Biography
Alexey Kortnev is an actor, showman, singer, and founder of a charitable foundation. A good half of his biography is inextricably linked with the group “Accident”, which has existed for decades. And such phenomena on the Russian stage can be counted on one hand. There is no secret recipe for youth. There is a secret to “longevity”, and it lies precisely in constant “movement”. The lead singer of the musical group and TV presenter jokes that when he gets tired of “jumping around the stage,” he will play while sitting.
"Accident" - the success of the group
Kortnev and Pelsh actively worked on new musical works and, soon, the album “Mein Lieber Tanz” was presented. By the end of the 90s, the musicians founded their own recording studio, calling it “The Composer’s House”.
To date, the team has presented 10 studio albums and continues to work actively. “Accident” often goes on tour and attracts crowds of fans to its concerts. For 35 years now, Alexey Kortnev has been the leader of this musical group, periodically acting as a poet and composer of the group’s songs.
Childhood and youth
Alexey was born in Moscow in the family of a high-ranking employee of the USSR Academy of Sciences, Anatoly Kortnev. When asked about the artist’s nationality, Internet search engines give a ready answer “Jew,” but there is no confirmation from him himself.
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Alexey Kortnev in his youth
Thanks to his early education, Alyosha was able to get into one of the most prestigious schools in the capital, a specialized educational institution with in-depth study of the English language. Kortnev mastered the foreign language so well that, having learned to play the guitar, the 14-year-old teenager began writing his own songs in English.
After graduating from school in 1983, Kortnev entered Moscow State University at the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics. But the student did not devote himself fully to his studies, for which he was expelled in 1987, after which he took up creativity. A love of music was instilled in him by his parents, avid tourists, who took their son with them on hikes, where they sang songs in chorus around the fire. He appeared on stage as a musician, and also continued to play in the student theater of Moscow State University, where he joined as a freshman. As part of this troupe he played in KVN for one season.
On September 13, 1983 in Moscow, Alexey Kortnev and Valdis Pelsh created the musical group “Accident”
Published by Radio SI Sunday, September 13, 2020
Valdis Pelsh and Alexey Kortnev in their youth
In addition, Alexey worked for a long time in the advertising business as a copywriter and translator. The texts and slogans he invented can be seen in advertising for such brands as M&M's, Pepsi, Wrigley, Moccona and others. Alexey Kortnev has also proven himself as a translator in musicals. He made it possible for the characters in the popular musical plays “Cats”, “The Witches of Eastwick” and “Beauty and the Beast” to speak Russian.
In the 2008 production of “The Little Humpbacked Horse,” which was staged at the Chekhov Art Theater, Kortnev wrote all the songs performed in the play. This work was appreciated by professionals, which was reflected in the theater awards “Crystal Turandot” and “Golden Mask”.
Alexey Kortnev: I take all my wife’s commanding attempts with a smile
“I rarely argue with my mother”
— Alexey, you once very aptly said: “A midlife crisis is physiology. The male invader simply finds that the desire is gone.” Have you passed this period?
- This is not exactly my idea, I read it from a variety of smart people... I got through the crisis. Since I plan to live 80 years, it’s easy to calculate: my average age was exactly 40. At this time, the life paradigm, the vector, what you strive for changes. Until the age of 40, you live extensively, trying to comprehend as much as possible (and this is very clear to me): playing in the theater, acting in films, advertising... Grab, so to speak. Then, as you get older, you are more attracted to intensity. You try to collect what already belongs to you. And grow a garden from the seeds that he scattered. Of course, you can scatter seeds until you die. But if you don’t water them, don’t fence them, don’t hill them up, as a result weeds will appear. If anything grows, it will be stunted. But I want beauty, peace and self-confidence. Therefore, it is now much more important for me to compose one song in a year, but one in which I am responsible for every word, for every breath. When I was 16 years old, I wrote 20-30 songs a year, almost nothing remains of them. Now I spend much more effort, and this painstakingness brings me much more satisfaction than “flying”.
— You married Amina Zaripova only after she proposed to you. So would you still be putting off getting married?
