Victor Ryzhakov: short biography, creativity and personal life

Wikipedia has articles about other people with the surname Ryzhakov.

Valery Nikolaevich Ryzhakov

(December 23, 1945, Moscow, USSR - December 31, 2020, ibid., Russia) - Soviet and Russian theater and film actor.

Biography[ | ]

Born on December 23, 1945 in Moscow. In 1967 he graduated from VGIK (workshop of V.V. Belokurov). From 1968 to 1970 he served as an actor in the TsATSA troupe. From 1970 to 1992, actor at the Gorky Central Children's and Youth Theater. He became widely known for his role as Yuri Khmel from the serial film “Yurkin Dawns” (1974).

In the early 1990s, he left the acting profession and became an entrepreneur, successfully engaged in publishing. But he soon went into religion. He served at the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity in Trinity-Golenishchevo in Moscow[1].

Was married three times. With his third wife, Valentina Vasilyevna, a make-up artist at the Mosfilm film studio, the actor was married for 38 years[2].

He died on December 31, 2020 at the age of 71. He was buried in Moscow at the Vostryakovsky cemetery.

Ryzhakov did not become a monk because of two divorces

The actor was buried in his mother-in-law's grave

On December 31, Honored Artist of the RSFSR Valery RYZHAKOV, whom viewers remembered for his leading role as Komsomol organizer Yuri KHMEL in the film “Yurkin Dawns,” passed away. The actor was 70 years old. On the fortieth birthday, in the Moscow Church of the Life-Giving Trinity, where the actor sang in the church choir in recent years, local Father Sergius read a prayer service for him. After leaving the profession, Valery Nikolaevich did not give interviews. Only when he died did his family and friends decide to talk about him.

In 1991, Valery Ryzhakov played his last role in the film “Moscow Love”.
He, who defined the type of positive hero in cinema in the 70s and 80s, was almost forgotten. Only once did the news flash that he had become a singer in a church choir in a 17th-century temple not far from Mosfilm. “Our course at VGIK was recruited by the famous director Mikhail Romm ,” said Ryzhakova’s classmate, actress Valentina Telichkina . - But Romm soon left the institute, so teacher Vladimir Belokurov . Valery stood out at the institute because he already had experience in film: he starred in the film “My Friend, Kolka!” Therefore, on stage he felt like a fish in water. He could play the roles of both romantic and character heroes, French and Russian. I remember how Valera and I chose the French gavotte dance in the play, which made the teacher smile. Ryzhakov and I did not meet each other after college and met only four years ago at the funeral of a mutual friend. I was surprised to learn that Valery was married and had no affairs on the side. He regretted that he did not act much in the 90s. But I don't agree with him. Everyone who, having a name, continued to play in junk, evokes only sympathy, especially men. Valery did not betray his profession, he found himself first in the publishing business, and then in the church.

Another classmate, actress Ekaterina Vasilyeva , who also came to God over the years, remembers Ryzhakov with warmth:
“Valera was not only my friend on the course, but also a partner in the diploma play “Ivanov,” which was staged by director Sergei Solovyov . After college, we starred together in the film “The Return of St. Luke.”

I always followed Valera’s life. And when she learned that he was engaged in publishing, she rejoiced because she did not consider the acting profession to be a man’s vocation. And years later, through my son, a deacon, I found out that Valery had gone to church. I thought he would become a priest. But then I realized that there were canonical obstacles: Valery was married twice before his wife Valentina. This did not allow him to be ordained.

I was saying goodbye to Valera and envied him. They held his funeral in full rite; mere mortals are not seen off like that. Valerochka lay in the coffin with a blissful face, without sorrow. He will inherit the kingdom of God, which is what we, of course, ask for.

Few people know, but Valery Ryzhakov was at the origins of the creation of the Guild of Soviet Cinema Actors. Seeing how poor older artists were, he decided, together with Boris Tokarev , Evgeny Gerasimov and Evgeny Zharikov, to come up with such an initiative.

