Mykolas Edmuntas Orbakas is the father of Kristina Orbakaite and the ex-husband of Alla Pugacheva. Born in mid-April 1945 in the Lithuanian city of Siauliai, where his parents Zenonas and Ona Orbakas lived. He is the youngest of three children in the family. In 1948 the family was deported to Irkutsk. In 1950 they returned to Lithuania and settled in Kaunas, where their parents had their own six-room house. Half of the house was rented out to somehow feed a large family. Mykolas' older sister died at a young age, and her father left after her in 1990. The mother passed away on Christmas night before she reached her 91st birthday. Most of the Orbakas' relatives currently live in Klaipeda.
Trip to Moscow and study at the circus school
According to the biography of Mykolas Orbakas, after graduating from high school in Kaunas, at the age of 17, he went to Moscow to study variety art. It was a young man's dream. While still a student, I heard from a friend that in Riga there is an advertising poster that says:"Moscow School of Variety and Circus invites everyone to study". Having traveled to Riga and being convinced of the veracity of the words of his comrade, Mykolas decided to take advantage of the opportunity. It was the only educational institution of its kind in the entire Soviet Union. After the first year of study, the young guy was drafted into the army. Ironically, by distribution, he again ended up in Irkutsk.
After returning, I had to get a job, but Mykolas continued his studies. In 1966 he was invited to a cameo role in the film directed by Vladimir Bychkov "City of Masters" based on the play of the same name, where he played the role of a chimney sweep. Tall, thin Mykolas perfectly got used to the image. After filming, the young artist made the final decision - by all means connect his life with the circus.
Marrying a Diva
Acquaintance with Alla Pugacheva happened in the spring of 1969, when Orbakas worked part-time at the circus, and the future Prima Donna came to get a job there as a performer. The acquaintance grew into mutual sympathy, and then into a romance that spun during a joint tour. In autumn, the lovers have already decided to get married. The wedding was modest: the young people barely managed to save money for a dress for the bride. And the groom had to order a suit because of non-standard growth. Mykolas Orbakas and Alla Pugacheva first became parents on May 25, 1971.
The birth of the future Russian pop star
Mykolas recalls that young parents were preparing for the birth of a boy - even all fortunetellers echoed that a girl should not be born, the name was prepared in advance - Stanislav, and all things were bought specifically for the boy. However, a surprise awaited them - the future Russian pop star, Christina, was born. In the girl's birth certificate, the "Nationality" column indicated - Lithuanian.
Alla Borisovna's career developed rapidly almost immediately after the birth of Christina, she rarely appeared at home, the child was raised by grandparents, the marriage began to burst at the seams. After 2 years, Mykolas and Alla divorced. For some time, Pugacheva did not allow her daughter to see her father, but, seeing how her daughter misses him, she changed her anger to mercy. So far, the former spouses have developed friendly relations, although during their life together they had no disagreements.
Second marriage
Almost immediately after the divorce, Mykolas met a young girl, Marina, who worked as an aerial gymnast in the circus. According to the recollections of his wife, Mykolas was already a master, an experienced, high-class specialist, she looked at him as a celestial. The 18-year age difference did not prevent the couple from building a harmonious relationship. For more than 30 years, Mykolas and Marina have been together, raising their joint son Fabian (born in 1985).
Marina Orbakene was born and raised in Moscow, but is fluent in Lithuanian. Every summer the spouses come to Palanga. On the coast of the B altic Sea theythere is a house - the inheritance of Orbakas' parents. In the future, the artist plans to finally move to Lithuania from Moscow, admits that he misses his homeland.
What is Mykolas Orbakas doing now
According to Orbakas, the speci alty received at the Moscow State Circus School and the School of Variety Art (Gennady Khazanov and Efim Shifrin studied with Mykolas) allows not only to be an artist, but also an entertainer. This kind of educational institution was the only one in the entire Soviet Union, therefore it is unique in its kind.
Currently, Mykolas Orbakas is engaged in individual orders, works with private clients. It is very fashionable now to celebrate birthdays and other holidays in an unusual and big way. Mykolas Orbakas prepares circus performances and programs with his fellow artists for such private clients. The numbers may include animals, and guest actors of the conversational genre, and singers.