“When I met Amina, I immediately realized that this was exactly the person I wanted to marry, with whom I wanted to build a house and have children. She broke my lone wolf crust pretty quickly.
— At the same time, your mother said that Amina is not your circle, she is an athlete... Do you often go against your mother’s opinion?
— Mom is a very powerful person, and I really rarely argue with her. By and large, I went against my parents’ will only once - when I left the university. In the situation with Amina, there was no resistance. My parents instantly fell in love with her - immediately after they got to know her a little, they talked two or three times.
— Is Amina like your mother?
- Very! Aminka is also a powerful person. Otherwise, I would not have been the head coach of the national rhythmic gymnastics team. The wife is a person of iron will. And in the family, Amina likes to give orders. “Everything will be my way,” he says. “You keep quiet, you don’t understand anything.” At the same time, we have a deeply loving relationship with her, so all her commanding attempts are perceived by me with a smile.
The whole family starts with the letter "A"
— Alexey, your anniversary is coming soon. Do you generally like guests?
— Huge companies regularly gather here. Mostly, of course, these are friends and really close acquaintances. However, for New Year, for example, or for my birthday, not only friends and friends of friends gather, but also people whom I generally see for the first time in my life. We celebrate widely, and be sure to come up with some kind of entertainment program.
— You grew up in a singing family. How does your current family feel about music?
- We eat with great pleasure. When we go somewhere in the car, we start playing children's songs. Now a large number of good songs have appeared - those that are heard in “Smeshariki” and “Fixies”. Irka Bogushevskaya (the first wife of Alexei Kortnev. - Author) produced two albums of “Children's Playgrounds”, they contain luxurious compositions. The kids, and me too, know them all by heart. At home, when friends gather, it’s also impossible to do without great concerts.
— The names of four of your five children begin with the letter “A”: Artemy, Arseny, Afanasy, Aksinya...
“It just didn’t work out with Nikita.” It so happened that at the moment when he was born, his mother Lena Lanskaya and I were in a very tense relationship. That's why she chose the name herself. Now, having returned to friendship, peace and peace, we realized that the name Nikita has an ancient Slavic form - Anikita, from which comes the nickname Anika the Warrior, the surname Anikin... It turns out that Nikita’s name also begins with “A”.
- Why “A” after all?
— It’s just cool (laughs).
— What do your children do?
— Nikita is studying at the Faculty of IT Technologies at the Moscow Institute of Radio Engineering, Electronics and Automation. Artemy is professionally engaged in industrial photography. He wanders around the country, photographing clothing collections, cars, and cranes. Huge and extremely creative section. Arseny is actively studying at school and playing golf. Afanasy also studies and writes all sorts of crazy stories. He is very funny. Aska is only five; she still goes to kindergarten.
PRIVATE BUSSINESS
Alexey KORTNEV was born on October 12, 1966. In 1983 he entered the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics of Moscow State University, from which he was expelled in 1987. Together with Valdis Pelsh he created the group “Accident”. Translated into Russian the musicals “Cats”, “The Witches of Eastwick”, Mamma Mia!, “Beauty and the Beast”. Author and performer of songs heard in plays and films of Quartet I.
The first wife is singer Irina Bogushevskaya (their son Artemy was born in the marriage). The second wife is actress Yulia Rutberg. Married to gymnast Amina Zaripova, sons Arseny and Afanasy, as well as daughter Aksinya, were born. He has a son, Nikita, from a relationship with actress Elena Lanskaya.
Music
Having entered Moscow State University, Alexey Kortnev almost immediately joined the student theater troupe, where he met another student Valdis Pelsh, with whom he organized the duet “Accident”. The guys went on stage for the first time 2 months later and performed at a student amateur concert. Soon they were joined by saxophonist Pavel Mordyukov, then accordionist Sergei Chekryzhov. Subsequently, Chekryzhov was responsible for keyboard instruments and became the group's full-time composer.
"Accident" - "Vegetable Tango"
At first, the team was successful among students and even went on tour abroad. Since all the group members were members of the KVN team, their first appearance on television occurred as part of this humorous show, in which in 1988 “Accident” sang the song “They brought us a computer.”
