Biography
Ilya Shakunov was born and raised in the Northern capital of our homeland. While studying at school, he visited the studio of the famous actor Igor Gorbachev, where he received his first acting experience. However, after graduation, at the insistence of his parents, he entered the First Leningrad Medical Institute.
“Since childhood, my parents were determined by my parents to go to graduate school after university. It was believed that only in this order would life flow correctly. My mother is a pharmaceutical chemist, my father is an electrical engineer. Living in such a “serious” family, I never thought that I would become an actor,” recalls Ilya.
Then he transferred to LETI to the Faculty of Automation and Computer Engineering. But the young man dropped out of both institutes and passed the exams at LGITMiK (now the St. Petersburg Academy of Theater Arts). He studied in the workshop of Veniamin Filshtinsky, and his classmates were Mikhail Porechenkov, Konstantin Khabensky, Willi Haapasalo.
“As a matter of fact, this path was chosen not by me, but by my parents. I started to go through it... And then I chose it myself. By this I mean those two institutes, technical and medical, that existed before the theater one. On the other hand, before the theater institute, I managed not only to study, but also to work: as a fireman, stoker, and cleaner. There was no such profession as “cleaner” in Soviet legislation. It’s written in my work book as “cleaning lady”. I also managed to study at institutes and parasitize for six months,” he explains.
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The future spouses met in St. Petersburg at the Youth Theater. It was from that moment that the couple was never separated. Ilya Shakunov’s marriage to his wife has lasted for at least 15 years. Over the years of their life together, the lovers had two heirs - the girl Vasilisa and the boy Makar. The artists’ daughter is already 14 years old, and their son is only nine.
“I want to admit that I try to raise my children in strictness; in my childhood they treated me a little more gently. I just follow their daily routine, week, etc. But still, I don’t overdo it with strictness, I don’t do anything against the will of the children. They understand perfectly well that I can quarrel with them solely on business. And I don’t raise my voice at them, we just all sit down together and talk. My children should be the happiest."
The couple prefers to spend weekends, which the actor rarely gets, with the whole family at their personal dacha near St. Petersburg. In his free time, the artist enjoys playing basketball.
Once Ilya Shakunov shared with the public a recipe for harmony in his personal life. According to the artist, the main secret is maintaining a balance between work, friends and family.
Ilya Shakunov still remains a supporter of live communication with friends, colleagues and fans, so he has fenced himself off from using social networks. However, you can still find photos on the Internet that show Ilya Shakunov’s children, his wife and the actor himself. There is also a photo where the artist appeared in one or another stage image.
Theater
During his student years he performed on the stage of the Theater on the Kryukov Canal. Ilya played in the plays “Vysotsky’s Time”, “Zampano Has Arrived!”, “Chekhov’s Jokes”, “Winnie the Pooh”.
In his fourth year at the institute, he played Chatsky on the stage of the St. Petersburg Youth Theater named after A.A. Bryantseva in the play "Woe from Wit". In 1996, Shakunov was accepted into the main troupe of the Youth Theater, where he worked for more than ten years. His repertoire includes: “Mermaid” - Prince, “Teacher and Dragon” - Henry, “Ondine” - Bertrand and others.
The artist also collaborated with the Roman Viktyuk Theater and was involved in productions: “Butterfly... Butterfly...”, “Autumn Violins”, “Prostitutes”. He served at the Baltic House Theater and participated in the project “Tartuffe, or the Deceiver” in the image of Tartuffe.
Theater works
Youth Theater named after A.A. Bryantseva:
- “Woe from Wit”, Chatsky
- "Mermaid", Prince
- "Teacher riDragon", Heinrich
- "Ondine", Bertrand
- "The Little Prince", Drunkard
- “The Tale of Ivan Tsarevich, Koshchei the Bessmertny and Princess Milolik”, Ivan Tsarevich
- “Entin show, or “There is nothing better in the world”
- "The Little Humpbacked Horse"
- "A Week Full of Saturdays"
- "The cat that walked by itself", Tiger
- "Pollyanna", Charity Lady
- "Bekkanko-oni"
- “Mad Money”, Savva Gennadich Vasilkov
Roman Viktyuk Theater:
- "Butterfly...Butterfly...",
- "Autumn Violins"
- "Prostitutes."
