Yevgeny Yevstigneev

Yevgeny Aleksandrovich Yevstigneyev (russian: Евгений Александрович Евстигнеев; 9 October 1926 — 4 March 1992) was a prominent Soviet and Russian stage and film actor, theatre pedagogue, one of the founders of the Moscow Sovremennik Theatre. He was named People's Artist of the USSR in 1983 and awarded the USSR State Prize in 1974.

Early years

Yevgeny Yevstigneyev was born on 9 October 1926 in Nizhny Novgorod, Russian SFSR (modern day Nizhny Novgorod Oblast of Russia) into a poor working-class family and spent his childhood at the outskirts in the Volodarsky village.''Yevgeny Yevstigneyev and a collective of authors (2017)''
I'm Alive...
— Moscow: AST, 288 pages He was a late child of Maria Ivanovna Yevstigneyeva (née Chernishova), a milling machine operator, and a metallurgist Aleksandr Mikhailovich Yevstigneyev who was twenty years older than her and who died when Yevgeny was six years old. Maria Ivanovna married another man who died when Yevgeny turned seventeen.

During that period Yevgeny became interested in jazz and started playing drums with a jazz band that performed in cinemas. There he was noticed by the director of the Gorky Theatre School (known as Y. A. Yevstigneyev Theatre School of Nizhny Novgorod today) who invited him to join. Yevgeny passed the entering exams in 1947 and graduated in 1951.

Career

He became an actor of the Vladimir Regional Drama Theatre where he served from 1951 to 1954. He quickly rose to fame as the most talented and versatile actor of Vladimir, performing 23 roles in total. In 1954 a Moscow Art Theatre actor Mikhail Zimin who had previously studied with Yevstigneyev returned for him and asked to join the Nemirovich-Danchenko School-Studio at MKhAT.

In 1957 a number of young MAT actors including Yevgeny Yevstigneyev and his close friend Oleg Yefremov founded the Sovremennik Theatre where he served till 1970. The role of the king in Evgeny Schwartz's play ''Naked King'' which was staged in 1960 by Yefremov became his most recognized stage role since. Soon he performed in the leading role of a Young Pioneer camp administrator in the comedy movie ''Welcome, or No Trespassing''. It turned a big hit and gave a great push to his successful movie career which lasted for 35 years and resulted in over 100 roles.Heart of a Dog''.

In 1970 Oleg Yefremov was appointed the main director of the Moscow Art Theatre and left Sovremennik. Yevstigneyev followed him along with some other actors, although, according to his colleague Igor Kvasha, he was against this move and tried to convince everyone to stay at Sovremennik. He performed in MAT up until 1988. From 1976 to 1986 he also taught acting at the Moscow Art Theatre School, becoming a professor in 1977.

Last years

During the late 1980s he started experiencing heart problems and survived a heart attack. In 1988 he asked Yefremov not to give him additional roles. Yefremov then suggested him to retire. This deeply hurt Yevstigneyev's feelings and he left the theatre. During 1990-1992 he performed in several plays in combination companies. He also starred in an epic historical mini-series ''Yermak'' (released posthumously in 1996) as Ivan the Terrible which became his last role.

In 1991 Nikolai Gubenko, at the time a Soviet Ministry of Culture, contacted a famous British cardiologist Thomas Lewis and sent Yevstigneyev and his wife to London. After an examination Lewis told Yevstigneyev that he would perform a surgery, but the actor had no chances. This greatly affected Yevstigneyev, and in five minutes he survived another heart attack which led to coma and his death in several hours.

Yevgeny Yevstigneyev was transported back to Moscow and buried at the Novodevichy Cemetery. He was survived by his third wife, an actress Irina Tsivina (born 1963), his son from the first marriage to Galina Volchek — a prominent Russian film director and cinematographer Denis Yevstigneyev (born 1961), and a daughter from his second marriage to an actress Lilia Yevstigneyeva — Maria Selyanskaya (born 1968) who performs at the Sovremennik Theatre.Yevgeny Yevstigneyev's daughter: "I think my parents should've divorced"
at Story Caravan Collection, September 2013 (in Russian)

