Actor Mikhail Zhigalov: biography

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:47

Mikhail Zhigalov was born in Kuibyshev in 1942, but this is not his hometown. His mother was there during the occupation. After the war, the family moved to Moscow.

School and Institute

The father of the future actor after the war was sent to Czechoslovakia with his wife and little son. After the family returned to their homeland, Mikhail went to school, but it was not easy for him to adapt after living abroad. In the post-war period, children were brought up more by the street than by the family.

After receiving secondary education, at the insistence of his father, Mikhail entered the Institute of Chemical Engineering. Within the walls of the university, he met his first wife. After graduation, he worked for several years at the Research Institute. He had an extraordinary talent for chemistry, and after a while he became the head of the department.

Theater

But Mikhail dreamed of working in the theater more. He decided to change his profession, already working at the research institute. Having completely changed his life, the future actor leaves the profession of a chemist and begins to study theatrical art in a children's theater. But, unfortunately, his wife does not share the love of creativity and leaves him.

For eight years, Mikhail Zhigalov has been playing in the children's theater. In 1978the actor enters Sovremennik. Mikhail had more than thirty successful roles in productions. The most successful were his roles in the performances of "Three Sisters", "Bolsheviks", "Days of the Turbins" and many others.

Mikhail Zhigalov: filmography

The actor received his first movie role in 1972. His film debut was The Very Last Day. But filming a movie did not please him. Since playing in the theater is his vocation. But it was necessary to act in films, because such activities were paid significantly more than playing in the theater. From the very beginning of his career, Mikhail was not serious about the choice of scenarios. As a result, the audience saw him only as a negative character: a thief in law, a drunkard. He became a hostage of his image for a long time. This was his mistake in a frivolous attitude to the choice of his roles. For example, in the film "Petrovka, 38" the actor played a criminal named Sudar. And in the film "The Abduction of Savoy" Mikhail was a terrorist. The actor has many similar roles. As a result, many directors saw him as an exclusively negative character.

Mikhail Zhigalov managed to significantly change his role on the set of a film about Pushkin directed by Maren Khutsiev. The actor played the role of Vyazemsky. But, unfortunately, the shooting was stopped. Although after them, many directors and actors saw him as a positive character. Since then, he began to get interesting roles in films.

“Border. Taiga romance"

Mikhail Zhigalov really likes to play the military. Yes, in the TV series"Border. Taiga romance "he played Colonel Borisov. In this series, the role of Mikhail was insignificant, but bright. He plays an officer of the Soviet Army, who is very worried not only about the state of the garrison, but also about many of his friends and subordinates. When a young military man, Ivan Stolbov, begins courting the wife of officer Goloshchekin, the colonel, first verbally, and then by strong-willed methods, tries to set him on the right path and not corrupt the discipline in the garrison.

Mikhail Zhigalov: movies and series

In the series "Don't Be Born Beautiful" the actor played the father of the main character. As you remember, also a former military man. In the Cinderella Jackpot series, actor Mikhail Zhigalov plays Kirsanov, the developer of the latest program called Goldfish that grants wishes. Later, Kirsanov realizes that this program is very dangerous and, falling into the wrong hands, can cause a lot of trouble. Therefore, at the end of the film, with the help of the main character, he destroys her under the wheels of a bulldozer.

One of the best roles the actor received in the film "Dogs". This tape caused a big wave of criticism against the director. The film tells about stray dogs in an abandoned city and how a group of hunters went to clear the area from wild animals. According to the plot, the hunters thought that a pack of cannibal wolves was roaming the area. But they were shocked to see how ferocious the dogs become when abandoned. The film made a very strong impression on the audience. It was one of the films in the Soviet box office, combining such genres as thriller and horror.

In the movie"Afghan break" Mikhail Zhigalov played the regimental commander Lieutenant Colonel Leonid paired with Michele Placido as Major Mikhail Bandura.

Now the actor is actively acting in films and playing in the theater. His roles are very multifaceted, from positive to very negative.

Love for the theater never left Mikhail Zhigalov, he participates in a number of performances. The actor got the role of William Cecil in a production called "Playing Schiller." The Sovremennik Theater has become his home, but Mikhail often performs on the stage of other equally outstanding theaters.

Conclusion

So you found out who Mikhail Zhigalov is, his filmography is very wide thanks to the talent of the actor. Since 1972, he has appeared in more than a hundred films.