BIOGRAPHY
Sergei Svetlakov was born in Sverdlovsk, into a family of hereditary railway workers. His father was an assistant driver, and his mother worked in the management of the Sverdlovsk Railway.
Sergei grew up as a very athletic child. During his school years, he played football and basketball, and in his teens he became a candidate for master of sports in handball. The young man wanted to connect his life with sports, but fate turned out differently. At the insistence of his parents, Sergei entered the Ural State University of Transport, majoring in “Economics of Railway Transport.”
Sergei Svetlakov: biography and creative path
Sergei Svetlakov: biography
Sergei Svetlakov was born on December 12, 1977 in the city of Yekaterinburg (Sverdlovsk) in the family of Yuri Venediktovich ( assistant driver at a flour mill) and Galina Grigorievna ( transportation engineer at the Sverdlovsk Railway).
Sergei Svetlakov loved sports since childhood. He was active in football and basketball. But most of all he liked handball. It was there that he achieved great success and received the title “candidate master of sports” !
After finishing school, my parents insisted on continuing the dynasty . And Sergey Svetlakov entered the Ural State University of Transport and Communications, majoring in Economics in Railway Transport .
a rich and vibrant student life at the Ural State Transport University . The university regularly held various creative competitions and events for its students. Sergei Svetlakov took part in one of these competitions. He won and was awarded the title “Knight of the Institute” !
After this victory, he was noticed and invited to play in KVN as part of the “Park of the current period” team. That's where it all started!
Sergei Svetlakov falls in love with KVN! But, along with this love, big problems with learning are growing. In his final year, he miraculously manages to avoid expulsion! But by that time he was already a regular contributor to the successful and authoritative KVN team “Ural Dumplings” .
Sergey Svetlakov and “Ural dumplings”
In 2000 , Sergei Svetlakov became not only an author, but also a member of the Ural Dumplings team. In the same year, “Ural Dumplings” win the KVN Major League!
After the victory, Sergei, like many of his colleagues, moved to Moscow.
The main work is writing humorous material for various KVN teams and other humorous projects.
Meanwhile, Sergei does not give up KVN and continues to perform and participate in the tours of the Ural Dumplings team.
And in 2004 , for the first time, he was invited as a jury to one of the games of the 1/8 stage of the KVN Major League! This is a very honorable place for any KVN player! An invitation to the jury is a creative recognition and a sign of great respect!
However, during his refereeing, an incredible incident !
During the performance of the KVN team “Dobryanka” Sergei Svetlakov climbed onto the table and started dancing ! His behavior surprised and shocked everyone! Security took the actor out the door and he was immediately expelled from the jury!
Later it turned out that the action was staged. The act was planned in advance and agreed upon with Alexander Maslyakov.
Sergei Svetlakov: life after KVN
Since 2006 , Sergei Svetlakov and his KVNO friend Mikhail Galustyan have been creating the project “Our Russia” .
It was here that Sergei played the largest number of roles:
- Foreman Leonid (suffering from the work of guest workers);
- Lev Moiseevich Zvyagintsev (cultural professor from St. Petersburg);
- Sergey Yuryevich Belyakov (TV viewer from Taganrog);
- Football referee , doctor , and even the father of football player Gatalsky (Omsk GazMyas);
- Ivan Dulin (gay milling machine operator);
- Slavik (boy from Krasnodar);
- Elvira (“night butterfly”);
- Nikolai Laptev (traffic police inspector who never takes bribes);
- Yuri Venediktovich Pronin (deputy from Nizhnevartovsk);
- Snezhana Denisovna (high school teacher who takes and demands bribes from students);
- Siphon (homeless man from Rublyovka);
- Galina Georgievna (manager of the sushi bar “White Willow”);
- Ermolkina (police operative);
- Gena (tourist from Nizhny Tagil);
- Philip Valentinovich (retired);
- Vadim Rudolfovich (doctor at a hospital near Moscow).
In 2008 , Sergey Svetlakov, together with his good friends: Garik Martirosyan, Alexander Tsekalo and Ivan Urgant, created the ProjectorParisHilton .
In 2009 , Sergei became the main character in the South Butovo .
And since 2010 , the large-scale acting career of Sergei Svetlakov begins! He starred in three films at once: “Our Russia. Eggs of Destiny", "Christmas Trees" and "The Diamond Arm - 2".
In 2011 , there were three more wonderful films: “Yolki - 2”, “Cod” and “Bedouin”.
