Last take: in Moscow, they said goodbye to the legendary dubbing actor Alexei Zolotnitsky

He was called the Russian voice of Hollywood: dozens of stars in the Russian dubbing spoke with the timbre of Honored Artist of the Russian Federation Alexei Zolotnitsky. An actor of cinema and theater, a model of intelligence and modesty, Zolotnitsky died on October 25 at the age of 80 after a long illness. His family, friends, colleagues, and even a real fan club came to see him off, whose members collect recordings with Zolotnitsky's voice. The farewell ceremony took place at the Church of the Ordination of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Leonovo. Izvestia visited the ceremony and talked with relatives and friends of the artist.

Zolotnitsky played in the theater and "sounded" in the cinema

Alexey Zolotnitsky's voice has been heard by everyone who watches movies in Russia. The actor voiced hundreds of characters: he spoke for Robert De Niro, Anthony Hopkins, Alain Delon, Robert Redford. The actor became widely known for his role as Rogers the butler in Stanislav Govorukhin's film "Ten Little Negroes."

The theatergoers, in turn, knew and loved Zolotnitsky for his roles on stage. He served in the Film Actor's Theater, in the Mossovet Theater, and gave many years to the Theater under the direction of Oleg Tabakov (Tabakerke).

— Dad's favorite role is definitely Aduyev in Goncharov's "Ordinary Story" on the stage of Tabakerka, — the actor's son Philip Zolotnitsky shared with Izvestia. — They played it in shifts with Oleg Pavlovich Tabakov. He liked the role of Uncle. And, of course, Chatsky in "Woe from Wit" at the Actor's Theater. Although he liked all the roles. He treated everyone absolutely as the most important. I remember how, as a schoolboy, I studied with him the role of Comrade Chernyshev in the play "Matrosskaya Tishina" directed by Tabakov. Dad gave me the text of Galich's play so that I could check it. I even still remember that text.

As Philip Zolotnitsky recalls, his father treated Stanislav Govorukhin very well. They have worked together in films on several occasions. And when the director shot the film "Captain Grant's Children", he invited Alexey Alekseevich to voice the scientist-geographer Paganel, played by the Estonian actor Lembit Ulfsak. He spoke with an accent, and in Soviet cinema such artists were usually overdubbed.

— Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, you could switch from channel to channel and hear your father's voice, — says Philip Zolotnitsky. — There were difficult economic times, and that's what made us feel good, because there were a lot of Western films and they needed to be dubbed. Oleg Tabakov called him "the golden voice" or "the voice of the epoch." But his father still treated cinema as something passing, and the theater was more important to him.

According to the memoirs of Alexey Zolotnitsky's wife Lyudmila, her husband was very fond of working behind the scenes. He loved giving his voice to Hollywood stars.

— To get the rights to voice the same De Niro, sound samples were sent to Hollywood, and there they claimed who would speak Russian for the star, — says Lyudmila Nikolaevna. — The Americans strictly ensured that their actors sounded good. They claimed it, but he never boasted about it, although there was serious competition even on dubbing. His father attracted him to voice acting. He was a director. And when it was necessary to speak for the children, and then for the teenagers in the cinema, he invited Alyosha.

Alexey Zolotnitsky received his first acting lessons in the studio at the Stanislavsky Theater. There, at the age of 13, he met Nikita Mikhalkov and Elizaveta Nikishchikhina. The family was immersed in creativity. Alexey Zolotnitsky's house has always been open to talented people. Vladimir Vysotsky sang in his house. The artist had a great relationship with Nikolai Karachentsov — he was a witness at the wedding of Lyudmila and Alexei. And Mark Zakharov, appreciating the encyclopedic nature and education of his colleague, invited Zolotnitsky as a second director in Lenkom. But he chose the "Snuffbox".

"We often went with the children to Alexei Alekseevich's performances, attended general runs and rehearsals," recalls Irina Volk, the artist's daughter—in—law. — Oleg Pavlovich was always present at this, carefully watched the actors' performance, made some remarks. They took into account and corrected everything that was happening on stage. My father-in-law Alexei Alekseevich Zolotnitsky was very fond of Oleg Tabakov. They had a very warm relationship.

A genuine intellectual

He was an intellectual, of which there are few, his relatives recall. In his entire life, his family had never heard a single bad word from him. Alexey Alekseevich never raised his voice or said anything that would degrade human dignity. When the daughter-in-law was filming a film about her family, she asked her father-in-law to say a few words about her son Philip.

— Alexey Alekseevich called my husband and his son "my dear son" in this film, — Irina Volk recalls. — I think that says it all. He was also a mentor to me. Every time I was preparing for the broadcast, I was rehearsing, he listened and advised: "The intonation is not the same here, Irina, it needs to be redone. Go read the tongue twisters."

Alexey Zolotnitsky was irreplaceable for the theater. According to his colleague, Honored Artist of Russia Dmitry Brodetsky, he was a very serious link for the Tabakov Theater, and Oleg Pavlovich greatly appreciated him.

— When I came to the theater, Alexey was already a venerable, experienced artist, — Dmitry Brodetsky recalls. — I watched performances with his participation and learned from them. Then I even had a chance to participate in such a production as "Overstocked barrel." And sometimes I caught myself thinking that now I'm playing a role in which Alexey Zolotnitsky once shone. What can I say, all our growing up — both human and acting — took place with his voice.

Igor Petrov also had the opportunity to work with Alexey Zolotnitsky for many years. Despite the age difference, he considers him his teacher.

— We were sitting in the same dressing room, and I asked: "Alexey Alekseevich, can you show me how you work on the role?" And he demonstrated a masterly command of the word. It's an unforgettable experience. And how many laughs, jokes, stories, stories about your life path! And he enjoyed sharing it. This is one of the successes of my life — co-creation with this most gentle man. And with what tenderness he remembered how he spent time with his grandchildren!

The children and grandchildren did not become artists, but their lives are still filled with art. Musical education was compulsory in the family. Alexey Zolotnitsky himself played the piano beautifully. He also spoke French because his mother knew French as her mother tongue. Children were raised in love of new knowledge. Encyclopedic education is a characteristic feature of the family.

— Grandfather gave me books to read, then we read them together and discussed them, — grandson Sergey shared his memories. — He said: you should not read in such a way as to memorize the work, memorizing all the characters and plot, the main thing is to understand the meaning. He also said that talent is nothing without hard work. You should always give yourself completely to your favorite business. And the most important lesson he taught me is that you need to love, respect and support your family and, of course, your Homeland. My grandfather was a great patriot.

The grandson writes poetry, studies music, and studies at the Faculty of Law, and, out of habit, he reads a lot. Another grandson of the artist, Anton Zolotnitsky, now works as a columnist for Izvestia.

​Not only relatives, friends and relatives, but also fans came to Vagankovo cemetery to say goodbye to Alexey Zolotnitsky. Yes, Alexey Zolotnitsky's intonation was followed by a whole fan club, fans who were fascinated by his low overtones. Many of them were fascinated by his work behind the scenes in the fantastic saga "Babylon V." With his timbre, he changed Oleg's life, who shared with Izvestia that he has since become involved in preserving and searching for old dubbed films. This means that neither the voice nor the roles of Alexei Zolotnitsky will sink into Oblivion.