Shuydin Mikhail Ivanovich is a famous circus artist of the Soviet Union, People's Artist of the RSFSR. The popularity of the clown was so great that the audience often came to the circus just to watch the performance of the duet Shuydin and Nikulin. But at the same time, not all viewers knew that Mikhail Ivanovich was a war hero.
Begin biography
Mikhail Ivanovich Shuidin, whose biography begins on September 27, 1922, was from the village of Kazachya, which is located in the Tula region.
Father was a village shepherd, and mother was a simple worker.
It so happened that the future circus performer was left without a father at an early age. Soon Shuidin Mikhail Ivanovich, whose family lost their breadwinner, moved with his mother Elizaveta Grigoryevna to Podolsk in search of a better life.
In the city they settled in a house on the street. Kalinina, 28, apt. 89, from the State Cement Plant. Mikhail went to seven-year school No. 10 at the plant. Here the boy had a penchant for creative activity:in parallel with his studies at school, Misha visits the House of Artistic Education of Children. Here he tries himself in different qualities: he participates in theatrical productions, plays as a drummer in an ensemble, does acrobatics, performs in amateur performances.
After school, Shuydin enters the factory school (FZU) for the speci alty "fitter-pattern", which he graduated in 1938. But the craving for circus art turned out to be stronger than the working profession, the eighteen-year-old boy enters the State School of Circus Art (GUCI).
The outbreak of the war frustrates all of Shuidin's plans: he is sent to the plant number 187, they issue a reservation against being drafted into the army. However, Mikhail was not satisfied with such a prospect, he asked to go to the front. In the end, in May 1942, the military registration and enlistment office sent the guy to the Gorky Tank School, from which he graduated with honors. Lieutenant Mikhail Shuidin sent to the front.
War in the life of an artist
At the front, Shuydin Mikhail Ivanovich participates in the encirclement of the 6th Army of the Wehrmacht. In April 1943, he was appointed commander of the legendary T-34 tank.
The command and comrades-in-arms celebrate Shuidin's exceptional heroism. During the fighting, Mikhail Ivanovich was thirteen times in a burning tank (in memory of these terrible minutes, burns remained on the face of the brave commander, which he subsequently carefully concealed), received a severe concussion, after which he spent almost a year in the hospital.
During the most bloody war, Shuydin liberated the left-bank Ukraine, crossed the Berezina, Naroch, Dnieper rivers, participated in Operation Bagration(already in the rank of senior lieutenant). Made it all the way to Berlin.
The heroism of tanker Shuydin
Already in August 1943, Mikhail Ivanovich Shuidin showed heroism in counterattacking the advancing Nazis.
On August 19, during reconnaissance in the vicinity of Sukhoi Yar, four Soviet tanks, among which was the crew of Mikhail Shuydin, met with fascist PzKpfw IV tanks. As a result of the battle, two enemy tanks and an anti-tank gun were destroyed by Soviet tankmen.
Shuidin especially distinguished himself during the liberation of Udovichenko, a Ukrainian village. For the displayed skill and courage, the brave tanker is awarded the Order of the Red Star.
And in August 1944, Shuydin was ordered: not far from the village of Zhagare, block the path of the enemy, who was trying to escape from the B altic pocket.
Shuidin skillfully organized an ambush. The very first shots set fire to several enemy self-propelled guns. Within 26 hours, Shuidin's unit repulsed six attacks of enemy tanks and infantry. It was decided to repulse the seventh, decisive attack with a meeting battle. In this battle, Mikhail Ivanovich's car was set on fire, and he received severe burns and concussion.
For this fight he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, but for some unknown reason the Hero's star was replaced with the Order of the Red Banner.
Post-war biography
After the end of the war, Shuidin continued his studies at the GUCI at the acrobatics department. However, his hands burned at the front forced him to retrain:he is learning the art of the eccentric acrobat. During his studies, Mikhail Ivanovich worked part-time as a clown, which he really liked. As a result, Shuidin decides to study at the Moscow Circus Clown Studio (Tsvetnoy Boulevard).
