Theater
First, the aspiring actor was invited to join his troupe by the famous Theater named after V.I. Kachalov. Kozak worked in the capital of Tatarstan for 15 years, playing many diverse roles.
Later in the artist’s life there were the Tolyatti “Wheel” Theater and the Krasnoyarsk Drama Theater named after A.S. Pushkin.
In 2006, Nikolai Kozak moved to Moscow at the invitation of the leadership of the Russian Army Theater. The actor explained what made him change his life so dramatically in adulthood: “It was not easy for me to make this decision... A chain of logical thoughts led me to the fact that it was time for me to leave Kazan. You could say that I felt the wind of change blowing. Once again, I didn’t want to start all over again in another provincial theater; I was tired by that time. The chief director of the Russian Army Theater, Boris Afanasyevich Morozov, repeatedly invited me to join the troupe, and I accepted the offer.”
According to Nikolai himself, this theater became his home, and the acting team became true friends.
Kazan Russian Bolshoi Drama Theater named after V. I. Kachalov:
- “Cunning and Love” F. Schiller - Ferdinand
- “The Idiot” F. M. Dostoevsky - Rogozhin
- “Uncle Vanya” A. P. Chekhov - Doctor Astrov
- “The Cherry Orchard” by A. P. Chekhov - Lopakhin
- “The Queen of Spades” A. S. Pushkin - German
- “Mistress Julia” A. Strindberg - Jan
- “Marriage” N.V. Gogol - Podkolesin
- “Bankrupt” A. N. Ostrovsky - Podkhalyuzin
- “Invitation to the Castle” by J. Anouilh - Frederic
- “Funeral Prayer” Sh. Aleichem-Perchik
Central Academic Theater of the Russian Army:
- “Sevastopol March” according to L. N. Tolstoy - Captain Kalugin
- "Hamlet" by W. Shakespeare - Claudius
- “Wolves and Sheep” by A. N. Ostrovsky - Vasily Ivanovich Berkutov
- “Odnoklassniki” Yu. Polyakov - Viktor Chermetov
- “Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich” A. K. Tolstoy - Boris Fedorovich Godunov
Early years, childhood and family of Nikolai Kozak
Nikolai Mikhailovich Kozak was born on December 26, 1966 in the city of Alexandria (Kirovograd region, Ukraine). He began his journey in the world of great art by studying at the Lviv Theater Studio. After this, the young guy moved to Tatarstan, where he began studying at the Kazan Theater School.
Actor Nikolai Kozak in his youth worked more in the theater than in cinema
Since 1985, our today's hero served his military service at the Kazan Bolshoi Drama Theater named after Kachalov. After this, Nikolai returned to Ukraine again, namely to Lvov. In this place, a new stage of his career began, associated with constant transitions from one theater to another. For ten years, Nikolai Kozak managed to try himself on the stage of the Lvov Academic Ukrainian Theater named after M. Zankovetskaya, the Togliatti Drama Theater “Wheel”, as well as the Pushkin Drama Theater operating in the city of Krasnoyarsk.
Nikolai Kozak was looking for himself in the world of art, and at the same time earning himself the authority of a multifaceted actor who is able to cope with any role. It is quite remarkable that our today's hero never aspired to fame. He did not try to break into rating productions, and for a long time he did not pay much attention to television and cinema. Perhaps it is for this reason that at the moment the name of this wonderful Ukrainian actor is not so widely known. But it is unlikely that Nikolai Kozak ever regretted the way his career developed.
During his life, our today's hero performed more than seventy roles in various theaters. Among his works were many classical productions, as well as non-format performances. As a rule, Nikolai played the role of central characters on stage, and therefore always remained in sight.
Cinema
Nikolai Kozak began his film career at a relatively late age, which did not stop him from starring in a number of bright and memorable films. Now the actor’s filmography includes more than 70 works. The first roles were minor. He made his debut in such TV series as: “Emergency”, “Adjutants of Love”, “Club”, “Atlantis”.
"Stone"
Nikolai began to achieve more serious success in cinema starting in 2011. Together with Sergei Svetlakov and Olesya Sudzilovskaya, he took part in the action-packed thriller “Stone”. He played the main role - the oligarch Vlad, the father of a boy kidnapped by a maniac. According to the plot, the killer, who calls himself “Stone,” promises to release the child if Vlad commits suicide. And the prosperous, happy life in all respects of a rich man and his family collapses in a matter of hours. For director Vyacheslav Kaminsky, “Stone” is the first full-length work, and Sergei Svetlakov made his debut in a genre far from comedy.