In 2012 , Sergei Svetlakov plays in two famous films: “Stone” and “Jungle”.
2013 the year brings two more paintings: “Bitter!” and "Yolki - 3".
In 2014 , Sergei Svetlakov starred in “Gorko! - 2", "Fast Moscow - Russia" and in the film "An Unforgettable Romance - 2".
And in 2016 , the wonderful comedy “Groom” was released, where Sergei Svetlakov plays one of the main roles. And, traditionally, on New Year’s Eve, “Yolki 5” with his participation appears on the screen!
KVN
At the university, Sergei began playing in the KVN team and was the captain of the team. He recalls: “In the first year, the guys and I created a KVN student team. At first they played disgustingly, poorly. Then some experience and things began to appear that we were even proud of. Then the Ural Dumplings team, which was then playing in the Major League, began offering cooperation and asked to perform on stage.”
After graduating from the institute, Svetlakov went to work in the customs department of the railway, where he dealt with tax returns. At the same time, he continued to collaborate with Ural Dumplings. In 2000, Sergei became a full member of the team.
The artist went on tour a lot with the Ural Dumplings, and there was practically no free time left. Soon Svetlakov moved to Moscow. “The following company has formed: Garik Martirosyan, Semyon Slepakov, Javid Kurbanov, Arthur “Chip” Tumasyan, Sergey Ershov. We rented a two-room apartment, where for a year we “wrote humor” from morning to evening. They composed for the Premier League and half of the KVN Major League. In one week they could write for five teams, four of which played in one game. They also wrote advertising slogans and came up with names. I came up with a name for the ice cream - "Meat". It’s a pity that the “Meat” ice cream was not put into production... “says Sergei.
Sergei Svetlakov in KVN
As soon as the KVN student team appeared at the university, Svetlakov was appointed captain. “Barabashki” performed for a couple of years in the university assembly hall, then changed their name to “Park of the Current Period” and went to Sochi for the KVN festival. The performance was shown on TV, and the KVN players instantly became the coolest kids in Yekaterinburg. Svetlakov began to skip lectures, but the university management did not dare to expel the “star”. As a result, in 2000, Sergei graduated from the Faculty of Commerce with a degree in Economics in Railway Transport. Next, the future artist went to work at a freight forwarding company. Svetlakov worked there for several years, and at the same time played in his KVN team. The artist composed numbers for “Ural Dumplings,” which were already popular in the country.
Sergei Svetlakov played in “Ural Dumplings.” Next, Svetlakov faced a choice. I had to either quit my job and move to Ural Dumplings, or leave everything as it was. The artist decided to radically change his life and quit. So, he became part of the champion team “Ural Dumplings”. The guys gave twenty concerts a month, but the future was still sad: a couple of years of touring, and then their own humorous program on local television. Ural dumplings. Jurmala 2004 Sergei Svetlakov decided to give up touring, moved to Moscow and began writing scripts together with the KVN team: Garik Martirosyan, Javid Kurbanov, Semyon Slepakov, Arthur Temasyan and Sergei Ershov. The guys rented a two-room apartment and wrote humorous numbers all day long.
Sergey Svetlakov is a leading member of the Comedy Club team. The texts were written for the Premier League and partly for the Major League. But gradually the team began to create their own humorous variety show, which was called Comedy Club.
Sergey Svetlakov and Our Russia
In 1999, Svetlakov appeared on the television program “Laughter Federation,” but he wanted to have his own independent project. Two years later, the artist began to assemble a team of writers, cameramen and directors. When the necessary team was recruited, work began on the show “Our Russia”.
In Our Russia, Sergei Svetlakov created many memorable images. The main characters Sergei Svetlakov and Mikhail Galustyan immediately became favorites of the public. In this sketch show, the artist played everyone: foreman, TV viewer Sergei Yuryevich Belyakov, professor Zvyagintsev from St. Petersburg, sports doctor Valera, gay milling operator Ivan Dulin, football referee, teenager Slavik, prostitute Elvira, deputy Yuri Venediktovich, traffic police inspector , teacher Snezhana Denisovna, a homeless person from Rublyovka. “I didn’t laugh at myself in KVN, but here I laughed to tears,” says the actor. The collapse of fame in 2004 brought the “real generator of ideas” new work. Sergei became a scriptwriter for the special projects department in the service of the General Director of Channel One. Honest traffic police officer Laptev
Svetlakov in the program “ProjectorParisHilton”
In May 2008, a new program with the interesting name “ProjectorParisHilton” appeared on Channel One.
