Among movie lovers today, young actors Nikita and Nikolai Efremov are quite famous. A more sophisticated audience is delighted with the acting of their inimitable father, Honored Artist of the Russian Federation Mikhail Efremov.
Unfortunately, not many young viewers are familiar with the work of the founder of this theatrical dynasty - an actor and director named Efremov Oleg Nikolaevich. Meanwhile, it was thanks to his selfless many years of work that the modern Russian theater has become exactly the way it is known and appreciated.
Oleg Efremov's family
The future artist and director was born in October 1927 in Moscow. The father of the future artist - Nikolai Ivanovich Efremov - worked as an accountant, so he had a rather pedantic character and raised his son in strictness. Mom - Anna Dmitrievna Efremova. Oleg Efremov spent most of his childhood in a communal apartment onArbat.
The "criminal" childhood of the artist
Oleg Nikolayevich had a desire for creativity since childhood. Only at first it manifested itself in the commission of various crimes. The fact is that his father received a referral to work on the construction of a railway near Vorkuta. The work was good, and he took his family with him. But young Efremov, in his free time, made friends with the prisoners who were building the railway, and soon became interested in their "funny craft" and even tried to commit several thefts.
A strict father quickly found out about his son's new hobby and transferred back to Moscow, taking his son out of a bad company.
Passion for theater
Returning to the capital, Oleg Nikolaevich Efremov unexpectedly became interested in theater. And he was not alone, almost all the guys from his yard company “fell ill” with the theater after they began to attend a theater group at the local House of Pioneers. In addition, thanks to his friendship with the son of the legendary author of The Master and Margarita and several other boys - relatives of famous actors, Oleg Efremov soon found himself almost at home in theatrical circles.
After graduating from school, Oleg and all his comrades in the drama club submitted documents to the Moscow Art Theater. But only luck smiled at Efremov, and he entered.
Efremov's studies at the Moscow Art Theater School
Becoming a student, Oleg Nikolaevich Efremov made every effort to master the theater art to perfection.
During his studies, he gets acquainted with Stanislavsky's views on acting, becomes their adherent and remains faithful to them throughout his life. At the same time, the actor sets himself the goal of becoming the chief director of the Moscow Art Theater. After many years, he still achieved it.
Oleg Nikolaevich Efremov at the Central Children's Theater
In 1949, the actor completed his studies at the Studio School. Soon Oleg Nikolaevich Efremov was admitted to the Central Children's Theater. The growth of about one hundred and eighty centimeters and thinness did not prevent him from playing in children's performances and for eight whole years delighting the audience with his acting skills.
The talent of a leader and the ability to put his soul into each character made Efremov a favorite of directors who offered him mainly the main roles. One of the first notable images that Efremov Oleg Nikolaevich embodied (photo below) was Ivanushka in the fairy tale "The Little Humpbacked Horse".
Becoming famous as an artist, the hero of the article became interested in directing. Six years after joining the theater, he made his debut in this role with the production of the play "Invisible Dimka".
Despite the fact that Efremov was treated well in the theater, he soon decided to leave this place of work, as, together with like-minded people, he planned to found a new theater called Sovremennik.
Efremov and Sovremennik
Being an ardent supporter of the idea of developing the modern Russian theater according to the Stanislavsky system, Oleg Nikolaevich Efremov, together with other actors who share his views, founded a new theater- "Contemporary".
Among the founders of Sovremennik were close friends of Efremov: Evgeny Evstigneev, Oleg Tabakov, Igor Kvasha, Galina Volchek and many other progressive-minded actors of that time.
The debut production of the theater was the play "Forever Alive", which instantly gained success with the audience. After her, Sovremennik became one of the most visited theaters in Moscow.
Over the years of work in this theater, Efremov staged many interesting plays. This is the "Naked King" by Schwartz, and "Without a Cross!" based on the work of Tendryakov, and the legendary play "Cyrano de Bergerac", and Chekhov's The Seagull, beloved by the director himself.
Over the years of work at Sovremennik, Oleg Nikolaevich Efremov helped many talented newcomers to form as actors, turning them into co-authors of the play and allowing them to make their own corrections in the roles.
MKhAT - realization of a cherished dream
The party leadership, having appreciated the success of Sovremennik, in 1970 offered the young talent to take on the legendary Moscow Art Theater, which in those years began to noticeably lose ground. Despite the reluctance of the artist and director to leave his offspring, he nevertheless agreed.
However, the reality was not as attractive as student dreams. If in Sovremennik the team of actors was a real family, then in the Moscow Art Theater Efremov found a real terrarium. Pretty soon he realized the reason - there are too many actors who simply physically could not be allare involved in productions and therefore have long been simply "sitting out" for a salary.