Studio work on the debut album continued for 5 years and ended in 1994. The album “Trody Pludov” received the most flattering reviews and was named the musical discovery of the year. Songs such as “It’s Snowing”, “Armageddon”, “Hey, Boy!”, “Corner of the Sky” and “Radio” became hits. To this day, this record is considered the best work of the group.
“Accident” - “If it weren’t for you”
Inspired by their success, the musicians decide to make the new disc unusual and unusual for Russian listeners. The album “Mein Lieber Tanz” turned out to be conceptual and designed like an old radio concert, which even features an announcer’s speech.
Not only professional actors and musicians were involved in the work on the record, including the orchestra of the Merzlyakov School at the Conservatory and the popular television announcer Igor Kirillov, but also another alternative musical group - the Quartet group. In 1997, the artists founded their own label “Delicatessen”, and then the recording studio “House of Composer”. The group's subsequent discs came out of this studio.
Study at Moscow State University
After graduating from school in 1983, Alexey Kortnev successfully entered the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics of Moscow State University.
In his first year, Alexey was inspired by the theater and decided to try his hand at the stage at the Moscow State University Student Theater. At an audition at the music studio of the Studtheater, Kortnev meets Valdis Pelsh. Having quickly become friends, within two months the students first appeared on the music stage under the name “Duet “Accident”.” In the team, Alexey deals with the lyrics, and Valdis is responsible for the musical accompaniment, although the guys do many things together. The duo's performances are perceived positively by the student public; the group gains not only fans among students, but also musicians who want to join the ensemble. As a result, the word “duet” disappears from the group’s name, and its composition increases to four people - saxophonist Pavel Mordyukov and drummer Vadim Sorokin join.
Television and radio
The popularity of the group “Accident” was gaining momentum, “What did you have”, “Generals of the sand pits”, “Vegetable tango”, “If it weren’t for you” were heard everywhere. And Alexey Kortnev, together with his colleague Valdis Pelsh, with the participation of actor Igor Ugolnikov, came up with and organized the entertaining evening television program “Oba-na!”, which was a great success with viewers.
“Accident” - “Generals of the Sand Quarries” (from the show “Old Songs about the Main Thing”)
Then Kortnev worked on such programs as “Debiliada”, “Blue Nights”, “Pilot” and “Accident”. In the last two, broadcast respectively on NTV and RenTV, he was the presenter. On the radio, Kortnev again, in a duet with Valdis Pelsh, first showed himself in 1995, creating the very popular program “Golden Gramophone” at that time, sounding on Russian Radio. In 2007, Alexey returned to the airwaves as part of the cast of the radio play “An Ordinary Miracle,” where he not only read the text from the author, but also played the role of the innkeeper Emil.
The musician’s voice has long sounded in the screensaver of the ATV television company, and in the programs “My Family”, “My Own Director” and “These Funny Animals” viewers hear Alexey Kortnev’s original songs performed by him. When Pelsh began hosting “Guess the Melody,” a colleague wrote lyrics for him. In addition, the TV presenter performed in the “Good Deed” program on the “Che” channel and in the musical show of transformations “One to One.”
Show “Ice Age” - Alexey Kortnev and Anna Semenovich
In “Ice Age,” Alexey got Anna Semenovich as a partner, but dropped out during the rehearsal stage - he broke 2 ribs. Then I had to sleep sitting in a chair for a long time.
In 2016, Kortnev worked with Nikolai Fomenko, Mikhail Zadornov, Ekaterina Skulkina and Dmitry Kolchin in the satirical project “Saltykov-Shchedrin Show”. The program scathingly exposed Russian reality, from bad roads to the “window dressing” of local authorities when receiving high-ranking officials from the center. The show closed when Zadornov was diagnosed with cancer.
