Soviet actor Alexander Semenovich Menaker not only occupies a place of honor in the galaxy of famous artists, he is known as the father of two illustrious sons - actor Andrei Mironov and choreographer Kirill Laskari.
Childhood and youth
Alexander was born in the city on the Neva in 1913. His grandfather was known as a famous jeweler, fulfilling orders for the emperor himself. My father was a lawyer. The family occupied an apartment of 6 rooms. They lived merrily, artists often gathered at the Menakers. From an early age, the child heard poems and romances. Sasha early learned to read and write and play the piano. At school, the boy organized a noise orchestra. To play jazz compositions, everything that came to hand was used as instruments. As a teenager, Menaker became interested in theater premieres.
In 1929, Alexander decided to connect his biography with the stage and chose the acting department of the studio of the Leningrad Drama Theater. To get a director's education, a year later he transferred to the College of Performing Arts.
Career
In 1932, a graduate came to Lengorestrada. The main page of his work was the performance of parodies and feuilleton. A year later, the artist accepted the offer of the music hall, his directorial abilities were first realized here. In 1935, the artist headed the Kharkov Jazz Theater. Soon, Menaker returned to the Northern capital and appeared on stage in a duet with Eugenia Fish. 1939 became a turning point in the creative biography of the artist - a creative union was formed with Maria Mironova. The couple gave concerts in the capital's variety theater.
In the war period, Alexander was the author of the program "That's good!" and "Muscovites-countrymen", created the number "Pray for him." The front-line brigades more than once visited the front lines, raised the morale of the Red Army and brightened up the hardships of the war.
In 1946, the duet "Mironova and Menaker" switched to independent performances. Their most famous and warmly received spectators were the works “Moscow Meetings” and “Familiar Portraits”. In addition, the actors involved in the performances of the troupe "Hermitage".
In 1954, Menaker returned to the stage of the capital’s pop theater, this time as a director and director. The artist not only engaged in administrative activities, but also participated in the productions of Talking Letters and Family Matters.
Alexander Semenovich became famous not only for theatrical works, but also for film roles. The most significant milestones of his small filmography can be considered paintings: "Merry Stars" (1954), "Short Stories" (1963) and "Abduction" (1969).
