Extremely musical, witty and energetic Oleg Menshikov was first remembered by the Russian audience for his debut appearance in the film "Pokrovsky Gates". After the entire filmography of a talented artist is a list of works with a brilliant reincarnation of the actor. He plays only those roles that inspire him, so every work of Oleg delights the public and colleagues. Actor Menshikov is a mystery to others, it is difficult even for close people to understand the inner motives of his actions. Perhaps this is his genius.
The Origins of Talent
In a family of intellectuals, where my mother is a neuropathologist and my father is a military engineer, the future actor Menshikov was born in Serpukhov in 1960. His biography tells about the early passion of a little boy for music. At the age of five, his parents sent Oleg to a music school. A year later, like all children of his age, the boy went to secondary school. Oleg studied well, successfully combining homework in the main program with those assigned at the music school.
With age, the young man began to be attracted to operetta, and he connected his future profession with this musical and theatrical genre. Mom looked at Oleg's choice with distrust. She wanted her son to be an engineer, and if he connected his life with art, then let him choose the direction of drama theater, but not operetta.
Memo to applicants
Improvisation and unpredictability - these are the character traits that the actor Menshikov is endowed with. In the 10th grade, Oleg found a typographical document on his desk about the rules for admitting applicants to theater universities. Who laid down this fateful leadership is still unknown. But, after reading the memo, a graduate of the secondary school Menshikov decided for himself that he would enter the theater school.
The Shchepkin Institute was the beginning of a long journey, on which the main character is actor Oleg Menshikov. The biography of the young man in his student years was characterized by carelessness and fun pastime. In one of the interviews, Oleg Evgenievich admired the ability of Shchepkin's teachers to teach them the intricacies of acting without noticing the students themselves.
Display of talent
I entered the Menshikov Theater School the first time, and was admitted to the course of the rector N. N. Afonin. From the first classes, the guy attracted the attention of not only teachers, but also classmates. Oleg skillfully transformed into characters, reading the works of the classics, sang and danced superbly. The young man's musical abilities distinguished him from the rest of the Sliver students. Kapustniki with his participation were distinguished by humor, musicality andimprovisation.
Actor Menshikov, whose personal life and work are accompanied by brilliant moments, being a graduate of the theater institute, invited his fellow students to highlight the graduation performance with a can-can. In the presence of the director of the Maly Theater, Mikhail Tsarev, and the entire audience that is not indifferent to the theater, when the graduation course bowed, the performance of the artists unexpectedly continued with a can-can. The author of the play's ending, actor Menshikov, was invited by M. Tsarev to work in the theater the very next day.
First works
Oleg Evgenievich made his film debut in 1980. It was a military drama "Waiting and Hope." A year later, he was invited to the film by N. S. Mikhalkov "Kin" for a cameo role. Menshikov received the love of the domestic viewer after the release of the film "Pokrovsky Gates". The role of the female saint Kostya was played by actor Oleg Menshikov. The personal life of the artist himself immediately excited the admirers of his talent. A charming student of the Shchepkinsky school became the idol of many Soviet women.
Service in the theater
As mentioned earlier, after the successful completion of the graduation performance, the actor was invited to the Maly Theater. And although there were already three films behind the artist, he had to go on stage with episodic roles. This did not last long, a year later the guy was drafted into the ranks of the Soviet Army. Oleg Evgenievich was saved from the everyday life of a soldier by Yuri Eremin, the chief director of the theater, in which people of art performed alternative service.
He served military duty for four years. For the same number of years, the actor Menshikov played on the stage of the theater of the Soviet Army. Biography in a creative context during these years was replenished with productions: “Clock without hands”, “Forest”, “Idiot”, “Private”. After military service, Sergeant Menshikov was invited to the troupe of the theater. Yermolova.
Drama theatre: from actor to artistic director
Chief director of the theater. Ermolova in 1985 was appointed V. V. Fokin. Initially, his goal was to renew and strengthen the existing troupe. He recruited a team of several generations of actors, including Menshikov, who stood out from the crowd of his peers - the actor is already known in narrow circles, but not yet the star he became after his role in Caligula. The first production on the dramatic stage, in which Oleg played an episodic hero, was called "Speak". And in 1986, together with Tatyana Dogileva, he got the main role in the play "Sports Scenes of 1981". The spectator, instead of the graceful and fit Oleg, saw a stooped guy in shabby pants with a look looking for where he could rest.
After the success in the 1986 play, Fokin approved Menshikov to play in the production of The Second Year of Freedom. But Oleg's work in this play remained in the shadows compared to the role of Serezha Lukin in "Sport Scenes of 1981".
The play based on Nabokov's "Invitation to the Execution", in which Menshikov was entrusted to play Pierre, became fatal for the artist. He did not want to play this role, and then left the theater altogether, but for a certain period. In 2012, the actor Menshikov returned to his native land, but already as an artistic director.
At the age of thirty, the artist was invited to the production of "Caligula". It was a high point for Oleg Evgenievich. They even talked about him abroad. A year later, he already performed on the London stage, playing Yesenin in the production of "When she danced."
Actor Oleg Menshikov: personal life
The modest wedding of a charming accomplished artist and a modest graduate of GITIS in 2005 stirred up the public. He was 43 years old at that time, she was 22. Anastasia Chernova conquered the inveterate bachelor with her natural modesty and sincerity. The date the couple met was also significant.
It was a concert by M. M. Zhvanetsky on St. Nicholas Day. Anastasia prepared a bouquet for the satirist writer, and Oleg, who was sitting in the next row, began to attract the attention of the girl by tearing off rose petals and eating them. And now the couple has been living together for more than 10 years.
Awards, filmography, interesting facts
The debut on the stage of the Moscow City Council in the image of the many-sided Caligula brought Menshikov the first theatrical award - a prize and a diploma. Prior to this, the actor was awarded a silver medal in the film Moonsund in 1987.
In 1991, the foreign Laurence Olivier Award followed for her performance of the role of Yesenin in the play “When she danced”. This foreign recognition is not the last award in the actor's creative biography. In 2003, he received the French Order of Academic Palms for services to the arts. ATIn the same year, he was awarded the title of People's Artist by the President of the Russian Federation. In 2010, the actor Oleg Menshikov was awarded the Order of Honor for his contribution to the development of cinema.
His biography contains information about the artist's numerous performances on the stage and the recognition of fans of the Melpomene temple, but one cannot ignore the famous films with his participation. He has 33 acting jobs in films. The most successful are: "Burnt by the Sun", "Prisoner of the Caucasus", "The Barber of Siberia", "State Counsellor", "Doctor Zhivago". The role of hockey coach A. V. Tarasov in the film "Legend No. 17", which is beloved by the audience, completes (to date) the list of works in the cinema.
Oleg Evgenievich has a namesake by last name and profession. This is Vladimir Menshikov, an actor from Simferopol. True, his creative activity is not so in demand, and his roles in films are episodic.
The Menshikov family has a favorite animal. This is a dog named Nafanya, although the original name for the pet was Shashlik.
Oleg Evgenievich said in an interview that his favorite dish (until he took the profession and could not buy all kinds of delicacies) was pasta with canned food.
Menshikov introduced the fashion to wear watches on both hands at the same time.