Selected filmography

* ''Duel'' (''russian: Дуэль'', 1957) as Captain Peterson
* ''Ballad of a Soldier'' (''Баллада о солдате'', 1959) as a truck driver
* ''Tri rasskaza Chekhova'' (1960) as The Painter (segment "Anyuta")
* ''Lyubushka'' (1961) as Filipp Akimovich
* ''V trudnyy chas'' (1961)
* '' Man Follows the Sun'' (''Человек идёт за солнцем'', 1962) as Nikolai, motorcycle racer
* '' Nine Days in One Year'' (''Девять дней одного года'', 1962) as Nikolai Ivanovich
* ''Molodo-zeleno'' (1962) as Vasiliy Zhokhov
* '' Nevermore'' (1962) as Aleksandr Aleksin - novyy direktor sudostroitelnogo zavoda
* '' Strictly Business'' (''Деловые люди'', 1962) as Citizen (voice)
* ''They Conquer the Skies'' (1963) as Head Constructor Ivan Sergeyevich
* ''Sotrudnik ChK'' (1964)
* ''Welcome, or No Trespassing'' (''Добро пожаловать, или Посторонним вход воспрещён'', 1964) as Dynin
* ''Khotite - verte, khotite - net...'' (1964)
* ''Verte mne, lyudi'' (1965) as Kostyukov - tatuirovannyy
* '' Faithfulness'' (1965) as Ivan Terentievich
* ''Znoynyy iyul'' (1965)
* ''The Hyperboloid of Engineer Garin'' (''Гиперболоид инженера Гарина'', 1965) as an engineer Pyotr Garin
* ''The Bridge Is Built'' (1966) as Sinajsky
* '' Beware of the Car'' (''Берегись автомобиля'', 1966) as a theatre director
* '' Wings'' (''Крылья'', 1966) as Misha
* ''The Ugly Story'' (''Скверный анекдот'', 1966) as Pralinsky
* '' Older Sister'' (''Старшая сестра'', 1967) as Ogorodnikov
* '' Stewardess'' (''Стюардесса'', 1967, TV Movie) as a drunken passenger
* ''Oni zhivut ryadom'' (1968) as Danilov
* ''The Little Golden Calf'' (''Золотой телёнок'', 1968) as Alexander Koreiko
* ''Just a life – the story of Fridtjof Nansen'' (1968) as Tsjitsjerin
* '' Zigzag of Success'' (''Зигзаг удачи'', 1968) as Ivan Kalachev
* ''Eto bylo v razvedke'' (1969) as Photographer
* ''Svoy'' (1969)
* ''Obvinyayutsya v ubiystve'' (1969) as Spiridonov
* ''Staryy dom'' (1970)
* ''Kamurjner moratsutyan vrayov'' (1970) as Man with nails
* '' Tchaikovsky'' (''Чайковский'', 1970) as Herman Laroche
* ''Strannye lyudi'' (1970) - (segment "Bratka")
* ''Moya sudba'' (1970)
* '' The Flight'' (''Бег'', 1970) as Paramon Korzukhin
* '' All The King's Men'' (''Вся королевская рать'', 1971, TV Mini-Series) as Larson
* ''Khod beloy korolevy'' (1972) as Dryzhik
* '' Property of the Republic'' (''Достояние республики'', 1972) as Carl Genrikhovich Vitol
* ''Grandads-Robbers'' (''Старики-разбойники'', 1972) as Valentin Vorobyov
* '' Fitil'' (''Фитиль'', 1972, TV Series) as a drunkard
* '' Commander of the Lucky Pike'' (''Командир счастливой «Щуки»'', 1972) as Stepan Lukich
* ''Dacha'' (1973) as Fyodor
* '' Seventeen Moments of Spring'' (''Семнадцать мгновений весны'', 1973, TV Mini-Series) as Professor Pleischner
* '' Privalov's Millions'' (''Приваловские миллионы'', 1973) as Ivan Yakovlevich
* ''Neylon 100%'' (1973) as Dentist
* ''Unbelievable Adventures of Italians in Russia'' (''Невероятные приключения итальянцев в России'', 1974) as a lame Italian
* ''Zhrebiy'' (1974) as Professor
* ''Yeshchyo mozhno uspet'' (1974) as Seglin
* ''Vkus khalvy'' (1975) as Vizir
* ''Na yasnyy ogon'' (1976) as Piramidov
* ''Potryasayushchiy Berendeev'' (1976) as otets Berendeeva
* '' Fitil'' (''Фитиль'', 1976) as an official
* ''Legenda o Tile'' (1977) as Priest
* ''Wounded Game'' (''Подранки'', 1977) as a watchman
* ''Story of an Unknown Actor'' (1977) as Pavel Goryayev
* '' The Nose'' (''Нос'', 1977, TV Movie) as an official at the post office
* '' About the Little Red Riding Hood'' (''Про Красную Шапочку'', 1977, TV Movie) as an astrologer
* '' Family Circumstances'' (''По семейным обстоятельствам'', 1978) as Nikolai Pavlovich
* ''Krov i pot'' (1978) as General Chernov
