Theater
Verzhbitsky began his theatrical career at the Tashkent State Academic Drama Theater named after. M. Gorky, where he served for more than ten years. There he played the roles of Avrosimov in “A Throat of Freedom” by Bulat Okudzhava, Treplev in “The Seagull” by Anton Chekhov, Scipio in “Caligula” by Albert Camus, Obolyaninov in “Zoyka’s Apartment” by Mikhail Bulgakov, Cologero di Spelta in “The Great Magic” by Eduardo de Filippo and others .
At the Tashkent Ilkhom Theater, Verzhbitsky played in the plays “Dear Elena Sergeevna” by Lyudmila Razumovskaya (Volodya), “Scenes at the Fountain” by Semyon Zlotnikov (Koshkin), “The House That Swift Built” by Grigory Gorin (Someone).
The actor was also involved in the play of the Tashkent Youth Theater “Equus” based on Peter Schaeffer (Dr. Deisert).
In 1996 he moved to Moscow and was accepted into the New Drama Theater, headed by B.A. Lvov-Anokhin.
“The first year was very difficult: in a strange city, without an apartment, without connections, and most importantly, without work. Shown in various theaters. But I was already 37! At this age, it’s even somehow awkward to offer yourself,” Verzhbitsky said in an interview. “But I stubbornly went either to the Satire Theater to see Valentin Pluchek, who offered to be patient and did not take me, or to the Ermolova Theater with the same boring result. It would have become completely nauseating, but then they offered me the role of the Grand Duke’s adjutant in “The Barber of Siberia.” It was supportive. And I didn’t do anything in the theater for a year and suffered terribly, even if I went to the provinces. Out of despair, I asked Lvov-Anokhin to attend the rehearsals. Without receiving a salary, he began to appear regularly in his theater. Then, as usual, the unexpected happened - in one of the performances an actor fell ill and I had to be urgently injected. The role was ridiculous, a couple of lines, but there was no time for pride. I realized that in Moscow I need to start from scratch, to prove my professionalism again. Forget about previous achievements, I told myself, be patient and treat what is happening as a test sent by fate. This is how my theatrical career began in Moscow: they finally invited me to join the troupe on a salary in accordance with the staffing table and, accordingly, the status of “Honored Artist of Uzbekistan?”
At the New Drama Theater he played in three performances: “The Queen’s Revenge”, “Jourdain” and “Assembly”.
Then he moved to Alexander Kalyagin at the Et Cetera theater, where he worked from 1998 to 2005. He played the roles of Lector in “A Guide for Those Who Want to Get Married” by Anton Chekhov, Okha in “The Death of Tarelkin” by Alexander Sukhovo-Kobylin, Lancelot Gobbo and Antonio in “Shylock” by William Shakespeare, Henry Higgins in “My Fair Lady” by Bernard Shaw, Beatty in “ Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury and others.
Since 2007, Verzhbitsky has been an actor at the A.S. Theater. Pushkin. He played the roles of Freddie in the play “Locust” and Ivan Telyatev in “Mad Money” by Alexander Ostrovsky, Emperor Altoum in the production of “Turandot” by Carlo Gozzi. In the current repertoire he plays the role of Otto Marvuglia in “The Grand Magic” by Eduardo de Filippo.
The actor also plays Smerdyakov and Zosima in the play “The Karamazovs” at the Moscow Art Theater, and Pantagruel in the play “Gargantua and Pantagruel” at the Theater of Nations.
Since 2014 - actor at the Lenkom Theater. Participates in the performances: “Boris Godunov”, “Walpurgis Night”, “Prince”.
