Evgeny Milaev was born on February 22, 1910. Place of birth - Tiflis (present-day Tbilisi). Russian by nationality.
Childhood and youth
Childhood and youth passed in Rostov-on-Don, where the family moved some time after his birth. It was in this city that he took his first steps in life. There, Eugene went to school, there for the first time he visited the circus, which later became the work of his life. Acquaintance with the circus was initiated by the mother of Evgeny Timofeevich, who was a housekeeper in one of the shelters in Rostov-on-Don. She often took her son with her when she attended mass events with orphanage children. The boy was delighted with the sparkling and iridescent circus performance. It was then that he had a dream to become a circus artist.
Singer or circus performer…
Eugene is the eldest child in the family. He had two younger brothers and a sister. The father, being the soloist of the railroad choir, always dreamed that his eldest son would become a singer and achieve great success in this field. Therefore, from an early age, Zhenya went with his dad to practice vocals, and gradually the teachers realized that the boyreally have the ability. Zhenya became the soloist of the choir, everyone prophesied that he would have a successful career as a singer. But one day he caught a bad cold and lost his voice. A month later, the vocal cords were restored, but not enough to sing again in full force. So, by the will of fate, Evgeny Milaev lost the opportunity to build a career as a vocalist. He was not very upset about this, because it was rather the desire of his father, and not his own. Zhenya still dreamed of the circus.
First performances
In his youth, he began to devote a lot of time to sports. Since 1928, Milaev has been attending a sports and circus studio at the Railwaymen's Palace of Culture, where he later worked in the Acrobatic Etude room. When the young man, along with his father, began to work in a shoe factory, he became the star of the acrobatic section of the Leatherworkers' Club. He had his own group of three acrobats, with whom they performed the most difficult tricks by the standards of that time. Moreover, Evgeny Timofeevich, having a very strong physique, always stood in the bottom row, providing support for the rest.
Together with his partners, Evgeny Milaev participates in 1926 in the review of the best numbers that were created in workers' clubs. Not really hoping for success, novice artists were extremely surprised when they received excellent marks from the jury. They were even offered to perform in a circus program, but three friends, believing that they still did not have enough experience, refused.
Dispersing into different teams, the partners stopped working together for a while. Therefore, Milaev's debut in the circus arena took place inas part of a duet with Peter Mazanov. This happened in 1929. The artists performed a number on the rings. Already married, Evgeny Timofeevich "infected" his young wife, who had previously worked as a seamstress, with a love for the circus. For the young slender Natalya, the circus also found a job.
Success
After some time (about a year) Milaev again meets his former partners Minasov and Ozerov, with whom they later created the acrobatic team "4-ZhAK". The numbers they showed were very bright, so the group became popular. However, it did not last too long, namely 4 years. Having quarreled with each other, none of the partners wanted to give in, and the team broke up. With the departure of old friends, Eugene did not stop performing. He recruited new partners, with whom he worked together for another five years.
The next step in Milayev's development as an artist was the creation of tricks with perches, which were demonstrated as part of a new team since 1935 in many circuses. His wife also participated in his numbers.
Tragedy
Throughout the war Milaev Evgeny Timofeevich traveled around the country with his group, raising the spirit of the fighters in rare moments of calm on the battlefield. When the war ended, the Milayevs decided to abandon their nomadic life and settle in Moscow. They really wanted children, and when in 1947 they found out that Natalya was pregnant, and even with twins, they were very happy. But the birth turned into a tragedy. Milayev's wife, having given birth to a boy and a girl, could not survive on her own. She died the day after giving birth from blood poisoning.
A heartbroken widower gives his newborn son and daughter to the care of his parents in Rostov-on-Don. He named the boy Alexander, and the girl in honor of his deceased wife Natalya. To forget himself, Evgeny Milaev worked day and night. At that time, he performed in the circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard with the already well-known number "Equilibrists on Persians." Within a short period of time, together with a group of five people, he prepared a new number "Equilibrists on the Stairs", which was a stunning success with the audience. Also, Evgeny Timofeevich often went to the arena in the role of a clown.
