Oleg Nikolaevich Efremov: photo, personal life, growth, cause of death

Among the fans of cinema, young actors Nikita and Nikolai Efremov are pretty well known today. The 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 creativity of the founder of this theatrical dynasty - an actor and director named Oleg Efremov. And meanwhile, it is thanks to his selfless years of work that the modern Russian theater has become exactly as it is known and appreciated.

Oleg Efremov's family

The future artist and director was born in October 1927 in the city of Moscow. The father of the future artist - Nikolai Ivanovich Efremov - worked as an accountant, therefore he had a rather pedantic character and brought up his son in severity. Mother - Anna Dmitrievna Efremova. Most of his childhood, Oleg Efremov spent in a communal apartment on the Arbat.

"Criminal" childhood of the artist

From the very childhood Oleg Nikolaevich had an aspiration for creativity. Only at first it manifested itself in committing various crimes. The fact is that his father received a referral to work on the construction of a railway near Vorkuta. The work was not bad, and he took his family with him. Only young Efremov, in his free time, made friends with prisoners who were engaged in building a railway, and soon became interested in their "amusing craft" and even tried to commit several thefts.

He was quickly identified by his strict father and moved back to Moscow, taking his son from a bad company.

A passion for theater

Returning to the capital, Oleg Nikolaevich Efremov suddenly became interested in the theater. And not he alone, practically all the guys from his courtyard company "got sick" of the theater after they began attending a theater group at the local House of Pioneers. In addition, thanks to the friendship with the son of the legendary author of "The Master and Margarita" and several other boys - relatives of well-known actors, Oleg Efremov soon found himself practically in the theatrical circles.

After leaving school Oleg and all his comrades in the drama circle submitted documents to the Moscow Art Theater. But only Efremov smiled luck, and he did.

Study of Efremov in the Moscow Art Theater School

Becoming a student, Oleg Nikolaevich Efremov made every effort to master theatrical art in perfection.

While studying, he gets acquainted with the views on the acting skills of Stanislavsky, becomes their adherent and keeps them faithful throughout his life. At the same time, the actor sets a goal - to become the chief director of the Moscow Art Theater. After many years he still achieved this.

Oleg Nikolayevich Efremov in the Central Children's Theater

In 1949, the actor completed his studies at the Studio School. Shortly afterwards, Oleg Nikolaevich Efremov was admitted to the Central Children's Theater. Growth of about one hundred and eighty centimeters and leanness did not prevent him from playing in children's plays and for eight whole years to delight the audience with his acting skills.

The talent of the leader and the ability to invest soul in each character made Efremov a favorite of the directors, who offered him mostly 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".

Having become famous as an artist, the hero of the article became interested in directing. Six years after coming to the theater, he made his debut in this role with the staging of the play "The Invisible Dimka".

Despite the fact that Efremov was treated perfectly in the theater, he soon decided to leave this place of work, as he, along with like-minded people, conceived the idea of establishing a new theater called Sovremennik.

Efremov and Sovremennik

Being an ardent supporter of the idea of the development of the modern Russian theater in the Stanislavsky system, Oleg Nikolaevich Efremov, along with other actors sharing his views, founded a new theater called Sovremennik.

Among the founders of "Contemporary" were close friends of Efremov: Evgeni Evstigneev, Oleg Tabakov, Igor Kvasha, Galina Volchek and many other progressive-minded actors of the time. The debut staging of the theater was the play "Forever Alive", which instantly gained success with the audience. After it, "Contemporary" became one of the most visited theaters in Moscow.

Over the years of work in this theater, Efremov has staged many interesting plays. This is the "Naked King" of Schwartz, and "Without a Cross!" Based on the work of Tendryakov, and the legendary play "Cyrano de Bergerac", and Chekhov's "Chaika", beloved by the director himself.

Over the years of his work in Sovremennik, Oleg Nikolaevich Efremov helped to form as actors many talented newcomers, turning them into co-authors of the play and allowing him to make his own corrections in the role.

Moscow Art Theater - the realization of the cherished dream

The party leadership, evaluating the success of the Contemporary, proposed in 1970 a young talent to take on the legendary Moscow Art Theater, which in those years began to noticeably surrender their positions. Despite the reluctance of the artist and director to leave his offspring, he still agreed.

However, reality was not as attractive as student's dreams. If in the "Contemporary" the team of actors was a real family, then in the Moscow Art Theater Efremov found a real terrarium. Pretty soon he understood the reason - too many actors who simply could not physically be all involved in the productions and therefore long ago simply "sat out" for their wages.