“The first thing they did was come up with the Constellation film festival,” said vice-president of the Screen Actors Guild Valeria Gushchina . — In 1988, most of the actors were left without work. Ryzhakov and Zharikov gathered 260 artists from all republics at the first film festival. They helped older actors, including People's Artist of the USSR Nina Sazonova , who played the mother of the hero Valera in Yurka's Dawns. They got her a supplement to her pension. I remember how Valery participated in the propaganda train of the Soviet Union, which went from Moscow to the Far East. The artists performed in open areas in front of the BAM builders. Even after going to God, he maintained relations with the guild.

Valery went down in the history of our cinema of the 70s as a type of positive hero of that time. Prygunov or Loktev should play him .
Perestroika became a tragedy for him, he began to feel a terrible misfortune. In the late 90s, the actor, like many others, had to survive. Out of desperation, he began dubbing for films.

“We often met with Ryzhakov at voiceovers,” said actress Inna Vykhodtseva . — Valery was a real artist who loved his profession. After work we sometimes stayed to chat. Valery drank too much during these meetings. I even walked him to the car once, because I always liked him. Having become the “face” of the 70s, he was not a shirt guy. I always read books, which made me sharply different from other artists. He came to work neatly dressed, and not in worn out shoes. And he voiced at the highest level. Having a wonderful voice, it was no coincidence that he began to sing in the church choir. But the road to the temple is always long, and not everyone can get there.

After leaving the profession, Valery began to engage in the publishing business. Things were going well, he became a millionaire, but in 1990 he lost all his money. It was then that I decided to renounce worldly life.

Decorated the icon with jewels

“Valery came to us in 1991 and was with us from the first prayer service, when the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity opened,” said Mother Margarita . “He learned church singing, soon began to read Church Slavonic, and did not miss a single morning service. Then people began to come to the temple to look at Ryzhakov. So he even began to hide from them. I started to give up when my legs started hurting. Father then sometimes allowed him to sit...

Valery had a favorite icon in the temple: he saw the deity of the Iveron Mother of God, which was brought by one of the parishioners. Valery said that his grandmother had the same one, but disappeared. It seemed to him that this was exactly the icon. And Valery decided to make a gift to the temple: he found a craftsman who inserted semi-precious and precious stones into a silver frame. In memory of him, his family, and those who prayed in front of this icon. She stands on our altar.

In the 2000s, when churches began to open in the regions, Valery was called to the Sanaksar monastery as a priest. (No one knew that the actor was twice divorced. - N.M. ) He has a house in Mordovia, and every summer he lived in that diocese.
I talked to him on the eve of his death, December 30th. He said the heart surgery went well - the doctors did everything they could. And the next day a blood clot broke loose... Valery’s wife was buried at the Vostryakovsky cemetery and made a family burial in the grave of her parents. She hoped that they would help her find a more worthy place, but it was not meant to be. Although the KGB awarded him, Ryzhakov also has the title of Honored Artist of the RSFSR. No one from the leadership of the Screen Actors Guild came to say goodbye. However, Valery did not want a magnificent funeral.

The widow of actor Valery Ryzhakov goes to church every day and prays for her husband’s soul.

“We lived in perfect harmony for 38 years,” shared Valentina Vasilyevna. — We first met at Mosfilm, where I came to work as a make-up artist. Of course, the hardest time came when they stopped filming my husband. It is difficult to convey what happened to him during this period... But faith in God saved him. It’s a shame that when I arrived at the Actors Guild, I saw that there wasn’t even an obituary hanging there.

By the way

“Valery said that during the filming of the film “Yurka’s Dawns” he had a tragic love affair,” said Irina, a singer on the choir in the temple. — He fell in love with actress Irina Kalinovskaya, but she left him. These experiences helped him play the role vividly.

There was another case
- with Valery Ryzhakov, my ex-husband Vladlen Biryukov starred in the film “Order: Do not open fire!” said Lyudmila Kolesnikova . — Filming took place in Chechnya, in the mountains. My daughter and I came to the shooting, so what happened happened before my eyes. We were filming a fight scene. The pyrotechnicians planted charges and began to detonate them, but Vladlen hesitated. Then Ryzhakov, who played a front-line soldier, threw Biryukov aside. Valery then suffered a leg injury and was taken to the hospital. We visited him there with his daughter. He showed real courage then.

