In 1949, Tanya Pokrovskaya, then still a student, accidentally ended up in the circus. The girl was involved in equestrian sports and spent a lot of time in the stables of the Timiryazev Academy, where she studied. One day the famous clown Karandash came to look at the horses. He liked one horse and asked him to teach it a few tricks, and then invited the girls to the show. When the students came to the dressing room, Karandash urgently needed to leave, and he entrusted them to Yuri Nikulin, his assistant.
The guys started talking, and the girls received invitations. Only Tanya arrived at the appointed time. Six months later, Yuri Nikulin proposed to her. Later, Tatyana acted in films and participated in circus performances. In November 1959, the first and only son Maxim was born.
An excellent circus artist, talented actor and TV presenter, Yuri Vladimirovich Nikulin remains a favorite of the public. His work in cinematography and circus art is continued by his son and grandchildren. Let's find out what they do.
Son Maxim
The heir of Yuri Nikulin is today a famous TV presenter and circus director. Maxim has been involved in art since childhood. At the age of 11, he was already acting in films. In the famous film “The Diamond Arm,” Maxim was the same boy with the net.
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Despite such an early appearance on the screens, the circus became home for the son of the great artist. “I can’t tell you about my first impression of the arena. The circus is my natural habitat,” admits Maxim. He spent almost all of his childhood and youth there. In the summer, Maxim often vacationed with his parents in Livadia or toured with the circus in the south. Often his parents left him with his grandmother.
Family and children of Yuri Nikulin
The family and children of Yuri Nikulin for a long time consisted of himself, his beloved wife and their common son, whom they raised together. Today, his son is the chief director and leader of the Moscow circus. He has three children, even a grandson, that is, he is already a fully accomplished person. As for Yuri Nikulin’s wife, she also died in 2014. So, today, Yuri Nikulin’s family has already left this world, not counting his son, who continues the work of his father, remembers him, tries to follow his example in many life and work moments. He remembers very well the invaluable contribution that his father made to Soviet cinema.
Professional career
In 1981, Maxim graduated from Moscow State University (faculty of journalism). For almost 10 years after that, he worked on television and in the press. Maxim was a member of the team, preparing episodes of the main news program “Vremya” for release.
At the beginning of the harsh 90s, he went to his father to work in the circus. For several years he was engaged exclusively in administrative work. In 1997, after the death of Yuri Vladimirovich, he took his place - he became the artistic director and general director of the circus. In the early 2000s, Maxim hosted a program dedicated to circus activities on the Culture channel.
The son of the great artist was married three times.
Love story
They met at the circus, where Tatyana was invited by Nikulin’s colleague and teacher, the famous clown Karandash. The girl was training in an equestrian section, in which there was an interesting horse with short legs, which the circus performer drew attention to. Tatiana and her friends began preparing the horse for performances and were invited to the very first of them.
It so happened that at this very performance, Yuri Nikulin, who worked as an assistant to Karandash, was severely injured by a horse, and he was taken to the hospital. Tatyana, who felt great sympathy for the aspiring artist, simply could not help but visit Yuri Vladimirovich, who was in serious condition. She came to him every day, talked for a long time with a new acquaintance, and over time both realized that they could no longer do without each other.
However, Tatyana’s relatives, having learned that she was having an affair with a circus performer, were not delighted, but when they got to know Nikulin better, they immediately changed their minds. Before the next tour, Yuri Vladimirovich proposed to Tatyana Nikolaevna, and when he returned, they signed, without arranging any celebration on this occasion.
The young people began to live with Tatyana - together with her mother, the families of her cousin and uncle and aunt. Life as a large family was happy, and when twenty years later the Nikulins, having received their own apartment, moved in, they immediately felt a little lonely.
Maria, daughter of Maxim Nikulin
Yuri Vladimirovich's first granddaughter was born in 1981. When the girl was 3 years old, her parents separated. Maxim did not see his daughter for almost 30 years - his ex-wife took her to Germany. There Maria graduated from school, received a medical education and became a neurosurgeon. Now she is married to a German.
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Maxim shared his memories of how he resumed communication with his daughter: “It turned out that after the divorce from his wife, Masha was only three. What is 3 years? Of course, she didn't remember me at all. His wife took her to Germany. A few years ago she called me and said that her daughter needed surgery. Of course, I was ready to help. They arrived in Moscow, Maria went to the clinic. The operation was successful. After discharge, Masha came to visit. This is how I met my adult daughter. She has a wonderful husband. At first they lived in Bonn for some time, but it turned out to be very difficult there. Now they live in Munich in their own house.”
Currently, Maria and her husband are raising two daughters: Victoria and Valentinka. Great-granddaughters of Yuri Nikulin live and study in Germany.
