Childhood and adolescence
Artem was born and raised in harsh Chelyabinsk, a city of workers and metallurgists. He doesn’t remember his father; his mother had to raise her two children, Artem and his sister Dasha, on her own. A musician by profession, Natalya Mikhailovna Semakina took on any job to make ends meet.
In addition, Artem was diagnosed with a rare bone disease, due to which he was often hospitalized with fractures. Fortunately, it occurred in a relatively mild form, which allowed the boy to lead a full life. And given his restless character, he caused his mother a lot of trouble.
Artem Semakin in his youth
From 1993 to 1995, he studied at the local music and pedagogical college, but he was not an excellent student and could drink and smoke with friends. So, at the age of 14, according to an old interview with Artem, he got drunk for the first time - with Royal cologne in the sandbox.
After finishing nine classes, Artem got a job to save money for a trip to Moscow. The young man decided to say goodbye to Chelyabinsk forever, so he worked day and night to raise start-up capital: he moved theatrical scenery and worked as a courier.
Artem Semakin was born in Chelyabinsk
Two years later, he and a friend set off to conquer the capital and entered the Shchukin School, in the workshop of Yuri Shlykov.
Photo
Artem Semakin
Biography
“In life, Semakin dresses and behaves just like his hero. In “Don’t Be Born Beautiful,” Semakin essentially played himself, says Natalya Semakina. “The only difference is that the intellectual Zorkin wears glasses for medical reasons, and my son wears glasses for respectability.”
Artem Semakin was born on July 12, 1980, in Chelyabinsk. Artem has not had a father since childhood. My grandfather was a sculptor, and my mother was a music worker. Although she did all kinds of work to feed Artyom and his sister! In his native Chelyabinsk, Semakin had to spin around. After 9th grade he dropped out of school. I carried scenery in the theater, worked as a courier, and saved up for a trip to Moscow. Two years later I came here with a close friend. A friend entered the Moscow Art Theater, and he entered Shchuka. To celebrate, they drank and ate all the money. We got to Ufa, and from there we traveled to Chelyabinsk by crossroads. They were fed by grandmothers on trains. We arrived back at the Chelyabinsk station. At home, Artem saw his mother, packed his things, and went back to Moscow to study.
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The people dearest to him remained in Chelyabinsk - his mother Natalya Mikhailovna and his younger sister Dasha. He comes to visit them from Moscow, where, after graduating from the Shchukin School, he works at Oleg Tabakov’s Tabakerka. In the theater, Artem Semakin plays Novikov in the play “Soldiers”, directed by Petruni, and in the center of modern dramaturgy and directing. Kazantseva and Roshchina are busy in the production of “Not Said,” directed by Pokrass. According to Natalya Mikhailovna, Semakin is so busy in the theater and on television that she sees him on screen more often. Mom calls him, by the way, exclusively Semakin. He says it's a habit. They are friends with her.
Movie. First roles
Artem Semakin’s film debut took place in the series “Simple Truths”. Which was very helpful: both money and experience were useful. Tatyana Maksakova, acting assistant, turned out to be just a guardian angel for the actor. Then there was a cameo role as a waiter in the scandalous film Down House.
In his final year, Semakin was lucky again - Nikolai Lebedev took him to Zvezda. After the audition, all the actors were sent to serve in the army in Alabino, near Moscow. There, the intelligence guys who fought in the first Chechen campaign, out of sheer enthusiasm, began to teach the actors the basics. During one of the classes, the actors began to behave frivolously. And then one of the scouts said: “Everyone, killed!” Everyone felt uneasy, everyone immediately felt what the film was about.
The film adaptation of the true story by Emmanuel Kazakevich connected those old war years with the present day in an exciting, full of drama and romance story about a soldier's feat. In the film, Artem Semakin has one of the main roles, he played the intelligence officer Sparrow. His hero, the same age as today’s defenders of the Russian land, dies in the brutal massacre of the Great Patriotic War, “not loving, not smoking the last cigarette,” but having fulfilled his military duty.