The competition for admission to the studio was huge - about three hundred people. The popularity of the Studio was explained by the fact that the famous clown Mikhail Rumyantsev (Pencil) was a teacher in it. Only Shuidin and two others passed three rounds of the competition.
The talented student immediately liked Pencil, and already in May 1949, Mikhail Ivanovich Shuidin the clown, together with Yuri Nikulin, first entered the arena of the Kharkov circus.
An experienced teacher Rumyantsev immediately noticed that these two novice clowns are perfectly combined in the arena.
Time has shown that the Pencil was not mistaken - this duet has become the most durable in the world history of circus art.
Misha and Yurik
Under such pseudonyms Mikhail Shuydin and Yuri Nikulin began performing as a duet. The duo existed for over 30 years, but they were a duo of excellent partners in the arena, and outside of it they hardly communicated.
The reason for such a relationship was hidden in the difference in their views on life. Even general topics did not become the subject of their conversations, although half a glance was enough for them on stage to understand the partner’s thought.
In the beginning of their work there was even some rivalry, hidden from prying eyes. The reason for this was the leading position of Yuri Nikulin: they worked in the same way,but Yurik received 100 rubles more, he was already an Honored Artist of the RSFSR, and Misha was just an artist, Yurik received the People's Artist of the RSFSR, and Misha received an Honored Artist of the RSFSR (after his partner's long efforts).
Shuidin Mikhail Ivanovich was often angry when famous people came to their dressing room and praised only Nikulin, without noticing him. Of course, all this could not but affect their relationship: they even quarreled, especially when Mikhail Ivanovich, in a strong drunkenness, could disrupt the performance, be rude to Nikulin's wife. But all this usually did not last long.
Aristo circus and cinema
Study at the FZU and work at the plant were not in vain for Mikhail Ivanovich. Ingenuity and ability to handle the tool turned out to be useful in the work of a clown.
Once, already a circus performer, Shuidin saved the number of the famous illusionist Emil Kio: he made a new trick box for Kio to replace the one broken by his assistant.
According to the memoirs of Yuri Nikulin, Shuidin in most cases prepared the props for the circus act himself.
Shuidin starred in three films (“Clowns and Children”, “Little Runaway”, “Without Fear and Reproach”) and two TV series (“How the Idols Left”, “Great Clowns”). In the series, the artist played himself.
Mikhail Ivanovich was a very sensitive artist whose psychology craved titles.
After all, this meant a higher rate, and tours, and formal recognition of the artist's merits. By the way, most creative people suffer from this.
Shuiding as a person
Shuidin Mikhail Ivanovich has always been modest. This trait can be exemplified in many cases.
When the star of the Hero of the Soviet Union was replaced with the Order of the Red Banner (journalists found out many years later), Shuidin Mikhail Ivanovich, whose photo together with Yuri Nikulin was a kind of hallmark of the Moscow circus, did not want to seek a revision of the award performance.
Continuing the topic of military awards, we can say that no one saw Shuydin in orders: he did not wear them, he considered it a window dressing.
For decades, already being an Honored Artist of the RSFSR (awarded in 1969) and a People's Artist of the RSFSR (awarded in 1980), Mikhail Ivanovich traveled to work from afar (five hours away). Modesty did not allow the famous artist to "bang his fist" to somehow change the situation.
Conclusion
In August 1983 Shuydin Mikhail Ivanovich died. The cause of death is a severe long-term illness.
The great artist, war hero was buried at the Kuntsevo cemetery in Moscow.
In memory of the famous clown duet, a monument to Mikhail Ivanovich Shuidin and Yuri Vladimirovich Nikulin was erected.
Unfortunately, in the Republic of Belarus, where Shuidin burned, there is no street named after him, no memorial plaque to this day.
The children of Mikhail Ivanovich Shuydin, Andrey and Vyacheslav, continue the work of their father. They perform with the same reprises that the duet of Misha andYurika.