Professional activity
The creative career of Alexei Kortnev, which began within the walls of Moscow State University, later led him to television. For a long time, he made money by copywriting and wrote slogans for advertising of global brands - Pepsi, M&M's and Wrigley. In the 1990s, Kortnev, together with his student friend Valdis Pelsh and actor Igor Ugolnikov, came up with the TV show “Both-on!”, Then their other TV shows appeared on the screens - “Pilot”, “Cabaret “Blue Nights” and “Accident” .
Kortnev's musical career is inextricably linked with the musical genre. He translated the librettos of famous foreign productions “Cats”, “The Witches of Eastwick” and “Mamma Mia” into Russian. In addition, Alexey periodically writes songs for theatrical productions. In 2008, the performance of the Moscow Art Theater named after. Chekhov's "The Little Humpbacked Horse", for which Kortnev wrote the songs, received the Crystal Turandot and Golden Mask theater awards in the category "Best Performance of the Season".
The musician is also popular among a wide audience thanks to his collaboration with the comic theater “Quartet I”. Alexey wrote almost all the songs heard in their productions “Election Day” and “Radio Day”, and also starred in the films “Election Day” and “What Men Talk About.”
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2po5U1uKXY
Another important part of Alexei Kortnev’s creative biography is television. Alexey not only appears in entertainment shows (“One on One”), but also acts as the host of comedy and music programs. So on the NTV channel in 2020, he was a co-host of the satirical “Saltykov-Shchedrin Show”, and in the 2016-17 season he hosted the children’s intellectual show “Through the Mouth of a Baby”.
Group "Accident"
The main brainchild of Alexey Kortnev is the musical group “Accident”. Since its appearance in 1983, he has remained its permanent lead singer and songwriter. “Accident” performs compositions in the style of rock and roll, comedy rock, jazz and ska. Their repertoire is surprisingly diverse - from the dramatic “Sandpit Generals” (remember, “I started life in the city slums”?) to the satirical and provocative “Elections, Elections, Candidates...”. Over its 35-year history, the group has released 13 studio albums and given countless concerts not only throughout the country, but also toured Europe and the United States.
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ykMKXEkxqM
Movies
Alexey Kortnev first appeared in feature films in 1992, playing in the postmodern film “Prorva,” which, against the backdrop of an anecdotal situation involving Marshal Budyonny’s horse at a military parade, tells about the tragic fate of a number of people caught up in the millstones of the system of the 30s.
Alexey Kortnev (still from the film “Prorva”)
An interesting job awaited the actor in the fantasy feature film “Lilac Branch” about the Russian composer, pianist and conductor Sergei Rachmaninov. Kortnev played the impresario Fred Steinway and turned out to be very convincing in the role of the American.
Alexey’s most famous cinematic projects are the films “Election Day” and “Radio Day”, which were based on the performances of the theater troupe “Quartet I”. These farce-style comedies were a resounding success, and “Election Day” received the Grand Prix at the “Smile, Russia!” film festival in 2007. and named the best comedy of the year.
Alexey Kortnev (still from the film “Election Day”)
The popularity of these socially satirical films led to the creation of a new script, and in 2020 the sequel “Election Day 2” was released. In all three films, Alexey Kortnev acted not only as an actor, but also as a lyricist and co-author of music. The soundtrack included many songs performed by him, and compositions such as “Couplets”, “Romance of the Ballot Box”, “Narodnaya” and “Vorovskaya” became popular.
The actor also had experience in voice acting. In the Russian version of the animated film "The Nightmare Before Christmas", Jack the Pumpkin Lord speaks in his voice.
School of Three Arts by Alexey Kortnev
In 2020, Alexey Kortnev opened the “School of Three Arts” in the “Olympic Village of Novogorsk” village near Moscow. The main training programs are acting, dance and vocals. The school accepts children from first to senior grades, and also opens groups for children from 3 years old. To join the ranks of students, you need to audition.
Alexey Kortnev pays great attention to the teaching staff of the school. Thus, the acting courses are supervised by actress Nonna Grishaeva, and the person responsible for the dance direction is the famous choreographer Yegor Druzhinin. In addition, the school hosts workshops and master classes with stars of Russian cinema, theater and show business. Of course, the main task of the center is to occupy the child in his free time and reveal his talents. However, Alexey Kortnev also relies on preparing future students for Moscow theater universities.
