Evgeny Kulakov: short biography and personal life

Biography

Evgeny Kulakov was born into a simple metropolitan family, unrelated to the world of theater and cinema. He graduated from a regular secondary school and, following the example of his peers, decided to go to a technical university. However, in my first year I realized that this was the wrong step. Still, the young man was more drawn to humanitarian subjects.

Nothing foreshadowed Evgeniy’s acting future. He got into the theater quite by accident. Flipping through the directory for applicants in thought, I came across a description of the acting department of the Boris Shchukin Theater School and decided to try my luck. The path to the title of Shchuka student turned out to be surprisingly easy: “I somehow came to this intuitively. Miraculously, I entered the Shchukin School the first time, constantly forgetting words and knowing nothing about the profession. I consider it luck,” recalls the artist.

The young man studied on the course of the famous actor Alexander Shirvindt. In 2001, he received an artist's diploma and was immediately accepted into the troupe of the Hermitage Theater under the direction of Mikhail Levitin.

Personal life of the artist

While receiving his theater education, Evgeniy met his future wife Olga Kulakova. Immediately after graduating from university, the young people legalized their relationship at the registry office. Following this, a son, Ilya, was born. For eleven years, the couple imposed a taboo on the topic of discussing the child’s health in the press. The fact is that he was born with cerebral palsy.

Today, young parents no longer hide these problems from the public and even share them with their followers on Instagram. In 2020, the family added a daughter.

It should be noted that Eugene’s star life is constantly accompanied by rumors about his office romances. But the wife does not attach any importance to these conversations, and the strength of their family relationship has not yet been subject to any doubt.

Theater

The first performances at the Hermitage, where Evgeny Kulakov had a chance to take part, were: “Russian Lessons” based on Mikhail Zhvanetsky, “Dimensional Kim Tango” based on the songs of Yuli Kim, “Russian Preference” by Vladimir Orenov, in which the actor performed five roles at once, comic production of “The Fiend” by Mikhail Levitin.

The artist debuted in the leading role two years later. In one of his interviews, he says: “In 2003, our theater staged a play written by director Mikhail Levitin, “The Anatomical Theater of Engineer Yevno Azef.” The story is about a cruel man, who actually regulated traffic in our state, who found himself in very difficult life circumstances. I played his brother, an absolute antipode, who finds him in St. Petersburg. My favorite scene lasts 20 minutes in a space lit by one candle. I felt that in the process of communication a special deep atmosphere arose between us at the energy level. It's important for me".

An interesting experience was working in Mikhail Levitin’s innovative production of “A Feast during the ChChuma” based on the works of A.S. Pushkin, where the actor transformed into Ghosts of the Past. The performance was received with enthusiasm by the audience and with caution by the critics. The main thing is that what was happening on stage left no one indifferent. The director shared the main idea of ​​the stage action: “I was not interested in the local concept of an epidemic, but in the plague as life and life as a plague: it is not clear how it began, it is not clear when it will end, an endless series of difficulties, vanity and fear of death. But no “little tragedies”, because the story is as tragic as it is comic. If you’re afraid of getting dirty, don’t live, it seems to me that Pushkin would have said... Our performance is an attempt to share with the audience the gift of Pushkin’s resistance.”

Another successful role was added to the arsenal of Evgeny Kulakov with the premiere of a new reading of the novel by I. Ilf and E. Petrov “The Golden Calf”. In an unexpected version of the hunt of the “great schemer” Ostap Bender for the modest accountant and secret millionaire Koreiko, the actor played the role of the latter. He says about his hero: “Koreiko is more of a prototype of a stingy, closed man, whose biggest dream in his youth was to find a wallet. This man's aspirations were aimed only at getting rich. The character is a phenomenon of time; we were brought on the same line as the main character. Ostap takes away Koreiko's wealth and throws it into the sea. This is the current theme of the play - dependence on money.”

Perhaps the actor’s most striking and memorable work was the role of Emperor Paul I in the play “Kapnist Back and forth.” According to the artist, this production “is about how Paul I, seeing some kind of disloyalty in Vasily Kapnist’s comedy, exiles the unfortunate man to Siberia. And seeing a comedy on the theater stage brings the writer home. The play is about the fatality in human life, about the fact that someone else’s will can influence fate.” After watching the performance, critics described Evgeniy as a key actor in the theater, showing great promise.