Yuri Nikulin's wife - Tatyana Pokrovskaya
Yuri Nikulin's wife Tatyana Pokrovskaya became the woman who was able to conquer this wonderful man. They lived together until the actor's death. The woman herself said in her memoirs that she met her future husband at the circus when he accidentally fell under the hooves of a horse. The animal beat the poor guy so badly that he ended up in the hospital. As a result, the girl visited him, and after some time they got married and had a son. Tatyana herself is also no longer alive, because the woman died in 2014, having outlived her husband by seventeen years. Until her last day, she remembered her husband with warmth, all the days they spent together, and how much they loved each other.
Yuri Maksimovich
In 1986, in his third marriage, Maxim Nikulin had a son. He received his name in honor of his great grandfather.
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Yura really wanted to become a gymnast as a child. He even tried himself in this role for some time. But Yuri quickly realized that he would not do this professionally. After all, you will have to disappear for many hours of rehearsals, classes in ballet and gyms. Nevertheless, Yura remained in the circus, although he is engaged in a slightly different business.
The artist’s grandson studied at the Moscow Art Theater School. Currently he is the head of the circus' PR service.
The grandchildren were quite independent. They were often left alone at home and had parties while their parents were away. It was at one of them that Yura met his future wife Anastasia, his friend’s friend. Now the couple is raising two children: son Stanislav and daughter Sonya.
“My grandfather had a very good appearance. He always smiled. Grandfather lived modestly by all standards. I never chased fashion. It wasn’t like many people have now. For example, a new TV model is released - someone immediately runs to buy it. Grandfather was not like that. Having a TV is enough, and it doesn’t matter whether it’s new or old. Does it show? Well, good. Is the picture in color? Amazing! Is there sound? This is excellent! When it came to food, my grandfather was also not picky. He liked naval pasta, cutlets - nothing fancy. But there must always be bread in the house. If suddenly, returning late from work, he discovered that he was not there, he started the car and drove off,” this is how the grandson recalls his famous relative.
Nikulin's son showed family photos
In fact, Maxim Nikulin loved the circus, but he did not intend to connect his fate with it; he had a successful career in various media: he was a journalist, a presenter on radio and television. For the soul, he played drums and guitar in a quartet that sometimes gave concerts. He married unsuccessfully twice, but the third time he found his happiness. And everything went as usual until force majeure happened...
The fate of Maxim Nikulin was decided by chance. Unhappy. The managing director of the Circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard died, and Maxim Yuryevich at this difficult moment came to his father to help with business. And he stayed. His sons also work in the circus. The photographs, old and not so old, allow us to take a closer look at this creative family. Looking through the photographs, Nikulin recalled the happy moments spent with his dad, the Scottish romantic fairy tale and the princess who cooked pasta.
1 (main photo). “My father and I are near our house on Malaya Bronnaya. I am a high school student and have already started smoking. But no one in the family scolded me for it. There were, of course, conversations that “tarring” was harmful, but they were kind of sluggish. Because everyone around was smoking. And it would be somehow illogical to do it yourself and scold me. I always had a good relationship with my father. He never raised me on purpose, except by example.”
Photo: personal archive of Maxim Nikulin.
2. “September 3, 2000, opening of a monument to my father. In the photo - my mother, wife and me with our sons. The father gets out of the convertible, known from the film “Prisoner of the Caucasus.” Previously, the steering wheel of a car was stolen: it was “bitten” with hydraulics. Apparently, someone needed a “souvenir” from Nikulin.”
Photo: personal archive of Maxim Nikulin.
3. “Red Square. My dad took me to a demonstration for the first time. It was such a holiday to go somewhere with him! I saw my parents infrequently; my grandmother raised me mainly. Sometimes I even called myself “grandmother’s son.” But I understood that my dad and mom have such a job, but they still love me.”
Photo: personal archive of Maxim Nikulin.
4. “Yura was twenty-two years old when he married Nastya. The wedding took place in the Moscow City Hall, and it happened by accident. On this day there was a big Orthodox holiday - Krasnaya Gorka - and in each registry office they took one couple. Yura and Nastya were among the “chosen ones”.
Photo: personal archive of Maxim Nikulin.
5. “When I held my grandson in my arms for the first time, I just burst into tears. It was a real shock! It’s a completely different feeling compared to when you hold your sons—more powerful and touching. In the role of a grandfather, I feel natural and easy - after all, all the troubles fall on the parents, and I admire how Stanislav grows.”
Photo: personal archive of Maxim Nikulin.
6. “We are with our sons. The eldest (he is in the photo on the right) was named Yuri in honor of his grandfather, and the youngest was Maxim, I just liked the combination of first name and patronymic. Both graduated from the Moscow Art Theater School. Chekhova: Yura is a theater manager by profession, and Maxim is a producer. Both of them now work in our circus, they decided so themselves. Yura is a good organizer, Maxim is involved in international projects and tours.”
Photo: personal archive of Maxim Nikulin.