Theater works[ | ]
Tashkent Academic Theater named after. Gorky[ | ]
- Avrosimov (“A Sip of Freedom” by B. Okudzhava)
- Treplev (The Seagull by A.P. Chekhov)
- Scipio (Caligula by A. Camus)
- Florent (“Sacred Monsters” by J. Cocteau)
- That (“The one who gets slapped” by L. Andreev)
- Billy Bibbit (“One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” by K. Kesey)
- Obolyaninov (“Zoyka’s Apartment” by M. Bulgakov)
- Yura (“Let’s kill the man!” based on the play by Edward Radzinsky)
- Cologero di Spelta (The Great Magic by Eduardo De Filippo)
Tashkent theater "Ilkhom"[ | ]
- Volodya (“Dear Elena Sergeevna” by L. Razumovskaya)
- Koshkin (“Scenes at the Fountain” by S. Zlotnikov)
- Someone (“The House That Swift Built” by G. Gorin)
New Drama Theater[ | ]
- Menshikov (“Assembly” by P. Gnedich)
- Guatinar (“The Queen’s Revenge” by E. Scribe, E. Legouwe)
- Dorant (Jourdain by J.-B. Molière)
Et Cetera[ | ]
- Lecturer (“A Guide for Those Who Want to Get Married” based on the works of Chekhov. 1993. Directed by Vladimir Salyuk)
- Priest, director of the troupe Angulo Perez (“Don Quixote” after Cervantes. 1999. Directed by Alexander Morfov)
- Antioch Elpidiforovich Oh (“The Death of Tarelkin” by A. Sukhovo-Kobylin. 2005. Directed by Oskaras Korshunovas)
- Launcelot Gobbo, jester, servant of Shylock; later - Antonio, merchant (“Shylock” after W. Shakespeare. 2000. Dir. Robert Sturua)
- Henry Higgins (“My Fair Lady” by B. Shaw. 2001. Dir. Dmitry Bertman)
- Kashtanov (“Companions” based on the play by A. Galin. 2007. Directed by Alexander Galin)
- Beatty (“Fahrenheit 451” by R. Bradbury. 2007. Dir. Adolph Shapiro)
Independent theater project[ | ]
- Bernie in the play “Ladies' Night”
- Rocky Gravo in the play "Cruel Dancing"
Pushkin Theater[ | ]
- Freddy (“Locust” based on the play by Biljana Srbljanovic. 2008. Dir. Roman Kozak)
- Ivan Telyatev (“Mad Money” based on A. Ostrovsky. 2010. Dir. Roman Kozak)
- Calaf (“Turandot” based on the fairy tale by Gozzi and “The Idiot” by Dostoevsky. 2010. Directed by Konstantin Bogomolov)
- Otto Marvuglia (“The Great Magic” based on the play by Eduardo de Filippo. 2012. Directed by Evgeny Pisarev)
State Theater of Nations[ | ]
- Pantagruel and more (“Gargantua and Pantagruel” after F. Rabelais, dir. Konstantin Bogomolov)
- Shabelsky (“Ivanov” after A. Chekhov, dir. Timofey Kulyabin)
- Andrew Wyke (“The Game” by Anthony Schaeffer. Dir. Yavor Gyrdev)
- Professor Serebryakov (“Uncle Vanya” - Chekhov. Dir. Stefan Braunschweig)
Moscow Art Theater named after. Chekhov[ | ]
- Zosima, Smerdyakov (“The Karamazovs” - fantasies of director K. Bogomolov on the theme of the novel by F. Dostoevsky. 2013)
- Cardinal (“The Musketeers. Saga. Part One” - a romantic trash epic based on the novel by Alexandre Dumas. Written by K. Bogomolov. 2020. Dir. Konstantin Bogomolov)
International interdisciplinary project “Thoughtful Readings”[ | ]
- Siegfried, narrator ("History of the Nibelungs")[5][6]
Lenkom[ | ]
- Pushkin, an emigrant, as well as his brother Pushkin, not an emigrant (“Boris Godunov” after A. S. Pushkin. 2014. Dir. Konstantin Bogomolov)
- Doctor, Valet, etc. (“Walpurgis Night” based on the works of Venedikt Erofeev. 2020. Dir. Mark Zakharov)
- Aschenbach and other roles (“The Prince” - the experience of reading F. M. Dostoevsky’s novel “The Idiot”. 2020. Directed by Konstantin Bogomolov)
Movie
Victor Verzhbitsky was discovered for cinema by film director Timur Bekmambetov, who studied with the actor at the scenography department at the Tashkent Theater and Art Institute. The director cast the artist in the title role in the film “Peshawar Waltz” (1994) and in a number of commercials. In an advertisement for the Imperial Bank, Verzhbitsky first played Emperor Nicholas I, whose image he later successfully embodied in the TV series “Poor Nastya” and “One Night of Love.” In an advertisement for Slavyansky Bank he played the role of Osip Mandelstam.