* '' The Meeting Place Cannot Be Changed'' (''Место встречи изменить нельзя'', 1979, TV Mini-Series) as Ruchechnik
* ''Primite telegrammu v dolg'' (1979) as Sashen'ka's father
* '' Do Not Part with Your Beloved'' (''С любимыми не расставайтесь'', 1980) as Homak
* '' The Old New Year'' (''Cтаpый Нoвый гoд'', 1981) as Ivan Adamych
* ''Chyornaya kuritsa, ili Podzemnye zhiteli'' (1981) as Batyushka
* ''Rozhdyonnye burey'' (1981) as polkovnik Heise
* '' Waiting for Love'' (''Любимая женщина механика Гаврилова'', 1982) as Rita's uncle
* '' I Still Love, I Still Hope'' (''Ещё люблю, ещё надеюсь'', 1983) as Vasiliy Vasilyevich
* '' We Are from Jazz'' (''Мы из джаза'', 1983) as Papa
* ''Demidovs'' (''Демидовы'', 1984) as Nikita Antufiev-Demidov
* '' And Life, and Tears, and Love'' (1984) as Stepanych
* ''Skazki starogo volshebnika'' (1985) as New king
* '' I Still Love, I Still Hope'' (1985) as Vasiliy Vasilyevich
* ''Man with an Accordion'' (1985) as Ivan Lopatin
* '' Winter Evening in Gagra'' (''Зимний вечер в Гаграх'', 1985) as Aleksey Ivanovich Beglov
* ''Dzhek Vosmyorkin, amerikanets'' (1986) as Admiral Katsaurov
* '' The Pathfinder'' (1987) as Sahen
* '' She with a Broom, He in a Black Hat'' (''Она с метлой, он в чёрной шляпе'', 1987) as Raven (voice)
* '' Gardemarines ahead!'' (''Гардемарины, вперёд!'', 1988, TV Mini-Series) as Alexey Bestuzhev-Ryumin
* ''Moonzund'' (''Моонзунд'', 1988) as Nikolai Essen
* ''Zerograd'' (''Город Зеро'', 1988) as a museum curator
* '' Heart of a Dog'' (''Собачье сердце'', 1988, TV Movie) as Professor Philip Philipovich Preobrazhensky
* ''Tree Sticks!'' (''Ёлки-палки!'', 1988) as Yuri Viktorovich
* '' New Adventures of a Yankee in King Arthur's Court'' (''Новые приключения янки при дворе короля Артура'', 1988) as an archbishop
* ''The Feasts of Belshazzar, or a Night with Stalin'' (''Пиры Валтасара, или Ночь со Сталиным'', 1989) as Mikhail Kalinin
* ''Kanuvshee vremya'' (1989)
* ''Bindyuzhnik i korol'' (1989) as Nikifor
* ''Yama'' (1990)
* ''Shapka'' (1990) as Konstantin Baranov
* ''Desyat let bez prava perepiski'' (1990)
* ''His Nickname Is Beast'' (1990) as The Old Convict
* '' Sons of Bitches'' (''Сукины дети'', 1991) as Andrey Ivanovich Nanaytsev
* '' Viva Gardes-Marines!'' (''Виват, гардемарины!'', 1991) as Alexey Bestuzhev-Ryumin
* ''Nochnye zabavy'' (1991) as Andryushenko, saxophonist
* ''The Voice in the Wilderness'' (1991) as Hangman
* ''Lavka Rubinchik i...'' (1992)
* ''Kak zhivyote, karasi?'' (1992) as Karas'-emigrant
* ''Gardes-Marines III'' (''Гардемарины-III'', 1992) as Alexey Bestuzhev-Ryumin
* '' Dreams of Russia'' (''Сны о России'', 1992) as Bush, the court gardener
* ''Yermak'' (Ермак, 1996, TV Mini-Series) as Ivan the Terrible (voiced by Sergei Artsibashev) (final appearance)

References

External links

*
Yevgeny Yevstigneyev
at the Moscow Art Theatre website
Biography of Yevgeny Yevstigneyev

Yevstigneyev Yevgeny Aleksandrovich


Слёзы и любовь Евгения Евстигнеева

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yevstigneyev, Yevgeniy
1926 births
1992 deaths
20th-century Russian male actors
Actors from Nizhny Novgorod
Communist Party of the Soviet Union members
High Courses for Scriptwriters and Film Directors faculty
Moscow Art Theatre School alumni
Moscow Art Theatre School faculty
Honored Artists of the RSFSR
People's Artists of the RSFSR
People's Artists of the USSR
Recipients of the Order of Lenin
Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour
Recipients of the USSR State Prize
Recipients of the Vasilyev Brothers State Prize of the RSFSR
Russian male film actors
Russian male stage actors
Russian male voice actors
Soviet male film actors
Soviet male stage actors
Soviet male voice actors
Burials at Novodevichy Cemetery