Unfortunately, Oleg Nikolaevich did not have the authority to reduce the size of the troupe, so he formed his troupe inside of active and afflicted actors. Over the years he managed to entice Kalyagin, Smoktunovsky, Tatyana Doronin and many others into his theater. Through the efforts of the new leader, performances were started at the Moscow Art Theater at a really high professional level.

Despite Efremov's grandiose success in restoring the former greatness of the Moscow Art Academic Theater, he was never able to cope with intrigues and division into factions among 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 according to his convictions. But because of the difficult situation and changes in the system of values of society, he could not fully implement all his ideas. In the early nineties Oleg Nikolaevich Efremov unexpectedly for many quite cooled to the theater and for all the nineties he staged only eight performances. His last significant production was Chekhov's play Three Sisters. This production was Efremov's swan song and one of his best works of the decade.

In recent years, lived alone and strongly sick Oleg Nikolaevich Efremov. The reason for the death of a famous actor and a talented director was a dry, protracted lung disease. In fact, the disease developed long and painfully. In recent months, Efremov had to use an oxygen pillow to breathe normally. In addition, because of problems with the leg, it was difficult for him to move about. But, despite all these problems, he continued to work in the theater, not regretting himself or others.

In April 2000, the doctors told him that he could live another six months. Pleased with such a long time, Oleg Nikolaevich planned to put "Cyrano de Bergerac", and also looked for the receiver in his place in the play "Boris Godunov". But fate decreed otherwise, and a month later, in May 2000, he was no more.

Oleg Efremov was buried alongside Stanislavsky, revered by him.

Roles in the cinema

No less than for the theater, he did for the cinema. Since 1955, the actor has starred in more than one hundred films. Eyewitnesses claimed that he could play almost any role with equal success. Efremov was also an artist from "Burn, Burn My Star", and a good Dr. Aybolit from the film "Aibolit-66", and Dolokhov from War and Peace, and in love with the theater by an investigator from "Watch Out for a Car". All his roles were equally good for him.

It's interesting that Oleg Yefremov 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. for the whole of the USSR.

Oleg Nikolaevich Efremov: personal life

One of the most discussed topics, apart from the theater, associated with the name of Oleg Efremov, was his relationship with the beautiful sex.

Despite the rather unpretentious appearance of Efremov, women in him did not like the soul. And he himself was also quite an amorous man. Throughout the life of Oleg Nikolayevich, he was credited with novels with different women, mostly actresses, but none of those around knew exactly how truthful these rumors were.

For the first time Oleg Nikolaevich Efremov married twenty-five. Lilia Tolmacheva - that was the name of his chosen one. It is noteworthy that her husband was part of the leading actress of his theater. Despite the young people's common passion for art, this union soon disintegrated. At the same time, the spouses behaved themselves and continued to work together, despite the gap. Lilia Tolmacheva after a long time was one of the favorite theatrical actresses Efremova.

After a series of fleeting hobbies, Oleg Nikolaevich was able to build the next serious relationship with Irina Mazuruk, an actress and a reporter. Despite the fact that this connection was not officially formalized, Nastya's daughter was born to the lovers. When the girl grew up, she went on the maternal footsteps and became a theatrical critic. Her daughter was named after her father - Olga. The granddaughter of Oleg Nikolaevich continued the family tradition of the Ephraim and became an actress.

It is widely known that for a while Oleg Efremov and Vertinskaya Anastasia lived together. This beautiful and bright couple seemed just perfect. Raised in a wealthy and revered family, Anastasia tried all possible to give Efremov gloss and teach him to keep accordingly. In this case, the lover often helped her with advice, as an actress. However, this alliance 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 these relations, the actress once collected things and left.

The third wife of Efremova was again the actress "Contemporary" - Alla Pokrovskaya. Their marriage was the longest, and after the divorce, Oleg Nikolaevich Efremov repeatedly asked his wife to start all over again, but it did not work out, because at that time she taught theater art abroad. The couple had a son - the famous and beloved by many viewers, the actor Mikhail Efremov. It is noteworthy that the two sons of Mikhail (Nikita and Nikolai) also went along the paternal and grandfather line and became actors.

During his seventy-two years of life Oleg Nikolaevich Efremov managed to do an unusually lot. Figuratively speaking, if a real man for life is obliged to plant a tree, raise a son and build a house, then as a true servant of the muse Melpomene Efremov created a new theater, founded an acting dynasty and educated a whole galaxy of wonderful artists.