| Yuri Nikulin Юрий Никулин | |
|---|---|
 Yuri Nikulin | |
| Nació | 18 de diciembre de 1921 |
| Fallecido | 21 de agosto de 1997 (75 años) [1] |
| Lugar de descanso | Cementerio Novodevichy , Moscú |
| Ocupación | Actor, payaso, maestro de ceremonias, cantante |
| Título | Héroe del trabajo socialista (1990) Artista popular de la URSS (1973) |
Yuri Vladimirovich Nikulin (Russian: Юрий Владимирович Никулин; 18 December 1921 – 21 August 1997) was a Soviet and Russian actor and clown who starred in many popular films. He is best known for his roles in Leonid Gaidai's comedies, such as The Diamond Arm and Kidnapping, Caucasian Style, although he occasionally starred in dramatic roles and performed in Moscow Circus.
He was awarded the title of People's Artist of the USSR in 1973 and Hero of Socialist Labour in 1990. He also received a number of state awards, including the prestigious Order of Lenin, which he received twice in his lifetime.
Biography[edit]
Early Years[edit]
Nikulin was born just after the end of the Russian civil war, in Demidov town in Smolensk Oblast. His father Vladimir Andreevich was a critic, an author of satirical plays and a director in Demidov local Drama theatre. Yuri’s mother Lidiya was an actress there, they got married in the early 1920s and in 1925 moved to Moscow.[2]
In Moscow Yuri entered a prestigious school No. 16 and soon received from the school pedologist an unfavorable characteristic of “a child with limited abilities”. The insulted father came to school and confronted the teacher, proving that Yuri was a bright kid. Vladimir Nikulin led a drama club in the school, they staged contemporary playwrights and Yuri was a passionate artist there. In the eighth grade he was transferred to the school No. 346 that was considered ‘a mediocre one’. He graduated in 1939, in a few months he was called up for military duty.[2]
World War II[edit]
Nikulin was drafted to the Red Army on November 18, 1939, at the age of 17. In December he was sent to the Winter War with Finland in an anti-aircraft battery near Sestroretsk. During fights at the Mannerheim Line he served as a wireman and once was ordered to lay 2 km of wire from reels on a backpack in -30 °C. On that night he was so exhausted after the mission that fell asleep in the snow, fortunately rescued by the border patrol. He suffered from severe frostbites and for the rest of his life his legs froze easily. Upon recovery he returned to his division.[3]
In 1941 Nikulin was waiting for demobilization when the German invasion of the Soviet Union began. In 1942 his battery was located near the sieged Leningrad. In 1944 he again escaped death by miracle - a few seconds after he left a trench shelter it was hit by a heavy artillery missile. In the same year he was by commander's mistake sent to set wire in an occupied village and wasn’t killed by German soldiers only by sheer luck. Upon the end of the war he was dismissed from the army only in 1946.[4][2][3]
Circus career[edit]
Nikulin first tried himself as a comedian in 1944 when a political officer in his battalion, impressed by his repertoire of jokes, ordered him to organize entertainment for the division, which he did with resounding success. Encouraged, once the war ended, Nikulin unsuccessfully tried to enter VGIK, Russian Institute of Theatre Arts, Mikhail Shchepkin Higher Theatre School. Finally he was accepted into Noginsk theatre school, but soon changed his mind and entered the Moscow Сircus school.[2][5]
Nikulin's style and precise delivery, as well as his mastery of timing and his hilarious masks made him an outstanding comedian.[6] He started as an assistant of Karandash, then the most famous clown in USSR. In circus school Nikulin met Mikhail Shuidin, they formed a clown duo and performed together throughout the whole career.[7]
In the ring, Nikulin played a phlegmatic, slow and unsmiling person, in the West he was compared to the Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin. Rich in mimicry, doleful of expression, Nikulin was hailed as “a brainy clown” outside Russia.[8][9]