Theater-festival “Baltic House”:
- "Tartuffe, or the Deceiver", Tartuffe
Cinema
Ilya Shakunov began appearing in films in 1993. The first roles were very small - “The Double” in Yuri Pavlov’s parable “The Creation of Adam”, the man in the window in the film by Alexei Balabanov “About Freaks and People”, the conductor of the circus orchestra Ruslan Antonovich Malyarov in “Gorko!”
"Women's Property"
In 1998, the actor played Anton in Dmitry Meskhiev’s series “Women’s Property” based on the story of the same name by Valentin Chernykh.
Plot: Andrei Kalinin takes the entrance exams to the theater institute. He doesn't have much talent, but he has an abyss of charm. In addition, he falls in love with one of the examiners, Elizaveta Kaminskaya, an actress who captured his imagination as a child. Lisa is lonely and terminally ill.
The story of their relationship ends tragically after three years, but during this time Andrei managed to learn to love and give happiness...
His partners in the frame were such stars of domestic cinema as: Elena Safonova, Amalia Mordvinova, Konstantin Khabensky, Alexander Abdulov, Tatyana Lyutaeva, Nina Usatova, Yuri Kuznetsov.
Since the early 2000s, Ilya has been actively acting in films: “Dark Night” - Imant, “Girlfriend Autumn” - Sergey, “Ice” - He, “Kidnapping” - Pavel, “Spetsnaz-2” - Captain Orlov, “Three Colors of Love” " - Max Sokolov.
"Red Chapel"
The artist became widely famous for his role as Makarov in the popular series about Soviet illegal intelligence officers “The Red Chapel,” directed by Alexander Aravin.
The story told in the film is fictional, but is based on documentary materials. German intelligence officer Giering, tasked with finding and exposing the Red Chapel intelligence network, arrives in Paris. He rents an apartment next door to a nice bourgeois - the Belgian Gilbert - and his family.
Giering does not even suspect that his good-natured neighbor is precisely the “bandmaster” of the Red Chapel. They walk their dogs together, drink aromatic coffee, have intimate conversations, in general, play combinations in the spirit of “Stirlitz - Muller”...
Also in the action film were: Sergei Yushkevich, Valentin Smirnitsky, Elena Ksenofontova, Sergei Garmash, Marina Mogilevskaya, Andrei Merzlikin, Anna Ukolova, Dmitry Nazarov.
Further, Ilya’s successful works included such projects as: “Viola Tarakanova. In the world of criminal passions-2" - Oleg Kuprin, "Children of Vanyukhin" - Heinrich, "Multiplying Sorrow" - Konstantin Boyko, nicknamed "Boyky Cat", "Favorsky" - Prince Favorsky, "Ferris Wheel" - Pavel Nikolaevich Kolesnikov, "Anti-sniper " - Alexey Andreevich Pogozhev.
The artist produced more vivid images in the films: “Point of Return”, “Montecristo”, “Adult Daughter, or a Test for...”, “Mom for Rent”, “Fugitive”, “Abyss”, “Paternal Instinct”, “Petrovich”, "Death to Spies. Hidden Enemy”, “Give Me Some Warmth”, “Cold Dish” and others.
"Private bussiness"
In 2014, the Rossiya 1 TV channel premiered the serial film “Personal Matter” directed by Vladimir Melnichenko and Igor Zabara. Ilya was entrusted with the image of judge Evgeny Nikolaevich Kazakov.
Plot: Tatyana Sergeevna Emelyanova is smart, attractive and has just been appointed to the position of Federal Criminal Judge of the District Court of a large regional center of Russia. On her shoulders is the responsibility for the fate of people and the honor of the mantle, and besides, she is raising her son alone.
Every day, a whole series of questions arise along her path that may seem insoluble. Integrity, honesty, incorruptibility, a sincere desire to get to the bottom of the truth and find the only right solution in the most complex and confusing cases - this is what distinguishes her from some of her colleagues and representatives of the prosecutor's and legal professions. True, in addition to work, she also has to establish her personal life.