Collaboration with Timur Bekmambetov continued in the films “Gladiatrix” (2001), “Night Watch” (2004), “Day Watch” (2005) and “Black Lightning” (2009).
In total, Verzhbitsky played over 80 roles in various films and TV series. Among them: “Guardian Angel”, “Kamenskaya-2”, “Captain Gordeev”, “Criminal Department”, “Mom, Don’t Cry!”, “Turetsky’s March”, “At the Game 2. New Level”, “The Barber of Siberia” ", "Three against all."
Among his works in recent years are roles in the films “Spy” (2012), “Treasure of O.K.” (2013), “The Zaletchiki” (2014), “Christmas Trees” (2014), the TV series “Scouts” (2012), “Caesar” (2013) and “The Inquisitor” (2014).
“The most important thing in the profession for me is to be honest with yourself, with what is inside you, and this can sometimes be scary and you need to have great strength and courage to look into your soul. Trying to do this, which will be a great achievement if it resonates with the audience. These are the universal human tasks I set for myself in my works, where I often personally get parallel stories – mine, the actor’s and human, and my character’s, who is tormented by the same questions,” admits the actor.
Childhood and youth
Viktor Aleksandrovich Verzhbitsky was born in hot Tashkent at the end of September 1959. The surname Wierzbicki is a legacy from his great-grandfather, a Pole by nationality, a native resident of Krakow. Victor's family was not particularly close to the acting profession. Who the boy's father is - history is silent. Victor never talks about him or remembers him. Mom worked as a nurse, so she disappeared from work for days.
Vitya stayed with his grandmother. In fact, she raised him, since her grandson spent most of his time with her, including at his grandmother’s work. The woman worked as a costume designer in the theater, so Viktor Verzhbitsky was familiar with the concept of “the smell of the scenes” firsthand.
Victor Verzhbitsky in his youth
Therefore, after graduating from school, Verzhbitsky, without further hesitation, took the documents to the theater institute of his native Tashkent. I chose scenography among other faculties. There he met and became lifelong friends with the future master of directing Timur Bekmambetov. In his youth, Verzhbitsky did not even realize that Timur would have a decisive influence on his life in the near future.
A television
The actor took part in several projects on television. From May to August 2011, together with Roma Zver, he hosted the “Game” program on NTV, acting as a game moderator. From May 2012 to February 2013, he was the host of a series of 80 documentaries “Mystical Stories with Viktor Verzhbitsky” on TV3. In 2012, he participated in the filming of nine games of Fort Boyard, where he played the role of the magician Fur. The premiere took place in February-April 2013 on Channel One.
Since mid-June 2020, Viktor Alexandrovich has been hosting a talk show called “People Will Judge,” which airs on the Rossiya 1 channel.
Oligarch and deputy
Victor is often offered the roles of characters in expensive suits driving cool foreign cars. He convincingly plays deputies, officials, oligarchs. An example is the role of billionaire Lev Pokrovsky in the film “Personal Number”. The actor created similar images in the projects “Guardian Angel” and “Marry a General.” It is impossible not to mention the role of deputy Igor Vorobyov, which Verzhbitsky played in the film “Yolki”.
The actor admits that he really likes to play rich people. He likes to humanize the images of oligarchs and show them in everyday life. Victor also does not hide that he dreams of playing the president.