Later there were diverse roles in performances: “Who is the author of this disgrace?” based on the script by Nikolai Erdman, “Courage” (Schweitzerkas, the youngest son of mother Courage) based on the legendary play by Bertolt Brecht, which tells the story of the fate of the canteen Anna Vierling during the era of the Thirty Years’ War in Europe, “Moliere’s Tartuffe.” At the School of Clowns" (Tartuffe) directed by Alexei Levinsky and others.

In total, the actor has more than twenty major works in the theater, where he has served since 2001 in a constant comfortable atmosphere of creative creation. “At the Hermitage Theater, where I work,” explains Evgeniy, “everyone understands each other perfectly. We were rehearsing the play “The Golden Calf,” where I have a very difficult role of a man, firstly, older than me, and secondly, in a difficult situation. But I could easily do what the director wanted when he only had time to think about it. I don’t know where this understanding comes from, but in the acting profession it exists.”

Theater life

In his first performances - “Russian Preference”, “Dimensionless Kim Tango” and “Russian Lessons” - Evgeny Kulakov, still a beginner actor, played only minor and episodic roles.

The debut leading role took place only two years later. His favorite scene in the play “Anatomical Theater of Engineer Yevno Azef” lasts a third of an hour in a space that is illuminated by just one candle. He also played the secret millionaire Koreiko and the Ghost of the Past, Emperor Paul I, Tartuffe, Schweitzerkas - the youngest son of mother Courage and others.

The actor has an understanding and prediction of what the director wants, so Evgeniy always easily does what he requires for the role.

Cinema

Immediately after graduating from Shchuka, Evgeny Kulakov made his film debut in Elena Zhigaeva’s short film “And There Was the Night.” The actor played the role of a young lieutenant who accidentally found himself in a hut where a women's medical battalion was stationed. But he finds out about this only in the morning. And then there was a night that could have changed his life, but the war changed his life.

The first series where the artist starred in an episode was Vladimir Khotinenko’s crime drama “Beyond the Wolves” with Vladislav Galkin, Alexander Baluev, Sergei Garmash, Pavel Derevyanko and other cinema stars.

The actor gained popularity after one of the main roles in the comedy “Students”. There he played Yevgeny Korolev, who with his friend Kvakusha (Sergei Rudzevich) constantly gets into interesting stories.

This was followed by episodic roles: in Dmitry Dolinin’s war film “Echelon”, in the comedy “Peter FM” (Vitya), in the family series by Alexander Zhigalkin “Who’s the Boss?”, in the thriller “Ostrog. The case of Fedor Sechenov."

It is worth noting the historical drama “1612: Chronicles of Troubled Times” with Marat Basharov and Mikhail Porechenkov, where the actor created the image of a clergyman, surprisingly fitting into the proposed era. Evgeniy recalls about the filming: “I have a small role in the film “1612: Chronicles of Troubled Times” by Vladimir Khotinenko. He thought through everything down to the smallest detail: from the look to the branch that looms in front of his face. I play a monk sitting next to a stylite (Valery Zolotukhin), who stood for the fate of Russia and suffered torment. Surprisingly, I put on the suit, and a completely different plastic appeared. Filming took place in a fairytale forest with huge stones covered with moss. They brought me there, and for some reason I walked like a duck.”

"Track"

Since 2007, for many years, the actor has been starring in Vsevolod Aravin’s popular television series “Trace.” This work came as a complete surprise to Evgeniy: he got into the project when all the actors had already been approved. He got one of the main roles - computer genius, hacker Ivan Tikhonov, working as a system administrator in the FES laboratory. The film about the work of the Federal Expert Service, which investigates extremely complicated crimes, turned out to be one of the longest-running and most rated projects. And, of course, added to the popularity of the actor. Together with him in the film took part: Olga Kolosova, Vladimir Tashlykov, Pavel Shuvaev, Sergei Pioro and others.

