Alexey Vertinsky
UkraineAlexey Vertinsky: Biography
Alexey Vertinsky, a renowned actor and Honored Artist of Ukraine, began his acting career during his school years, participating in amateur performances. After finishing school, he started working at the Shepkin Sumy Theater. In those days, Alexey Sergeyevich admits that he "didn't have a marketable appearance": "Everyone said - yes, you're funny, but externally I looked terrible: long-haired, pimply, with a long nose, small, deeply set eyes. In fact, I only matured in the army."
He was awarded the title of Honored Artist of Ukraine in 1999 and was the recipient of the "Kiev Pectoral" prize for his monospectacle "Blue Car". Vertinsky also won the Grand Prix at international festivals in Yerevan, Riga, and Wroclaw for the same monospectacle. He was also named "Actor of the Year" at the "Ukrainian Film Forum - 2007".
Alexey Vertinsky was born and raised in the Ukrainian city of Sumy. Does he have any connection to the famous Vertinsky dynasty? This question is asked to Alexey Sergeyevich in almost every interview. He responds that there is some relationship, but what exactly... "I know," Alexey Sergeyevich says, "that when I was a student, my aunt, who worked at Mosfilm, maintained relationships with Nastya and Mariana - Vertinsky's daughters. Although I personally did not see any documents indicating that Alexander Nikolaevich is my relative. And, moreover, when the Soviet Union was being formed, it was not just unfashionable to have the surname Vertinsky, it was often dangerous for life. Most of my relatives became Buryaks and Grushas. And my aunt Vera was pursued by the KGB for years: the house was full of rarities with family crests. People pretended to be commoners and burned everything that could restore the family tree."
Alexey Vertinsky began his acting career during his school years, participating in amateur performances. After finishing school, the young man started working at the Shepkin Sumy Theater. In those days, Alexey Sergeyevich admits that he "didn't have a marketable appearance": "Everyone said - yes, you're funny, but externally I looked terrible: long-haired, pimply, with a long nose, small, deeply set eyes. In fact, I only matured in the army."
After serving in the army, Alexey Vertinsky entered the Moscow Estrada and Circus School (Rudolf Rudin's workshop). Why the circus? He confesses that he didn't care where to study, he just needed to get a diploma. Only much later did he realize how lucky he was and what an interesting education he received, as they were taught all genres. That's why today he can do so much: perform acrobatics and juggling.
After graduating from the circus school in 1980, Alexey Vertinsky worked for three years at the Novosibirsk Circus, where he was a conversational artist, touring all over Siberia. Their incredibly funny duo - Alexey Vertinsky and Misha Kuznetsov - had constant success with the audience. Later, Alexey Vertinsky worked as the director of the Sailor's House of Culture in the city of Nakhodka. The 90s became a time of survival for many artists after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Alexey Vertinsky returned to Ukraine and joined the Sumy Theater, later moving to the Zakarpattia Drama Theater in Uzhgorod. There were times when he had to work in a hospital, at a parking lot - he had to survive somehow. Sometimes it felt like life was over...
Changes for the better began after Vertinsky became an actor at the Kiev Young Theater in 1997. The new century brought him a lot of work, demand, fame, and prosperity. He serves at the Young Theater and collaborates with the Bravo Theater. He is involved in productions such as "Josephine and Napoleon," "Uncle Vanya," "Blue Car," operettas "Maritza," "Aunt Charlie," and more.
Today, Alexey Sergeyevich is one of the leading artists in Ukraine. He is a paradoxical, multi-genre, and highly unconventional artist who is greatly loved by the audience. In addition to his stage work, Vertinsky works on television (from October to December 2008, he hosted the show "10 Years Younger" on the channel "Ukraine") and appears in many films.
On the screen, the actor usually plays supporting roles. Among Vertinsky's film work are the roles of German Colonel Bizanc in the war drama "Indestructible," Schultz in the action film "European Convoy," local historian Bortnyansky in the suspense film "Spirit of the Land," Butler William in the comedy "Happy Birthday, Queen!," engineer Polesov in the musical film "The Twelve Chairs," Wrangel in the historical series "Nine Lives of Nestor Makhno," Pan Valdek in the melodrama "The Year of the Golden Fish," Lev Silantyevich in the melodrama "I Want a Child," Feig in the biographical film "Utessov. A Song That Lasts a Lifetime," Julius Reus in the detective film "Good Guys," pathologist Grigory Ilyich in the comedy "Weekend Romance," and others.