Titles and awards
- Honored Artist of Uzbekistan
- Honored Artist of Russia (2004)
- People's Artist of Russia (2011)
- Award for Best Movie Villain of the Year “MTV Russian Movie Awards 2006”
- MK Award for the role of Freddie in the Pushkin Theater play “Locust” (2009)
- Golden Eagle Award (2008)
- In 2010, Verzhbitsky was awarded the title of Academician of the International Academy of Stunts.
Based on materials from the sites: wikipedia.org, kino-teatr.ru, Tele.ru, kinopoisk.ru, vokrug.tv, 7 Days, Uznayvse.ru, Sobesednik.ru, Ok-magazine.ru, actor’s website.
Filmography: Actor
- Vacant Life of a Chef (2015)
- Mafia: Game of Survival (2015)
- Fir trees 1914 (2014)
- Caesar (2013), TV series
- Treasures of Boar Island (2013)
- Viking (2013)
- Spy (2012)
- Unfasten your seat belts (2012), TV series
- Team Eight (2012)
- Elki-2 (2011)
- Yaroslav. A thousand years ago (2010)
- Pitfalls (2010)
- Our Russia. Eggs of Destiny (2010)
- At game-2. New Level (2010)
- Captain Gordeev (2010), TV series
- Number forty-three (2010)
- Golden Ratio (2010)
- Christmas trees (2010)
- Mad Money (2010)
- Black Lightning (2009)
- Chain (2009)
- Bulkin's last day (2009)
- Knowledgeable source in Moscow (2009)
- At the Game (2009)
- Contract (2009)
- Admiral (2009), TV series
- Tender May (2009)
- Pari (2008)
- One Night of Love (2008)
- Mirage (2008)
- Boys and Girls (2008)
- D-Day (2008)
- Marry a General (2008)
- Admiral (2008)
- Detective Putilin (2007)
- Paragraph 78: paragraph 2 (2007)
- Paragraph 78 (2007)
- The Irony of Fate. Sequel (2007)
- 12 (2007)
- Guardian Angel (2006), TV series
- She-Wolf (2006), TV series
- Adventurer (2005), TV series
- Casarosa (2005), TV series
- Diva (2005), TV series
- Take Tarantina (2005)
- Fall of the Empire (2005)
- Nine Unknowns (2005)
- The Case of “Dead Souls” (2005), TV series
- Day Watch (2006)
- Turkish Gambit (2005)
- Personal Number (2004)
- Night Watch (2004)
- Poor Nastya (2004), TV series
- Kamenskaya-2 (2002), TV series
- Three against everyone (2002), TV series
- Secrets of palace coups. Russia, XVIII century (2001)
- Turkish March (2000), TV series
- What the Dead Man Said (1999), TV series
- The Siberian Barber (1999) /Barber of Siberia/
- Crime Squad (1997)
- Mom, Don't Cry (1997)
- Sinful Apostles of Love (1995)
- Peshawar Waltz (1994)
- Broker (1992)
- Cammy (1991)
Victor Verzhbitsky today
After this moment, the actor’s career moved as if on a pattern.
He often starred in Russian blockbusters, and also appeared on the theater stage from time to time. In 2009, our today’s hero received the MK Award for his role in the play “Locust”. In addition, several times Viktor Verzhbitsky also worked as a voice-over artist and TV presenter (“Mystical Stories” (TV3), “The Game” (NTV)). However, despite all this, cinema has always occupied a central place in the actor’s career. Over the past few years, our today's hero has starred in such famous films as “D-Day”, “Black Lightning”, “Our Russia. Eggs of Destiny”, “Moscow 2017”, “Yaroslav”, “Spy”, as well as some other films.
Several striking films with Verzhbitsky’s participation should be released in 2014. Among these, the adventure film “Viking” stands out, as well as the Russian-Irish film “Moscow Never Sleeps”.