Bear in mind

In 2000, director Boris Tokarev offered Ryzhakov the role of a priest in the film “Don’t Leave Me, Love.” But after reading the script, the artist refused.

— The hero of the picture left his profession and became a deeply religious person. I wrote a role for Valera, but he said that he did not want to return to his past life, filming,” said Tokarev’s wife Lyudmila Gladunko . - He explained, they say, then they will say: “I agreed only because this is the role of a priest.”

Movie roles[ | ]

• 1960 - The Tale of Fiery Years - schoolboy
• 1961 - My friend, Kolka! - schoolboy
• 1961 - Mishka, Seryoga and I - Garik Verezin
• 1963 - Stop station - driver Vaska
• 1963 - Big and small - reader
• 1964 — — Genka Potapov
• 1965 — — Kandyba
• 1965 - Traveler with luggage - Fedya
• 1967 - Commissioner - cadet
• 1967 - One night - Sergeant Pavlov
• 1967 — — Valery
• 1967 - I loved you... - Zhora
• 1968 - New Girl - Shurik
• 1969 - Coach - Innokenty Sosnovsky
• 1970 - Return of “Saint Luke” - Sergei Ryazantsev
• 1971 — — Leonash Balte
• 1971 - Officers - Captain Yuri Sergeev
• 1971 - Telegram - Gleb's friend
• 1971 - Are you kidding? — Anatoly
• 1972 - Turn on the northern lights - Evgeny Chimbartsev
• 1972 — — Alexei
• 1972 — — Vadim
• 1973 —
• 1973 - Junior of the Northern Fleet - Novikov
• 1974 —
• 1974 - Yurka's dawns - Yuri Khmel
• 1977 — — Alexey Pavlovich
• 1978 — — Volodka Tikhonov
• 1979 - The Taste of Bread - Vladimir Eroshin
• 1980 - Casket of Marie de Medici - Vladimir Konstantinovich Lyusin
• 1980 - Path to medals - Kamenetsky
• 1981 - 34th ambulance - hare passenger
• 1981 - Syndicate-2 - S. V. Puzitsky
• 1982 - Fight at the crossroads - Kalugin
• 1982 —
• 1982 - Capture - Sergei Vasilievich Novikov
• 1982 - Order: cross the border - Ivan Fedotich
• 1983 — — Konstantin Ilyich Basargin
• 1984 — — uncle Jenya
• 1984 - Paratroopers - Matvey Gostilov
• 1986 - Dossier of the person in the Mercedes - Vladimir Ivanovich Korin
• 1989 — — Gosha (Georgy Nikolaevich) Petrunin, architect
• 1989 - Before dawn - Nikolai Petrovich
• 1991 — — episode

Valery Ryzhakov: biography

Valery Ryzhakov is a Soviet film actor, very popular among viewers in the 70-90s. During this period, millions of spectators throughout the Soviet Union fell in love with the actor. Ryzhakov began his acting career as a teenager, but great success came to Ryzhakov after the actor played the main role in the social drama “Yurka’s Dawns.” For a long time, Valery was considered an actor who defined the image of a positive hero in Soviet cinema.

Valery Ryzhakov was born and raised in Moscow. The boy had a difficult post-war childhood, in which there was not much entertainment. But when Valery was 14 years old, the young man first came to the set. And then cinema became for Ryzhakov a hobby, an outlet, and a profession.

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Valery Ryzhakov in his youth

After school, the young man enters the All-Union State Institute of Cinematography. The course was taught by the great maestro Mikhail Romm, but soon, after Ryzhakov began studying at the acting workshop, Vladimir Belokurov became the head of the course. By the way, other future stars Ekaterina Vasilyeva and Valentina Telichkina also studied in the same workshop with Valery Ryzhakov.

After graduating from university, the young actor continued his successful film career, and also appeared on the stage of the Central Theater of the Soviet Army for a couple of years. Later, Valery began to be listed as an artist at the Gorky Film Studio, where he was in demand both as an actor and as a specialist in dubbing and dubbing Baltic and Caucasian film actors.