7. “I'm with my wife in Edinburgh. Masha and I have been together for twenty-eight years. For our silver wedding we went to Scotland. Fairy tale! Fantastic trip. I was struck by the beauty and cleanliness around. You look from the train carriage at the huge spreading trees that are three hundred years old, and you get the feeling that they were trimmed yesterday - they look so well-groomed.”
Photo: personal archive of Maxim Nikulin.
8. “Fishing is not my hobby, but rather on occasion. While traveling around Europe, I had the opportunity to fish on beautiful lakes, but I didn’t get a big catch. We saw trout swimming, but it stubbornly refused to bite. Apparently, she was well fed before us.”
Photo: personal archive of Maxim Nikulin.
9. “Most of our family is assembled - father, my wife and I and children. This is a still from the filming of the TV show “White Parrot”. My father was one of the authors and later the host of this program. He united everyone with the power of his charm. At that time, he had already begun to fully communicate with his grandchildren - he played with them at the dacha, told stories.”
Photo: personal archive of Maxim Nikulin.
10. “We just moved to a new apartment. Everyone is sad because Yuri Vladimirovich recently died. There was a story connected with the housewarming party. At one time, dad turned to the mayor of Moscow Yuri Luzhkov with a request to build a house with apartments for circus performers. Built. Moreover, dad didn’t even know that one apartment was intended for him.”
Photo: personal archive of Maxim Nikulin.
11. “I'm going to cross the Greek border wearing an 'antique' helmet. It looks massive, but is actually light and made of tin. A typical souvenir. The fact is that you could only take one piece of hand luggage on the plane. And in addition to my bag, I also had this helmet. I had to put it on. And in this form, gloomy and strange, I stood in line. Nobody asked me any unnecessary questions.”
Photo: personal archive of Maxim Nikulin.
12. “We met Princess Stephanie when I worked on the jury at the circus festival in Monte Carlo. I haven’t had a chance to visit the princely palace of Monaco yet, but I stayed in the princess’s apartment. She was cooking pasta. Stefania was always a rebel - she left home, had affairs, her father disinherited her twice.”
Childhood and youth
The future great actor was born on December 18, 1921 in the small town of Demidov, Smolensk region. His father, Vladimir Andreevich (b. 1898), a Muscovite and lawyer by training, after the revolution he joined the army and served near Smolensk, where his relatives lived. Shortly before the end of his service, he met the actress of the local drama theater, Lidia Ivanovna (born 1902). They got married, the young man got a job as an actor in the same theater. Later he founded the mobile theater "Terevyum", which meant "theater of revolutionary humor."
Yuri Nikulin in childhood
When the boy turned 4, the family moved to Moscow - to the 15th house of Tokmakov Lane. The head of the family took up literary activities: he wrote programs for pop numbers and worked as a journalist. Lidia Ivanovna did not work, she did housework. Twice a week the Nikulins always went to the theater, after which they talked about what they saw.
Little Yuri Nikulin with his mother
In 1929, the boy went to first grade. He did not show any particular interest in studies, but enjoyed playing in the school drama club, which was led by his father. On this stage, Yura received his first acting experience. He also tried himself in writing. One day, a story he wrote won second place in a regional competition. The prize was a meeting with Arkady Gaidar, but due to a sore throat, Yura could not come. And when at the age of 15 he saw the film “Modern Times” with Charlie Chaplin, he fell in love with cinema.
Nikulin was not an exemplary student
In 1939, Yuri graduated from school, but did not receive a matriculation certificate - he failed drawing. Later, he finally passed the exam, and in the fall, in accordance with the decree on universal conscription, he joined the army.
First film roles
In 1949, Nikulin was invited to a screen test - director Konstantin Yudin was thinking of casting him for the role of a cowardly German in his Eastern film “Brave People.” This is how the clown visited the Mosfilm studio for the first time. But either the director didn’t like the auditions, or this character was cut from the script - this was the end of Yuri’s participation in Yudin’s project. And later he found out that Grigory Shpigel was approved for this role.
Nikulin’s film debut took place only 9 years later in the film “Girl with a Guitar,” where he played the role of a would-be pyrotechnician who almost burned down a store. Despite his very small role, the actor was well remembered by the audience. And in 1959, the actor made his mark with the role of the rogue Albert Klyachkin in the film “The Unyielding” about difficult youth. And although he had disagreements with the director in the vision of his hero - one saw Klyachkin as a kind of shirt-guy, and the other as a phlegmatic cynic, and in general the aspiring actor did not like this experience, as Nikulin later recalled, everything looked wonderful on the screen.
“Girl with a Guitar”: Yuri Nikulin’s first role
In 1960, director Eldar Ryazanov drew attention to the actor. Nikulin began filming his film “The Man from Nowhere,” but due to bureaucratic delays, production was postponed for a year, the actors were replaced, and Nikulin’s character, a troubled young man named Prosha, was given to Sergei Yursky.