“When they sent me the script for The Stone, I immediately fell in love. I didn't have a screen test. We discussed the script for a long time, selected our married couple, and besides Olesya Sudzilovskaya, we considered the candidacies of five more girls. Then we also talked with Olesya for a long time. By the way, they didn’t tell me whether I was approved or not. Only when they started trying on the costumes did I breathe a sigh of relief. When I found out that Sergei Svetlakov would play my opponent, I digested this news for about two minutes and was surprised!” recalls Kozak.
“Slava Kaminsky was very worried whether I could play a rich man. I remember he took me to different cool boutiques where glamor boys would dress me in some amazing clothes. And yet I saw how the director’s gaze dimmed, like, no, this is just a disaster! I kept convincing Kaminsky that it doesn’t matter that my hero is rich, there is a plot, drama, and conflict. But only after the first scene, filmed with Olesya Sudzilovskaya on the first day of shooting, the director exhaled - it worked! And we worked with pleasure! We were filming a full-length film, not a series, so we allowed ourselves to argue so that the truth could be born,” says the actor.
"Siberia. Mon amyr"
Nikolai's greatest fame was brought to him by the role of Captain Alexander Danilov in Vyacheslav Ross's drama "Siberia. Monamur". The artist’s magnificent performance was appreciated not only by fans of the talent, but also by venerable critics. The jury of the International Festival in Spain unanimously recognized him as the best actor. In addition, Nikolai Kozak received a prize for the same role in Blagoveshchensk, and a year later in Monaco.
The action of the film takes place in the very depths of Siberia in our time. There are a large number of abandoned villages here, one of which is called Monamur. So far, this is the only place where there is still life, but it is represented by only two people - old man Ivan and his grandson Leshka. Together they wait for the day when the boy's father returns to them, although it quickly becomes clear that this is not destined to happen.
Captain Danilov is another character who ended up in the taiga against his own will. Behind him are two wars in the Caucasus and multiple wounds that changed his attitude towards life. He makes vain attempts to find his place in a new world, different from the army.
The main roles in the film were also played by Pyotr Zaichenko, Mikhail Protsko, Sergei Novikov, Lydia Bayrashevskaya. Later, Nikolai starred in such films as: “Yalta-45”, “Cop”, “Emergencies. Emergency", "Karpov", "Fighters". Thanks to his bright appearance and innate charisma, his characters are memorable and interesting.
Of the numerous films released in recent years, it is worth highlighting the historical film “Catherine”, where the actor portrayed Count Shuvalov, the psychological drama “Mark’s Ark” and the comedy film “The Roof of the World”.
Viewers are looking forward to the release of the multi-part film “Sofia”. This is the history of medieval Rus' through the eyes of the last heir to the Byzantine throne, the wife of Moscow Prince Ivan III and the grandmother of Ivan the Terrible. The main roles were played by Maria Andreeva and Evgeny Tsyganov. Nikolai Kozak was also lucky enough to star in this large-scale series.
Actor's creativity
In 2014, the actor played a role in the military film “Team Eight.” The plot tells the story of three friends who find themselves in the same reconnaissance detachment during World War II. At the same time, Nikolai plays in such famous TV series as “Yalta-45”, “Cops”, “Karpov” and other equally interesting projects.
Nikolai Kozak has a bright appearance and charisma. Thanks to this, every image that the actor embodies is always bright and memorable. In addition, the artist easily manages to transform into both negative and positive characters.
Personal life
Little is known about the details of the actor’s personal life. He carefully protects his family from any outside interference.
Nikolai Kozak met his soulmate in Kazan. While still at the theater school, he met a classmate who later became his legal wife. Together with her husband, she made her debut in the series “Emergency”, and then starred in such films as: “The Diary of Doctor Zaitseva” and “Silent Hunt”.
The couple had two daughters. Everyone talks about Nikolai as an excellent family man, husband and father. He never became the object of gossip and scandalous chronicles.
As the artist himself admits, he has no time to do PR and attract attention to himself, he is truly passionate about his work. Theater and cinema interest him more than flashing on the pages of magazines and newspapers.
Movies
In 2003, the artist made his debut in the series “Emergency”, then appeared in “Spy Games”, “Club”, “The Young and the Evil”. Nikolai’s partner in the dramatic film “Adjutants of Love” was a student of the Moscow Art Theater School, Nikita Panfilov, whom the audience rushed to write down as his brother. Panfilov later repeatedly denied the existence of a family connection.