The final scene of Sparrow's death moves even seasoned men to tears. At the screening of “Stars” by State Duma deputies, it was this scene that forced everyone to get up from their seats and watch the film while standing.
Director Nikolai Lebedev created truly combative conditions for the heroes of his film. For three months the artists lived in barracks in the Moscow region. The heat was so unbearable that, exhausted from filming, the actors fell into a forest stream while wearing army uniforms. The artist put everything he could into this role, “I’m not ashamed of it. The picture was even in Vietnam. It was very funny to see myself speaking Vietnamese. And when we traveled around Russia, many of those who came into contact with the war thanked us,” recalls Semakin.
"The Horseman Called Death"
In Karen Shakhnazarov’s film “A Horseman Named Death,” Artem Semakin played terrorist Ivan Kalyaev. A man who throws a bomb and at the same time claims that he has great faith in God.
Semakin is also a believer. It was difficult to play: you had to find a point of view from which you could justify your hero. So that when playing, you don’t lie and turn the game into pathos. “One of the shooting days was especially difficult. Karen Georgievich came up and said a couple of important phrases. Everything fell into place in my head - and I cheerfully went to blow up the carriage. Probably, terrorists someday hear similar phrases from their mentors,” recalls Semakin.
Although Artem Semakin had previously acted a lot in advertising, films and TV series, it was only with the release of “Don’t Be Born Beautiful” on television that the role of the abstruse bespectacled boy, Katya Pushkareva’s childhood friend, became a star. By the way, in the series “Don’t Be Born Beautiful,” Artem starred in things bought by his mother at the market. The young actor's wardrobe is quite modest and half consists of second-hand clothes.
“In life, Semakin dresses and behaves just like his hero. In “Don’t Be Born Beautiful,” Semakin essentially played himself, says Natalya Semakina. “The only difference is that the intellectual Zorkin wears glasses for medical reasons, and my son wears glasses for respectability.”
Sooner or later, something happens in the life of every person that radically changes his life, to which he has become accustomed: “So fate is knocking on the door!” “Fate,” which quickly burst into the door of one of the main characters of the series “Brothers in Different Ways,” turned out to be inevitable, like a natural disaster and merciless, like conscience.
Semakin’s hero, a young Muscovite Andrei Ruzhentsev, having inherited an apartment from his grandmother, lived for his own pleasure, rejoicing in gaining the long-awaited independence of independence from his parents. He dreamed of becoming a professional photographer and worked as a salesman in a consignment store, which was conveniently located on the ground floor of his own house.
However, one fine day, like a bolt from the blue, a distant relative, Ivan Zyamzyulin, comes to him from the village of Nizhny Popadai. The young man is by no means a swindler - he is simply a naive and cheerful person, poorly oriented in the realities of modern Moscow life. In his village, Ivan worked as a shepherd on a collective farm.
Here, a self-confident and purposeful highlander decides that the time has come to reveal his abilities and realize his numerous talents. The brothers begin to live in the same apartment and work together in a store.
Various events that happen to young people form the basis - the difference between urban and natural perceptions of life, the peculiarities of the national mentality. Recognizability of situations, sympathy for the position of a provincial simpleton in a metropolis, the charm of the main characters, Ivan’s natural humor, Andrei’s irony, without a doubt, made this series interesting and attractive to a wide range of viewers.
The actor was lucky to participate in the pre-Slavic fantasy “Wolfhound”. It was interesting and incredibly hard to work there. It is not clear how Alexander Bukharov endured this nine-month marathon. But, unfortunately, Artem Semakin did not like the film.
What specifically didn't you like? “The editing is disgusting, I don’t even understand how in our time, in 2007, you can edit like that. I didn't like the camera work. The fights are filmed on a shaky camera, you sit there and don’t understand a single detail or what’s going on. I really love director Lebedev, this is my second film from him. I gained a lot, an understanding of what is happening on set, how to communicate with the director. I trust him infinitely and will trust him if he invites me to his paintings again. But in the case of “Wolfhound,” I’m surprised and upset, and I’m very sad that the project turned out like this,” Artem Semakin sighs sadly.