Meeting with Galina Brezhneva
At the time of the meeting with Milayev, Leonid Brezhnev's daughter was 22 years old, and Yevgeny himself was already 41. Having once come to a circus performance with his daughter, the powerful father could not even imagine that it was there that Galya would meet her only true love own life. Galina at that time studied in Chisinau as a philologist, but devoted most of her time not to studying, but to numerous parties with friends. Having received an invitation from her father to go to the circus, she agreed. Milaev on that very day not only participated in his signature numbers, but also performed with a clown program. During another joke, he blew up a cracker right under the ear of Galina, who was sitting in the front row. She screamed loudly, which attracted the attention of the entire hall. But this did not bother her anymore: Galya at first sight liked the attractive andathletic performer. Eugene also liked the beautiful and smartly dressed girl. Further, their relationship developed at lightning speed. They got married very quickly, and in 1952 they had a daughter, who was named after her grandmother, Victoria.
I must say that Leonid Ilyich was on very good terms with his son-in-law. He understood that the explosive nature of his daughter could only be tamed by a strong-willed man with iron nerves and a steel character. And Yevgeny Milaev, whose biography, after meeting with Galina Brezhneva, made a new round, turned out to be just that.
Family life
Father's joy knew no bounds when Galya, with her difficult character, became an ideal wife, a busy housewife and a caring mother for three children for more than 10 years. Yes, yes, exactly three, because Evgeny Timofeevich took the children from his first marriage from his parents, who began to live with his new family. As Alexander and Natalya themselves admit, Galina Brezhneva became a wonderful mother for them, whom they still remember with warmth in their souls. Galina even began to go on tour with her husband. In the circus, she was accepted as a costume designer, and, I must say, she honestly performed all her duties, despite the presence of a powerful dad.
But happiness was not destined to last too long. Milaev Evgeny Timofeevich was a prominent man, and even a creative profession has always been conducive to flirting. He often flirted with young actresses, and Galina, like any woman, it was veryunpleasant. And then one day, when she saw her husband flirting with another young lady, she broke loose. There was not a drop left of humility. The Galina Brezhneva who was before the meeting with Milaev returned again: frantic, rebellious. She made a terrible scandal. However, self-confident Milaev was in no hurry to fall to his knees and ask for forgiveness. This broke the fragile barrier that kept Galina's crazy nature in check. She filed for divorce and drove off to a resort with a new lover, aspiring illusionist Igor Kio. Milaev was in shock, he certainly did not expect such a turn of events. With the help of his father-in-law, the fugitives were found, Eugene even forgave his unfaithful wife, but the former Galina could no longer be returned. After breaking up with Galina Brezhneva, Milayev never married again.
Career
It should be noted that after marrying Galina Brezhneva, Yevgeny Milaev (see photo in the article) began to perform less often in the arena, more often aspired to leadership positions. So, in 1977, not to please many members of the management of the Soyuzgostsirk, he became the director of the Great Moscow Circus on Vernadsky Avenue. However, no matter what anyone thought, it was the former son-in-law of Brezhnev himself, whom no one dared to contradict.
December 20, 1979 Milaev was awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor. The next step in his career was to be appointed director of the Soyuz State Circus, but this did not happen. The tragedy that happened to the former father-in-law (despite the divorce, the relationship between Brezhnev and Milaev remained very warm) did not allow thiscome true. During a visit to the aviation plant in Tashkent, a beam fell on Brezhnev, he was seriously injured. He alth was severely undermined, and soon the Secretary General died. Milaev lost his powerful patron.
Evgeny Milaev and his children
In 1980, at the arena of the circus, which he led, Evgeny Timofeevich solemnly handed over the performance to his son Alexander, who had been participating in performances since the age of seven. He still works in the circus, supervising the performance of many tricks by Yevgeny Milaev. Daughter Natalia also continues the work begun by the famous dad. Both son and daughter are tinned artists of the RSFSR. For some time, the brother and sister lived with their families in the United States. Now back to Moscow.
Yevgeny Milaev, whose personal life is connected with the name of the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU, did not expect that his common daughter with Galina Brezhneva would have such a controversial fate. She fell in love more than once, but she did not know happiness with any of the chosen ones, all the time choosing the wrong ones. All her men, as a rule, used her without giving anything in return. Through the fault of one of these womanizers, she lost her apartment on Tolstoy Street and two elite dachas in the Moscow region. Her only daughter Galya spent a long time in a psychiatric hospital. The reasons why the mother does not participate at all in the fate of her daughter are incomprehensible to anyone. Now Victoria is in another marriage.
Milaev Evgeny Timofeevich himself, whose cause of death was not announced in wide circles, died on September 7, 1983. As his relatives said, he somehow faded away. Quickly turned from a mighty hero like an oak into a weak onehuman he alth.