The colleagues are really similar: both play stern men, prefer to shave their heads, and are almost the same height (Nikolai is 182 cm and Nikita is 180 cm). Panfilov also films a lot in Kozak’s homeland, Ukraine. And so as not to be blocked from entering the country, he refuses to visit Crimea after the peninsula became part of Russia.
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Nikolai Kozak and his roles
In 2007, Nikolai got into the cast of the action movie “Emergency Call”, later appeared as an investigator in the crime drama “Atlantis”, and agreed to the proposal of the creators of the mystical thriller “Testament of the Night” to play a negative hero. With Kozak’s participation, the melodrama “Invaders”, the family film “Ring My Doorbell”, the detective story “The Loop”, and the 2nd part of Nikita Mikhalkov’s project “Burnt by the Sun - 2. Imminence” appeared on television screens.
Together with Sergei Svetlakov and Olesya Sudzilovskaya, the artist formed a trio in the action-packed thriller “Stone”, and for the role of Captain in the dramatic film “Siberia. Monamur" was awarded prizes at international film festivals.
In 2011, the actor appeared in the crime film “The Game” starring Prokhor Dubravin and Pavel Barshak. Kozak appeared in the role of an FSB major. In the film “Cossack” Nikolai appeared in the image of an ataman opposing the capital’s mafia.
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Nikolai Kozak on the theater stage
He received a secondary role in the detective story “Treasury Thieves”. Nikolai also starred in the military drama “Team Eight” about three friends who, after the start of the Great Patriotic War, end up in the same reconnaissance detachment. The detective "Cop" was a success among the audience. Kozak reincarnated as a thief in law, interested in Chinese philosophy and Marxism, despite the fact that he lives strictly according to the laws of thieves.
2012 gave the performer the main role in the social drama “Emergency. Emergency" about the work of the rescue team. A year later, Nikolai received the role of a Red Army captain in the war film “Fighters.” The series also stars Ekaterina Vilkova, Dmitry Dyuzhev, and Oleg Fomin.
In 2013, Kozak starred in the crime film “Silent Hunt,” the detective story “Shopping Center,” and the adventure story “Fort Ross.” Next, the actor appeared in the image of Count Shuvalov in the popular series about the Russian Empress “Catherine”.
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Evgeny Stychkin and Nikolai Kozak
Of the numerous films where the actor is involved, it is worth highlighting “Mark’s Ark”, “Roof of the World”, “Sofia”, “The Mentalist”, “Ivanovs-Ivanovs”. The public remembered the films “Sleepers”, “Vocal-Criminal Ensemble”, “The Gambler”, “Embassy”.
In 2020, “Viking” was presented to the audience. The large-scale production project of Konstantin Ernst, one of the most expensive in the history of Russian cinema, brought together dozens of screen stars. The film stars Danila Kozlovsky, Svetlana Khodchenkova, Alexandra Bortich, Pavel Delong, Kirill Pletnev. Nikolai has a minor role as the vigilante Lyut.
Kozak had no less brilliant company in the series “Godunov” about the formation of the Russian monarchy, the melodrama “Alien Blood” about three generations of one family, and the detective story “Galka and Gamayun” about girlfriends - police investigators.
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The end of 2019 was marked by another premiere for Nikolai - the biographical drama “The Sky is Measured in Miles,” dedicated to the famous Soviet helicopter designer Mikhail Mil. At the Army Theater, the actor played in the new production “People are Waiting for the Tanks to Come,” which tells the story of the 1991 coup. Ukrainian television also presented a new product - the film “I’ll Wait for You Anyway,” in which Kozak got the main role.
Interview
About calling
"I'm an actor. And I was an actor all my life. I don’t even remember when and how I came into this profession. This is my job, I can’t do anything else.” About his mission “The meaning of art is to shock and excite the viewer. It doesn’t matter what excites him - the thriller “The Stone” or Hamlet... The topic itself does not matter. There are certain eternal canons, values that are timely and important regardless of what century it is. If I honestly do my job, I’m not tired, boring, but on the contrary, energetically charged, organic, charming, sexy, etc., etc., and I don’t get spoiled and don’t smoke, then I’ve completed my task . This is important to me. And there will be topics!” On inspiration “It’s my job to be inspired. My job is to stir things up inside. My job is to tear myself apart. What inspires me? I just have to do what I do. It's simple!"
Based on materials from Wikipedia and websites: kino-teatr.ru, 24smi.org, peoples.ru, uznayvse.ru, known.ru, kazan24.ru, kinopediya.ru
