Biography
Vladimir Vladimirovich Posner was born in Paris on April 1, 1934. His father, Vladimir Aleksandrovich Pozner, a Jew by nationality, emigrated with his parents from the USSR to France in 1922. Here he attended a Russian-French school, organized specifically for children of emigrants, and after graduation he worked in the European branch of American media. The mother of the future journalist Geraldine Lutten was French. Her career has also been related to film production.
The couple named their newborn son Vladimir in honor of his father. The boy was baptized according to the Catholic rite in Notre Dame Cathedral. The TV presenter considers himself French by nationality.
Vladimir Pozner in childhood
When Vladimir was three months old, his mother took him with her to America, where she was offered a job at Paramount Pictures studio as an editing director. In addition, her sister and close friends lived in the United States. In 1939, Posner's father took the family back to Paris. Vladimir Pozner Sr. and Geraldine Lutten were not officially married for a long time, and legalized their relationship only when their son was five years old.
A year after returning to Paris, the family of Vladimir Pozner was forced to emigrate to the United States again due to the occupation of French territory by German troops. The youngest son, Pavel Pozner, was born in America. The post-war period of American history was marked by a sharp deterioration in relations with the Soviet Union. The beginning of the Cold War provoked anti-communist sentiments in society.
Vladimir Pozner with his father and younger brother
During this period, Vladimir Pozner’s father held a senior position in the Russian Cinematography Department of the US War Department.
Being a sincere patriot of the USSR, Vladimir Pozner Sr. began collaborating with the foreign intelligence of the Soviet Union, initially in the status of a “gunner” and “trainee.” After some time, it became obvious that staying in America was no longer possible, and in 1948 the family decided to emigrate for the third time. In addition, people from the FBI began to become interested in the activities of Posner Sr.
Initially, the plan was to return to France again, but due to a denunciation against his father, which reported that he was a Soviet spy and a “subversive element,” the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs refused to issue him a visa. At this moment, Posner Sr. received an offer from the USSR government to work for, located in the Soviet sector of Berlin.
Vladimir Pozner with his brother Pavel
Vladimir Pozner received his primary education in New York, at the City and Country School, then continued his studies at Stuyvesant High School. Having moved to Germany, Posner first attended a high school for Soviet children. A year later, when the government of the Soviet Union curtailed the program, the boy was transferred to a school for the children of German political emigrants who fled the Nazi regime in the USSR. The students were not issued a matriculation certificate, since even without this document they received a referral to prestigious universities in the country.
All this time, my father was looking for an opportunity to move to Moscow, which happened in 1952. In the capital, Vladimir Pozner enters Moscow State University at the Department of Biology and Soils, majoring in human physiology. Despite the high exam score, the young man was denied admission due to his Jewish origin and “unreliable” biography. It was only thanks to my father’s connections that I managed to gain admission to Moscow State University.
Journalist Vladimir Pozner
Having received a higher education, Vladimir Pozner first earned money by translating scientific texts. In his youth, he was engaged in translations of English poetry, which attracted the attention of Samuel Marshak, who invited the young Posner to work as a literary secretary. For the next two years, Vladimir works as his assistant, preparing translations of poems for publication in Soviet magazines.
Parents
It is known that until the future world-famous journalist and media worker crossed the age of 5, his parents Geraldine and Vladimir were not legally married. Being a caring mother, the Frenchwoman collected all her things and little Volodya’s things and headed straight to the United States of America. Posner’s biography is an excellent example of the formation of a persistent, purposeful personality.
In 1939, the father of the future journalist, Vladimir Alexandrovich, persuaded his wife and took the family back to France. It is noteworthy that during this period of time his place of work was the largest company of that time, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The couple did not live there for long, since in 1940 the French lands were completely captured. As Vladimir Pozner recalls, the family only became stronger as a result of numerous moves.
Journalism
In the fall of 1961, Vladimir Pozner went to work at the newly opened Novosti Press Agency, where he edited the USSR magazine, which was distributed abroad, mainly in America. In 1967 he worked on the literary digest “Sputnik”.
In 1970, Vladimir Pozner began collaborating with the USSR State Radio Broadcasting Committee as a commentator. His programs were broadcast every day until 1985 and were broadcast throughout England and the United States.
Vladimir Pozner in his youth
In the late seventies, a television biography of Vladimir Posner began: he became a frequent guest on American television. The young man appears on the Nightline program, as well as on Phil Donahue's talk show. Posner's main task was to present in the most favorable light the actions and statements of the Soviet government. He defended the most controversial moments of Soviet history, in particular, he justified the entry of Soviet troops into Afghanistan.
Together with Phil Donahue in 1985, he held a teleconference between Leningrad and Seattle, called “Meeting at the Top of Ordinary Citizens.” A year later, Vladimir Pozner holds a teleconference “Women Talk to Women” between Leningrad and Boston, and then another teleconference, this time with the participation of Soviet and American journalists. These successful projects became Vladimir Pozner’s debut on domestic television, after which he received the position of political commentator and began working on central television.