The main roles in this film starred: Anna Garnova, Boris Nevzorov, Nikita Panfilov, Anatoly Zinovenko, Ekaterina Kisten, Mikhail Zhonin, Anastasia Kasilova.
Some of the artist’s latest works are “Birds of Migratory”, “Lot of Fate”, “Trap for a Star”, “One Against All”, “Survive at Any Cost”.
"Live to Love"
In 2020, Shakunov received an invitation from director Vladimir Balkashinov to the melodrama “Live to Love.” His hero is Ilya.
In the center of events: Liza Volkova (Antonina Divina) grew up without a mother. She was raised by her father (Alexey Matoshin), the owner of a small hotel in the town of Novomorsk. Lisa dotes on him. She dreams of happiness with a young man, Andrei, whom she is going to marry.
But all plans fall apart when her father goes to prison and then loses the hotel. Lisa learns that responsibility for the horror that befell her family lies with a certain Arina Melnikova (Daria Poverennova), the owner of the largest construction company, a powerful and wealthy woman.
The cast of the film: Daria Poverennova, Alena Khmelnitskaya, Antonina Divina, Vyacheslav Chepurchenko, Vladimir Kapustin, Alexey Matoshin, Ekaterina Solomatina.
Interview
Cinema or theater
“I am a theater actor, I think so to myself. At the same time, now I play only one role in the theater. But I would like to work in the theater. An actor I know told me: “I work in films, I invest, I invent. I come home and I have no one and nothing to share with, all that remains is fatigue.” Because when you work in cinema, you see the camera’s eye in front of you, you speak, you wait for an answer, but nothing comes back. Everyone on the set is busy with their own business. And it is right. Otherwise it's a bad group. Everyone is busy, everyone has footage, rulers. There is no going back at all. Previously, as I understand it, it was different. The movie was released and toured the country. There were some meetings with the actors. There was a reverse move, there was a discussion, at least. Not applause, although that also happened. Now this is not the case at all. Therefore, for me, cinema as a form of self-realization is zero. You can realize your potential as an actor only in the theater. Only in the theater do you understand “it’s worth a pound”, “you can do it or you can’t”. Only in the theater can you receive that very applause, after which you are calm and can say, “Today is not a day in vain.” This doesn't happen in the movies. Don’t believe anyone who says otherwise.”
About studying
“Studying in theater. The word is such a strange one: “study to be an actor.” This was not the case before. Stanislavsky introduced a certain “Stanislavsky School”. Previously, actors worked in the theater and existed without directors. There was an enterprise, actors gathered. In other words: “And I’ll stand here.” That's how it was. After this there was a performance. He was either accepted or not accepted. They took me only on talent. No mise-en-scène, this is not a Russian word, it came to us later. And then it all appeared like a kind of school, but in reality it’s what you see around you, what you can pull out of your heart and how you do it. Boys and girls who parade teachers at school, they start laughing and doing something, but in fact they are engaged in acting. A person who sits, thinking, looks at another person and begins to sit down, copy his gestures, he is also engaged in acting. A person who talks to another and makes him submit to his will, which women love to do, is also engaged in acting. They build a certain combination in their head that helps them. They know certain strings, as it seems to them. This may not be true, but they work according to a scheme according to which we build a role, an image, a character, looking for the grain, understanding the ultimate task. Call it whatever you want, these are the words that were invented by Konstantin Sergeevich. They were invented so that we, the actors, could understand among ourselves what we were talking about.”
About the profession
"Addiction!!! Dependency on everything. From which foot I got up from. It’s terrible, I wake up and understand “why did I drink those extra 50 grams yesterday?” I'm addicted to it. I don't have the right to do anything yesterday. “Why did I go up to this guy yesterday and tell him that he was wrong? Why did I do this? I have no right to do this. I don't have the right to do a lot of things because it will affect my work. Depends on the fact that your day off is not on Saturday and Sunday, but when there are no filming or rehearsals. We depend on everything. Now I’m saying some general things, but you also depend on specific people. In the theater you depend on the director, on the screenwriter, on the musical director, on the director, on the costume designer, who may not bring things and you will not go on stage. Unfortunately, the last person in the life of theater and cinema is an actor. But, if you approach it from the other side, it turns out that it is the first. Here's a double-edged sword for you."
