Generation's Bow: which actors were brought up by Igor Zolotovitsky

Igor Zolotovitsky, a film and theater artist, one of the pillars of the Moscow Art Theater, rector of the Moscow Art Theater Studio School, and head of the Actor's House, died at the age of 65. He has dozens of roles behind him, plays that he directed himself, but most importantly, a lot of young actors who were produced by the Studio School. For each of them, Zolotovitsky remained both a moral tuning fork, and an ideal in the profession, and often just a friend and partner on stage. This is the case when a lot of people don't know "how it's going to be without him." Izvestia, for whom Zolotovitsky was also a frequent interlocutor, tells us why Zolotovitsky's name will be heard in the Moscow Art Theater and beyond its walls for a very long time.

The last performance

"The play "Winnie the Pooh Readings," scheduled for February 8 on the Small Stage, is canceled." Such a message appeared on the Moscow Art Theater's telegram channel on Monday, and people began to write in the comments with concern that there were no other dates for this performance. And someone alarmingly noticed that Zolotovitsky was not at the Moscow Art Theater Christmas Concert.

This performance was one of Zolotovitsky's last major works at the Moscow Art Theater, and by and large, his benefit. Zolotovitsky did not just play the main role – he was the core of the production, the guide of the author's thought of Evgeny Grishkovets. And we went to this performance several times to spend time in the company of Zolotovitsky. This is a Small Hall, meaning that the inexhaustible source of charisma, irony and calm wisdom was only a few meters away from almost any point.

Now we know what happened. In just six months, cancer has deprived the audience, the theater, the Moscow Art Theater School, and the cinema of one of those people who, like lighthouses, remain landmarks in the profession. Which it's not that there's no one to replace — it just doesn't even occur to anyone, because they seem to have to live forever — due to their uniqueness, importance, and, after all, how much they are needed, needed wherever they are present.

"I do not know a more witty and cheerful person in our environment,— director Andrey Zhitinkin tells Izvestia. — He did everything, all the skits in the Actor's House, and there were young Singers, Dvorzhetsky, Zhenya Dobrovolskaya, who, unfortunately, is also gone, but Igor Zolotovitsky composed everything. He could invite any star and make Shirvindt, Zakharov, and Ryazanov work, and even make Slava Zaitseva sing. He was a caring and strict rector. He said that it was necessary to prepare the "children" for the harsh conditions of competition that awaited them. But he was also kind, you know? Here he comes out so big, and everyone is already smiling. He joked in such a way that later the whole of Moscow passed his witticisms from mouth to mouth.

Who was taught by Igor Zolotovitsky

Many graduates of the workshop of Igor Zolotovitsky and Sergey Zemtsov (the "ZZ course," as they were called) have long been superstars. These are Maxim Matveev, the star of "Trigger," Vronsky from Shakhnazarov's "Anna Karenina," and, not least, Sorge from "Red Silk." And just one of the most sought-after artists of his generation. He joined Zolotovitsky immediately after graduating from the Conservatory in Saratov.

This is his classmate Anton Shagin, who after the "Dudes" made a brilliant career in cinema. By the way, in "Dudes", and before that in Valery Todorovsky's "Vice", he and Matveev played together, only in "Vice" Matveev had the main role, and in "Dudes" — Shagin. Both are stellar. They later starred together in the Salvation Alliance. And Shagin also played Mindadze's most difficult character in the drama "On Saturday", was almost the Main Character in "Loafers", was the protagonist in Fokine's "Petropolis" and Ivan the Fool in "The Hunchback Horse". Recently, The Aviator was released with him, Shagin is now the star of Lenkom.

Zolotovitsky noticed and appreciated Artyom Bystrov long before the film "The Fool" was shot. And I loved working with him at the Moscow Art Theater. Polina Gagarina, who, by the way, is a professional actress by training, studied with him. A young KVN player, Andrei Burkovsky, came to him, who later became an artist of the Moscow Art Theater, and after "Call DiCaprio" turned into a national favorite.

There are also Viktor Khorinyak, Ekaterina Vilkova, Miroslava Karpovich, Mark Bogatyrev, Kuzma Saprykin, Maxim Stoyanov. Pavel Tabakov also graduated from Zolotovitsky's workshop, and without any discounts on his last name. In general, it's easier to say which of the famous artists did not study with Zolotovitsky, however, later it will most likely turn out that even if he was not in the ZZ workshop, Zolotovitsky must have taught him something anyway — for example, on stage or on the set.

Who was Zolotovitsky playing?

Zolotovitsky was Ronnie in one of the main Moscow Art Theater hits "No. 13" by Vladimir Mashkov, and the audience roared with laughter from the energetic eccentricity of the hero. In Ostrovsky's The Last Victim, Zolotovitsky turned the minor character Salai Saltanych into the highlight of the performance. Zolotovitsky directed "Marriage" himself, but he also played Zhevakin there in such a way that in the end, everyone was looking at him again. In Ryzhakov's "Drunk," he worked with the complex material of a new drama that required combining intellectual irony with a new sincerity. He was Berlioz and Dorn, he was Lebedev in Yuri Butusov's "Ivanov," he appeared on stage in "Portraying the Victim."

"This is a very heavy personal loss for me,— actor Oleg Basilashvili told Izvestia. — A kind, intelligent, honest man has left us. A wonderful, wonderful artist. Unique. He has worked in the Art Theater all his life. And he gave a huge part of his life to the students of the Moscow Art Theater Studio School, educating young actors, our upcoming shift. Among the actors who graduated from the studio under his leadership, there are many wonderful, now famous artists. This is his merit. He was a tall, handsome, sturdy man with eyes radiating joy and love for life. That's how I'll remember him forever. It's scary that he's gone.

"There are such blocky people who seem to be with us forever," Moscow Art Theater actress Sofya Evstigneeva, a graduate of the Studio School, seems to answer Basilashvili. — I did not get to see Igor Yakovlevich struggling with an illness. The last time I saw him was at a troupe gathering in September. He came in a wig, and it didn't even cross my mind that something was wrong. I thought he had a rehearsal after that. He was always so joyful, energetic and radiant that I did not allow bad thoughts. And I believed until the last moment that he could do it. He will always remain for me the brightest person, my rector and my stage partner. I was just lucky to be around.

Zolotovitsky not only played with the greatest theater directors of his time. He has a huge filmography, and there he worked with Pavel Lungin, Vera Glagoleva, Alexander Zeldovich, Ivan Dykhovichny, Sergei Ursulyak, Svetlana Proskurina, Valeria Guy Germanika, Avdotya Smirnova, Evgeny Sangadzhiev. In recent years, he has worked a lot in TV series, starred in "The Librarian" based on the novel by Mikhail Elizarov, in "Actresses" by Fyodor Bondarchuk, among his latest works is "Shakespeare Street", it was released last year, everyone was just waiting for the second season.

Igor Zolotovitsky's farewell will take place on Saturday, January 17, at the Moscow Art Theater. Then there will be a funeral service at the Church of Sophia the Wisdom of God in Sredny Sadovniki and a funeral at the Troekurovsky cemetery.