Vladimir Pozner and Phil Donahue
According to polls of that time, Vladimir Pozner was recognized as the most authoritative journalist of Soviet television. But, despite his popularity, in 1991 he decided to leave Central Television due to disagreements with its leadership.
In the early 90s, Vladimir Pozner accepted Phil Donahue’s invitation to work in the USA, where their joint program was broadcast until 1996. At the same time, he is working on his programs in Moscow, for which he makes monthly flights from America to Russia to record them. At the same time, his two autobiographical books “The West Close” and “Farewell to Illusions” were published in the USA.
From 1994 to 2008, Vladimir Pozner served as President of Russian television. In 1997, the television journalist returned to Moscow again, where he lives to this day.
Vladimir Pozner in his youth
One of Vladimir Vladimirovich’s most famous projects is his author’s program “Posner,” which first aired in the fall of 2008. The format of the popular project is an interview, during which the host asks questions to prominent social and political figures, leading representatives of culture, science and sports.
The topic of the meetings can be either tied to the current situation or a free-form conversation. During the interview, guests are asked to answer not only the host's questions, but also pre-recorded questions asked by random people on the streets. At the end of each program, Vladimir Pozner makes a short final speech, where he invites viewers to think again about the current issues raised during the program.
Vladimir Pozner in the “Posner” program
Over the years of the existence of the Posner program, a huge number of famous people have been guests of the studio, including Mikhail Gorbachev, Oleg Tabakov, Mikhail Zhvanetsky, Hillary Clinton, Dmitry Medvedev, Sting and many others.
In the 2000s, Vladimir Pozner wrote and published several more books, including “One-Storey America”, “Tour de France. Traveling through France with Ivan Urgant", "Farewell to Illusions" and "Their Italy". In 2014 and 2015, two more autobiographical books by the writer and TV presenter appeared - “Posner about Posner” and “Confrontation”.
Vladimir Pozner and Ivan Urgant
Vladimir Pozner often collaborates with his young colleague Ivan Urgant. Together they made several documentaries, among which the audience most remembered “One-Story America”, “Tour de France”, “Their Italy” and “The German Puzzle”.
Height, weight, age. How old is Vladimir Pozner?
When we talk about Vladimir Pozner, it’s hard to even imagine how many people in the world know this name. His father worked in world-famous cinema, and for a long time he hosted an author’s program with a colleague on American television. It is not surprising that today his program, like himself, has many fans who watch all episodes of the program and follow the life of Vladimir Vladimirovich. As is customary for all famous people, Vladimir Pozner has his own website, where you can find out all the information about the present and past life of the journalist, moments from his personal life, as well as such little things as height, weight, age. How old is Vladimir Pozner? This is a popular question from TV viewers, and I would like to say that the answer is amazing. The man is 84 years old today, and he continues to serve on television, which proves that the soul and brain of a wise man do not age!
Scandals
The popular TV presenter, journalist and writer not only has an impressive army of admirers, but also many critics. Publicist Sergei Smirnov claims that Posner, in his program “Times,” distorted many historical facts using manipulative technologies.
Vladimir Pozner’s words that the adoption of Orthodoxy was “one of the greatest tragedies for Russia” and that “the Orthodox Church caused colossal harm” to the country caused mixed reactions. These statements were criticized by Protodeacon Andrei Kuraev, and journalist Dmitry Sokolov-Mitrich claims that Vladimir Pozner hates Orthodoxy. Even the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia criticized the journalist’s position. However, on the air of the Russian News Service, the journalist and TV presenter once again confirmed and supplemented his words.
Vladimir Pozner is a respected journalist
In our time, Posner remains one of the most authoritative and popular television journalists and presenters, whose opinions are listened to by, if not millions, then many thousands. His words about the conflict in Ukraine and the annexation of Crimea to the Russian Federation caused a strong reaction. Vladimir Pozner said that “the annexation of Crimea smacks of imbecility,” and Vladimir Putin “could become a line in a history textbook ending with the words “died in prison.”
The journalist also spoke quite sharply about the election of Donald Trump. He argues that a person without any political experience cannot govern a country like America. Moreover, Posner will not be surprised if Trump is unable to serve the required term in the presidential chair.
Vladimir Pozner
Vladimir Vladimirovich's directness often becomes the cause of scandals. In 2020, Pozner invited the lead singer of the Leningrad group Sergei Shnurov to his program. According to the TV presenter, he wanted to understand the secret of the eccentric rocker’s success among young people. But the two stars did not find a common language, moreover, they did not like each other. The result was a verbal spat on social networks.
Vladimir Pozner admitted that he had found the answer to the question of interest: what is the reason for Shnurov’s popularity - nothing. The flamboyant musician also did not remain in debt, reproaching the TV presenter for imagining himself to be a “television God.”