About films
“It seems to me that we don’t make films in any one specific genre now. If they are filming an action movie, then there are definitely traces of some kind of “Santa Barbara”. If we have a melodrama, then someone will definitely kill someone, in an action style. If we have a detective story, then it will be some kind of ironic detective story. We don't have a pure genre. Therefore, to say what is closer to me... I guess I gravitate toward drama. Maybe partly for comedy, but so far few people know about this role of mine. Maybe in the theater, where I already played Karabas Barabas. So, it's still drama. And such concepts as “action”... It seems to me that true action films in Russia are not yet produced at the proper level. It costs a lot of money, but here people don’t want to spend it and think that “this will do.” You can count the real paintings on your fingers. What is the genre of the film “Turkish Gambit”? In my opinion, it is very different from the genre of the book. Everything is clear there - a detective story, with elements of something. What about the movies? Only the detective is holding you back? Other things hold me back too. I start to see who loves whom, who hates whom, and that’s another story. And then, when someone has problems, some kind of tragedy results. We have everything mixed. Nowadays, in general, everything gravitates toward such a big “mix”: mix everything and get a hodgepodge, each part of which will gather its own audience.”
Personal life is personal
As an actor, Ilya Shakunov is truly very talented. His personal life has been of sincere interest to fans of his talent for many years. But he always answers all questions the same way: everything is great with him! This year he and his wife Anna Dyukova (also an actress) will celebrate their twentieth anniversary of marriage. They met a long time ago, at the Leningrad Youth Theater (then this city was still called that). Since then they have not separated. Two children were born into the family: in 2005, a daughter, Vasilisa, and five years later, a son, Makar, appeared.
Ilya Shakunov, whose personal life does not often appear before the eyes of the curious, has been leading a healthy lifestyle for many years, playing sports and drinking freshly squeezed juices daily. If the spouses have several weekends together, they will definitely spend them all together, with the children, at their dacha near St. Petersburg.
Prizes and awards
- Nominated for the XV International Detective Film Festival "DetectiveFEST" "Antihero" - for his charismatic performance of the role of a negative hero in the series "Death to Spies. Hidden Enemy" (2013)
- Grand Prix "Audience Award" at the XVII film festival "Vivat, Cinema of Russia!" St. Petersburg - for best actor in the TV series “Montecristo” (2009)
- Awarded a diploma from the XI International Festival "DetectiveFEST" Moscow-2009 for his charismatic performance in the film "Antisniper" (2009)
- Winner of the prize in the category “Best Actor” at the VI IFF of independent cinema “Pure Dreams” (St. Petersburg) for his role in the film “Ice”
Based on materials from Wikipedia and websites: kino-teatr.ru, shakunov.narod.ru, inter-view.org, vokrug.tv.