Actor career
After graduating from university in 2001, Semakin was invited to the famous “Snuffbox” by Oleg Tabakov, where he served until 2004, playing Novikov in the play “Soldiers”.
Artem Semakin in the play “Soldiers”
For some time he collaborated with other theaters and was even nominated for the prestigious Golden Mask award for his role in the production of “Dad Leaves, Mom Lies, Grandma Dies.”
Artem Semakin in the series “Simple Truths”
Artem made his film debut during his student years in the TV series “Simple Truths”. This was followed by work in the films “Down House”, “FM and the Guys”, “Joker”. In his last year at the institute, Semakin played the dramatic role of Private Sparrow in the military film “Star”. And although after the premiere he did not immediately become a super-successful artist, as happened with his colleagues on the site Alexei Panin or Igor Petrenko, a start was made.
Artem Semakin in the film “Star”
In 2003, he began collaborating with the Praktika Theater in the framework of Mikhail Ugarov’s productions “3 acts in four scenes” and “The Red Cup”.
Many compare Artem Semakin with Alexander Demyanenko
Real fame came to the young actor in 2005 after the release of the series “Don’t Be Born Beautiful.” Artem so organically got used to the role of the unsuccessful botanist Kolya Zorkin that the audience immediately dubbed him “young Demyanenko” and “modern Shurik.”
Artem Semakin and Nelly Uvarova in the series “Don’t Be Born Beautiful”
Semakin regretted for a long time that he agreed to this role. Of course, he wanted fame, but not like this. But the project gave him a friendly relationship with the performer of the main character, Nelly Uvarova.
Numerous roles in “soap” television series followed, Artem never cheated about participating in them - he starred in them for the money to feed his family. On truly interesting projects, he could work for mere pennies. So, in 2008 he appeared in the independent film “Closed Spaces” with Leonid Bichevin, and in the comedy series “Mines in the Fairway”.
Artem Semakin in the film “The Village Teacher”
Viewers remember his role in the TV series “Spider” (the third part of the detective saga “Goznak” with Andrei Smolyakov), the main role in the melodrama “The Village Teacher” with Irina Tarannik, where he played an intelligent history teacher who suddenly lost everything: his girlfriend, his job and housing.
Still from the disaster film “Crew”
In 2020, he shone in the blockbuster “Crew” (a remake of the Soviet film by Alexander Mitta) as a volcanologist, and a year later viewers saw him in another major project - the “space” thriller “Salyut-7” with Vladimir Vdovichenkov.
Artem Semakin, Alexander Pal and Svetlana Khodchenkova in the film “The Life Ahead”
In general, 2020 turned out to be a successful year for the actor professionally. In addition to “Salute,” he played in the scandalous series “Sleepers” by Yuri Bykov, the full-length drama “The Life Ahead” by Karen Oganesyan and the 10-episode detective story “Route of Death” with Makovetsky and Merzlikin.