Evgeny has never had such long-term contracts before, but he is not at all tired of filming and explains it as follows: “Good people have gathered together. Considering that in six years we haven’t gotten tired of each other, this is an indicator of a properly assembled company. The most important thing in cinema is to compare the people who make it.”

In parallel with his work in “Trace” under the direction of its creators, the artist was also involved in other directors. In 2008, in Vladimir Tumaev’s military-adventure comedy “Tanks Are Not Afraid of Dirt,” he played the main role, about which he said: “Petya Samarenko is a brat who strangely ended up in the army. A boy with the makings of a leader, he was raised by his biker mother in a completely free environment. But he gives the right of leadership to a person whom he begins to respect.”

Filming took place in the field. “Tanks are not afraid of dirt” - this is the army. We spent three months in another dimension. There was even an idea: to put the actors in barracks, so that it would be easier for them to get into the role, and there would be an opportunity to make friends. But there was too little time for such experiments. Nevertheless, it turned out to be a very good team. One day, because of the rain, the filming was not completed, and then there was a moment of revelation - the film crew climbed into the makeup van (the room where the actors change clothes), and everyone began to sing, or rather even yell war songs,” shared Evgeniy.

Later there were series: “Voronins”, “Frozen Dispatches”, “Lavrova Method 2”, “Family Circumstances”. In Sergei Sentsov's comedy "Fizruk" with Dmitry Nagiyev in the title role, the actor played chemist Lev Romanovich Plyukhin - the only man in the large female team of the school.

In recent years, the artist’s notable works have been: Komarov in Yuri Bykov’s popular thriller “Method” with Konstantin Khabensky and Paulina Andreeva, Father in the drama “The Cage” by Ella Arkhangelskaya, Andrei Yakovlevich in Vladimir Khotinenko’s film “Heirs” about the problems of modern Russia, looking through the prism stories. The actor also played in Pavel Snisarenko’s new series “Fulcrum Points” based on the script of the famous writer Tatyana Ustinova. In the project he worked together with Alexander Lazarev Jr., Elena Zakharova, Stanislav Duzhnikov, Alexander Adabashyan, Dmitry Isaev in the leading roles.

Movies

Work in cinema became one of the stages in the development of the acting biography of Evgeny Kulakov. The first job the artist received was a role in the film project “And There Was the Night,” but more successful, according to reviews from TV viewers and critics, was the film “Beyond the Wolves.” Among Kulakov’s first cinematic experiences are episodic roles in the detective story “Code of Honor-1”, the action film “Antikiller-2”, and the musical comedy “Silver Lily of the Valley-2”. Evgeny began to receive more serious roles in the mid-2000s. He played the hero Andryusha in the drama “The Dream of a Blind Man,” private Kozmin in the war film “Echelon,” and a waiter in the sitcom “My Fair Nanny.”

Evgeny Kulakov in the TV series “Students”

Popularity came to Evgeniy after filming the TV series “Students”, where he got the main role. With each new image, Kulakov’s filmography was replenished with diverse roles.

Kulakov starred in the television series “Trace” for six years. Evgeniy played the head of the computer department, and part-time biologist and programmer. Together with Kulakov, Olga Koposova, Vladimir Tashlykov, and Olga Zeiger participated in the series. Among the top-rated projects in which the actor appeared is the sitcom of the STS TV channel - Voronins. There Kulakov appeared before the audience in the guise of a school psychologist. The artist has worked in the eighth season of the popular youth series “Club”, where the main characters were played by Anastasia Zadorozhnaya, Pyotr Fedorov, Pavel Priluchny and others.

Evgeny Kulakov in the TV series “Trace”

In 2014, the artist participated in the filming of the series “Fizruk” with Dmitry Nagiyev, which blew up Russian television. Evgeny Kulakov brilliantly played the role of the shy chemist Lev Romanovich, making TV viewers fall in love with this hero. In addition to this project, in which the actor was busy most of the time, Evgeniy also appeared in the opposite role in the crime film “Bitch War”, where he played the role of a prisoner.

In 2020, the actor played in the series “Method”. This multi-part film not only became another detective series in the actor’s collection, but also took him to a new level and opened up new horizons. In addition to the Russian public, “Method” was also accepted by foreign audiences. The series became one of the few Russian works to be included in European and American lists of top films. And not only did “Method” hit the top, it also topped some of them.