Unfortunately, Oleg Nikolaevich did not have the authority to reduce the size of the troupe, so he formed his own troupe from active and supportive actors. Over the years, he managed to lure Kalyagin, Smoktunovsky, Tatyana Doronina and many others to his theater.
Through the efforts of the new leader at the Moscow Art Theater, performances began to be staged at a really high professional level.
Despite Efremov's tremendous success in restoring the former greatness of the Moscow Art Theater, he was never able to cope with the intrigues and division into groups between the theater actors. And in 1987 he split.
The last years of the actor
After the split, Oleg Nikolaevich finally had the opportunity to arrange a new theater in accordance with his convictions. But due to the difficult situation and changes in the value system of society, he was never able to fully implement all his ideas.
In the early nineties, Oleg Nikolaevich Efremov, unexpectedly for many, quite cooled off towards the theater and for all the nineties staged only eight performances. Chekhov's play "Three Sisters" was his last significant production. This production became Yefremov's swan song and one of his best works in a decade.
In recent years, Oleg Nikolaevich Efremov lived alone and was very ill. The cause of death of a famous actor and talented director sounded dry -chronic lung disease. In fact, the disease developed long and painfully. In recent months, Yefremov had to use an oxygen bag to breathe normally. In addition, due to problems with his leg, it was difficult for him to move around. But, despite all these problems, he continued to work in the theater, sparing neither himself nor others.
In April 2000, doctors told him that he could live another six months. Pleased with such a long term, Oleg Nikolayevich planned to stage Cyrano de Bergerac, and was also looking for a successor to take his place in the play Boris Godunov. But fate decreed otherwise, and a month later, in May 2000, he was gone.
Oleg Efremov was buried next to Stanislavsky, whom he revered.
Movie roles
No less than for the theater, he did for the cinema. Since 1955, the actor has starred in more than a hundred films. Eyewitnesses claimed that he could play almost any role with equal success. Efremov was both an artist from “Shine, shine my star”, and the kind doctor Aibolit from the film “Aibolit-66”, and Dolokhov from “War and Peace”, and an investigator in love with the theater from “Beware of the Car”. All his roles were equally good for him.
It is interesting that Oleg Efremov starred with his son Mikhail in the film "When I Become a Giant", when he was still a teenager, and this film glorified Efremov Jr. throughout the USSR.
Oleg Nikolaevich Efremov: personal life
One of the most discussed topics, except for the theater, associated with the name of OlegEfremov, was his relationship with the fair sex.
Despite Efremov's rather unpretentious appearance, women doted on him. And he was also quite an amorous person. Throughout Oleg Nikolayevich's life, novels were attributed to him with various women, mostly actresses, but none of those around knew exactly how true these rumors were.
Oleg Nikolaevich Efremov got married for the first time at twenty-five. Lilia Tolmacheva - that was the name of his chosen one. It is noteworthy that the concurrent wife was the leading actress of his theater. Despite the common passion of the young for art, this union broke up pretty soon. At the same time, the couple behaved with dignity and continued to work together, despite the gap. Lilia Tolmacheva after a long time was one of Efremov's favorite theater actresses.
After a series of fleeting hobbies, Oleg Nikolaevich was able to build the next serious relationship with Irina Mazuruk, an actress and reporter. Despite the fact that this relationship was never formalized, the lovers had a daughter, Nastya. When the girl grew up, she followed in her mother's footsteps and became a theater critic. She named her daughter in honor of her father - Olga. The granddaughter of Oleg Nikolaevich continued the Efremov family tradition and became an actress.
It is widely known that Oleg Nikolaevich Efremov and Anastasia Vertinskaya lived together for some time.
This beautiful and bright couple seemed justideal. Brought up in a we althy and revered family, Anastasia tried with all her might to give Efremov a gloss and teach him to behave accordingly. At the same time, her lover often helped her with advice, as an actress. However, this union did not last long, since Efremov always disappeared in the theater, and Vertinskaya needed attention and care, which he simply could not give her. Disappointed in this relationship, the actress once packed up and left.
The third wife of Efremov was again the actress of Sovremennik - Alla Pokrovskaya.
Their marriage turned out to be the longest, and after the divorce, Oleg Nikolaevich Efremov more than once offered his wife to start all over again, but it did not work out, since at that time she taught theater arts abroad. The couple had a son - the famous and beloved by many viewers actor Mikhail Efremov.
It is noteworthy that two of Mikhail's sons (Nikita and Nikolai) also went down the paternal and grandfather lines and became actors.
During his seventy-two years of life, Oleg Nikolaevich Efremov managed to do an extraordinary amount. Figuratively speaking, if a real man is obliged for his life to plant a tree, raise a son and build a house, then as a true servant of the muse of Melpomene, Efremov created a new theater, founded an acting dynasty and brought up a whole galaxy of wonderful artists.