Voice-over work[ | ]

Soviet movies

• My Seven Sons (1970) - Jalal
  (role of Enver Hasanov)
• (1970) - Margeris Goba
  (role of Juris Grustins)
• Herkus Mantas (1972) - Auktuma
  (role of Pranas Piaulokas)
• Congratulations, girls! (1972) - Rustam
  (role of Anar Shakhly)
• Saplings (1972) - Daviti
  (role of Kakha Kavsadze)
• When the almond blossomed (1972) - Zura
  (role of Zurab Kipshidze)
• Monument (1972) - Safaryan
  (role of S. Ayvazyan)
• Street (1972) - Avaz
  (role of Chorobek Dumanaev)
• (1973) - Avtandil Jakeli
  (role of Gia Iashvili)
• (1973) - Murtuz
  (role of Rauf Ganiev)
• The winds blow in Baku (1974) - Azad Kurbanov
  (role of Shakhmar Alekperov)
• (1974) - Nikolai
  (role of Alexander Spiridonov)
• Summer of Motorcyclists (1975) - Maris
  (role of Pēteris Gaudiņš)
• Go figure (1976) - Galaktion
  (role of Georgy Gegechkori)
• Mom, I'm alive! (1977) - voiceover
• Gifts by Phone (1977) - Yakovlev
  (role of Victor Plut)
• Profession - film actor (1979) - voiceover
• Tree Jamal (1980) - Emin
  (role of Khojakuli Narliev)
• Long Road in the Dunes (1980) - Richard Lozberg
  (role of Romualdas Ramanauskas)
• Spanish version (1980) - Jan Palma
  (role of Janis Plesums)
• (1981)
• Arabella - The Pirate's Daughter (1981)
• Flight Across the Atlantic Ocean (1983) - voiceover
• (1987) - Yeraly
  (role of Kuman Tastanbekov)

Dubbing of foreign films

• The Battle of Rome (1968) - Vitiges
  (role of Florin Piersic)
• (1971) - Jelinek
  (the role of Jiri Krampola)
• (1971) - Horst
  (role of Günter Junghans)
• (1973) - Giacomo
  (role of Franco Nero)
• (1974) - Judge Dani
  (role of Franco Nero)
• (1976) - Ali
  (the role of Behrouz Vosugi)
• (1977) - Komarov
  (role)
• Convoy (1978) - Martin Penwald
  (played by Kris Kristofferson)
• (1977)
• Headbutt (1979)
• (1979)
• The Man on His Knees (1979) - Nino
  (played by Giuliano Gemma)
• (1979)
• (1980)
• (1980)
• (1980) - Remy
  (role of Bruno Ganz)
• (1980) - Mothiram
  (role of Sriram Lagu)
• Little Fox Vuk (1981) - Kag
  (role of Gyula Szabo)
• (1981) - Tristan
  (role of Nicholas Clay)
• (1982)
• (1983)
• (1984)
• (1984) - Frank Muller
  (role of Jacques Perrin)
• (1984)
• Like the Three Musketeers (1984) - Shankar
  (role of Dharmendra)
• Sweet Dreams (1985) - Charlie Dick
  (played by Ed Harris)
• Faith (1985) - Jaideep
  (role of Raj Babbar)
• (1985)
• Order No. 027 (1986)
• Cat Trap (1986)
• Melodrama (1986) - Pierre Belcroix
  (role of Pierre Arditi)
• Man in Love (1987)
• Red Kaoliang (1987)
• Verdict (1988) - Dhanraj Singh
  (role of Dalip Tahil)
• Big (1988)
• (1988)
• (1988)
• Thirst for Revenge (1988) - Sanjay
  (role of Kabir Bedi)
• Hero Hiralal (1988) - Prem Kumar
  (portrayed by Kiran Kumar)
• (1989) - Vicky
  (role of Shakti Kapoor)
• (1989) - Amar
  (role of Sumit Saigal)
• (1989)
• Enemy (1990) - Hargovind Mazumdar
  (role of Alok Nath)
• (1990)

Movies

The actor’s creative biography began in childhood. Valery Ryzhakov starred in the children's films “The Tale of Fiery Years” and “My Friend, Kolka!”, and in the film “Mishka, Seryoga and Me” the guy got the main role.

