Mikhail Rumyantsev - the famous Soviet circus artist, clown Pencil, film actor. People's and Honored Artist of the RSFSR and the USSR was awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor, was awarded the orders of Lein, the Red Banner of Labor, several medals.
Millions of viewers knew Mikhail Nikolayevich Rumyantsev as the clown Pencil. His biography began on November 27 (December 10) in a family of workers. He was born in St. Petersburg in 1901.
Road to destination
From early childhood, the child painted beautifully. In 1914 he became a student of the school of the Society for the Promotion of the Arts. During the Civil War, the guy drew posters for the cinema. Later, he himself did all the props for his circus performances.
In 1922 he moved to Staritsa. There, Rumyantsev began to write posters for the city theater. Since 1925 he remained working in Tver after completing a tour of the old man’s theater there. However, in the same year he moved to Moscow. He worked in the cinema "Screen of Life" as an artist, created posters.
In 1926, Mikhail decided to become a film artist. He entered the courses of the stage movement, then he received education in the class of acrobatic eccentric, where he studied circus art. In 1930, after completing his studies, Rumyantsev worked in the circuses of Kazan, Smolensk, and Stalingrad.
In the image of Charlie Chaplin, he began to appear in front of the public since 1928. He decided to refuse it in 1932. He set about creating the author's version. The pseudonym was the name of the French cartoonist Caran d'Ache. The adult became a hero of the clown, in which children's spontaneity and cheerfulness were preserved.
Such an interpretation made all the tricks comical and gave credibility to the scenes. At the same time, work was underway on the stage appearance, manner of behavior, costume. The pencil took part in the numbers of jugglers, gymnasts, acrobats, trainers. In 1936 he was transferred to the capital's circus. The new artist was warmly received by the public.
In 1938, the film debut took place. Rumyantsev played in the films "Fun Artists", "New Moscow". The following year, he appeared in "Girl with Character" and "High Award."
Movie Activities
In the second half of the thirties, the clown acquired a stage assistant, a small scotch terrier named Blot. The name was given by the spouse, whom the little puppy on the carpet seemed a blot from ink. The first puppy appeared by chance. Mikhail Nikolayevich came to the station, leaving for the evacuation to Omsk with a dog.
In 1942, the performer joined the special artistic brigade, which went to the front. Since 1946, he often became the head of clown groups. From the forties, Rumyantsev attracted assistant students to performances. Among them were the then famous Nikulin and Shuydin.
With his appearance, the clown saved the most disastrous programs. He was conscientious about the profession. The artist demanded the same attitude from illuminators, uniformists, and his assistants. In cinema, the artist usually played himself in comedy films, almanacs, clownery, and film performances.
With his participation, the films "The Confident Pencil", "Two Smiles", "Parade Alla" were released. The famous clown took part in several documentaries. Among the artist’s films, the 1944 film novel Ivan Nikulin is a Russian Sailor stands apart. In it, the pencil played the Italian.
According to the plot, the Black Sea inhabitants Ivan Nikulin and Vasily Klevtsov are returning to the crews in the summer of 1942. The path of the train is blocked by the landing of the enemy. The enemy received a crushing rebuff from the Red Navy, but then the sailors had to follow their own course. The sailors create a partisan detachment. Nikulin becomes his commander. The planned path becomes heroic.
The memory of the artist
Often his image was used in Soviet animation. A striking example is the 1954 animated film "Pencil and Blot - Funny Hunters." The famous artist became the author of two books. He wrote "In the Arena of the Soviet Circus", published in 1954 under his real name. The pencil appeared in the authors of the work "What the clown laughs at", published in 1987.
The actor worked until the last days. Total circus was given over half a century. There were legends about jokes and reprises of a clown. He never crossed borders, feeling them amazingly precisely. Nothing extra went beyond never sounded in cues, did not appear in the plots.
The great artist died on the last March day of 1983. In memory of him, a memorial plaque is installed on the house in which Rumyantsev lived for the last ten years.
A bronze composition appeared near the building of the Russian Union of Circus Figures. The sculpture is called "Pencil and his dog Blot." A full-length clown with a well-recognized hat is made. At his feet sits a black furry scotch terrier.
A similar monument stands in front of the state circus building in Gomel. Since 1987, the name of the artist has been the State Metropolitan College of Circus and Variety Arts.
