People's Artist of the RSFSR Mikhail Nozhkin. Biography

People's Artist of the RSFSR Mikhail Nozhkin died at the age of 90 - he died on June 22, 2026.

Early years and education

Mikhail Ivanovich Nozhkin was born on January 19, 1937 in Moscow. His father, Ivan Petrovich (1906-1961), was a participant in the Great Patriotic War (WWII), was captured in the Dachau and Buchenwald concentration camps. His mother, Klavdia Gavrilovna (1910-1988), worked as a nurse.

Nozhkin graduated from a construction college in Moscow, and in 1959 from the Yunost Studio of the All—Russian Creative Workshop of Pop Art.

Career and creativity

In the late 1950s, Nozhkin worked as a foreman and foreman at a construction site. At the same time, he began writing music based on his own poems, composed back in school. His songs covered lyrics, satire and patriotic themes, many of them dedicated to the Great Patriotic War.

He became widely known after performing the song "The Last Fight" in the movie Liberation (1971). The popularity was consolidated by the compositions "Everything is quiet in the cemetery", "The last train", "Naughty girl", "Honestly", "Near the city of Rzhev", "I love you, Russia", "It's time to collect Russia!" and others. He is also the author of the lyrics for the films "Finist — the Clear Falcon" (1976) and "Balamut" (1979).

From 1961 to 1964 he worked at the Moscow State Variety Theater, then until 1967 — at the Moscow Concert. He performed variety performances, satirical short stories, poems, ballads and couplets. In 1967, he left the Moscow Concert after a conflict with the management related to the highly satirical performances and the play "The Fool is with you."

In 1968, he made his film debut, playing intelligence officer Pavel Sinitsyn in the film "The Resident's Mistake", where he performed the song that brought him fame. Then he starred in the epic "Liberation" (1970-1971), the films "The Fate of the Resident", "Peter's Youth", "At the beginning of glorious Deeds", "Solo Swimming" and others. The image of Vadim Roshchin in the TV movie "Walking in Torment" (1977) became particularly popular.

Nozhkin is the author of the script for the documentary "For the Sake of Life on Earth" (1983). He participated in the creation and directed the documentaries "Victory Strategy", "Poet's Line", "Children of War. The last witnesses." He also worked on television: he hosted the programs "TV Cafe", "Attention, scholars!", the author's program "No one is forgotten".

He was engaged in literary and dramatic work: he wrote librettos, plays, variety programs and texts for artists of the spoken genre. In the 1980s and 1990s, he participated in public and political life, was a member of creative unions and public organizations.

Since 1973, he has been a member of the Union of Cinematographers of the USSR, since 1995 — the Union of Writers of Russia, since 2018 he has served as co-chairman of its board.

He was awarded the Orders of the Badge of Honor, Honor, For Services to the Fatherland, IV degree, Alexander Nevsky, as well as the State Prize of the RSFSR (1982). People's Artist of the RSFSR (1980), Honored Cultural Worker of the Polish People's Republic (1975).

Personal life and death

Since 1959, he has been married to Larisa Golubina, head of the literary department of the Moscow State Variety Theater. He has been a widower since 2004.

The People's Artist died at the age of 90. This was announced on June 22 by the Union of Cinematographers of Russia.