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MF_SqH4Zaeg
Personal life
Alexey Kortnev was married three times. His first wife, Irina Bogushevskaya, a singer and poetess, gave him a son, Artemy, in 1988. He works as a photographer and administrator at his father's theater school, the Three Arts School. At the educational institution in Novogorsk, children are taught vocals, dancing, and acting.
Concert and performances “Waiting Room”, “Cabaret 03” in the Central House of Artists, 1994 Alexey Kortnev, Irina Bogushevskaya
Published by Unfortunate Case Saturday, August 31, 2013
Alexey Kortnev and Irina Bogushevskaya
Alexey had no children with his second wife, actress Yulia Rutberg. After the divorce, he had a long affair with actress Elena Lanskaya, who gave birth to a son, Nikita, out of wedlock. The guy is still on the path of self-determination: he studied at Oleg Tabakov’s theater college, dropped out, entered radio engineering, and 2 years later went to the literary institute to study prose. During this time, he mastered playing the flute and clavichord.
Kortnev arranged his personal life with the famous gymnast Amina Zaripova. The couple had a daughter, Aksinya, and sons, Arseny and Afanasy. All children have excellent relationships with each other.
“Yes, the elders were deprived of their father’s attention. But, apparently, they are already so mature and smart that they have forgiven me for this. If they have some, of course, fair claims against me, then this does not affect my younger brothers and sister. We love to ski together, play golf, and just hang out at our house.”
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Alexey Kortnev and his wife Amina Zaripova
By the way, golf 4 times a month and squash 3 times a week is a way for Alexey to maintain physical fitness (height is 190 cm, weight, as the artist himself said, fluctuates, and according to some sites - within 76-78 kg).
In an interview given in 2016, Kortnev mentioned that he does not use Instagram. A year later, the singer opened an account and publishes there not only photographs of family and friends. There are photographs that capture interesting and funny details of the environment that people usually do not pay attention to. And all this is seasoned with witty comments. There are separate pages for “Accident” and the drama school.
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Family of Alexey Kortnev
In addition to his versatile creativity, Alexey Kortnev is known for his active civic position. In 2007–2008, he was a member of the political party “Civil Power” and spoke at rallies as an activist, including “For Fair Elections!” The actor and musician openly spoke out against homophobia, doing it in his own humorous manner: he said that if you feel like a real man, then there is no need to think about how gays live.
Alexey Kortnev now
In 2020, Alexey and his friends Sergei Belogolovtsev, Yaroslav Sviridov and Maxim Vitorgan released the play “In the City of False Dmitrov,” which he dubbed “a science-fiction comedy about Russia.” The project involves Natalya Vdovina, Kristina Babushkina, Quartet I and Accident. For Kortnev’s colleagues in the group, this is the first experience of playing serious dramatic roles.
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Alexey Kortnev in 2020
It turned out to be a daring and sometimes provocative production, according to those who saw it - for people with a high-quality sense of humor who are not indifferent to what is now happening in the country. Although the creators emphasize that “analogies with Russian reality that arise in the viewer’s head remain on the conscience of the viewer and his criminal and administrative responsibility.”
In March of the same year, the filmography of the singing actor was replenished with the melodrama “Seize the Day” (“High Heels”). The main role in the film about a provincial girl who dreams of conquering Moscow was played by Yulia Topolnitskaya, who became famous after the video “Exhibit” of the Leningrad group. Alexey Kortnev appeared in the image of a member of the university admissions committee, whom the girl is trying to conquer, as it seems to her, with her undoubted artistic talent.
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Alexey Kortnev in 2020
The main characters of the series “Adoption Clinic” are children and families orphaned for various reasons who decided to accept new members with a difficult fate. The clinic is opened by a woman who herself lost the chance to become a mother. The husband is not ready to raise “strangers”, and for the heroine the only meaning of life becomes helping others. Alexey starred in the film together with Maria Kulikova, Lyubov Tolkalina, Kirill Grebenshchikov.
