Sports commentator Nikolai Nikolayevich Ozerov: biography, interesting facts

He can be safely attributed to the symbols of the Soviet era, although he was not even a member of the Communist Party. Nikolai Ozerov, whose biography is closely connected with commentary, skillfully combined two little connected phenomena: creativity and sport. His voice entered every house in those days when the whole country was covered with a sport fever and knew the hockey team in the face of every player. What is known about this legendary man?

Origins

His childhood passed in communication with the great people that make up the color of creative Moscow: Vasily Kachalov, Leonid Sobinov, Nikolai Golovanov and Antonina Nezhdanova, who were frequent guests in the house. Nikolai Ozerov was born in the family of the famous Bolshoi Theater soloist, whose name was inherited by him. Appearing in December 1922, he found Novikov-Priboy, the writer Otto Schmidt, who was delighted with the stories. But he dreamed about the career of an opera singer, after all, besides his father, there was a composer (great-grandfather) and a priest with a great voice (grandfather) in the family.

Mom Nadezhda Ivanovna also dreamed of becoming an actress, but she left her studies at the Institute of Cinematography after the birth of her first child. Elder brother Yuri realized himself in the work, becoming a famous film director, author of the film epic "Liberation". Nicholas, after performing as a child on the holiday aria Gilda of "Rigoletto" suddenly became interested in tennis.

Start in sport

Favorite sport Nicholas Ozerov first liked his brother. Together they went to the Zagoryanska station (28 km from Moscow), where a resident of the village named Vasily Ivanovich coached boys. Famous masters Alexander Golovanov, Nikolay Kuchinsky, Mikhail Korchagin also once started with this coach. By the age of 12, both brothers were already engaged in adult courts, speaking at the championship of Moscow. Yuri's rating was even slightly higher than that of his brother, but he decided not to associate his future with the sport.

Already in 1935 Nikolai Ozerov became the champion of Moscow in his age category, and in 1939 won the All-Union competition.

Honored Master of Sports

The highest sporting title in 25 years (1947), the future Ozerov commentator will receive not only for success at various competitions, but also for activities during the Great Patriotic War. Not leaving Moscow even in the most difficult days, Nicholas along with three other athletes will participate in the so-called exhibition matches. To ensure that residents of the capital did not lose morale, competitions were held on all courts. They collected a large number of spectators. On cars tennis players were transported throughout the city, where they competed with each other.

The level of the athlete's skill is difficult to assess, because in those years Soviet tennis players did not perform in the international arena, but 24 times he became the strongest in his country. Eyewitnesses were delighted with his trademark blow to the right, who was called the "Ozerovskaya Katyusha."

Theatrical career

Back in 1941 the future Ozerov commentator became a student of GITIS, who graduated in 1946. 30 years of life will be given to a theater that will always play an important role in his life. For many years he will simultaneously serve in the Moscow Art Theater, playing in fairy tales and comedies, continue his tennis career (until 1953), head the football team of the theater as captain and since 1950 comment on football and hockey matches. It's hard to imagine how this is possible, but contemporaries say that sometimes he had to play specially on the court to succeed at the beginning of the performances at the Moscow Art Theater.

In the theater, the artist played about 20 roles. These were not outstanding theatrical works, but the audience warmly received Nicholas Ozerov, who has an amazing charm.

The way to the commentator's cabin

The first independent reportage Nikolai Nikolayevich Ozerov, a commentator with thirty years of experience, conducted in August 1950. It was a match between CDKA and Dynamo. And then there was a two-week pause. The management wanted to receive feedback from radio listeners in order to decide on further cooperation with the artist.

The fact that Vadim Sinyavsky was the favorite of the audience at the time , whose reports on the radio were all right, but for television it was necessary to look for a replacement, because of the trauma of his eyes that he saw badly and could make inaccuracies during the match. Second sports commentator Viktor Dubinin switched to coaching, so it was not just a new face, but a man of Sinyavsky's level.

Ozerov was a unique candidate, combining knowledge of sports, excellent command of language and artistry. But his manner of reporting was supposed to appeal to the public at first, therefore within two weeks the management studied the contents of the received forty letters, the vast majority of which was laudatory. Only after this, Ozerov was entrusted with a new job.

National recognition

Soon, no significant sporting event could not do without his participation. Ozerov Nikolai Nikolaevich, commentator number one of the Soviet era, has reached unprecedented popularity. What contributed to this?

• Huge dedication and dedication to the sport. Previously, the stadiums did not have special cabs, so often had to report from the trees, but this did not stop the artist. There is a case when Ozerov was injured on the hockey match between Spartak and CSKA in the presence of Leonid Brezhnev, due to Sergey Kapustin's active actions , but he did not leave his post, having thrown off the applause of the public.
• Excellent command of the word.
• Amazing artistry, making the commentator's speech in a good pathos, encouraging the belief that our always win. Even when they lose. His rolling "Go-o-oh-l!" - This is the crown chip, which was adopted by new generations of sports leaders.
• Irrepressible temperament and emotionality, which resonate with any resident of the country. He is credited with sharp words during the reporting, criticism, which the censorship immediately monitored and reported upstairs. So, his words about the quality of domestic production of sticks could cost him membership in the party, if he was in it.

Ozerov's commentator visited within the framework of his professional activities at the 15 Olympiads, 38 World Hockey and Soccer Championships and 6 European Championship. He worked in 49 countries around the world, had an unforgettable series of reports from a series of meetings of the national team of hockey and NHL stars. In the final match of 1972 during a brawl on the ice, he uttered a phrase that became the main quote of Soviet sport: "We do not need such hockey!" In 1973 he was awarded the title People's Artist of the RSFSR.

Family of the People's Artist

Being popularly known and having thousands of phone numbers in his notebook, the popular Ozerov commentator has been lonely for a long time. To his future wife, Margarita Petrovna, he made an offer in 1968, having married at 47 years. Wife worked in the publishing house as an editor and was younger than Nikolai Nikolayevich for 10 years. A year later, the couple had twins - a son and a daughter. My father immediately gave them membership cards to the "Spartak" society and hoped that Kolya and Nadya would link their lives with sports, but this did not happen.

Until the end of the days the family was for Nikolai Ozerov a solid rear. Suffering from diabetes and moving in recent years, the operation to amputate his legs, he moved away from friends, but relied on the support of his family and friends.

Completion of career, interesting facts

The end of the 80's is the time of the end of the Soviet era. With the light hand of Nikolai Nikolaevich, new commentators came to television: Mayorov, Maslachenko, Pereturin. They had a better understanding of the game, they could analyze what was happening on the field, and Nikolai Ozerov's reportage began to be perceived as old-fashioned and unnecessarily pretentious. He stopped trusting the main matches, and soon he offended wrote a statement of dismissal, which he willingly signed. The last years of his life (died in 1997), Nikolai Nikolayevich suffered greatly without his beloved work.

It is said that after the dismissal in his former office immediately started repair. On the first day, the masters were tasked to peel the wallpaper and prepare the walls. At the end of the working day, the foreman found out that nothing had been done: none of the workers risked ripping off a single portrait of great people with inscription to the legendary man.

In the filmography of the actor 11 films, and almost all he played himself - a sports commentator.

So life is arranged, that the scale of talent is realized after a while. People will forget the officials and envious persons who once removed the legendary man from his favorite work. But in the history of the country will remain the name of Ozerov and his best reports as a visiting card of an era.