Yevgeny Morgunov
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| Yevgeny Morgunov | |||||||
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| Born | Yevgeny Alexandrovich Morgunov April 27, 1927 Moscow, USSR |
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| Died | June 25, 1999 |
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| Occupation | actor, screenwriter | ||||||
| Years active | 1948-1998 | ||||||
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Yevgeny Alexandrovich Morgunov (Russian: Евге́ний Алекса́ндрович Моргуно́в; April 27, 1927 – June 25, 1999) was a Soviet and Russian actor, film director, and script writer, Meritorious Artist of Russian SFSR (1978).
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[edit] Early life
He started out as a worker in a Moscow factory, but - "a little naive and obsessed with becoming an actor" - he wrote a letter to Joseph Stalin telling the Great Leader about his dream.[1] Morgunov reportedly received a reply from Stalin that said that a place was allocated for him in the acting class at the State Cinematography Institute.[1] Morgunov launched his film career while still a student.[1]
[edit] Career
Yevgeny Morgunov was one of Russia's leading comic actors.[1] "Plump and bald," Morgunov often "represented a traditional character of Soviet satire - Byvaly, or Experienced, a slightly dull, strong-built drunk whose attempts to commit petty crimes always failed."[1]
Although his acting career was not limited to comedies, he was best known for his work in a comic trio in a series of films by Leonid Gaidai, with Yury Nikulin as Fool (Balbes), and Georgy Vitsin as Coward (Trus). Their best-known films together were Operation Y and Other Shurik's Adventures and Prisoner of the Caucasus, or Shurik's New Adventures.[1] Morgunov's character named Experienced (Byvaly) was always the "tight-lipped and aggressive leader of the group".[1] Reportedly, "the three symbolized exactly what Soviet men were not supposed to be - drunk, unemployed and inclined toward mischief."[1] In one of the legendary scenes in Prisoner of the Caucasus Experienced gives lessons on how to dance the twist - by putting out cigarette butts with his foot. [1]
In 1993 Morgunov was featured in American-Russian adventure film My Family Treasure (Russian: Сокровище моей семьи) directed by Rolfe Kanefsky and Edward Staroselsky alongside with Dee Wallace.
Morgunov's popularity was not far behind that of his partner Nikulin, a famous actor and clown of the Moscow Circus.[1]
Morgunov is buried at the Kuntsevskoye Cemetery.[1]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Soviet-Era Comic Screen Legend Dies. Valeria Korchagina. The Moscow Times. No. 1738. June 29, 1999.
[edit] External links
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