship. The young couple got married in 1978 at a local restaurant. Classmates and members of the theater were invited there. But their relationship can hardly be called ideal. The couple had to go through many trials along the way. In particular, at a certain period of his life, Garkalin experienced a creative crisis, which led to temporary alcohol addiction. He managed to get out of it only thanks to the support of his beloved wife. While the actor continued to conquer the big screen, Ekaterina worked in the theater. She gave all her energy and strength to her work. Maybe that's why the couple didn't have children for a long time. Only after many years of marriage did they have a daughter, Nika. And in 2012, the actor also had a grandson, Timofey. The family happiness of Valery and Catherine did not last so long. In 2009, his wife died. This tragic event was a serious blow for the People's Artist of Russia. Shortly before his wife’s death, he had already suffered two heart attacks, one after the other. So Garkalin’s health was undermined. It is for this reason that he began to appear on the screen less and less. Valery Barisovich devotes all his free time to his beloved grandson.
Currently, the formerly popular actor holds a teaching position at the very educational institution from which he graduated many years ago. We can only hope that someday the bright and extraordinary actor Valery Garkalin will delight us with his appearance in a major movie.
Valery Garkalin today
In recent years, the actor has played much less in the theater, mainly in roles in enterprises: “Pivid Apples” by Roman Madyanov, “The Yard” and “War” by Vladimir Pankov, etc.
Sometimes the actor organizes creative evenings. In 2020, he played a grandfather in the comedy “Children for Rent,” and in 2020 he worked on the melodrama “Live Your Life” and the continuation of the series “Between Us Girls.” In addition, Valery Borisovich teaches at GITIS at the Faculty of Variety - the same one that he himself graduated from. Valery Garkalin: analysis of the sketch at GITIS In February 2020, the actor was hospitalized with pneumonia. He became ill during a tour with the play “The Passion of Apollo”.
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