Connoisseurs of Soviet films undoubtedly know this "actor of one role." Valentin Popov became famous after showing the film "Outpost Ilyich." He never starred in feature films again.
Biography
Valentin Vasilievich was born on May 30, 1936 in Moscow. He was from an ordinary working family, after school he even worked a little at the factory. Not far from his place of residence was ZiL Palace of Culture, in which then a very good folk theater functioned. It was here that Valentin Popov proved himself. The roles he often got romantic (appearance also contributed to this), and he also moved well and possessed fencing skills.
Acting science comprehended with V. Vysotsky, G. Epifantsev and V. Nikulin at the Moscow Art Theater School-Studio, this was the course of P. Massalsky. That is why you can still find at least some autobiographical information about him in the references of Vysotsky's biographers.
Valentin Popov, Vladimir Vysotsky, Valentin Nikulin, Gennady Porter while studying.
Fellow students described Valentine as a person of an independent, not particularly loving company. But he always participated in skits, and as a partner he was distinguished by neatness and compliance.
He participated in productions of Sovremennik and the Malaya Bronnaya Theater. But the actor’s career did not work out, so Valentin Popov decided to change direction and started directing. He received education in this profile at VGIK, which he graduated in 1969.
"Outpost of Ilyich"
The fate of the film, which brought Popov fame, can not be called simple. The film was ready back in 1959, but the Goskino commission did not like it, and it was not allowed to rent. According to some reports, the inactivity of the actors did not appeal to N. Khrushchev, who ordered to cut individual scenes and re-shoot them. While the tape was redrawn, Khrushchev left his post. The director had to delete already those scenes that gave references precisely to his figure. The director’s idea in its original form, viewers saw only in the 80s, when “Ilyich’s Outpost” was shown in the Cinema House.
The film director M. Khutsiev noticed Popov at the ZiL Folk Theater. I wanted to take him to the cast for Spring on Zarechnaya Street, but it didn’t work out. Choosing actors for the Outpost, I remembered Valentin Popov and approved him for the role of Sergey Zhuravlev.
Popov, Lyubshin and Gubenko. "Outpost Ilyich."
Only five years later, the film “I am Twenty Years” was released - the so-called redone “Ilyich’s Outpost” was called. Later the tape will be called one of the symbols of the "thaw" era - about the life of young people in the Soviet Union after the 20th Party Congress.
The film was included in the program of the Venice Festival, where it was a great success. He was awarded a prize from the magazine "Cinema nuovo", and Valentin Vasilievich was awarded a special prize. Despite the success, Valentin Popov did not begin to associate his future career with acting. It was difficult for him to make "acquaintances" necessary for the actor. Anyway, he did not tolerate dependence on another person, so he switched to directing. As an actor, he can be seen in the short film "Turindyka", released in 1973.
Directorial activity
In the new field, too, not everything was smooth. The scripts of Popov (those that he considered worthwhile) were very difficult to pass the approval of various commissions. He did not want to take off hack. Because the work he ultimately was removed a little. “Shadowboxing, ” “Have you not seen Petka?”, “In a new place” and the unfinished “Date with youth” - this is the whole list. The painting "Shadow Boxing", shot in 1972, is recognized as the best picture.
Poster of the film "Shadow Boxing".
Removing the tape "In a new place", Popov survived a heart attack. Then in 1982 a stroke. Health was weakened, he was given a third group of disability. The work of the director had to leave. Valentin Vasilievich at that time was writing scripts for cinema ("In the Lazorev Steppe") and theatrical productions. After the second heart attack in December 1991, Valentin Popov died. The director was buried at the Troekurovsky cemetery in Moscow.