Sergei Svetlakov in the program “ProjectorParisHilton” on Channel 1 Four witty young people - Garik Martirosyan, Ivan Urgant, Sergei Svetlakov and Alexander Tsekalo - joked in the studio on political, secular, sports and other topics. Jokes, at the same time, were born spontaneously. The audience watched 30 minutes of the program on a weekend evening without stopping.
Sergei Svetlakov in cinema
Charming Sergei Svetlakov began to be invited to films, and big roles appeared. In 2010, he starred with Vera Brezhneva and Ivan Urgant in Timur Bekmambetov’s film “Yolki”, playing the role of an actor in the Yakut theater. Then, together with Mikhail Galustyan, he worked on a full-length film, a continuation of the comedy series “Our Russia. Eggs of Destiny”, followed by participation in the film “Cod” in 2011. In 2012, viewers saw Sergei in the leading role in the drama “Stone”, as well as in the comedy “Jungle”.
Sergei Svetlakov and Vera Brezhneva. Still from the comedy "Jungle"
“Workshop of a good mood” by Sergei Svetlakov
Sergei considered it necessary to combine creativity and commerce together. Therefore, together with the “dumpling” Sergei Isaev, he created the “Good Mood Workshop” in his hometown. This is a store of exclusive gifts and holiday creations.
“Workshop of a good mood” by Svetlakov and Isaev. For example, on the counter you can see a pillow in the shape of a woman’s breast, a toilet brush like a police baton, things for a masochistic hamster - these are tiny handcuffs and a leather collar, the composition “Khrushchev and Kuzkina’s Mother”, bottles “Smells of our city” with the smell of “Uralmash”.
Personal life of Sergei Svetlakov
At the university, Sergei Svetlakov met a student from the same university, Yulia. She became his wife and traveled around the country with her troubled husband. In Moscow, a woman began working as a realtor. In December 2008, the couple had a daughter, Nastya. By the way, she was born on Sergei’s birthday.
Sergei Svetlakov with his first wife Yulia Svetlakov is very kind to his daughter. Like a real man, he is sure that fathers should be able to do everything that mothers do. Despite his busy schedule, he often got up at night and swaddled his daughter. In 2011, at the presentation of the film “Stone,” Svetlakov met a new love, Antonina Chebotareva. They formalized their relationship, and in 2013 Sergei became a father for the second time. The son was named Ivan.
Svetlakov, his second wife Antonina and daughter from his first marriage Nastya
Interesting facts about Svetlakov’s work
— Sergei Svetlakov has the nickname “Svetly”. — The name and patronymic of the viewer from Taganrog from Nasha Rashi coincides with the name and patronymic of the comedian. — Deputy Yuri Venediktovich (another hero of the artist) is named after Sergei’s father. Sergei Svetlakov and Vera Brezhneva together? ●As soon as Sergei played a gay milling machine operator, the director of the Chelyabinsk Pipe Rolling Plant immediately called the film crew and stated that there were no people with non-traditional sexual orientation at the plant.
Sergei Svetlakov as Ivan Dulin
A TELEVISION
Arriving in Moscow, Svetlakov got a job on television: “I started working on Channel One, and for a long time I was a screenwriter in the special projects department in the press service of the general director. There were 7-8 of us, all from KVN of different ages. And Semyon Slepakov and I, as authors, were invited to write scripts for various programs, including New Year’s musical films. And at the same time, Semyon and Garik Martirosyan and I came up with our own project, which was “Our Russia”.
"OUR RUSSIA"
In 2006, the premiere of the humorous show “Our Russia” took place. The series combines several storylines telling about the realities of Russian life. Each action takes place in a specific city, and the main participants in the events described are characters whose character traits and behavior are exaggerated and sometimes brought to the point of absurdity. The roles are played by Sergei Svetlakov and Mikhail Galustyan. The creators of the project say: “We try to dig deeper in each program to show what it is like – our Russia. Now you go out into the street in a good mood, fall into the mud - and here it is, our Russia. Both laughter and sin are all nearby.”
Over the years of the existence of the “Our Russia” program, Svetlakov has played everyone: foreman, professor Zvyagintsev from St. Petersburg, TV viewer Sergei Yuryevich Belyakov from Taganrog, milling machine operator Ivan Dulin from Chelyabinsk, prostitute Elvira, teacher Snezhana Denisovna, homeless man Siphon, and many others. Many of his characters were loved by the audience, and their statements were quoted.
