Actor Leonid Kulagin: biography and filmography

Great actor, screenwriter and talented director. All this is about one person - Kulagin Leonid Nikolaevich (07.06.1940). The native city of the actor is Kirensk - a small Siberian city, located on the banks of the Lena River. When the boy was six, the family moved to his father's homeland - in Gorky.

As it turns out, Leonid Nikolayevich all childhood felt the presence of mighty rivers - Lena and Volga - in their lives. Since the names of the rivers are female, women have always accompanied him. Leonid Kulagin always found support and support in women, and he loved his life and considered them his faithful friends.

The first steps in the theater

How did Leonid Kulagin start his career? The actor's story tells that his father brought him to the theater when he worked there as an electrician. After the lessons the boy went to his father, walked behind the scenes and could watch all the productions. In the same theater, the future famous actor first appeared on the stage in the play "Young Guard". But the father left the theater, and the boy was no longer allowed into the backstage that was so fond of him.

Shortly thereafter, Leonid became friends with a drummer from the opera house, who lived with him in the same yard. So he got to the opera house, where he learned almost all the arias and sang well.

At the end of the school before the young talent came the choice - the opera or the theater. But, soberly assessing his opportunities, he made a choice in favor of the studio at the Academic Drama Theater. M. Gorky. After completing his studies, Kulagin remained in the drama theater as an actor.

Leonid Kulagin: personal life

The first love was forced to leave the native land of the actor. Passionately in love, he went for a young beautiful actress in Chita, where he married. Having worked there for one and a half seasons, the newlyweds moved to Yaroslavl, the wife's native city. But life there did not work out. Once completely different people, they parted, and Leonid went to Lipetsk, where he invited the director of the Chita Theater. This decision became a fateful actor's life. There he met his second wife, Eleonor, with whom he still remains inseparable. Now they have a son Alex and already an adult grandson Cyril. By the way, unlike his father, Cyril thinks to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather and is already studying in a dramatic circle of the House of Actors.

The Road to Cinematography

After completing his studies at the theater studio, Kulagin sent his photos to all the studios, being absolutely convinced of his attractiveness, since since childhood he had enjoyed increased attention from young people. Suddenly, a call came from Mosfilm, from director Andrei Smirnov, and Leonid decided that Soviet cinema would not be without him. But this opinion changed, as soon as the script was read. There was not a single name in it, only nicknames: the commissar, the machinist, the man with the horse face and the others. Initially, the director prepared him the role of a man with a horse face. Thus, the young actor's illusions about his unearthly attractiveness were destroyed.

The history of the picture was sad, the officials ordered it to be destroyed, having discerned the political underpinnings, but thanks to the installer some boxes with the film survived. Subsequently, the film was restored, but by that time his plot had already lost its relevance. Some episodes of the film came to Mikhalkov-Konchalovsky, which he considered in the actor's role as a nobleman. So Leonid Nikolaevich got the role of Lavretsky in "The Noble Nest".

After that, the actor became recognizable, starring in the first erotic film "Autumn" in 1974, where more than half of the scenes were shot in bed. Leonid's partner on the set was the wife of the director - Natalia Rudnaya.

Eleanor's wife reacted surprisingly calmly even to such frank cadres, and the actor is sure that thanks to this attitude and understanding they managed to save the family.

Happened during the shooting and quite funny cases. For example, in the film "The Ballad of Valiant Knight Ivanhoe" (1982) in the final scene, the actor was almost fried alive, forgetting that he was tied to a skewer over real fire.

The Conquest of Moscow

Even during the filming of the "Noble's Nest" Kulagin received a call to one of the theaters of the capital, but he absolutely did not want to become a Muscovite. For this, the actor found thousands of excuses from urgent performances to important tours, although in the end he still moved there.

Actor Leonid Kulagin believes that it's more difficult to perform on the Moscow stage, as sophisticated spectators demand constantly new emotions, colors, impressions. In the province everything is simpler and more measured. With all his heart to fall in love with Moscow, he could not, despite the fact that he spent many years in this city.

Career director

After the first economic problems, the actor returns to the province - to direct the theater in Bryansk, but not for long. Then again, Moscow and again performances on the stage. Finally, to leave the theater Kulagin was only 35 years later, he immediately began to master a new field - direction. The first and quite successful steps in this field, he did even in the theater. For outstanding achievements in film and theater, he was repeatedly awarded prizes and even received a Silver Medal. At the moment, Leonid Nikolaevich is the head of the art line in one major producer center.

Leonid Kulagin: movies. The most striking works

The filmography of the actor is quite cumbersome and continues to replenish. In addition to the previously listed, Leonid Kulagin starred in the following famous films:

• "Payback" - one of the first paintings in 1970;
• Touching film "My House - Theater", filmed in 1975;
• "Forgive me, Alyosha" (1983);
• "Stood out, the charm lasted ...", released on screens in 1984;
• "Interception" (1986);
• "The Afghan break", which appeared in rampant 1991;
• "Eyes" (1992).

And this is not a complete list of films with his participation, there are also later paintings, for example, the notorious "Kulagin and partners". Also, a large number of military paintings were shot, such as "The Battle for Moscow" and "The Riding Front". Somewhere there were main roles, somewhere episodic, but always, even taking off in the roles of the second plan, he completely gives himself to his hero, trying to convey the fullness of emotions.

And the most famous director's works of Kulagin are such films as "Drilling" (2007) and "She-wolves" (1993). By the way, in the film "She-wolf" he acted as a screenwriter.