Nikulin, affectionately called "Uncle Yura" by Russian children, relied mainly upon his wits to earn his place in history as one of the best clowns of the 20th century.[10][11] He stopped performing as a clown at 60, explaining that “a clown shouldn’t be gray, it looks pathetic”.[12]
Cinema[edit]
His screen debut came in 1958 with the film The Girl with the Guitar. He appeared in almost a dozen major features, mainly in the 1960s and 1970s, and achieved great success with short films directed by Leonid Gaidai."[13]
The first two works with Gaidai, Dog Barbos and Unusual Cross and later Bootleggers (Russian: Samogonchiki or The Moonshine Makers, 1961), were also where Nikulin was featured as a character named Fool in The Three Stooges-like trio, along with Georgy Vitsin as Coward and Yevgeny Morgunov as Pro. In former Soviet republics he is particularly well known for his role in popular film series about the criminal trio. The series included such films as Operation Y and Other Shurik's Adventures and Kidnapping Caucassian Style.[2][14]
His most popular films include comedies The Diamond Arm, The Twelve Chairs, Grandads-Robbers. His dramatic talent revealed itself in tragic roles in Andrei Tarkovsky's Andrei Rublev and several films on World War II themes (Sergei Bondarchuk's They Fought for Their Country, Aleksei German’s Twenty Days Without War).[12][15][2]
Family[edit]
In 1949 Nikulin met his future spouse, Tatiana Pokroskaya, an equestrian and a student in of Timiryazev Agricultural Academy. Tatiana brought to the circus a dwarf horse, requested by Karandash. During the rehearsal that day Tatiana witnessed Yuri run over by a horse, he suffered a concussion, had a fractured clavicle and almost lost his eye. Tatiana visited him in the hospital, in six months they were married. Since then she started working in circus, participated in many of his plays, travelled with Nikulin and Shuidin. Tatiana also plates minor roles in several Nikulin’s films.[16]
Directorship in Tsvetnoy[edit]
Nikulin was remembered as a person of boundless kindness.[13] On a director’s post he rebuilt the Old Circus and established a foundation to help retired circus artists and performers.[2]
Yuri Nikulin died in 1997 and was buried in Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow.[17] He was succeeded in his office at the Moscow Circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard by his son Maxim.[18] After Nikulin’s death the Old Circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard was renamed in his honor. A bronze monument to Nikulin was placed in front of the circus.[9]
Filmography[edit]
| Year | English title | Original title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | A Girl with Guitar | Девушка с гитарой | fireworker | |
| 1959 | The Unamenables | Неподдающиеся | Vasily Klyachkin | |
| 1960 | Yasha Toporkov | Prosha | ||
| Dead Souls | Мёртвые души | Waiter | Uncredited | |
| 1961 | My Friend, Kolka! | Друг мой, Колька! | Vasia the driver | |
| Nowhere Man | Человек ниоткуда | policeman | ||
| Dog Barbos and Unusual Cross | Пёс Барбос и необычный кросс | Fool | Short; a part of almanac Absolutely Seriously | |
| 1962 | Bootleggers | Самогонщики | Fool | Short |
| When the Trees Were Tall | Когда деревья были большими | Kuzma Kuzmich Iordanov | ||
| Molodo-zeleno | Молодо-зелено | Nikolay, chauffeur | ||
| 1963 | Bez strakha i upryoka | |||
| Strictly Business | Деловые люди | burglar | (segment "Makes the Whole World Kin") | |
| 1964 | Big Fitil | Большой фитиль | Petya-Petushok the burglar | |
| 1965 | Come Here, Mukhtar! | Ко мне, Мухтар! | police lieutenant Glazychev | |
| Give Me a Book of Complaints | Дайте жалобную книгу | salesman | ||
| Fantazyory | ||||
| Operation Y and Shurik's Other Adventures | Операция «Ы» и другие приключения Шурика | The Booby | (segment "Operatsiya Y") | |
| 1966 | Kidnapping, Caucasian Style | Кавказская пленница, или Новые приключения Шурика | Fool | Short |
| Andrei Rublev | Андрей Рублёв | Patrikei | ||
| Little Fugitive | Маленький беглец | Clown Nikulin | ||
| 1967 | Seven Old Men and a Girl | Семь стариков и одна девушка | Fool | |
| 1969 | Newbie | Новенькая | Yevgeniy Ivanovich | |
| The Diamond Arm | Бриллиантовая рука | Semyon Semyonovich Gorbunkov | ||
| 1970 | Deniska's Tales | Денискины рассказы | ||