Filmography: Actor
- Step to Happiness (2019)
- Live to Love (2018), TV series
- Lot of fate (2015), TV series
- Birds of Passage (2014), TV series
- Gregory R. (2014), TV series
- Personal matter (2014), TV series
- Give me some warmth (2013)
- Agent (2013), TV series
- Death to Spies. Hidden Enemy (2012)
- Petrovich (2012)
- Paternal Instinct (2012), TV series
- Abyss (2012)
- Anti-sniper. Fifth Victim (2012)
- Anti-sniper. Double Miscalculation (2012)
- Fugitive (2011)
- The Happiest (2010)
- Mom for Rent (2010)
- An adult daughter, or a test for... (2010)
- Anti-sniper. New Level (2010)
- Anti-sniper. Shot from the Past (2010)
- The Legend of Olga (2009)
- The Fate of the Sovereign (2008)
- Montecristo (2008), TV series
- Factory of Happiness (2007)
- Point of Return (2007)
- Mim Bim, or Someone else's Life (2007)
- Antisniper-2. Double Motivation (2007)
- Antisniper (2007)
- Ferris Wheel (2006)
- Flash.ka (2006)
- Syndicate (2006)
- Viola Tarakanova. In the world of criminal passions -3 (2006)
- Falling Leaves Blues (2006)
- Black Prince (2005)
- Favorsky (2005)
- Multiplying Sorrow (2005)
- Labyrinths of the Mind (2005)
- Children of Vanyukhin (2005), TV series
- Viola Tarakanova. In the world of criminal passions -2 (2005)
- Red Chapel (2004)
- Viola Tarakanova. In the world of criminal passions (2004)
- Three colors of love (2003), TV series
- Spetsnaz-2 (2003)
- Russian Ark (2003)
- Kidnapping (2003)
- Ice (2003)
- Girlfriend Autumn (2002)
- Letters to Elsa (2002)
- Kamenskaya-2 (2002), TV series
- Dark Night (2001)
- Named Baron (2001)
- Rescuers. Critical Mass (2000)
- Our 90s (2000)
- Empire under attack (2000)
- Streets of Broken Lanterns-2 (1999), TV series
- National Security Agent (1999)
- Streets of Broken Lanterns (1998), TV series
- The body will be buried, and the senior midshipman will sing (1998)
- About Freaks and People (1998)
- Women's Property (1998)
- Bitterly! (1998)
- Vaska Nemeshaev (1996)
- The Creation of Adam (1993)
Movies
Ilya Shakunov’s debut as a film actor took place back in 1993 - he appeared in the role of a double in the drama “The Creation of Adam” by Yuri Pavlov. Then, for several years, the artist had the opportunity to work in films. In those years, he starred in the films “About Freaks and People”, “Bitter!”, “Vaska Nemeshaev” and others. But the episodic roles did not bring popularity to Shakunov.
Ilya Shakunov in the film “Dark Night”
A new stage in Ilya Shakunov’s film career began in 2000. Then he played the main role in the film “Dark Night” by Oleg Kovalov. The actor brilliantly coped with the task and embodied the image of a strange, suspenseful photographer named Imant, who was inflamed with feelings for a little girl.
The film was presented at film festivals, where it was a success. At the same time, critics spoke positively about Shakunov’s work. There was no need to wait for ratings from the mass audience - the film was never released.
In 2002, he starred in the films “ Kamenskaya
", "Girlfriend Autumn". The following year, the actor appeared in the films “Special Forces 2”, “Russian Ark”, “Three Colors of Love”.
Ilya Shakunov in the TV series “Kamenskaya”
He had to film so often and in large quantities that the actor was forced to be on the set almost around the clock. Among the prominent works in the artist’s film career is the role of Oleg Kuprin in the ironic detective story “Viola Tarakanova. In the world of criminal passions”, where Ilya appeared in a creative tandem with Irina Rakhmanova.
According to the actor, participation in this series made a pleasant impression on him. Director Vladimir Shchegolkov managed to create a creative atmosphere on the set, so the process was easy and productive.
Ilya Shakunov and Irina Rakhmanova in the series “Viola Tarakanova”
In 2005, Ilya received the main role in the detective story “Multiplying Sorrow” about three childhood friends who over time turned into sworn enemies. Shakunov’s partners on the work site were Anatoly Bely and Alexey Makarov.
A significant work in the artist’s film career was the main role in the TV series “Montecristo”. The prosperous life of the character Ilya Yuryevich ends due to the false accusation of a young man of a crime. For his work in this film, Shakunov won the “Audience Award” at the “Vivat, Cinema of Russia!” film festival.
Ilya Shakunov in the series "Montecristo"
Participation in the action movie “Antisniper” brought the actor another award - a diploma from the XI International Festival “Detective FEST”.
The man had the opportunity to embody different, dissimilar images. During his acting career, he played military men, doctors, businessmen, athletes and even maniacs. Now Ilya Shakunov’s filmography includes more than 70 films. Recent works include the central role in the melodrama “Love Beyond Competition” and the main role in the 2020 crime drama “One Against All.”
Ilya Shakunov in the film “One Against All”
When filming the action movie “Survive at Any Cost,” Ilya Yuryevich had to show his survival skills in a forest area.