At the beginning of 2020, a new scandal occurred, the cause of which was again Posner’s directness. He, as one of the jury members of the ninth season of the television project “Minute of Fame,” not only criticized the performance of dancer Evgeniy Smirnov without a leg, but also refused the participant further participation in the project. On his Instagram, Vladimir Pozner explained that the contestant resorted to a prohibited technique, because a disabled person cannot, on a general basis, compete with healthy people, counting on a “bonus” in the form of pity or sympathy.
Posner’s colleague on the jury, Renata Litvinova, agreed with Vladimir Vladimirovich and advised Smirnov to wear a prosthesis so as not to “exploit this topic.” Sergei Yursky and Sergei Svetlakov turned out to be more loyal to Evgeniy.
Vladimir Pozner now
In 2020, Vladimir Pozner continued to delight fans of his talent with new educational documentaries, releasing the films “Jewish Happiness” (together with Ivan Urgant) and “Shakespeare. A warning to kings."
In 2020, viewers enjoyed watching a new joint project with Urgant called “In Search of Don Quixote.” This is an 8-episode film traveling around Spain, which premiered in January 2020 on Channel One. Vladimir Pozner and Ivan Urgant not only traveled along the supposed route of the legendary hidalgo, but also went through a comic rite of knighthood and tried to figure out who the Spaniards were.
Journalist career
In October 1961, Posner joined the Novosti Press Agency and worked as an editor in the USSR magazine, which was distributed abroad (mainly in the USA), later renamed Soviet Life. and since 1967 - in the Sputnik magazine. In 1967 he joined the CPSU. In 1968, together with his first wife V. N. Chemberdzhi, he translated and published in the USSR Woody Guthrie’s book “Bound for Glory”.
In 1970, he went to work for the Committee on Television and Radio Broadcasting (later the State Television and Radio Broadcasting of the USSR) as a commentator for the main editorial office of radio broadcasting in the USA and England, where he was also the secretary of the party committee and until the end of 1985 he conducted his daily radio broadcast in English. American radio listeners could hear him on Ray Briem's talk show on Los Angeles radio station KABC (AM).
Since the late 1970s, usually via satellite communications, Posner has appeared on Western television. He was a frequent guest on American Broadcasting Company's Nightline and the Phil Donahue Show. He presented in the best light the statements and decisions of the leadership of the Soviet Union regarding certain domestic and international issues, and, often, justified the most controversial of them. Among such decisions were decisions on the entry of Soviet troops into Afghanistan and the destruction of the South Korean Boeing.
Personal life
Vladimir Pozner’s first wife is Russian philologist and translator Valentina Chemberdzhi. Their marriage lasted ten years, from 1957 to 1968. In 1960, the family welcomed a daughter, Ekaterina Chemberdzhi, a composer and pianist. Today Ekaterina lives in Germany.
In 1969, Vladimir Pozner married for the second time. His chosen one was Ekaterina Orlova, with whom the journalist founded the “Posner School”. Ekaterina Mikhailovna was the school director for a long time, but this did not save their marriage. They lived together until 2005, never having any children together, and separated after 36 years of marriage.
Vladimir Pozner with his wife Nadezhda
In 2008, the TV presenter married for the third time. His wife is television producer Nadezhda Solovyova. The woman is the founder of the promotion and concert company Sav Entertainment, which has brought more than one Western pop star to Moscow. Vladimir Pozner met and became acquainted with Nadezhda on the recommendation of friends: he decided to make a special program about the fight against AIDS. An experienced producer was needed, and Solovyova turned out to be him.
Vladimir Pozner today
The passion that flared up between Vladimir and Nadezhda forced the woman to leave her husband, composer Valery Myagkikh. Posner’s personal life with this woman began to sparkle with new colors: Vladimir Vladimirovich claims that he always had the strength and determination to change his life, and not act like the majority, “holding out” together out of habit until the end of his life. The age difference between the spouses is 21 years.
Recently, Vladimir Pozner made a statement refuting information disseminated by unscrupulous advertisers. He said that he had never suffered from diabetes and did not treat this disease with the Chinese patch. Moreover, the TV journalist claims that he has never advertised any medicine or other product.
Posner: biography, wife
Vladimir Vladimirovich’s first wife was Russian philologist Valentina Chemberdzhi. The marriage lasted 10 years, and during the family relationship, a daughter, Catherine, was born. She now lives in Berlin. On this line, V.V. Pozner has two grandchildren: Maria and Nikolai.
The second wife (from 1969 to 2005) was the director of the School of Television Excellence, which was founded by the master of television Posner, Ekaterina Orlova. In their life together, the couple raised Catherine’s son Peter. Along this line, Vladimir Vladimirovich has a non-blood grandson, Georgy.
Since 2008, Posner has been in an official relationship with Nadezhda Solovyova, who is the founder of the famous company Sav Entertainment.
V.V. Pozner (biography, photos are presented in our article) is the author of the book “Farewell to Illusions,” which includes interesting life stories of a creative personality. It was originally written in English (in 1990), and in 2012 Vladimir Vladimirovich presented it to the Russian reader.
