Smirnov Alexey is an actor who is not known by a rare fan of Soviet cinema. This man is famous for his ability to create a wide variety of images in films - from a clumsy drunkard to a hero who sacrifices himself for the well-being of his native country. Rare people from his entourage knew how difficult the life of the artist was, he also modestly kept silent about his military merits. What path did this outstanding person take?
Actor Alexei Smirnov: biography of a star
The USSR movie star's hometown is Danilov, located in the Yaroslavl region, where he was born in February 1920. A few years after the birth of their son, the family moved to Leningrad, where the boy grew up. Smirnov Alexey is an actor who, as a child, had to face numerous difficulties. He was still a child when the family lost his father. Lesha and his younger brother remained in the care of their mother. They were forced to huddle together incommunal apartment and survive in spite of chronic lack of money.
Smirnov Alexey is an actor for whom the theater became a kind of outlet in his teenage years. Rising on stage, the boy forgot about his problems, getting used to the image of another character. He attended the school drama circle with pleasure, then became a student of the studio that worked at the Leningrad Theater of Musical Comedy. Having received a diploma from this institution, he declared himself by playing one of the main characters in the musical play Rose Marie. Unfortunately, World War II forced him to forget his profession for several years.
War Years
Smirnov Alexey - an actor who did not like to remember his military past, never boasted of military achievements. Nevertheless, back in 1941, the artist voluntarily went to the front.
His service began as a chemical instructor, after some time Alexei was promoted to commander of a fire platoon. He happened to become a direct participant in many large-scale battles in which the actor miraculously survived. Smirnov was among those soldiers who reached Berlin. At the very end of the war, he received a serious wound and was transported to the front line. Proof of the courage shown by this man while serving in the army can be considered numerous medals and orders awarded to him. Among them is the Order of the Red Star.
Film shooting
After recovering from a wound received at the front, the actor returned to his profession againAlexey Smirnov. The biography of the star of the national cinema shows that at first he tried to succeed in the theatrical field. However, the man had to take care of his mother, who became practically incapacitated after the death of his younger brother. Trying to free up the time that was spent on tour and earn more money, Smirnov switched to filming a movie. Popularity came to him almost immediately.
The directors quickly discovered this man's unique gift for making audiences laugh. He was actively invited to small comedic roles. The audience remembers Smirnov from the film "Operation" Y "and other adventures of Shurik", in which he played the parasite and lazy "Big Man", trying to fight a bespectacled student. Other paintings with his participation made a splash at that time: “Wedding in Malinovka”, “Seven Old Men and One Girl”.
Alexey Smirnov - an actor whose height was 186 cm, the former owner of a smile that captivates the audience. He perfectly suited the images of clumsy muddlers, delinquents. However, this man also succeeded in dramatic characters, as evidenced by the film “Only Old Men Go to Battle,” in which he played the mechanic Makarych.
Private life
Unfortunately, the actor could not start a family, although, according to the memoirs of his contemporaries, he adored children. The shell shock, acquired at the end of the war, “rewarded” him with problems in the male sphere, he could not have children. After leaving the military hospital, he broke off relations with a girl,who became his bride in the pre-war years and was waiting for his return. She found out the real reason for this decision only many years later, Smirnov did not like to share his problems with others.
Several times Alexey tried to build relationships with the opposite sex, but nothing came of it. The man spent his entire life in a communal apartment, sharing it with his mother. He even turned down the opportunity to get housing, taking advantage of his military merit.
Death
The stars of the Soviet cinema died in May 1979. Alexei fell into a state of depression due to the death of a close friend, Leonid Bykov, and became overly addicted to alcohol. The 59-year-old man developed serious he alth problems that eventually landed him in a hospital bed. After being discharged, Smirnov did not comply with medical recommendations. It is believed that the cause of the rupture of the heart, which led to the death of the actor, was a drunk bottle of cognac. The mother survived her son by two years.
A photo of actor Alexei Smirnov can be seen in this article, and the comedic characters played by him are still able to make the audience laugh heartily.