Evgeny Kulakov in the TV series “Fizruk”

In the same year, the actor received a role in Vladimir Khotinenko’s project “Heirs,” in which he played a screenwriter. The film touched on the topic of interaction between society and religion. To realize the plan, the director selected a serious cast, which included Leonid Bichevin, Alexander Baluev, Anatoly Bely, Agrippina Steklova, Alla Yuganova. The film premiered at the Moscow International Film Festival.

Another premiere of the year is the detective story “Fulcrum”, in which Evgeniy played the role of a journalist. Kulakov organically fit into the main cast, represented by actors Alexander Lazarev Jr., Stanislav Duzhnikov, Elena Zakharova.

Kulakov also appears on television as a TV presenter. Kulakov hosts the program “Gingerbread House” on the “Culture” channel.

Personal life

The only beloved woman and wife of Evgeniy Kulakov is the talented actress Olga Vasilyeva-Buzhor. The actor admitted that he fell in love with her at first sight: “Yes, we studied together at the famous “Pike” on the course of Alexander Anatolyevich Shirvindt. I fell in love with Olya immediately, in my first year. Already on the second year we lived together.” However, Eugene had to be persistent in order to win the heart of his “princess”: “After a long siege, victory was won!”

In a happy marriage, the couple had a son, Ilya. The boy was born special, but it didn’t become clear right away: “There were no hints that our boy had autism. In early childhood he gave the impression of being a child prodigy. At one year old, Ilya began to speak, and, by the way, began with the word “mapa.” If there were any oddities in his behavior, they were oddities in the direction of genius: he was madly in love with books, he quoted fairy tales by heart. Ilyusha recognized any song from two notes, knew the encyclopedia about animals by heart.”

The trials brought Evgeniy and Olga even closer together. The couple admits that they never deliberately hid their son’s problems. “We have never been shy about this topic, and always wanted to talk about the fact that we have a son with special needs,” says Olga. “But for some reason, journalists always tried not to touch on this topic, citing “not the format.” And it seemed so natural to me to tell you that we have a wonderful son, Ilya, that he is special, that we are working and hoping for good results.”

The Kulakov family is an undeniable role model. In one of his interviews, Evgeniy shared his secret of family happiness: “The basis of everything is mutual understanding, the ability to feel each other. You know how it happens: one has barely thought, and the other already knows what he’s talking about. And everything is clear without words.” And, of course, such an idyll will be waiting, first of all, for love, the actor adds: “Even today, although many years have passed, I fall in love with her again every day.”

Hobby

Evgeniy has an unusual hobby - he collects Christmas tree decorations. Among them there are very rare and interesting specimens, for example, an English mica star from the late 19th century and several Russian Christmas tree decorations from the same period. The whole family became infected with the collection. Some of the toys are bought by ourselves in antique shops, while others are given as gifts by friends and relatives.

And most of all, Evgeniy likes Christmas tree decorations from the 1950s, made of cotton wool. He even mastered the technique of making them himself: he made animals and fairy-tale characters from a wire frame and cotton wool. Every year, exclusive balls, bears, and elephants adorn the New Year tree in the Kulakov family.

Hobby

The actor has an interesting and somewhat unusual hobby. He enthusiastically collects antique Christmas tree decorations. His collection is constantly growing. There are already so many toys that you can decorate even a large Christmas tree with them.

The collection contains ancient specimens from the century before last. This is an English star made of mica. Knowing this weakness of Evgeniy, his relatives and friends give him a variety of Christmas tree decorations. Sometimes he himself can add a new treasure to the collection.

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Interview

About superstitions

“When I was studying, it was not customary to go through the mirror, that is, through the stage itself. There is a special portal through which you need to go on stage. This is explained by deep respect for our ancestors in the profession, for what they created. It is no coincidence that they say that the theater is a temple of art.”

About vocals

“Singing helps you relax and release tension. Using the correct sound production, you can achieve a euphoric feeling of being a man-planet. This is the path of personal development, self-development. Mikhail Chekhov wrote that an actor’s job is to improve himself.”