Filmography
- 1999-2000 - Simple Truths (TV series) - Artem Zyulyaev
- 2001 - FM and the guys (TV series) - Gena, computer genius
- 2001 - Down House - waiter
- 2002 - Joker (Game) - Vladimir Nelkin
- 2002 - Star - Private Vorobiev
- 2003 - Kamenskaya 3 (TV series) - Ivan (“Stylist”. One of the kidnapped guys who are kept in the basement at the dacha)
- 2004 - A horseman named Death - Vanya
- 2004 - Silver Lily of the Valley 2 (TV series) - Seva Oblomov, private
- 2004 - On the corner, near the Patriarchs 4 (TV series) - Timofey Stomalidis
- 2004 - Farewell echo - Jiri
- 2005 - Death of the Empire (TV series) - episode
- 2005 - Lola and the Marquis - Kirill Mukhin
- 2005 - Last weekend - Bear
- 2005-2006 - Don’t be born beautiful (TV series) - Nikolai Zorkin
- 2006 - Peter FM - Dima the fan
- 2006 - Brothers in different ways (TV series) - Andrey Ruzhentsev
- 2006 - Marfa and her puppies
- 2007 - Wolfhound from the Gray Dog family - Eurich
- 2007 - Dead Daughters - Egor
- 2007 - Personal life of Doctor Selivanova - Kirill
- 2008 - Mines in the fairway - Yuri Naryshkin
- 2008 - Inheritance - Alexey Kiryanov
- 2008 - 00:10 (Ten minutes past) - Ivan
- 2009 - Hot news - Valera, trainee killer
- 2010 - Lovers in Kiev - Artem
- 2010 - Frozen dispatches - programmer
- 2010 - Tower (TV series) - Tolya - Berger’s student
- 2011 - Group of Happiness - Kostya
- 2012 - My favorite genius - Misha Shishkin
- 2012 - Mom (short film) - Zhenya
Personal life of Artem Semakin
Artem met his first wife Anastasia Milyaeva while still at the institute. They started dating in their senior year and got married after graduation. Artem was 21 years old. In 2002, the couple had a baby, Sonya. Nastya sacrificed her career for the sake of her family and became a housewife, and Artem actively acted in film and acted in the theater.
Artem Semakin with his first wife Anastasia Milyaeva and daughter
Everything changed after “Don’t Be Born Beautiful.” On the set, Semakin began an affair with Maria Mashkova, the daughter of the famous Vladimir Mashkov, left the family and married again.
Artem Semakin with Maria Mashkova
But this marriage was short-lived and lasted only three years. In 2009, the flighty actor fell in love again, this time with actress Sofya Kashtanova, his partner in the film “Moon-Moon,” which, by the way, was never completed. Now Artem has a new passion - a French actress with Russian roots, Cecile Pleasure.
Artem Semakin and Cecile Pleasure
The actor’s daughter lives with her mother in Moscow, but Artem regularly visits her and maintains a warm relationship with his ex-wife. The girl plays the violin masterfully.
In 2012, Artem Semakin was beaten, and not just somewhere in a Moscow gateway, but in Cannes. He arrived at the famous film festival and one evening on the way to the hotel he heard women screaming for help. The girl was harassed by hooligans. Artem rushed to help and received several powerful blows to the face. To some extent, there were no serious injuries.
Personal life of Sofia Kashtanova
The Russian actress talks little about herself and life, believing that happiness loves silence. However, several novels and hobbies of the star became known.
At the age of 15, Sofia spent a lot of time with a young man from Chile. The girl’s relationship with the temperamental, jealous guy ended when he was sent back to his homeland.
In 2009, the film “Moon-Moon” was released, during the filming of which Kashtanova and Artyom Semakin began a friendship. The girl did not talk about this relationship, but Semakin spoke about Kashtanova as his girlfriend.
Now nothing is known about the personal life of the Russian actress. Sofia leads an active lifestyle, practices yoga, and takes care of her nutrition and appearance. He also improves his skills in academic vocals and enjoys painting.
In 2013, an exhibition of Sofia’s paintings was held in one of the art galleries in Moscow. The work of the young girl was liked by both critics and fans of the actress. In an interview, she admitted that painting helped her get through a difficult time when there were no new roles in films and TV series.
Artem Semakin now
At the end of 2020, viewers could see Semakin in the role of the poet Nikolai Zabolotsky from the biographical film “Kharms”. He also got one of the key characters in the detective story “Three in One” - IT specialist Gena, one of the three former (and friends with each other!) husbands of an employee of the “separation agency” Inga Khvostikova. Other ex-spouses were played by Andrei Karako and Sergei Belyakovich, and the potential fourth husband was played by Alexander Ratnikov.
Artem Semakin in the detective story “Three in One”