OTHER PROJECTS
In 2008, Sergey, together with Ivan Urgant, Garik Martirosyan and Alexander Tsekalo, became the host of the evening comedy show “ProjectorParisHilton”.
In 2009-2010, Svetlakov was one of the main characters in the South Butovo program. In addition, the artist took part in the projects “Country in SHOPe”, “Comedy Battle. Without Borders" and "NEZLOB".
Films and television
In 2005, Svetlakov’s debut project “Our Russia” was released on Russian TV. The main roles went to Sergei himself and Mikhail Galustyan.
The show quickly gained enormous popularity not only in Russia, but also far beyond its borders. The audience enjoyed watching the performance of the artists, who transformed into a variety of characters.
Sergey Svetlakov and Mikhail Galustyan in the show “Our-Russia”
In 2008, Svetlakov joined the trio of hosts of the entertainment program “ProjectorParisHilton”, sitting at the same table with Ivan Urgant, Garik Martirosyan and Alexander Tsekalo.
The formed quartet discussed various news in the country and in the world. When commenting on certain events, artists often resorted to irony and sarcasm.
An interesting fact is that the vast majority of jokes were invented during the filming process. In 2012, the program had to be closed, despite its super popularity.
Having become a famous artist, Svetlakov began to be offered film roles. As a result, in 2010 he starred in 3 films: “Our Russia. Eggs of Fate”, “Christmas Trees” and “The Diamond Arm-2”, where he got the role of Semyon Semenovich Gorbunkov.
During the biography period 2011-2016. Sergei appeared in 14 films. The most popular films were “Jungle”, “Stone”, “Bitter”, “Groom” and several parts of “Christmas Trees”.
At the same time, Svetlakov advertised the products of the mobile operator Beeline.
At that time, the artist was part of the judging panels of the TV shows “Comedy Battle” and “Dancing”. In 2020, he was a member of the jury in the program “Minute of Fame,” where his colleagues were Vladimir Pozner, Renata Litvinova and Sergei Yursky.
MOVIE
Sergei Svetlakov’s film debut took place in 2010, when the comedy “Our Russia. Eggs of Destiny." According to the plot, workers familiar to viewers Ravshan (Mikhail Galustyan) and Dzhamshut (Valery Magdyash), together with their “boss” Leonid (Sergey Svetlakov), find themselves in Moscow, where they have to make repairs in the house of the city’s richest billionaire. But they still have no idea how this idea will turn out for them...
"TREE"
In 2010, Timur Bekmambetov’s New Year’s film “Christmas Trees” was released on Russian cinema screens, in which Svetlakov played one of the main roles. The film has become the leader in box office box office among Russian films since 2007. The success of the film pushed its creators to work on sequels - the films “Yolki 2”, “Yolki 3”, “Yolki 1914” and “Yolki 5” were released. “Yolki” is a phenomenally popular film project, which I personally like for its versatility: its themes are close and understandable to viewers in any part of the world,” says the film’s director Timur Bekmambetov.
"STONE"
One of the most important works in Svetlakov’s filmography, in which he was able to completely get rid of cliches and reveal his dramatic talent, was the role of Pyotr Naydenov in the thriller “Stone” by Vyacheslav Kaminsky. Sergei says: “I was not surprised by the appointment to this role, because over the course of several years I have received various proposals from people to break stereotypes and try something new. I said that, of course, I want to. When I read the script for “The Stone,” I immediately understood the image of the main character and wanted to play him. Compared to dozens of scripts that I had read before, I realized how I feel about this person, and I will try to convey this to the audience.”
"GROOM"
Among the recent premieres of Sergei Svetlakov is the comedy “Groom”, in which the artist not only played the main role, but also acted as a producer and co-author of the script. The plot of the film takes place in the Russian outback against the backdrop of Victory Day celebrations. German Helmut comes to Russia to propose to the beautiful Alena. But suddenly the girl’s ex-husband, Tolya, appears and wants his wife back. Talking about the comedy “Groom”, Sergei is drunk on the topic. It’s clear that there is a feast there, but we don’t have drunk people, there isn’t some kind of alternative reality where all the characters are invented by us. There are absolutely recognizable situations and types from life. The main driver of everything is, accordingly, an anecdotal situation, a fantasy about the fact that on May 9 a German comes to woo a Russian girl.”
Moscow real estate
Sergei lives a life that is not like the life of ordinary Russians. Therefore, he does not stay in one place; he has several permanent places of residence.