About the profession

“The state of courage is very important. Before a performance, under no circumstances should an actor be distracted or behave tactlessly, otherwise he may be knocked down. There was once a wonderful law - not to enter the auditorium after the third bell. Any performance is a very delicate structure that is very easy to break.”

“An actor does not need scenery or elaborate costumes. The main thing is imagination. You can show absolutely everything through your own appearance. When studying human behavior, the actor is present in a state of volitional action and understanding of the situation. Mikhail Chekhov described how on stage he simultaneously saw his character from the outside and lived the role from the inside. Sometimes I feel something like this when I interact with a child and react to his actions based on what he is like. It comes as an instant sensation.”

“The idea of ​​a role is determined by who the actor is, and that’s a responsibility. When doing a performance or role, you don’t need to strive for everyone to understand and share your feelings. It is enough to feel something for your character yourself. It’s not for nothing that they say that an actor is the lawyer of his heroes. Without loving people, it is impossible to understand them. When playing a villain, look for the good in him and vice versa.”

Based on materials from Wikipedia, websites: kino-teatr.ru, vokrug.tv, ermitazh.theatre.ru, ruskino.ru, rusactors.ru, fb.ru, 24smi.org, kinopoisk.ru, ivi.ru, eg.ru, bez-makiyazha.ru, 7days.ru.

Filmography: Actor

• Fulcrum (2017), TV series
• Method (2015), TV series
• Cage (2015)
• Descendants (2015)
• Fizruk (2014), TV series
• Gentlemen-comrades (2014 – 2015), TV series
• Curious Varvara 2 (2014), TV series
• Rare blood type (2013), TV series
• Fun (2013)
• Family Circumstances (2013), TV series
• Lavrova Method 2 (2012), TV series
• Heat (2012), mini-series
• SOBR (2010), TV series
• Frozen Dispatches (2010), TV series
• Voronins (2009), TV series
• Tanks are not afraid of dirt (2008), mini-series
• River-sea (2008), TV series
• A Very Russian Detective (2008)
• Wedding ring (2008 – 2012), TV series
• Running on the Waves (2007)
• Trace (2007), trace
• 1612: Chronicles of Troubled Times (2007)
• Students 2 (2006), TV series
• Law and Order: Crime Branch (2006 – 2010), TV series
• Prison. The Case of Fyodor Sechenov (2006), TV series
• Who is the head in this house? (2006 – 2008), TV series
• Club (2006 – 2009), TV series
• Peter FM (2006)
• Echelon (2005), TV series
• Students (2005), TV series
• Theater Blues (2003), TV series
• Antikiller 2: Antiterror (2003)
• Beyond the Wolves (2002), mini-series
• And There Was the Night (2001), short film

Evgeny Kulakov: filmography

Evgeny Kulakov began acting in films simultaneously with his debut on the stage of the Hermitage Theater back in 2001. He managed to combine work in the theater and filming at a film studio. His first attempt was the short film “And There Was Night,” which was quite a success.

The actor’s first television series was the drama “Beyond the Wolves” directed by Vladimir Khotinenko in 2002. In 2003, he starred in a melodramatic television series called “Theater Blues.”

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The actor's role in the television series "Students" brought him fame. There he played one of the main roles - the intellectual student Eugene. It is worth noting that such “highly intellectual roles” often go to the artist.

The famous film “Antikiller-2: Anti-Terror” by Yegor Konchalovsky, of course, brought Evgeny Kulakov even greater popularity and recognition. By the way, in the action film the actor also played the role of a “nerd” perfectly.

In the television series “Club,” which aired on all screens in the country from 2006 to 2009, Evgeniy appears in a slightly different role: he transforms into the young blogger Ignat. But the melodrama “Peter FM” became the top-rated film for Evgeniy. The huge success of this film came as a complete surprise. The box office budget was about seven million dollars.

And, of course, the famous TV series “Trace,” which attracts millions of viewers to the screen, could not help but play its role in the actor’s life. Evgeny Kulakov got involved in this project by chance, already when all the roles had already been distributed and approved. This is an excellent film about the work of the FES (Federal Expert Service), which is engaged in solving the most complicated crimes. Kulakov plays a very interesting role - the hacker Vanya Tikhonov.