| 1971 | The Twelve Chairs | 12 стульев | Tikhon the janitor | |
| 1972 | Grandads-Robbers | Старики-разбойники | Nikolay Myachikov | |
| Telegram | Телеграмма | Fedor Fedorovich | ||
| Point, Point, Comma... | Точка, точка, запятая… | Zhiltsov's father | ||
| 1975 | They Fought for Their Country | Они сражались за Родину | Nekrasov | |
| 1976 | Travka's Adventures | Приключения Травки | ||
| 1977 | Twenty Days Without War | Двадцать дней без войны | Major Lopatin | |
| Bobik Visiting Barbos | Бобик в гостях у Барбоса | Bobik / grandfather | Short, Voice | |
| 1983 | I Don't Want To Be Adult | Не хочу быть взрослым | Kloun | |
| Yeralash № 38 | Ералаш | uncle Yura | ||
| 1984 | Scarecrow | Чучело | Nikolai Bessoltsev, grandfather | |
| 1991 | Captain Crocus | Капитан Крокус | author | (introduction; final film role) |
Honors and awards[edit]
- Hero of Socialist Labour (1990)
- Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", 3rd class (1996)
- Two Orders of Lenin (1980 and 1990)
- Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd class
- Order of the Red Banner of Labour
- Order of the Badge of Honour
- Medal For Courage
- Medal of Zhukov
- Medal "For Labour Valour"
- Medal "For the Defence of Leningrad"
- Medal "For the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945"
- Honored Artist of the RSFSR (1963)
- People's Artist of the RSFSR (1969)
- People's Artist of the USSR (1973)
- Vasilyev Brothers State Prize of the RSFSR (1970)
References[edit]
- ^ D.Nevil (22 August 1997). "Obituary: Yuri Nikulin". The Independent. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g Razzakov 2016.
- ^ a b Danilevich, H. (2016-12-18). "Клоун на фронте. Как Юрий Никулин защищал подступы к Ленинграду" [Clown on Battlefield: How Yuri Nikulin Participated in Defense of Leningrad] (in Russian). Argumenti i Fakti. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
- ^ Glushkova 2011.
- ^ Nikulin 2009.
- ^ Татьяна Никулина ушла из жизни на 85-м году жизни, mk.ru; accessed 10 February 2018.(in Russian)
- ^ nevil, D. (1997-08-22). "Obituary: Yuri Nikulin". The Independent. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
- ^ "Yuri Nikulin". The Economist. 1997-08-28. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
- ^ a b Siemens 2011.
- ^ Кошмарные сны Максима Никулина о телевидении — Интервью с намёком, zapiski-rep.ucoz.ru; accessed 10 February 2018.(in Russian)
- ^ Российское Генеалогическое Древо Archived 25 February 2013 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b "90 лет назад родился любимец страны — Юрий Никулин" [90 Anniversary of Russia Most Loved Actor] (in Russian). 1TV. 2011-12-18. Retrieved 2020-12-04.
- ^ a b Lally, K. (1997-08-27). "Tears for a king among clowns Appreciation: Yuri Nikulin, the man who managed to bring joy to a long-suffering people, is gone. Russians old and young mourn, and their bouquets and wreaths fill six trucks". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
- ^ "Самый любимый клоун: 15 лет без Никулина" [The Most Loved Clown] (in Russian). Argumenti i Fakti. 2012-08-21. Retrieved 2020-12-04.
- ^ "95 лет со дня рождения Юрия Никулина" [95 Years since Yuri Nikulin Birthday] (in Russian). Kultura Channel. 2016-12-18. Retrieved 2020-12-04.
- ^ "Юрий и Татьяна Никулины. История любви" [Yuri and Tatiana Nikulin:Love Story] (in Russian). Argumenti i Fakti. 2014-10-27. Retrieved 2020-12-04.
- ^ Yeltsin's Last Meeting with the People, Kommersant Moscow, kommersant.com; accessed 10 February 2018.
- ^ "Yuri Nikulin Is Dead at 75; Beloved Russian Master Comic". The New York Times. 1997-08-22. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
Literature[edit]
- Razzakov, Fyodor (2016). Юрий Никулин. Смешное и трагическое (in Russian). Algoritm. ISBN 978-5-906880-45-1.
- Glushkova, V. G. (2011). Смоленская земля [Smolensk Land] (in Russian). Veche. ISBN 978-5-9533-4792-1.
- Nikulin, Yuri (2009). Почти серьёзно... [Seriously. Almost...] (in Russian). Zebra-E. ISBN 978-5-1705-5586-4.
- Siemens, Elena (2011). Theatre in Passing: A Moscow Photo-Diary. Chicago: Chicago Press. ISBN 978-1-84150-374-5.
External links[edit]
 | Wikimedia Commons has media related to Yuri Nikulin. |
- Great Russian Clown Yuri Nikulin
- Yuri Nikulin at IMDb