The comedian's family - wife Antonina and sons Ivan and Maxim - live in the Moscow region. Here, in 2011, Sergei purchased a cottage in the elite village of Millennium Park, famous for the water canals that run between the houses.
Millennium Park is located quite far from Moscow, where the showman works. The village is located in the Istra district of the Moscow region, twenty kilometers from the capital.
Traveling from Millennium Park to Moscow every day is quite tiring, so Sergei Svetlakov also purchased an apartment in Moscow on Karamyshevskaya embankment.
As Sergei said in the program “Ideal Renovation” in 2020, the apartment is intended to sometimes stay overnight without leaving the city during filming, and also to turn into a kind of office for business meetings.
The “Ideal Renovation” program helped the artist arrange a kitchen-living room in his new home.
The main wishes that Sergei asked to be taken into account when equipping the catering unit with an area of 30 square meters were requests for a large table, where many friends could be gathered, and a large refrigerator. Otherwise, the designers were given complete freedom of action.
The program workers created a luxurious interior, which includes not only a kitchen area, but also a dining area and a relaxation area with upholstered furniture.
PERSONAL LIFE
Sergei Svetlakov was married twice. The first wife is Yulia Svetlakova, whom the artist met at the university. A daughter, Nastya, was born into the family. In 2012, the couple divorced.
Svetlakov’s current wife is Antonina Chebotareva. The young people met in Krasnodar, where Sergei came to the premiere of the film “Stone”. The girl worked as deputy director of a local cinema chain, and that day she met the artist at the airport. Sergei and Antonina began dating, and in 2013 they officially legalized their relationship. Soon their son Ivan was born.
Sergei Svetlakov's wife - Antonina Chebotareva
Sergei Svetlakov’s wife, Antonina Chebotareva, was a native of Krasnodar, and it was no coincidence that the guy met her. The girl was a deputy director in a company with which Svetlakov collaborated.
In 2012, Sergei brought his film project “Stone” to Krasnodar, and Tosya came to the premiere. The man noticed the beauty, but the romance began after his second visit to the city.
The wedding took place in Riga and was unusual; the couple hid it from fans and friends for a long time. Now the guys live together in Moscow and are raising a common child.
INTERVIEW
About humor in life
“I can't listen to jokes. When a person starts telling jokes, I just leave. I find it funnier to look at birds, or just stop in the car and look at people. There is so much nonsense and humor surrounding us, why come up with something in the form of anecdotes and monologues. There’s simply nothing funnier than life.”
About the lack of acting education
“Perhaps it is precisely the absence of any schemes and templates that provides a greater palette for creativity. Of course, you need to know a lot of things, but I have the opportunity to hear about this, as they say, first-hand: about camera work - from the cameraman, about director's work - from the director. Yes, education is needed. And I want to develop, go to trainings and lectures by famous people - screenwriters, directors, producers. I’m for targeted work, but I’m not ready to devote five years to education at VGIK.”
About modern Russian cinema
“I am very happy for all the people who are not trying to stupidly make some kind of inversion, when they take an American film and transfer it to our Russian realities, to our reality. This doesn't work. We can't compete with Hollywood in terms of entertainment any other way than through some of our jokes. There are no other glades, we need to talk in our film language about our mentality, delve into the Russian soul, nature, thoughts, situations.”
About business
“I cannot be called a businessman. To say that I live off business and create what I want would not be true. I do a little bit of everything and try to make an honest living without stepping on my own throat in terms of creativity. My business is at the beginning of its journey, it may stop, or it may take off. But if you don’t do anything, nothing will happen.”
Based on materials from the sites filmpro., sergeysvetlakov.ru, kinopoisk.ru, 7days.ru, fb.ru, kp.ru, starhit.ru, vokrug.tv, cosmo.ru, kinometro.ru
FILMOGRAPHY: ACTOR
- New Christmas trees (2017)
- Elki-5 (2016)
- Groom (2016)
- Bitterly! 2 (2014)
- Christmas trees 1914 (2014)
- Fast "Moscow-Russia" (2013)
- Yolki-3 (2013)
- Asylum (2013)
- Bitterly! (2013)
- Stone (2012)
- Jungle (2012)
- Crack (2011)
- Yolki-2 (2011)
- Amnesia, or What is MH? (2011)
- Bedouin (2011)
- Our Russia. Eggs of Destiny (2010)
- Christmas trees (2010)
- Diamond Arm-2 (2010)
- Land of the Lost (2009)