Valery Ryzhakov in the film “Yurka’s Dawns”

After graduation, Ryzhakov appeared in many new Soviet films. The actor's major works were the sports drama "Coach", the military adventure film "Shout Boy of the Northern Fleet", the detective story "The Casket of Marie de Medici" and the social drama "The Taste of Bread".

Valery Ryzhakov gained all-Union fame after the release of a four-part film about everyday life and the problems of rural youth, “Yurka Dawns.” The actor played the role of Yuri Khmel, a young specialist who comes into conflict with the chairman of the collective farm.

Valery Ryzhakov in the film “I loved you...”

The actor also played bright and memorable roles in the lyrical comedy “I Loved You...” and the historical-revolutionary feature film “Fight at the Crossroads.”

Right up until the collapse of the Soviet Union, the actor was in great demand. Subsequent projects include the production film “The Ocean Ahead,” the crime drama “Dune” and the film about the Great Patriotic War “Before Dawn.”

During this period, the actor also supported the initiative to create the Guild of Soviet Cinema Actors, since, although Ryzhakov himself was in demand, the artist saw the plight of his fellow actors.

Valery Ryzhakov in the film “Fight at the Crossroads”

Together with Evgeny Gerasimov, Boris Tokarev and Evgeny Zharikov, Valery Ryzhakov stood at the origins of this professional union. The main task of the new actors' organization was to help colleagues who were left without a livelihood. The first thing Ryzhakov did in this organization was to found the popular today film festival “Constellation”.

The 80s were especially difficult for many actors. And Valery Ryzhakov was no exception.

According to actress Ekaterina Vasilyeva, in personal conversations Valery Ryzhakov was worried that he had not acted in the 90s, but, as the actor’s colleagues note, this was the right decision, since the gifted artist did not waste his talent on mediocre films, as he was forced to make a number of Ryzhakov’s colleagues.

Valery Ryzhakov in the film “The Ocean Ahead”

To survive and provide for his family during this period, Valery Ryzhakov worked on scoring and dubbing films. In the early 90s, when Valery Nikolaevich decided to end his acting career, the former artist, together with a group of comrades, organized his own publishing business.

Both the publishing house and the Guild of Film Actors, which were organized by Valery Ryzhakov, turned out to be very successful enterprises, and publishing also became the main source of income for the family for a long time.

Valery Ryzhakov in the film "Darkhan"

In his new profession as a publisher, the former actor even became a millionaire, but, like many at that time, he lost his accumulated money during the fall in the exchange rate. Such a blow brought the actor to church, where Valery Nikolaevich found some peace and hope.

The turmoil in the country, the crisis and the lack of regular roles for artists did not mean that the directors instantly forgot about Valery Ryzhakov. On the contrary, at some point the actor began to be constantly called to return to the film studio. And in 2000, Boris Tokarev developed a script for the film “Don’t Leave Me, Love” specifically for him.

Valery Ryzhakov in the film “Before Dawn”

However, such a change of mood occurred after events with financial and professional upheavals, so Valery Nikolaevich at that time had already experienced a number of personal circumstances that completely changed the perception of the artist’s life. Therefore, subsequently the actor himself began to refuse the proposed roles. As a result, the artist’s last work was a small episode in the melodrama “Moscow Love,” released in 1991.

Victor Ryzhakov: biography, family and creativity

Viktor Anatolyevich began his activities in the capital's theater for young spectators, where he ended up immediately after graduating from GITIS. He was lucky because G. Yanovsky and K. Ginkas became his teachers. They not only helped him master his profession and master his craft, but also discovered real acting and directing talent in this young and gifted man.

It is thanks to his teachers, his talent and determination that he begins to stage performances on his own, which are successfully performed not only in Russia, but also abroad. To hone his skills and show it to the whole world, Viktor Ryzhakov, whose photo can be seen in this article, participated and is participating in all competitions and film festivals, both international and Russian.

View gallery

Having gained invaluable experience in participating in festivals of various levels, Viktor Ryzhakov in 1993 organized and then became the director of the first Russian theater festival, which took place near the city of Sochi. A large number of aspiring actors and theater directors gathered in Lazarevskoye for this festival “Theater in Search of Theater.” Therefore, the first attempt of the young director and actor Viktor Anatolyevich Ryzhakov turned out to be successful.